I bought a new pair of jeans this past week and was so happy I could hardly keep them on.

I was equally excited when my weekly grocery bill totaled a slim $16.51.
It is a rare occasion when I buy items for full price. 75-percent-off signs make me smile, and anything under $5 becomes my best friend. Free items result in a very public happy dance, complete with vocals.

Now, I am what some may call “frugal,” “cheap” or “would rather steal something than pay full price.” I figure if I can get away with spending as little money as possible, I’m sure as heck going to keep that cash in my pocket. There’s a rush involved when I feel like I am beating the system without even using the five-finger-discount.

Additionally, part of the “green” lifestyle that I attend to is the acknowledgment of a “need” versus a “want” with an emphasis on long-term or reusable items. I ask myself if I really need that sweater from the thrift shop even if it is only $3, or if those shoes would really get worn enough times to make them worth $25.

But those new jeans were on no discount, friends. Brand spankin’ new from American Eagle, and they may or may not have left their indigo residue on my underwear since I was too impatient to wash them first.

This all connects to why I am so careful with my money.  I was able to justify paying $40 for a pair of jeans because I know I will wear them until they fall to pieces (like the pair I had to put down a few days ago due to the expanding hole below my left butt cheek … apologies to any witnesses). I cannot justify paying the same $40 for some v-neck t-shirt that tries to look worn and used. That’s what my brothers’ closets are for. But just because something is cheap doesn’t mean I should buy it either, or else I’d just be accumulating a bunch of cheap crap. I guess it all comes down to acknowledging utility for the long term.

Through thinking about our purchases we recognize what are we really paying for. Is it the quality? The brand name? The aesthetics? When buying things for the long term we are buying them out of utility to ourselves: how they will benefit us. Ladies—I have a feeling guys could care less if the top is from Bebe or from our basement. They feel it looks better on the floor. And men—we ladies feel the same way.  Folks, let’s be honest, our gender of preference probably doesn’t care.  So let’s start thinking utility.

Let’s buy for need, not want. Let’s splurge—if we need to!—on quality not quantity. Let’s not get bogged down in our possessions.  Wouldn’t you want the ability to go wherever you wanted in the world and not have to worry about your stuff? Let’s balance our spending. Think of all the investments you could make with money saved. Anyone up for traveling?

And let me be the first to admit I need to work on this balancing part. Remember when I told you I only spent $16.51 on my groceries for the week? Even though I am purchasing healthier foods now that I am without a declining balance account, I still have a hard time dealing out the cash for these items that are not for the long term. Those bananas will not last me 3+ years like my jeans will; I will probably scarf one down on the short walk from food store to car.  Which is why I was proud that I was able to get quality foods for such little money.

But I need food in a different way than I need new jeans. I will survive without new jeans; I will not without food. So in some way the idea of buying for utility does work at the grocery store in that I will be buying what is most nutritious and reasonably priced, but I should not feel guilty for paying money for it. The long term with food is general health and well-being. Don’t forget that, Susan.

This is a call for thinking, Gusties. Our lives attain no more value if we have more things, so why not think a little (or a lot) more about what we are buying?