LIFE

Saving money by playing the waiting game

Abbey Roy

It’s been a couple weeks since we started using a French press, “Frenchie,” for our coffee. Our compost bin is happier for it; I haven’t attempted to chase away any cats or slugs (our house cat is indifferent), but it sure tastes good — and is easier on the wallet.

There’s one key difference I’ve noticed. While we were using the Keurig full-time, my morning routine looked something like this:

1. Stumble down the stairs. If carrying Littlest Roy, deposit her on the living room couch.

2. Walk into kitchen. Press button on Keurig. Stare blankly at coffee pouring into cup.

3. Drink. Continue with day.

These days, I have to wait a total of probably 10 minutes for my coffee. And additional movements are required: Filling the kettle to boil water, grinding the coffee beans (unless I buy pre-ground), pouring it into press, waiting (waiting!) for it to “brew,” exerting mild pressure on the handle and finally drinking the coffee.

One morning while I was impatiently staring at the tea kettle and trying to will the water to boil faster, it occurred to me how spoiled we are in 2016.

We get irritated when we have to wait nine extra minutes for our cup of coffee; we’re frustrated when our favorite website takes a millisecond too long to load; if one of our appliances that washes our dishes or clothes, heats our food or keeps our ice cream frozen quits, the universe may as well be ending.

(This is especially true of the dishwasher, I’ve found.)

It occurred to me that the lesson in patience I’ve learned from Frenchie could be translated to other aspects of saving money. By being willing to wait 10 minutes for my coffee to brew, I am saving money by not buying expensive coffee pods.

What are some other things worth waiting for? Here are a few I thought of:

• Impulse buys. This is our society: We want something and we want it yesterday.

The “As Seen On TV!” device in the Walmart checkout line that peels your carrots, curls your hair and answers your phone calls all at once; the new blender you bought because it was on sale and you instantly decided you were ready to go all in on kale smoothies (ew); that pair of neon yellow shoes that were 75 percent off, and who doesn’t need a pair of neon yellow shoes?

(As it turns out, you haven’t been wearing them as much as you intended…)

Resisting impulse purchases — or at least waiting to make them — can save loads of cash. I’m sure if I totaled the amount of money I’ve spent on things I’ve bought on impulse over the years, I would be ashamed at the amount. I admit this is a struggle of mine, though I’ve improved over the years.

In a moment of temptation, take a minute to walk away. Think about it. Do you need this item? How often will you use it? It may be a great deal, but not if it’ll collect dust in that one cabinet with all your other neglected appliances. Wouldn’t you rather have $21.50?

(If you decide you really do want it, your next step is to check around, compare prices and wait for it to go on sale — or at least find a coupon.)

• Home improvements. When we purchased our foreclosed home in 2009, there were at least 105 things I wanted to do to it. Right. Away.

Vines were crawling up the front porch. Everything needed to be repainted. It was the only non-paved driveway on the street. There was a decrepit hot tub collecting specimens on the decrepit back deck. This is to say nothing of the garage, which had multiple holes in the drywall and the word “party” spray-painted on the inside of the door.

Guess what? It’s been almost seven years, and we still haven’t accomplished all 105 things — but little by little, we’ve accomplished some of them. And little by little, our curb appeal has gone up and the “I-can’t-stand-to-even-look-at-that” factor has gone down.

House projects can be expensive, and sometimes — as painful as it can be — you just have to wait. Save money. Prioritize and do what you can, as you’re able.

I should note that we still have “party” in the garage. Maybe someday we’ll just have a party there.

• Plants. Someone once told me a story about a well-off lady in her area who paid thousands of dollars to have a mature tree dug up, relocated to her home and meticulously monitored to make sure it survived the transplant.

I love trees, and if I had thousands of dollars lying around, I would probably do the same thing.

But I don’t, so I have to settle for planting things that are tiny.

I admit the waiting is difficult: We have an apple tree that’s 2 feet high, that sort of looks like a stick Little Roy may have shoved in the front yard to save for our next hiking trip.

We have azalea bushes that are the size of basketballs at best and a tree in the backyard that is growing speedily, but not speedily enough for me to put in a tire swing or treehouse.

The thing is, all these plants were inexpensive, because I bought them small (and the backyard tree was a gift). You could say the same thing of starting a garden from seeds versus plants: The smaller the start, the longer you wait, but the less you spend.

Someday, our house ideally will have a mature, shady landscape. But not yet.

Until them, I have to be content to wait and dream, knowing I’ve got a little extra room in my budget for, say, a pair of neon shoes.

If you have insight about a frugal living topic or an idea for a future column, please email me at amroy@nncogannett.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy saving,

Abbey