A thrifty midwestern person in Phoenix, Arizona


Since I've lived in Phoenix, and Southern California, for all of my adult life, which is, ahem, longer than I care to admit, I often look back on my midwestern upbringing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and scoff.

I've never made it a secret why I left - I hate being cold, and Minneapolis is cold most of the time. Very cold. Very, very, cold. But the city is a beautiful one, and I was raised with good, old-fashioned midwestern morals and ethics, including being very thrifty. And as goofy as that sounds, it's served me well out west.

I have to admit to being fascinated by the "laid back" attitude of Phoenix, and California. It seemed as if everyone back in the midwest was so uptight about everything, especially money. Midwestern people, especially my family, are pretty tight with a buck. I remember at the zoo that we kids weren't allowed to get soda, because, as I can still hear my mom saying, "We could buy twelve cans for that price, at the grocery store!" And so the first time I got a Coke at the zoo in Phoenix it felt ridiculous. I really don't go to places like that much, but when I do I often look at the price of things, and think, "Ridiculous! I could buy a whole six-pack for that price!"

I applied this type of economy when I was a "starving student" at ASU, and I really didn't starve. I could take a penny and stretch it until it screamed. I knew a lot of people who seemed to burn through all of their money no matter how much they had, and I just tried not to think about it. Most of these people would go back to their parents when they ran out of money, but it wasn't something I wanted to do, I wanted to earn my way through college, and then for the rest of my life. I wouldn't buy a hamburger at McDonalds, I would buy a pound of hamburger, and have several hamburgers. I could invite friends over, and if you've ever had one of my "Brad Burgers", you know!

This was wonderful, but this way of thinking started to backfire on me as I got older, and was able to spend more money. There were times when I went over to California, and instead of having fun, I came back with just about as much money as I started with. So I taught myself the concept of "California coupons", which meant that I had to force myself to spend them. And it opened up a wonderful world for me. I still use this concept when someone gives me some money as a gift, I spend it, all of it, I don't put it in the bank. Don't worry about me going overboard with this, I'll be just fine.

Yes, I know the joke about the guy who was too cheap to read the newspaper, for fear it would wear out his reading glasses! And I really don't want to be that guy. But I know the value of a dollar, and being wasteful actually pains me, so I'll continue to be a thrifty midwestern person in Phoenix.
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