Economically Efficient

Yesterday after my wife and I finished eating our chimichanga dinner, and we had sat down on the couch, I did what I normally do at that time - turned on the TV to ESPN. While I do this Amanda is usually busy checking facebook and her email so I can get a few seconds of sports in while she does this. The show that was on was "Homecoming" where famous sports stars go back to their hometown and get interviewed in the high school gym by a reporter from ESPN. This episode featured Donovan McNabb and it was relatively entertaining, but one part caught my attention. A former teammate of his was there and he revealed that Donovan never paid for much as a rookie in the NFL even though he was one of the highest paid rookies that year. He said Donovan never took him out to lunch, brought in breakfast for everyone, and on and on about how Donovan was "cheap". After he was done, Donovan responded by saying, "I don't believe in the word 'cheap', I believe in being economically efficient."

I totally agree with Donovan. Since getting married, I have noticed my spending habits have changed. Besides not buying as many video games as I used to, I have been more economically efficient. I don't eat as much fast food or out in general, I find myself comparing prices at the grocery store and getting what ever is cheaper per ounce, and I even have started using coupons.

Don't be fooled though, this wasn't totally my idea. I have a great wife that helped me see the importance of being economically efficient. She gives me coupons and points out unnecessary spending to me, to which I usually have to recognize that she is right and I should take her advice. Case in point: I no longer stop at a gas station on the way out of town on short road trips to Austin, College Station, La Grange, etc. to buy a coke. Instead I have a few cans at home I take with me.

The ultimate symbol of this new found efficiency is a dog-leash we own. When we adopted Noah, they gave us a free leash so we could take him home. I think we bought a nicer one on the way home because it seemed a little small for big guy like him, but we held on to the leash anyway. Enter Buster a few months later and we now had a leash for him. But the story doesn't stop there. Buster likes to eat through leashes. He has chewed through his leash 3 times and after each time, we don't go buy a new one; instead we tie the two ends together of the old leash and it works good as new... pretty much.

Anyway all this to say being economically efficient is kind of fun and worth your time.

1 Corinthians 16:2On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.