Cheap Living: Blog Series Premier!

I’m cheap. I’m not ashamed. I’m proud of it. I’ll make jokes in light of myself; I don’t care. I never want to spend money on anything, and if you know me, you already know that. Every situation in life I encounter, I devise a plan to figure out how to spend the least amount possible, if I have to spend anything at all. Yep, I’d be perfectly happy if I never had to spend another dollar again; if I could just watch my pockets get fatter and fatter and I could count my money all the time and never have to spend it. You can probably see where the problem is with this approach to life…

Everything in life costs money. Some things cost big money, other things are relatively inexpensive; but everything you want and need will set you back to some degree. And everyone who’s anyone is talking about money. Perhaps the most famous money-related quote ever uttered can be attributed to the great Benjamin Franklin: A penny saved is a penny earned. There are many other popular expressions about money. Here are a few of my favorites:

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it. – Bob Hope

If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments. – Earl Wilson

The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it. – Edith Wharton

Mo’ money, mo’ problems. – Biggie Smalls

Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it. – William Somerset Maugham

Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort. – Helen Gurley Brown

The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket. – Kin Hubbard

Alas, I have realized it’s not reasonable to expect to go through life without paying for a few things. As much as this realization pains me, there is no other way. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just go out and buy up every little thing I want. Potential purchases need to be investigated, alternatives need to be explored, contingency plans need to be considered. So, I will tirelessly search through, compare, and examine all possibilities to ensure I make the correct purchase.

I’m sure that I won’t get away with only buying the things currently on my spring shopping list, but I’ll try to stick to the script as much as I can without making my wife completely hate me. I'm really not so different from most homeowners in the end. We all want to get the most for our money and be wise homeowners, while still being able to purchase the things we need or want to make our house a home. Join me as I run the gamut of emotions--laughing at the high prices, crying at the realization my pockets are about to be lighter, feeling the satisfaction of knowing that I got the best deals, or the disappointment I'll feel if I make the wrong decisions. And I promise to share the bargains I discover and the cost-saving tips and tricks I come across along the way.

In this new U.S. Inspect blog series, Cheap Living, I invite you to tag along on my never-ending quest for the cheapest but best-quality items that I can possibly find, the least expensive but deceptively useful or posh-looking home necessities, and the best bargains out there for thrifty homeowners like me (and that's most of us, isn't it?).