a free haircut

My shopping habits are at least erratic if not quite eccentric. While grocery shopping, I usually buy whatever is on sale at the grocers that have the 'loyalty' cards. Milk & veggies are rarely discounted so I just buy what I like which are mostly the standards like lettuce, broccoli and onions.

A good example of a bad purchase was the DVD drive on my primary computer died a couple of months ago. Last week, I bought another one off Amazon for $40. Then I canceled my Netflix subscription a day or two later as planned at the end of my monthly subscription cycle. Now I have no use for a new DVD drive. Plus, the DVD drive on my other two PCs work fine. My Blu-Ray player also plays DVDs. Oh well, I guess I can think of it as the first component of my new PC that I will get when Windows 8 is released. My rationalization skills are top-notch!

I often go out to eat with friends that are poorer than I am and so will treat them to a dinner they really can't afford on their own at a more upscale restaurant than basic franchise fast food. Cheap at the grocers, spendthrift at the restaurants. I make up for that in part by buying lots of prepaid restaurant coupons such as Groupons where I pay, say, $15, and get a $30 voucher.

Haircuts are something that is never on sale. Since I go with the electric shears and a #2 setting (about a quarter inch long) every month or two, I have no need for a fancy glamour styling cut. Cheap, fast and convenient are the only criteria. I vary between having a friend cut my hair with my shears (too many 'racing stripes' when I do it!), going to the local beauty college and a barber across the street from my pharmacist. Those prices range from free to cheap to $20 plus tip.

Today I got a more upscale haircut with the #2 shears thanks to the power of reading my junk mail and finding a coupon for a free haircut. The lady barber was quick, skilled and a pleasant conversationalist. I skipped the free shampoo and scalp massage after some paying customers started to stack up in the waiting area.

I am grateful for coupons that save me money and get me to try new things that I would not otherwise experience.