Free of nearly free

Free or nearly free

I typed this title and it kind of makes me feel like my grandmother. My grandmother is 82 years old and is ALL about getting things for free. We talk every Sunday and I get the weekly rundown of every free thing she picked up. I am sure it is part depression era mentality… the other part, as my mom and I have discussed, is plain stinginess. Every week she weasles at least one free lunch out of somebody, it might be a relative, or the bank, or snacks brought in for the hospital pink ladies (where she wraps half of everything in a napkin and takes it home). I will be bold here and say it is downright embarrassing going out and about with her. It isn’t that she tries to enable others to get free things, nope if I take her out for lunch then that counts as free in her book. It is once we are there and she starts wrapping things in napkins and putting them in her purse, it’s not leaving a single drop of tea in the teapot when out for Chinese, it’s emptying the sugar packets into her purse. Last week she got a free MRI for her dog. Seriously.

I can’t really declare myself a bargain hunter. I have bargain hunting friends. And well, I don’t even measure up. I clip an occasional coupon, but most of the time forget to use them. I have my set of discount online outlet stores I use to find things like super high thread count and quality sheets, cute shoes, camping and outdoor gear, and versatile basic apparel. And I shop end of season sales seeking clothes for Leif (or me) for next year, holiday decorations for next year, and the like. I always tell myself not to pay retail, but there are certain things that don’t fit in there. Like shoes that I will wear day in and out. I am a shoe whore and I love cute unique shoes. However, those shoes I wear day in and out to work? Yeah well I resign to pay retail for my Danskos to get the newest styles and colors. Froo froos? I will buy on sale. Leif’s shoes are another… my kid is not going to wear poor quality shoes. If I can find them on sale, well bonus. But if I can’t, so be it.

Nearly anything I buy for AB is on sale. Double standard? Nope, if I can tell him that I saved 60% on this shirt for him, then I am nearly guaranteed he will like the shirt. Retail? You mean you didn’t get this on sale? And it is guaranteed to sit in the back of the closet.

I learned a lesson today. I really, really need to pay better attention to rewards type programs. For weeks now I have been stressing over plane tickets to Colorado for Christmas. Yes, yes, we will once again be traveling over the holidays. There is the part of me that sighs with disappointment at another Christmas away from home. And the other part that is happy dancing about a trip to see my family and where there will be much after Christmas shopping at nice stores (and thus bargains) for my birthday.

AB and I have frequent flier miles with a few airlines and a mileage rewards card. I have always been a huge skeptic of these mileage reward cards. You have to spend so much, the interest rate is high and an annual fee. I remember telling AB they just weren’t worth it. But for some reason he succumbed and got one anyway with Alaska Airlines, which we do fly regularly and are both mileage plan members. Fast forward to today.

Distressed at how much it was going to cost us to fly to Colorado for the holidays, I called the mileage card to see if we have a companion voucher for this year still since pregnancy brain was preventing me from remembering when we last used one. I thought at least maybe I can get Leif to Colorado for $50. They sent me to the Alaska Airlines website where I registered and our status popped up. Not only do I have a companion voucher that expires in a few days (meaning we get another in just a few more days), but our miles balance was far more than I ever imagined!

Bargain city! We are flying to Colorado, all three of us, for barely more than it costs for one of us to fly there. One mileage ticket, one regular price ticket and a companion voucher later and I am on the phone bragging to AB about how I scored. (He praised heartily.) And even better? After a few days we will get our new companion voucher and after Christmas we will certainly have enough miles that we can do it all over again. Dreams of a summer vacation to Alaska floated by AB’s head… Hawaii floated through mine.

I bragged on my score to my mom who was just joyous that we actually HAVE tickets for Christmas. Then I headed out to lunch. I debated and debated what to eat. Aside from Wendy’s baked potatoes and a Frosty, I have a serious aversion to fast food right now (pregnancy related). Which makes grabbing lunch out difficult. I was a little worried the girls at the drive up at Wendy’s would think me weird for getting a baked potato and Frosty three days in a row… so I decided to run into Safeway and grab a Panini. I hadn’t been there in ages, I went through the line, punched in my club card and wa-la. A free sandwich.

I took my sandwich and paused on my way out a little too long. Starbucks… and according to V (who is an official pusher and should be paid by Starbucks for her referrals)… pumpkin spiced lattes are back. I have been allowing myself one caffeinated beverage a day, usually a Pepsi. While pregnant with Leif I was so good and never drank caffeine. Something about pregnancy and parenting a toddler… yeah I need that caffeine. I indulged myself and celebrated my day of bargains with a half caf pumpkin spice latte. Incredible. Seriously the best nonalcoholic drink I have tasted in a LONG time. I am ashamed to say that I didn’t even get to bring it into my office. It was gone by the time I pulled up to my building.

So there it is. My bargain Friday. I feel as though I have aged nearly 50 years in posting this here. Please oh please, someone keep me from stuffing the dinner rolls in my purse tonight.