November 17, 2008
Making wise choices…
Making wise choices has NOT always been my strength, but I am improving. Last week, I made two decisions that I am proud of, because they are frugal over the long run, although they may cost money in the short term.
The first decision was to get my old winter coat relined, and replacing the old buttons on it with spiffy new ones, instead of searching for and buying a new winter coat. This was somewhat expensive. It cost $80 to have the tailor make a new lining and sew the new buttons on, and the buttons themselves cost $10. But the coat itself was in good shape. I bought it about 3 or 4 years ago at Value Village for $12. It is a classic design, a thick black wool J. Crew peacoat that fits me perfectly. Josh and I decided that instead of buying me a new coat for my birthday, he would just have the tailor reline the old coat. Even though it cost about the same as buying a new coat, it is more frugal to get more use out of the coat I already have. We simply did not have the time to search for a new coat, in thrift stores, army surplus outlets, and discounters. Even if we did have the time and energy for such an expedition, there is no guarantee we would find one I liked, at a reasonable price. If we did find one, there was also no guarantee that it would fit (the peacoats I saw at the army surplus store were nice, but too long in the sleeves and too narrow in the chest). We might still have to pay more for it to be altered to fit! So it was cheaper and easier to get the old coat, which I like quite a bit, repaired. I got it back from the tailor’s on Monday and it looks like a brand new coat!
The other frugal decision I made was to get my teeth fixed at the local dental school (Oregon Health Sciences University). I have had extensive dental work, including a root canal, and then lost my dental insurance. I needed a permanent crown put on my tooth to replace the temporary crown that finally came off a year ago. I also have other cavities and another tooth with a loose filling that needs to be fixed. But I have no dental insurance. My teeth were getting worse and worse. I finally went to OHSU, and they were able to accept me as a patient. Since they are a teaching school, their costs are 40-60% of regular dentists, and they are able to help the uninsured (as well as people with insurance who also want to pay less for dental care). However, you do have to pay cash, as you go. Fortunately, I am able to do that at this point. Also, since it is a school, the appointments are longer, and spread out over a number of months, so it will require a huge time commitment for me. Since my job is quite flexible, I am able to have any day off a week with just a few days’ notice, so I can easily make time for it. Plus, I get to ride Portland, Oregon’s shiny new arial tram for FREE on my way back to town.
