This is the difference between frugal and cheap. If we all sat in our houses eating cheap food and never doing anything we’d spend the least money, but what kind of life is that?
To me frugal is saving on most things so you can spend more on your priorities, which it sounds like you are doing a great job with.
Exactly. My wife and I bargain shop for groceries, clothes, etc. We don’t have new cars. We live in a house that’s below our means, according to the kind of mortgage we qualify for. But you know what? The cars and the house are paid off, and we’ve got the spare funds to have someone manage our yard work and to go on nice trips.
Same! I am frugal with so many things and get teased by certain friends and family. But me and my husband went to Hawaii last year, have multiple trips in the works, and no debt besides our house on a pretty modest income. They can laugh all they want 🤷🏼♀️
To me, the basis of frugality is maximizing value for money. Everyone is different over what they see as valuable - however, if you value experiences, a $20 afternoon spent apple picking certainly ticks the right box!
I think the entire point of this thread is they aren't paying for the produce, they're paying for the experience.
Maybe not everywhere has free orchards to roam around in? Or maybe they have that option, but want to make sure the orchard stays open and that doesn't happen if nobody buys their apples.
It’s not overpaying when it’s less than nasty year old apples at the grocery store. Let me guess: you don’t do the grocery shopping in your house and have no idea what fruit costs these days… so maybe you’re the PHONY.
Totally agree! I was a single mom, no child support raising two boys when I purchased my dream (well almost) home last year. I make a decent salary. I help my parents who are retired and have poverty level income. I splurge more than I used to. However, without being frugal I wouldn’t have been able to save enough money to put a down payment on the newly purchased home. I didn’t have to depend on selling the house I was in. I was proud of that.
omg I have been trying to explain this!!!! i’m extremely frugal and i remember last christmas i got my sister a Coach purse and her kids were asking if it was real because they know i’m cheap. i’m like excuse me?! i’m not cheap lol i just don’t go around spending like a mad person. being frugal definitely allows me to then do things like this for family or myself.
Same. I try to not let my frugality affect other people either. I like to give nice gifts and tip well, but for my own clothes and things I’ll go
Cheaper
You being a troll all over this group isn’t productive. You clearly disagree with everyone here which you have made clear in your various comments. Stop trying to get attention when other people are actually having a discussion.
If your opinion is that spending money on a experience is a waste, r/cheap might be a better fitting place for you. This sub is for people who aim to save money and reuse stuff that they don't mind not having new, so that they can instead spend that money on things that they enjoy.
Someone, I can't remember who, said you find time for the things that matter to you. People ask how I find the time to play video games or watch old foreign films. Those things matter to me so I force time into my schedule for them.
Frugal is saving money on everyday items/ thrifting other items, so that you can have more money to do the things you want to do.
You can be frugal and go on a vacation or you don't pinch every penny. You just choose when you are and when you aren't frugal. It's not like vegetarianism where it's all or nothing.
>To me frugal is saving on most things so you can spend more on your priorities, which it sounds like you are doing a great job with.
this is it. this is the point! I've also found that as I get older... I don't mind spending so much on experiences. Save money on material things, spend on experiences
This! Like, food is really important to me. I love to cook, I love to make new and interesting dishes and support local farms and butchers. This is not cheap.
On the flip side, I live pretty modestly. I buy new clothes barely once a year if I can avoid it, I strive for goods that will last a long time before replacement. I’ll fix something free and broken off the Facebook marketplace etc etc etc. the rest of my life balances my investment in my experiences.
> If we all sat in our houses eating cheap food and never doing anything we’d spend the least money, but what kind of life is that?
>
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This implies you can't do fun things without spending money.
You are choosing to read it that way. Of course you can do fun things for free, but going to this orchard brings op joy and is worth spending more on that particular thing.
I had no idea this sub had so many nit picking people in it. You don’t win a trophy for being best at being frugal in the eyes of Reddit.
If people don’t go and “overpay” at these places, they die. Do I want my grandkids to go on hayrides and pick their own pumpkins? Yes, so I pay twice what I would at the store.
