"That's Going to be One Expensive Bag of Candy!"

At Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, we were hanging out in the Harry Potter section- Hogsmeade. I was in Honeydukes's, the candy store (having sticker shock) while Tim was waiting in like to get a butterbeer, when I heard the best quote of the trip.

"That's going to be one expensive bag of candy!" It doesn't sound awesome, but imagine being in Hogsmeade, listening to a preteen british girl berate her father and her little brother as the two males giggle wildly at the dispenser of Bertie Bot's Every Flavor Beans.

And she was right! 1/4lb of candy was almost $4.00. As the father discovered, when he was ready to turn off the despenser, another large handfull cascaded down before it shut off- adding that much more weight to his already hefty bag. But it is such fun to see the colorful jelly beans drop down through the dispenser, isn't it? The fact is, based on just a naked eye estimate, I'd guess he had a good $15 worth of jelly beans there. That's all they are- jelly beans.

A Chocolate Frog? $9.95. A small glass container of old fashioned candy? $12.95. Don't get me started on the chocolate wands or "candy floss" (cotton candy)... or even worse, the prices of the homemade fudge and handdipped candy apples.

It is SO easy when you're immersed in an experience, like Disney or Universal Studio's Hogsmeade, to want to buy. Buy buy buy buy buy. Chocolate frogs, just like in the book! But they aren't. They don't move. They don't chirp. They are a molded piece of chocolate candy and to be frank, it's probably not even very good tasting chocolate. Yes- the "every flavor beans" really do have some nasty flavors, like in the book. I imagine it's hilarious the first time you get ear wax or vomit...but after that, I imagine it gets very irritating. Not to mention you've paid $4 a quarter pound to be grossed out and toss out handfuls of candy! Chocolate wands- who cares? You're going to eat it and then your $10 will be a distant memory- as will the cleverly molded chocolate. I'm not saying don't go, don't buy, don't enjoy- but recognize why you're buying what you are. Tim wanted to try a butterbeer- well why not? This is the only place you can get them, they aren't bottled and it adds to his experience both on our vacation and in reading the books.

I struggled hard, standing in Honeydukes, with not buying anything. I wanted a chocolate frog so badly. The package was brightly colored and it was a chocolate frog, omg, just like in the books, and I would buy it in Honeydukes and omg.... It's not real. I didn't want the candy, I wanted the experience. I wanted the books to be real. The people that pushed past me with well over $70 in candy (no joke) wanted it to be real as well. I'm sure they'll enjoy the first bite of their candy, but the feeling is going to fade. If it's awful, then what? A waste of money. Even if it's good, is it better than a $0.50 Hershey or Dove chocolate bar? Sometimes, it's best to just step back, remove yourself from the area and seriously consider what you're about to spend. Once I left Honeyduke's, I didn't feel like I had to have a chocolate frog. In fact, as I am sitting here I'm very glad I didn't buy one. There is so much more I'd rather do with my $10- like save up for next year's vacation!

-Kristen

Discount Tickets

We're going to Disney World on vacation this year for our 5th anniversary. Disney is WILDLY expensive- a pair of tickets (6 day) for me and Tim, with park hopper, was going to be over $630. YEOUCH.



Instead, I got on the internet and begin to research discount tickets. First off- BEWARE. NEVER buy partially used tickets. These can be fraudulent and you'll be out the money before you ever discover they won't work. Ebay or craigslist is not an acceptable place to get discount tickets, ever. Even if they aren't fakes, if they are keyed to someone else's finger print (which Disney likes to do when you go through those turnstiles), then what? You're still out of luck!

Also beware the "too good to be true" deals. A week "all access" pass to Disney for $100? If your Bull-crap meter isn't going off, it should be. We already saw that a base ticket with park hopper was going to be over $300. No one can give you a 2/3 discount AND all the frills and make money. More than likely you're going to be out a $100.

Once you find a place that looks likely (like undercovertourist.com), start researching that specific company. A great place to do this is to check several established disney websites (like mousesavers.com) and the Disney Boards (just google that, they'll come up). See what people say about the website you are considering. Check and see if the website you're considering has a return policy and read that in great detail.

Then you have to decide- is it worth it to take the plunge? I did. I signed up with mousesavers.com and got a discount code sent to my email to use when I purchased tickets through a designated link that led me to undercovertourist.com. Once it was all said and done, I saved over $60 on the tickets for myself and Tim.

Then came the "oh geez...will it work? I did all my research, I think it's legit... will it work?" period of time.

Imagine my relief when the tickets arrived! Perfection. I saved over $60 by doing 30 minutes worth of research. Now you know- Undercovertourist.com is a great website to use to get discount tickets for attractions in Orlando. I know I'll keep them in mind in the future. Meanwhile, we've got $60 extra in our pockets!

-Kristen

Cheap or Smart?

Have you ever noticed what a negative stereotype there is on being frugal?

If you order water at a restaurant, you're cheap.

If you buy clothes at yardsales or thrift shops, you're a tightwad.

If you don't keep up with the fashion trends and spend like there is no tomorrow, you're miserly, a penny pincher, a skinflint.

What?

Why is that? Why is it if you're a smart shopper, it's a bad thing? Now, admittedly frugal is the new "Cool" among some groups because of the bad economy, but there are certain lines people draw in the sand- ordering water and buying secondhand clothes being a biggy that I've noticed.

Tim cringes to order water in a restaurant because he feels "cheap". This is because people have made him feel that way in the past, whether it be the cashier, waitress, people he was with- whatever.

Coupons are fine. Growing your own garden and eating out a little less- not a problem. Anything beyond that and you cross back in to "super cheap".

Our culture is so fixated on stuff. Bigger stuff, better stuff, MORE stuff. BUY BUY BUY. We've done it with every holiday. Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween- you have to buy things. Candy, cards, gifts.

Every commercial on tv- NEW AND IMPROVED items. Kids, ask your parents to buy you THIS. You need Fruit Loops, not Froot Circles cereal. Buy Sketchers! Cool= Expensive.

Think about New Balance shoes. Those things were awesome. $20, they looked a bit like the Nike and Adidas shoes- now they are $50!

So,all of us cheapskate, skinflint, cheapo tightwads stand up and say NO, I will not be manipulated! I will not let a movie, a commercial or the opinion of someone I barely know force me in to debt and make me spend to be cool. I will not sacrifice my child's college education, my retirement, a house, so that I can eat more expensive meals twice a month and wear designer clothes that will be out of style in a week.

I say we aren't cheap. We're SMART. We can see beyond the RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW glitter of our culture. Most of us have goals and we're willing to go against the grain to realize them.

-Kristen