In today’s economy, we’re all trying to save a buck here and there. The ultimate goal is to send our kids to college or even send them to the latest Pixar movie before it ends up in the $2 DVD bin.
All of us have a frugal side. Maybe it’s not ordering an appetizer when you’re out to dinner or (horror) using store-bought polish instead of having your tiara professionally detailed.
It’s part mind-set and part mind over matter, like the gals who stock up on generic toilet paper at Walmart and then hit the Last Call Sale at Neiman Marcus. Go figure.
And who knew that celebrities like a good deal, too? We thought they only shopped on Rodeo Drive. So imagine our surprise when we saw a photo of Britney Spears trolling the Target aisles (check out wetpaint.com). No fair that she’s accompanied by a body guard when we can’t even get our boyfriends to join us.
Ladies, get out your wallets because it’s time for QuirkOut tips about things women do to save money.
DIVING FOR DOLLARS
The dollar store is our QuirkOut delight. Where else can we stock up on “Florox” disinfecting cleaner that eliminates 9.99 percent of germs?
We can’t resist the book section even if they’re slightly dated. After all, who doesn’t want to read the abridged version of “Gone with the Wind”? 
Birthday cards are two for $1 (take that, Hallmark store). Sure, they misspell a few words and the cover art looks like something hanging in your granny’s living room, but it’s the thought that counts (and the money we save.)
Are the deals really that good? Ask Annette who saw SOLO cups at $1 for 15, but actually ran to the supermarket next door for a price check ($3.85 for 36), then went back to buy them at the discount chain.
Before you laugh, remember what Benjamin Franklin taught us, “A penny saved is a penny earned” and 100 pennies saved earns you a lot at the dollar store.
THE AVERAGE SHOPPING SYSTEM
The end of summer means big end-of-summer sales, which means a big shopping day for Angela. She always brings her credit cards and a calculator.
She gleefully rummages through the racks, grabbing clothes with feverish abandon. In the dressing room, excitement builds knowing that the clothes she loves to wear are at prices she loves to pay.
But the moment of truth arrives when Angela has to decide exactly what to purchase. Items that are deeply discounted are no-brainers. But what about something that’s a measly 10 percent off?
Here’s her QuirkOut math moment. She averages the percentages: If the shirt is 85 percent off, the tunic is 70 percent off and the pantsuit is 10 percent off, the average discount is 55 percent
That’s a winning number for Angela, who buys everything lickity split.
In case math confuses you, here’s a refresher: If a = b and b = c then c = CHARGE!
HIDE AND SEEK
What to do when you’re shopping and find the perfect dress/jacket/top only to realize the store is putting it on sale next week?
We’ve all had to try to find true north on this moral compass. But Lulu has no QuirkOut conscience. Having grown up with six siblings, her motto is, “Get it while you can.”
Like a pirate, Lulu buries her booty where other shoppers would never look, like hiding a bikini with the winter parkas or skinny jeans among the bathrobes.
When the clearance starts, she hunts down her clothes. It all works out so long as the store detective hasn’t discovered them first, or worse, catches her on the security camera doing a happy dance when she finds her buried treasure.