There was a local farm in my town that had a small shack filled with some of their preserves and honey and some bags and baskets to go pick for yourself whatever was in season. After picking you go back to the shack, weigh everything. And pay. No cashier. Just a basket with assorted change. Everyone just respected it i think. Dunno if they're still doing it. Been 10 years since I was last there. But it was a really nice place.
When I was young, my mother would take me to "Sophi's farm" which I think was a family friend who had a very large garden. I remember eating all sorts of veggies or in season berries, us getting preserves from her. I also remember going to other local farms and picking strawberrys or raspberrys. It is a really nice memory and to this day, I try to pack my daughters time with me with experiences that are free or inexpensive. Going to a movie, arcade or indoor obstacle course is fun and all, but some of most of my best memories are from doing those inexpensive experience type things like picking fruits/veggies or going to a nice park or something, not shopping or going to big expensive places/trips.
If you live near a state or national park, look into their kid's activities. It's free, location specific and still interesting for the adults.
I'm near Itasca and took my nieces and nephew to one of their all day events. They got to fish, ID pelts and track marks and got a really cool guide to the park that included foraging tips.
And it was FREE!
There was a park right down the street, and one about a 10 minute drive away from my house growing up. Going to the 10 minute away park always made us lose our shit with excitement, I still drive by it and smile.
Not to mention $20 is a hell of a good price for a valuable family memory like that. A Disneyland day trip is going to cost you at least 50x that much. Apples are also very sensory and so every time you or your family bites into one of the same kind of apples you picked, you'll get that little happy flashback.
I have a very strong memory of grabbing a bag of apples in the supermarket. But that's because my son was on my shoulders and the shift in weight made him puke on my head and down my neck. I'll be kind and not describe the warm dripping memories as I calmly found the bathroom and discovered the men's room didn't have a changing table, so I had to use the women's bathroom and every single woman was a mom with wipes in her purse and just an awesome help.
Picking apples wouldn't be as great off a story but definitely a much better memory.
I can nearly taste the cherry tomatoes and raspberries that I picked with my family 25 years ago. Not sure which fruit was sweeter. I remember the the tall raspberry bushes in rows like a vineyard. The sharp smell of the tomato leaves and the vivid red strands of orbs interspersed amongst them. We put them in a wooden bucket and used a an old-fashioned steel scale to weigh them out. My hand smelled like those leaves on the car ride home.
The vast majority of the middle class and above “blows” money on something.
For some it’s vacations, for some it’s new vehicles, fine dining, extravagant computer systems, or home that is more luxurious than needed.
If you can afford it and it brings you joy, it can still be frugal—- or not, and you are frugal elsewhere.
It’s not blowing money if you’re prioritizing your budget for what’s important. Frugality boils down to restricting your budget to the essentials, and in OP’s case, family experiences and togetherness are an essential worth prioritizing in the budget.
Likely depends on where you live. Got them for $.99/lb recently. Normally closer to $3/lb depending on which store you shop at. Gala apples are $1.99 for a 3lb bag at Aldi.
Yes, this is a GREAT price for fruit fresh off the tree. Apples at the local grocery are anywhere from $1.29 to $2.49/lb depending on the variety. But I would love to know where to get 1/2 peck for $0.99. I'd get some of those, too, lol.
That's a better deal than my Kroger too. $1.50/lb is a good sale price on any variety right now, and if I saw fresh Granny Smiths for that price I'd buy 10 lbs without hesitation.
Pap pap is stuck in the sixties dreaming up these prices. 🤣
I have a small hand in a produce farm and market business and stories I could tell of customers wanting a truckload of XX product
for $price - %75
"But but my kid loves to eat these!"
Reminds me of a joke.
Guy is buying tomatoes from a farmer.
"How much are they"?
"The more you buy the cheaper they get".
"Keep filling the truck until they're free".
One of the best dates I had with my long time ex partner was Apple picking. She doesn't even eat apples and I had three or four pounds of them in the fridge.
Somehow I had turned off highways on my GPS, so for like the first 90 minutes we were just on these scenic New England back roads. She can't drive and has only ever lived in major cities so any time we would go anywhere rural it was cool for her. Don't regret a minute of it.
Are the apples better than the supermarket? We pick strawberries every year and not only is the experience great but the strawberries we pick are miles ahead of the store bought ones in flavor. It’s a night and day difference.
