Bargain Hunting

I learned from an early age to try to save money, be frugal, get a deal when you can, and the values of hard work. I don’t like splurging for things, I try to keep costs under control, and feel good about myself when I feel like I’ve saved myself some money. The most important catalyst to my bargain-hunting (spendthrift ways, Scroogey lifestyle, whatever you want to call it) is this thought: How much I have to work in order to recooperate the cost of whatever I’m buying. Usually that scares me out of buying anything over $100 (unless it’s like, paying taxes or something) and definitely gives me pause to buy things I don’t really need, especially at this early stage of my career and when my student loans haven’t been completely paid off yet.

I’m actually very surprised now that I’m an adult how many expenditures there are in one’s life, and I’m still single! (imagine starting a family and haven’t to spend for yourself AND other people!) Not even speaking of the discretionary expenses in my life like fantasy sports, dodgeball, charity donations, etc., there’s still the fixed matter of rent, car insurance, transportation costs (gas, train fare, etc.) food, health insurance, doctor visits, education costs, utility fees, etc., etc. That already takes a huge cut out of one’s budget, not to mention things most people have to have like pets, newspapers, internet, cell phones, TV, all of that. Without getting some bargains, these costs just become too much! So without further ado, here are Robert’s Excellent sources of every day bargain hunting:

Food: It may not seem like it, but if you only pay $5 for the same sandwich at a food truck or grocery store that you would have paid $10 at a fancy restaurant, that $5 adds up for 3 meals a day, 21 meals a week, that could be $100 per week!

Airline tickets: book early; compare. Lotsa choices here, I suggest booking through Southwest or any airlines that let you change flights without a cancellation fee because you can book as early as you want, so book it even if you have doubts whether you will actually make that trip because you can always cancel later and select another flight. What these bargains don’t have in frequency (like food) they make up in savings per time: you could save hundreds of dollars. THAT adds up.

Be nice to your parents: believe or not, can save a lot of money from 1.) living near your parents and 2.) visiting them often, which requires you to be on good terms with them. Parents aren’t like (even the closest of ) friends; they’ll always forgive you, they’ll always loan you money, they’ll always cook you food, they’ll always let you sleep in your old room, they’ll always let you do laundry. Maybe I’ve lucked out on these aspects of parenting, but I’m pretty sure that’s universal. Sure, there’s some trade-offs like you gotta actually talk to them and be cordial, but a small price to pay.

Tickets to shows/sports games:  don’t get the most expensive seats. Most stadiums are worth going to just for the experience of having been once to an iconic ballpark or being able to say “I’ve been there,” and then every time after that you can just watch on TV. The VIP seats aren’t all that much better and you’re still watching the same game. I can’t say the same about music performances or rock concerts other than orchestra concerts, and I can assure you definitely that you can hear pretty much the same classical music whether you’re high in the rafters or down next to the stage. You don’t really want to be too close when I’m playing a musical instrument, neither. Just trust me.

Bananas and water: bananas are like 30 cents each. They’re much better filling-wise than Oreos, chips, pretzels, protein bars, milk shakes, granola bars, cereal, dried seaweed, and any other kind of snack that you can think of, and probably less expensive. In that sense bananas replace a lot of high-priced time waster foods that aren’t part of your 3 meals a day and prevents you from wanting those things by making you less hungry. Water replaces a huge supply of liquids like energy drinks, Gatorade, tea, coffee, lattes, protein shakes, juice, but it is very efficient, does the job better than any of those other things, and can be bought in bulk at a very low rate. Obviously if everyone adhered to the Robert Yan Bargain Hunting Code of Ethics, Nabisco, Starbucks, and several other Fortune 500 companies would go bankrupt, but on the flip side a lot of common people would have more money lining their pockets and… not go bankrupt.

Bargain hunting is huge in fantasy football drafts, ESPECIALLY in an auction league (literally have to squeeze pennies, not waste a dollar). My strategy in auction drafts has always been to be a price enforcer, and I’ve never gone into a draft thinking I will NEVER draft that guy under any circumstances or I HAVE to draft a certain player regardless of the circumstances; I always keep an open mind and have a bottom price set for almost all players where if that player is going less than that, I’ll always bid another dollar just because that player’s going way too cheap. That is definitely a great way to get bargains in auction drafts, when guys are going too cheap just because their perceived value by the general market (or the people in your league) has fallen so low that it is much lower than their actual value.

Like most years, finding bargains involves a mix of 1.) avoiding players who are too “hyped,” 2.) finding players who have solid skills and track record but have gotten the perceived “boring” tag, 3.) understanding that you may be wrong sometimes but eventually if you pick bargains long enough you’ll save money in the long run, and 4.) my old tried and true, finding guys on less “public teams” or flashy rosters. (My “Portland Trail Blazers” or “Tampa Rays” rule).

1.)    LeSean McCoy: of all the rock-solid QB’s, this guy was a top-3 consensus pick last year and has the same talent surrounding him coming back, with no injury risk and still youth (he’s actually younger than CJ Spiller).  

2.)    Roddy White/Andre Johnson: disrespected because of their perceived advanced age, these guys are some of the best catchers of the ball I have seen and modern-day “locks.” Roddy White has NEVER missed a game since he started his career and Andre Johnson is a lock every year of a 100-catch, 1300-yard rate. And they’re the No. 10 and 11 wideouts in the preseason behind…….Randall Cobb?

3.)    Whenever Matthew Berry or other fantasy football analysts start “falling in love” with  a player and touting them relentlessly, I know it’s time to grab other guys that they don’t talk about. I actually do take note of guys who frequently appear on “Fantasy Focus” podcasts or offseason trade chatter, just because any kind of news about a player tends to raise their public awareness, and the more the public is aware about a player (not even good news, just any kind of news) their stock goes up. That’s why I go for the “non-mentioned” guys. No news is good news; they just quietly go about their business putting up the numbers. Tony Romo is that guy for QB’s this year. Eli Manning is that guy. A small blip last year doesn’t take away all the 4000 yard, 30-TD seasons he had before.

4.)    Jason Witten: proven production, proven quarterback, proven system, proven ability to catch like 90 passes and 1000 yards. Just go with what works; don’t fix what ain’t broke.

5.)    Ryan Mathews: so many people hate him it’s become personal/emotional/unhealthy. He’s still the “bellcow” back in an OK offense who’s still young and has shown breakaway and catching ability. It’s like when a stock has dropped 200% on the stock market, or a March 2009-type buying opportunity: his stock’s never gonna be lower.

FFantasize on, 

Robert Yan