 There’s only one thing better than getting something you want for free. It’s getting paid to get what you want. Let me set the stage for this premise…relative-ly speaking. I was raised in Michigan by two incredible, loving parents who lived through the Great Depression. Consequently my sisters and I were brought up to be thrifty, not wasteful and appreciative for the little things in life. My dear Mom used to joke that she could pinch a penny until it screamed. She taught us the joy of recycling and thrift shopping 50 years before it became so cool that Mackelmore would write a pop hit on it. And she made getting bags of “hand me down” clothes from our older, cooler cousins such a fun occasion it was kinda like a mini-Christmas.
My Dad was a master gardener who raised all of our fresh organic vegetables – before there was even such a term. And he raised free range chickens – or as we called them, “the freakin’ chickens we had to chase down when they literally flew the coop!” Their job was to produce eggs for meals. Or they became the meals themselves. Now don’t even get me started on my sisters! They are a few years older, but much wiser when it comes to saving money. They were extreme couponers long before it became a media sensation. In fact, there are times where they have their carts filled to the brim and the perplexed cashier realizes she has to pay them money just to get the heck out of the store. Now to be fair, they buy a ton of stuff for the church food bank and people going through rough spots, so I’m thinking they get a little help from above. With that family history, it’s probably not a surprise that I have followed their example – and even taken it one step further. Here’s what saving money looks like for me on a point scale of 0 to 5. 0. Buying something at full retail. 1. Buying something on sale. 2. Buying something below cost. 3. Getting something for trade. 4. Getting something for free. 5. Getting paid to get what you want. Now I could spend a lot of time just on this topic alone – and perhaps I will somewhere along the road trip of life. But for now, I’m just going to talk about numbers 3, 4 and 5 in the next chapter and how they relate to the challenges of this trip around the US. It is my sincerest hope that in doing so, I can get you to start thinking about how you can get what you want inexpensively, for free… Or better yet, how you can get paid to get what you want. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Comments are closed.
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