By the end of college I learned some valuable life lessons. One of the most important is that coupons are your friend; the grocery store is your frenemy.
Another would be the benefits of peanut butter and ground meat when your wallet seems like it’s becoming bulimic.
And thanks to my student loans, I’ve become quite comfortable with the art of mixing clothes old and new, as well as developing an appreciation for five very important words: Negro, where is your share?
Of course, club promoters and the pretty women they’ll give their right arm to (to let them and their friends move past the rope without paying a cover) is a concept any partier not into spending money for access should quickly grasp.
These are all little tidbits that I’ve repeatedly told myself that I must always carry with me no matter high my tax bracket goes.
Wealthy celebrities like Beyoncé can talk about how frugal they are all they want, but the truth is they’re multi-millionaires who get most of the luxury items they brag on possessing in their music for free.
Their definition of frugality is far different from that of the common American.
With the nation losing almost $13 trillion of wealth since the recession began, consumer confidence has shaken to the point where shoppers have been forced to embrace their inner cheapskate.
We’re the ones really working hard to save. Now that it’s been established that we can the question of how long that will last lingers?
For far too long the global economy has relied on Americans’ willingness to go on spending sprees fueled by credit.
But with a credit crunch and mounting debt, many have cut up their plastic and focused on slashing their debt versus further increasing it by spending.
Some stores have already shifted in response to this change in attitude – allocating more shelf space to “nondiscretionary categories” like food, medicine, and baby products.
Others are doing their very best to make leisurely activities like vacations as cheap as possible in order to appeal to cautious consumers more interested in saving their money.
If the economy does indeed head to the black sooner rather than letter, are you going to spend the same way you did before?
I certainly won’t be. In fact, sites like retailmenot.com and shop4freebies.com will continue to be Web sites that I frequent most.
Speaking of which, if you’re wondering where that image accompanying this entry comes from, it’s a coupon for a free Kashi meal that I received in the mail yesterday. Recession or no recession, I'm not passing up on free food.
I told you I know how to save.
See the benefits of surfing the internet for deals? I know how much my next lunch is going to cost me.
Do you?
Email me at therecessiondiaries@gmail.com.
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.