Show your love of saving

Last week I wrote about the woes of being an adult. Life isn’t so easy when you have to pay for everything on your own. Oh, to be a kid again, right?

Then came Valentine’s Day.

We hear more and more people saying it: “It’s so commercial. You should show your love and appreciation every day. Blah, blah, blah.” But I did some comparison shopping on Louis Riel Day right after Valentine’s Day.

I was able to score four dozen roses for $20 on Feb. 15. Why? Because they were being cleared out at the store. Guess how many roses I could have bought for $20 on Feb. 14. It was four. I was able to buy four red roses for one of those green dollar bills we have.

So it is great to say that your partner is romantic and caring because he or she felt obligated to give into the “holiday” and get you flowers. At the same time, you might want to criticize their spending for blowing so much money on dead plants when he or she could have spent way less 24 hours later and saved some money.

Think about it: Does your partner normally buy you flowers? If not, did you feel special because you got flowers on a day most people are expected to (read: practically guilted into) give flowers? Worse yet, could your partner have better spent the money on something useful that isn’t going to turn black and die in a week or so?

My criticism here is twofold: One, the stores for jacking up the prices on flowers for an event such as Valentine’s Day; Two, the people who fuel the markup and get the flowers no matter what the cost despite the price dropping right after the commercialized day in February.

Do we see the prices of Easter products skyrocket a day or two before Easter? Do we see the cost of Christmas decorations inflate leading up to Santa’s big day? Actually, come to think of it, holiday stuff is practically picked clean if not significantly marked down by that point.

The lesson here is be mindful when spending your money. Perhaps the old adage is true: It’s the thought that counts.

“Hey, honey. I thought of buying you flowers today but I figured making a mortgage payment would be better for us.”

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