"Found Money": excuse, or frugality perk?

Sometimes in life we get money that we don't expect, or save money that we had accounted on spending. How should we treat this?

Here are a few examples. I opened a recent bill to find that I had been overcharged $39 the last time I was billed. As a result, this money is applied to my current bill, which as it happens means it covers it all (and lowers the next bill). That is $39 I had basically spent, that I'm now getting back (sure I was never supposed to have spent it, but in the initial bill the overcharge did not stand out to me--it was what I had reasonably expected to pay). I also planned on buying about three pairs of pants in August. In a recent excursion through storage areas of my home, I found three pairs of pants (one brand new, two still in good shape) that now fit rather nicely. I had guessed on spending around $30, and now I don't have to.

Now, there are also many cases in life when we have to pay for things we didn't expect to, or have to pay more than we accounted for. Perhaps "found money" just balances things out. Perhaps that's how we should treat it, and we should save any "found money."

But...

When you're living a frugal lifestyle, that "found money" can feel a lot like "free money." Based on the examples I provided above, I feel like I should now have about $69 to spend on whatever I want. After all, it's money I either didn't plan on having, or planned on spending, that I now get to keep. I don't need it--it had already been budgeted away. Why shouldn't I now spend that money on something extra? $69 is like 12 or 13 veggie subs at Subway. It's almost a hobby box of Topps 2008 football cards. Considering I'm plus $69, couldn't I eat guilt-free at Subway for 12 meals? Couldn't I buy myself that box of football cards without any remorse?

Am I making excuses to spend money I don't need to spend, or am I finding a way to live life both frugally and enjoyably?

Drizzle and Hail: Byerly's, Prepping for Vacation, and Mostly a Bunch of Narcissistic Reflection

I have a question for people who do their regular grocery shopping at Byerly's: what is wrong with you?
For a little variety, Cruelty-Free Mommy and I stopped by Byerly's to look for some food. As it turned out, we got free smoothies from the Caribou in there, so I can't complain too much. However, looking at the prices of the food, I can't believe that people would do regular grocery shopping there.

The very same items (and I mean literally, the very same items) are available at places like Cub, Rainbow, Super Target, etc., for much, much less money. So why are people going to Byerly's to pay that much more money? To have somebody put your groceries in a bag for you? Is that worth it? To shop on carpet? Is that really worth the pleasure? For the free samples? With the money you'd save at a cheaper grocery store, you could go back and buy all the products which were being sampled.

I don't get it. It seems like an excessively stupid way to spend extra money. Why not go buy the cheaper groceries (again, often it is the very same item much cheaper), and then use that money for something else you want? Or donate the money to a charity you support? Anything! Why spend more money for the same items at Byerly's?

I don't get you people.

The Great Romaine Lettuce Contest
Cruelty-Free Mommy and I are taking the little Viking on a short vacation to Boston (thank you, government stimulus money), and we're leaving Thursday. Saturday afternoon, we bought two pounds of Romaine lettuce. Can we use it all?

I think we can. We can have big salads as meals in themselves, and we can have small salads with any other meals. And then we can have meals that could include lettuce. If we don't use it all and it goes bad, I'll just put it in the back yard for animals, but I hope we can make it.

I'm a bit of a phony
I write on this blog about being frugal, but there are two situations in which I just give money away without feeling bad about it. I think tipping is wildly out of control in our society, but when I do things that require a tip, I actually tip well. And when I have cash, I always try to give some to homeless people who ask for it. Even when living a frugal life, it is possible to be a good tipper and give money to beggars. When I buy pretty much anything, I have a slight bit of buyer's remorse. But I never regret giving money away in these situations.

I just though it worth noting that being proudly cheap does not entail being proudly cold: one can still attempt to be a kind, giving member of society and still live cheaply.

Vacation
My brother reminded me that leaving for vacation in four days, I ought to have some idea of what I'm packing. I hadn't even started. Apparently the idea is to know what you want to wear, and then spend the days prior to departure wearing a bunch of crappy clothes (or something like that).

Storing clothes
I really almost never spend money on clothes. I realize not everybody can do this: I'm lucky in that I get clothing passed down to me (still!), and can put together a wardrobe out of gifts.

But I also tend not to get rid of clothes myself, so I just store them away in bags for a long time. Eventually I would think I would give these things away. But as it happens now, I'm glad I've saved them. I've lost some weight recently, and I thought I'd have to go to a store and buy new pants. But no! I just went through the storage bags, and found three pairs of pants that fit just wonderfully. It's like getting new clothes for nothing.

So thank you, storage space. I estimate that on three new pairs of pants, I would have spent about $30. Now I have that $30 to do whatever I want with.

I'm still angry at Subway
OK, I'm mostly vegan, and Subway is still the best option for me to pick up a quick, filling, good meal. But I'm still furious that Subway has increased the price of the Veggie Delite sub during the same promotion in which it has decreased the price of many meat subs. There seems no reasonable justification for that. Subway has not responded to my emails with any explanation.

The Purpose of Summer

Summer is for watching all the TV shows you're too busy to watch the rest of the year. For example, How I Met Your Mother is hilarious. Somehow I knew this, but I rarely watch it until summer comes.

For Cruelty-Free Mommy, summer is for watching reality TV shows like Big Brother. Personally, I die a little inside just knowing the show is on a television somewhere, and I run to get out of the room if it is on. That's just me. For me, summer is for those sitcoms I missed the rest of the year.

I'm a phony.

I went back to Subway. I could hardly help it. What's a mostly vegan vegetarian cheapskate to do?

This tipping situation has gotten out of control

I just learned yesterday that one is supposed to tip the person that cuts one's hair (this affects me little, since I haven't been in to get a haircut for something like five years--I save money by trimming it myself. Yep, that's right).

Sometimes in life we pay a person for a service. We have an agreed upon price for this service ahead of time. Once the service is performed, payment is made. And in 21st century America, it is usually the provider of the service that sets the price. Rarely does one go to, say, a barber, and negotiate the price of a haircut: the price is set ahead of time, and the customer is expected to pay the set price. The price that is set by the provider of the service.

Why on earth are we supposed to give additional money, more money for the service than was agreed upon?

This is getting a little out of control. I tip waiters because that is what is done. I tip bartenders because that is what was done. If I get a pizza delivered, I tip the person that brings the pizza to me. Honestly, I rarely eat or drink out because it is so much more expensive than eating or drinking in, and the tipping just adds to that.

All this tipping is just getting a bit much for me.