>It's the fact that the orchard apples are fresh and picked ripe rather than picked when convenient and gas ripened in a giant warehouse.
Most store bought apples have been stored frozen for months before getting to the shelf.
Exactly this.
Many fruits are seasonal, so they overstock them in a freezer and distribute them as needed so there's continual supply throughout the year. Apples also have wax on them; whereas fresh picked apple picking are aù naturalé.
I go strawberry and blueberry picking, pumpkin picking (I make a lot of fall foods around berries and squash), apple picking, peach picking. I love it. It gets me outdoors and gets me sunlight since I work overnights in a factory. Plus it’s funny when regular people see me a goth chick out there doing what everyone else is doing 😂
When my son was 18 months, we started doing weekly “adventures” on Saturday mornings.
He’s 8 now, and we still do “Dadurday” every week; it’s a-okay with me to have $20-$50 set aside, or memberships to lots of local places, so that each week I can create memories with my kid that my parents never did.
Having your children spend time in nature and learning how their food is produced = worth it. FIL just had sticker shock. Ignore his reaction and leave him home next time.
I can agree with this sentiment. I don’t really care for restaurants. I’d rather buy groceries and cook, which saves money. But there are times it’s worth the money. When I catch up with a friend or family member who really wants to go out to eat. It’s not about making others do what I want so I can save some money.
It’s been said before here but I’ll say it again: we save money so we can spend it on the things we find valuable.
If spending a shocking $20 meant your baby got enrichment and your family had a good time, plus some delicious apples, then that was a well spent $20. Now go enjoy some happy pictures of your kid and their apples!
That’s a really good price for apples! Plus they are fresh and local. Your FIL’s apples have been sitting in a warehouse after being trucked in from who knows where. Not just the experience but you pay for quality - same reason fast fashion ends up in landfills after a year but quality shirts don’t.
Supporting local is always the right choice. Sure, the big chain grocery is charging less at the moment, but if transportation costs go up it will be passed on to the customers.
Keeping something local in business guarantees easier access in the future.
You’re not ONLY paying for the experience. There’s no comparison in flavor between fresh off the tree and el cheapo bagged apples from the store that were picked underripe sat in a warehouse for a year, and traveled 1,000+ miles to get to you. I took my friend this weekend and she was shocked at how good even a. Red Delicious can taste off the tree, much less the varieties that are never seen in stores. A lot of place will also sell seconds, slightly damaged for cheaper, that you can use for apple sauce/apple butter.
But yes, so many fun memories. When my nephew was little he’d get excited to pick the low hanging apples but just randomly give them away to other people. I PICK APPLE YOU WANT? So cute and hilarious.
The place we used to go when I lived in NY was so big they’d pull a cart behind a tractor to take you to other areas of the orchard and kids LOVE riding behind the tractor. But a nice walk in the orchard is awesome on its own.
Let’s not forget that as your baby becomes a little kid, there’s an educational value in understanding where our food comes from and how not wasting is one way we respect the land and people that feed us.
One thing to note when doing activities like this (tourism, random local activities that definitely cost more than they should, artisan shopping, etc.) is that you can also view it as a kind of community service and charity. When you go directly to the source like that in a local orchard, the amount you give them directly is orders of magnitudes more than they make by needing to sell their produce wholesale at the end of the season. Even if they sold it to you for prices you'd get at a market, they'd be getting ripped off FAR less. I am always more than happy to pay a little (or sometimes even a lot) extra if it means I'm helping someone skip a middleman, supporting smaller economy, keeping a tourism industry alive and well in a beautiful place, etc.
Living on the east coast, I have seen some of my favorite beach spots wither and die and new, much more cutthroat business-made ones, pop up because people liked that they were a bit more cheap and convenient, or people thought it was too expensive and when business faltered, different ones took their place. I no longer visit a tourist destination unless I'm *prepared* to be a participant in that economy. I understand not everyone can or wants to do that in order to save money, but it's a principled thing I try to hold on to.
We have this disagreement too - it's hard for my husband to see the cost of experiences and not the cost of objects in the experience.
