I bought a pair of $59 shorts and then felt guilty about it all day. They were perfect: right length, right style, right color. But it seemed ridiculous to pay that much for shorts. Or so it seems now. Not so long ago, I never felt guilty for spending money on fashion. So I'm trying to figure out if it's getting older or just the internet that has made me so cheap.
My first thought was that just getting older has made me more frugal. I've come to appreciate the value of the dollar more and realize that money really doesn't grow on trees. The closer I get to the ever-elusive retirement age, the more I realize I will need a bundle to retire. And having lived through several up and down economies and seen money come and go just like that has made me try to hold onto it more.
Society does its part to make us want to save money as we age. For starters, everything for "seniors" — which for the sake of discounts seems to be 55 and over — is less expensive: movies, travel, meals, even shopping events at certain stores. The closer I get to 55, the more I expect an obligatory discount on everything.
But I can't really blame aging alone for making me cheap. I think it's partly the internet's fault. I'm completely spoiled with the whole name-your-own-price thing on places like Priceline and eBay; every time I have to actually pay sticker price for something I now feel resentful that I couldn't just pick what I wanted to pay to "win" it. So naturally, now I expect the best price on anything.
Even just shopping in regular online retailers has become a bargain free-for-all online: I always Google the store name and then add "discount" or "coupon" to the search to find out if there's some sort of discount I can take at checkout (and there usually is.)
In addition to auctions and online coupons there are new, creative ways to be cheap online: members-only discounts. Sites like Jetsetter.com give me access to bargain luxury vacations and Groupon.com sends me daily offers to save bundles on local goods and services (like Pilates classes.) On Gilt.com I can buy deeply discounted labels like Marc Jacobs. And on Rue La La I can find fashion plus sales on items like Kitchenaid appliances and spa trips (I wish!)
Now that I think about it, the combination of aging and being online 24/7 is probably what has made me become so cheap. Or it could just be that $59 was a ridiculous amount to pay for a pair of shorts.