I still do most all of this to this day, but a lot of the stuff I do today is more for fun than necessity. For instance, I am working on some neat spruce ups for my daughters “big girl” room and I am reusing, painting, dyeing, sewing little add ons to items, etc. so that her room will be unique and show off her personality and the things she loves.

One thing I have noticed these days is sometimes how much harder it is to score a bargain the way I used to and I think that it’s truly just a sign of the times, so to speak. I think that the current state of the economy has many people “pinching pennies” who used to live a little more financially carefree. Many of these people are doing so out of necessity, but I also think that getting a bargain has become a little more chic these days… people who used to laugh at me for how much effort I put into shopping are now the people who call or e-mail me when they have found a great deal.

So, how is all of this putting a “pinch” on how I “pinch pennies”? Well, it seems when a deal is to be had… it spreads like wildfire. There are some many deal sites out there (cough, I know I’m one) and due to the mass amount of media coverage these sites are receiving… everyone knows where to look for a deal these days. Now when I head out to Target or CVS to snag a great deal on toilet tissue, I better get there when they open or they will be sold out.

Also, it seems like the consignment stores and sales (at least for some in my area) just aren’t what they used to be. The stores do not seem to get the great merchandise they used to because everyone wants to make more money from their stuff and therefore they are participating in consignment sales. The consignment sales aren’t what they used to be since people are asking more (too much in my opinion a lot of the time) for their used items… now that my daughter’s older and not growing so fast, I actually buy all of my daughter’s clothes new since I can buy brand new items at places like The Children’s Place, OshKosh, etc. for less than what people are asking for their used items.

The same goes for thrift type stores. I was looking for a unique piece of furniture to refinish for the spruce ups I have been doing in my daughters room and when I pulled up at a couple of local thrift stores, the parking lots were full. I even called my husband and told him about it because I have NEVER seen a thrift store parking lot full in our area. Lots of people means lots of shoppers, so any larger furniture items were already tagged with “sold” tickets.

And finally, one last way all these new bargain shoppers are putting a “pinch” on how I “pinch pennies” is all the media coverage of people who are getting hundreds of dollars of groceries for free. I have had my husband ask me… “why aren’t we doing that?” I consider us pretty frugal shoppers. We shop sale items, use coupons, opt for store brands when they are a better deal, but we also buy a fair amount of healthier fresh options, which you can’t usually save on unless you buy marked down items. All these people are making me look bad! Just kidding, but I have had to go through and show my husband… “well, honey, they bought 14 tubes of toothpaste, 20 bottles of shampoo, 10 boxes of some junk food that’s really bad for you… we don’t shop that way because we buy only what we can use and things we will actually eat.”

I don’t begrudge these new bargain or frugal shoppers, honest I don’t. The more popular bargain hunting is, the more retailers and companies listen and the better the opportunities are for sales, etc. I am just finding it a little harder for me to shop like I used to. I am adapting and becoming more creative… it’s all just part of evolving, but it got me wondering, have you noticed the same things? Are there new ways in which you are saving? I’d love to hear what the economy has done to how you “pinch pennies.”