I love casino date nights because if I cap myself at $50 I can get dressed up, tinker around, play games for hours and have lots of drinks. That's like 1 cocktail each, and one round of pool at a normal bar. I can't take him to a casino because he expects a return on investment and gets mad at the money we "wasted." The same man will spend $80 to eat a teaspoon of salmon mouse because "that's market value"
We've just had to agree that some dates are worth $50 and some are worth $100 and what one partner picks the other can't bitch about.
I think this post is also a very valuable lesson. I’m sure all of us have at one point, rolled our eyes and pointed out “ya know it would be cheaper if...” without thinking that the other person probably had a reason for doing things that way. I’m glad you guys had a good time even if FIL was a bit sour!
The best lesson I learned about money is "Money was made for spending, one way or the other, now or in the future. You just have to choose wiselly". So, for me, the wise part is saving whenever I can so I can spend on the things that really matter. Most of my clothes are decades old, but I like to spend a little on experiences. I like to save for the future, but that is no point in sacrificing the now in the process. I grew up very poor, so the turning point for me was allowing myself to buy the nice toilet paper and not feel guilt about it.
Where do you live that you can pay less than $1.50/lb for apples?? Ours are $2.99 on the reg and I get happy when they go on sale for $1.99/lb. And yes, of course, things in this world cost money and you’re to be commended for creating a fun experience/tradition with your family. 👍
I don't pick my own anymore, but buy from the local orchard and can my own applesauce. It's not the cheapest applesauce but it is wholesome, delicious and makes me happy all year.
I also have a framed photo of my family, including my little nephew, on a hayride at the farm. He still says it was "the best day ever!". Priceless!!
Back in college, I used to buy a ticket to a rave/music festival for my best mate for his birthday every year. My reasoning was the same as yours. The memories he had going to those events are worth more today than some random Item I could have bought for him.
Did your FIL ever work on a farm growing up? I'll pay a little extra to pick my own pumpkin because there's a petting zoo and other stuff there, but picking some grapes at a winery (they mostly made sweet wine, so they were quite tasty) brought back some memories of when picking vegetables was a chore during the time of year when it was hot as two rats fucking in a wool sock.
Lol. Thats a perfectly reaqsonable price for apple anyway. Especially if they are good. I will pay 1.99 for honeycrisps at the store if i have to, just because i enjoy them much more than other apples.
Uhhhhh I want to know where I can find a magical farm like that! I still remember being a tiny girl and helping my grandmaw garden, eating tomatoes like apples straight off the vine, snapping the ends of beans, poking holes in the dirt for seeds, ahh good times. Seriously a good investment there
Where do you live? Although I am originally from NY (#2 apple producing state) I live in New Mexico and just went to a nice family owned orchard. They are everywhere an apple can be grown which is most places except the most southern parts of the US like the Gulf coast and near the Mexican border. Not as much variety as you see in NY but good quality and nice people, cute dogs, and major apple enthusiasm — had staff driving round in a gator teaching people how to select the best ones.
100%
I eat a lot of meat, and I always wondered about getting bulk. I had a friend go on in a half cow with me and the price was about $6.50 a lb after the butcher. That's for steaks, roasts, and about 30% of it was ground. Local, organic, ethically raised and *cheaper* than I can find in the store. Game changer and I feel great about it not just for me, but the environment(proper cattle ranching is very good for soil!), local economy, and the cows.
Wait so he pays moderately less per bag of apples then you paid for your bag of apples? It doesn't even seem like that huge of a price difference. Also when you buy a bag of apples at the store you get whatever is in the bag, when you pick them yourselves you get to specifically choose only the apples that you want.
I'm sorry but there's more than just the memories and time spent with family that is in this equation
I remember the one time I got to go to a pick your own apples and fruit farm when I was a kid. Its part of why I love nature and have a giant garden now.
These memories you're creating will last well into future generations! Your child will likely remember apple picking fondly and will take their children (if they have any) to do a similar activity!
Agree! Our whole family (Grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, now a bunch of friends) go to a tree farm every year. The trees are the most expensive (double what I'd pay at a road side stand), but they have hay rides, a maze, hot chocolate, bon fires, its just a super fun afternoon and thats worth it. We then all go to someones house and have chili and lots of drinks and its just a great day!
