Sucker For A Deal

By Paul Morrone CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

I’m not a big fan of shopping, but I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt and finding a good deal. For most people, this means perusing through TJ Maxx, ROSS or other discount retailers. Others may look through consignment stores or tag sales or even online outlets such as eBay. I find shopping for clothes and accessories as mundane as grocery shopping, so it’s a rare sight to see me digging through the sale racks at the local mall. I will candidly admit that I’m a sucker for a good deal, but only on items I don’t need at all.

I’m honestly not sure why I find it so exciting; maybe it’s because I have the patience to wait for the right deal to buy something that I don’t need. My most recent purchase was a frivolous one, a milk frother (to make cappuccinos, lattes, etc.). Again, something I never knew I needed until I saw one in action at a friend’s house and immediately went home to buy one. To my surprise the retail price was $120, which even in the most impulsive of moods I couldn’t cost justify. A quick search did not reveal anything at a reasonable discount, so I forgot about it and moved on.

It was hard to forget about entirely, however, because Big Brother (Google?) had seen my search history and I continued to get inundated with advertisements for the milk frother every time I went online. Finally, it popped up on sale for $70 with another 20% off and free shipping if I use Google checkout. I started doing some quick math and realized that it costs nearly $8 at the local coffee shop to get two cappuccinos (a weekend morning ritual in my house).  At this rate, it will have paid for itself in less than a month! Sold!

So now I have a milk frother to complement my espresso machine (a past Christmas gift) and Jill and I can make homemade cappuccinos whenever our little heart’s desire. Unlike the steam based frothers, this one uses a mechanical aerator to make the froth. With only a marginally perceptible difference and a much easier cleanup I have to say it I’m quite pleased with the purchase. Even better, it has already paid for itself two times over and I don’t have to go out on a freezing cold morning to get coffee. That’s what I call a win-win.

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