Friday, May 29, 2009

Spending money to save money

Do you calculate the cost long term of items or look at the monthly charge? I made a blurb on my face book page about joining a gym and got many suggestions of alternate gyms in our area. My comment was that I had to wait to get paid again to have the money for the down payment. Well, it is a huge amount upfront and I can go to another gym and only have to pay $35 or $50 a month and not have to put out a chunk of change upfront. The only thing is that when you figure the monthly cost after paying upfront for two years I will be paying $20 a month. I save $340 to $700 over the monthly fees offered by the other gyms.

This is not the only area I am willing to pay more to save long term. I pay bills yearly to save additional charges when you pay monthly. I buy bulk items when it is a better price per unit. When purchasing cars and campers I don't look at a monthly payment, I look at the cost. I pay more for wrinkle resistant shirts for my husband over the other shirts that wear quicker and require a lot more ironing. I purchased a canner so I can save by canning my vegetables that I grow or that I find a great deal on.

It comes in to bite me when we go out to eat. I compare the cost of paying $5 for a chicken breast that would cost me less than $1 to buy at the store. Hard to enjoy it when that is going through your mind.

What are some areas that you spend more on upfront? Are there things you purchase monthly that you know if you had a chunk of money to pay annually that it would save you?

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