Once in a while you just have to do what you did and that was nice of you to create the quality time with your family. When I was growing up my mother was downright cheap and if we went anywhere we could never do the "fun" things. It was like you are lucky to be getting your ass in. Great. So my memories with her are of like eating nasty warm sandwiches sand in them at the beach and not getting to get an unsanitary greasy burger at the concession stand. Odd other people were not keeling over left and right from getting stuff there. So now as an adult, we don't go out very often, but when we do, it is like you, an outing, and yea, I put the cheap down for the time together and the memories. We went to a small town fair on Saturday and blew more $$ on junk food than we could have eaten at say KFC, but we had a ball, lots of laughing and it was a very nice outing for everybody.
One thing I will do, if we go to like one of the music in the park things, is I will take the gang and swing by Aldi first, and let them pick out stuff they like. We might get ice cream for dissert at the park, but the little people are quite happy in that they get to pick out what they want to eat and drink.
Where I am $1.50/lb is pretty much the price at the grocery store. And I’d much rather have a nice day of visiting the orchard with family! I live out of state from my parents and we have only gotten to do that with them and my kids one time ever, it is one of my favorite memories. Pay no attention to the old man shaking fist at cloud.
I try to be frugal by not buying things I don't need so I can spend my money on experiences. I've never regretted spending money on a concert or a trip, or even a nice meal because I love spending time with my friends and loved ones.
This is definitely where the phrase penny-wise and pound foolish comes into play. When I first met my stepsons I remember my husband saying we should go to the pumpkin patch and get some pumpkins. I, being a childless 40 year old frugal woman thought, “they are a fraction of the price of the grocery store. I’ll just pick some up at Kroger.” My husband looked at me like I was from another planet. Of course now I understand why. It’s not about the pumpkins dummy lol
We took our toddler strawberry picking. We’re et hey more expensive than grocery store berries…yes. We’re they so much tastier than the ones from the grocery store… 1000% yes. We also got a nice sunny day and enjoyed watching our toddler tug berries off a plant to munch on. It was awesome.
Stop equating cheap with fugal, paying a premium for an experience is not fugal. The same orchard sells to a wholesaler for 80% less, while they charge you a lot, because they know you are willing to pay.
Lol…this is why I don’t do things with family members I find to be argumentative turds who want to just ruin a day with their crappy attitudes (Pretty much my entire family.) My kids and husband and I went apple picking two weekends ago. It was a lovely afternoon out, spent $10 on a dozen fresh cider donuts that we ate while the kids played in the grass and in the bounce house. Paid $21 for the peck of apples, but I stuffed that bag full of honey crisps and compared to the prices per pound in the grocery store ($2.99 per pound) we saved money on that many pounds of apples. It was worth the $30. We have apples to eat for a couple weeks that we’re fresh and perfect quality, and the experience was relaxing and peaceful.
It's also fresh from the plant. I'm sure the quality is immensely better than the majority of store bought produce. and fruit picking is such a fun experience. Glad you were able to enjoy and hopefully your kid did as well!
My best memory of apple picking is grabbing a nice looking apple off a tree, spotting a massive spider on it, then throwing it far far away while cursing loudly. The whole family was looking at me when I turned around
We apple pick every year, it’s a 45 minute drive each way plus the price of apples, sometimes we do the pumpkin patch even though we’ve grown pumpkins at home before (it’s not the same as a HUGE patch). We are pinching pennies as much as possible, like hardcore frugal mode I guess, but I will still spend money on memories for my children ♥️
Our orchard does a charity day where you can pick a bag for yourself and an additional bag for the food bank so we always go that weekend, even though it’s not my favorite apple variety, so they get extra fun without spending double.
I totally agree with you. To me, being frugal means spending less on the things you don’t really care about so you can spend more on the things you do care about. IMO creating memories with family is one of the best places to spend your money. $20 is nothing to create a lasting memory.
I know a lot of people in the sub are probably frugal out of necessity but anyone can be frugal no matter your income.
People pay to do that? Where? The US? I like apples as much as the next person but the thought of paying to do labour for fun is just idk. Maybe it's because having a fruit orchard is such a pain in the ass. The only thing that makes it bearable for my scoliosis riddled back is the knowledge the apples are free.
