I checked the yogurt prices. It only really matters if you eat a lot. If you only eat $10 of yogurt a month, does it really matter?
Yeah, I think I like
knowing how to make homemade yogurt more than I
like actually making homemade yogurt -- does that make any sense?
Let me say it differently: I very much like knowing that I have "skills", even if it's not practical to use those skills on a regular basis. I can make good homemade yogurt, but I'm the only person in the house who eats it, and it doesn't have a forever lifespan ... so I tend to buy it at the store. It's not practical to make a bitty-bit homemade, and if I don't eat it all, I was wasteful instead of thrifty. Regardless, I am glad that I know how to do it, and I do it every now and again just to please myself.
This post seems relevant to the discussion: http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/spavings-savings-account/
If you buy something you wouldn't have otherwise just because it's on sale, you're spending. If you would have bought it anyway and bank the difference, or decide not to buy it and actually save the money instead, you're spaving!
I like the term "spaving", and I use it frequently ... but I'm not exactly on board with the concept of setting up an account to "save my spavings". They gave the example of buying a Panera coffee at $1 off ... see, I'd never pay for a Panera coffee in the first place, so why would I ever buy one at $1 off?
Maybe the concept is worthwhile for people who are just learning frugal ways.
I agree. That's why I don't do recreational shopping any more. Everything is "on sale" and I'll see stuff I don't need and wouldn't have bought, if I hadn't seen it in the store windows.
I'm not a Catholic, but that church has a teaching (quite a few teachings, actually) that makes sense to me: Avoid places that tempt you on a personal level. For example, if you have a problem with alcohol, you should not go to bars --- they are places that tempt you on a personal level. If you have a problem with overeating, you should avoid buffets -- they will tempt you to overeat.
The same thought process holds true for people who aren't very disciplined in their spending. Don't hang out at the mall. Don't use shopping as a hobby. Those habits will tempt those who are prone to impulse buying into spending.