Now Thats What I Call Thrift #17

The Thrift-Hassle Equilibrium.

Finally something you maths gradults can get your teeth into.

Sometimes being thrifty can be a hassle. In an ideal world nobody would choose to get stood up by a National Express coach over travelling by train. Who would get up earlier to make their own sandwiches when they could just get a Boots meal deal? But which acts of thriftiness should a gradult partake in and which should they scorn? For the discerning gradult this daily dilemma has now been solved by The Thrift-Hassle Equilibrium. The Thrift-Hassle Equilibrium, or the THE as the Gradulthood marketing department are calling it allows you to weigh up whether the money saved from each individual thrifty act outweighs the hassle this act incurs.

Simply give an act two ratings. 1-10 for thrift merit. 1-10 for hassle incurred. If the act ends up in the shaded area, put your hand in your wallet. Lands outside of it and your thriftiness is justified. I have correlated three examples for anyone still confused.

• 1. Fly economy instead of first class. Why would you pay more money to be judged? Is that little curtain worth the hatred of the rest of the plane? Big saving, limited extra hassle. In the white.
• 2. Buying economy brown sauce. It operated like jelly but more watery. Saved about two pence per use at the cost of ruining each meal it involved. Hassle beats thrift.
• 3. Musicmagpie.com. I saw the advert, yes I do want to turn my old CD’s into cash! They offered 30p for Definitely Maybe. That’s less than a pack of Hula Hoops. Are you telling me I’d have to sell ten seminal rock albums to buy a pint of Fosters? And don’t tell me shipping is simple because shipping has never been simple. Hassle most horrid.

Thrift Thursday gives you the tools to unlock your inner thrift.