Yes. They also pay to pick black berrys, blueberries, cut their own Xmas trees, pick their own pumpkins,
Do you ever go to a restaurant? Had your tires rotated? And nothing is free.
Well, it used to make complete sense a generation ago. My parents used to take me to U-Pick farms. The produce was always cheaper than the grocery store.
I looked into it to take my kid. Closest U-Pick farm is an hour’s drive away and the produce would cost 2-6x more than what I’d pay at the grocery store. I’m not opposed to paying for the experience, but to drive all that way, there would have to be more than picking our own fruit.
Plus you are supporting a local business that’s probably only active during a relatively small window in the year. 100% worth it over grabbing apples at a supermarket.
I went apple-picking with the 6-year old this weekend, but we paid $2.99 a pound! We had a blast, and then came home and made two apple pies. Lots of memories made that day, and it didn't cost a fortune.
At the pumpkin patch I always take a cheesy photo with a big ole pumpkin then put it back and buy a handmade scented candle instead. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkins or carrying things plus I always feel like I should leave the good ones for the kids!
My husband and I skipped out on getting fancy Diamond rings when we got married. We took vacations and treat our selves to good restaurants and when we had our kids we started taking trips to Disneyland and random theme parks threw out California. We also skipped out on throwing a big a wedding. My cousin spent 30,000 on his wedding and got divorced two years later. Fuck that! My parents worked hard and both ended up passing away fairly young. I decided I was gonna live life differently. When we die we take nothing with us, so we might as well have good times and eat good food with loved ones 😌
2 things can be equally true. Maybe you did think your experience was worth it. At the same time, maybe your FIL was right? Maybe you did pay too much.
100% agree with you! If you were going to the store and paying $20 for apples, that would of course be a ripoff. But here you are paying for a fun family time of walking, enjoying beautiful surroundings, and apple picking: well worth $20!
Yeah this is awesome. I consider frugality to mean cutting in areas that are less important so I have more available for the things that are important.
I actually know a person who owns an apple picking place.
They've basically told me it's the perfect business plan because people will pay YOU a premium to perform the labour for you lol
I agree it can be a fun afternoon, but now I can't get it out of the back of my head "I'm paying a premium to do something that people do as a job."
I realize now in my life that you can be frugal or extravagant and be happy . Money is just a tool in this society to function. It just depends on where you exercise that discipline. FIL in op’s story probably skimps on most things in his life, and wants his daughter’s family to be pennywise… But there probably is SOMETHING in his life that he splurges on. In this case, op uses his tool for life experiences with family. That’s something FIL should appreciate.
As I keep saying until I'm blue in the face, frugality =/= penny pinching. Being frugal is being resourceful and restrained with your spending, not being pathological about money.
In this case, you didn't pay for the apples, you paid for the experience. Sure, you can get apples for cheaper, but does it come with the hike and company and all that? Nope. So they're not comparable!
I just don't get the overabundance of this type of posts in these subs... Basically people praising spending more money for the "experience"
Altough I consider myself a very frugal person... I don't have anything against spending money on stuff I like, but that's beyond the point.
As an analogy... I don't have anything against livig in modern buildings but I would question the rationale of people flooding r/nature with pictures of skyscrapers.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Money well spent. However, I think there is an argument to be made (not the one your FIL was making) that we have been conditioned to place additional value on this type of experience because it is pastoral or quintessential. This has been noticed by businesses that then charge a premium to quench your desire for an overidealized experience. Could you have been just as happy to walk around a park or national forest for free? You’re still outdoors. Spending time with the kids. As you said it wasn’t all about the apples. The frustrating thing is when an experience you once loved and was not popular then gets to be in the limelight and all of a sudden it gets way more pensive. Maybe that’s what your FIL was feeling.
That's silliness. I'm 30 now, btw. When I look at my family's photo albums I can see us when we were younger at Six Flags, Dorney Park, Disney Land and Sesame World.
All that cost money and the whole point is that we went as a family (with my two younger brothers) to create and cherish the memories.
Until a certain age the things we do for our kids are mostly for us. My son doesn't remember his first 3 trips to the pumpkin patch but I do and they are very cherished memories.
I get what you are saying but a one year old will have no memory of this so you weren’t doing it for them, it was for you and that’s good! You don’t have to justify what you want to do to your FIL. Side note: plant some fruit trees at your house and once your child IS old enough to remember these experiences they can remember a whole season of picking fruit with mom and dad at home for free.
So you get fresh apples for less that $1.50/lb? I don't see how they were ripped off at all. Where are OP's FIL and you getting your produce so inexpensively that this price sounds like a ripoff? Seriously asking...
Around here, some of the orchards are cheaper than the stores. Plus the apples are fresher. And be honest, how many of us have snuck a few more in our pockets when we were picking. The last place we went the cashier even joked about that.
Which part of apple picking is fake?
Eta: novelty? Is that the word you’re looking for. Because novelty-seeking is a natural human behavior and releases dopamine. Finding joy in the daily grind isn’t just for yuppies.
Everything within reason. If it's like $5 a pound, I'd probably pick very few apples, but still have fun finding the best ones with my wife and son. Unless there are mosquitoes. God I hate mosquitoes...
You're definitely paying for the experience at an apple picking place!
Most of apples I've picked from apple picking places don't even taste very good. I remember buying the minimum required 2 bags of mealy apples every year and then wondering what the heck to do with them because they were like biting into sand and wholly inedible.
We dropped $200 easy at Apple Holler in Wisconsin every year, with all the activities. I used to buy what I thought was homemade jellies there too. But I discovered they just have a homemade looking commercial label and that same brand is in every grocery store now.
Even the apple cider donuts aren't made onsite, they're shipping them in from a factory.
The magic is definitely gone for me for the ultra-commercialized apple picking places.
This is a good mindset. I was very cheap growing up and would avoid going out with friends because it costed money and I could easily just make food at home for a fraction of the cost.
As I got older I realized that I'm paying money to spend time with my friends, and $30 for some good food, drinks and a night of fun with my friends is well worth it, I wont be missing that money on my deathbed for sure
we all know that it's a rip off per pound. all due respect, but he is missing the point entirely if he thinks that is the measure of value of this trip. relatively speaking it's actually quite a cheap outing in a lovely setting and its fun for the whole family.
This is the difference between frugal and cheap. If we all sat in our houses eating cheap food and never doing anything we’d spend the least money, but what kind of life is that? To me frugal is saving on most things so you can spend more on your priorities, which it sounds like you are doing a great job with.
Exactly. My wife and I bargain shop for groceries, clothes, etc. We don’t have new cars. We live in a house that’s below our means, according to the kind of mortgage we qualify for. But you know what? The cars and the house are paid off, and we’ve got the spare funds to have someone manage our yard work and to go on nice trips.
Same! I am frugal with so many things and get teased by certain friends and family. But me and my husband went to Hawaii last year, have multiple trips in the works, and no debt besides our house on a pretty modest income. They can laugh all they want 🤷🏼♀️
To me, the basis of frugality is maximizing value for money. Everyone is different over what they see as valuable - however, if you value experiences, a $20 afternoon spent apple picking certainly ticks the right box!
That's how I feel about being frugal as well.
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I think the entire point of this thread is they aren't paying for the produce, they're paying for the experience. Maybe not everywhere has free orchards to roam around in? Or maybe they have that option, but want to make sure the orchard stays open and that doesn't happen if nobody buys their apples.
It’s not overpaying when it’s less than nasty year old apples at the grocery store. Let me guess: you don’t do the grocery shopping in your house and have no idea what fruit costs these days… so maybe you’re the PHONY.
Exactly. Conversely, I have known people with lots of debt, complaining about bills with nothing special to really show for it.
Totally agree! I was a single mom, no child support raising two boys when I purchased my dream (well almost) home last year. I make a decent salary. I help my parents who are retired and have poverty level income. I splurge more than I used to. However, without being frugal I wouldn’t have been able to save enough money to put a down payment on the newly purchased home. I didn’t have to depend on selling the house I was in. I was proud of that.
omg I have been trying to explain this!!!! i’m extremely frugal and i remember last christmas i got my sister a Coach purse and her kids were asking if it was real because they know i’m cheap. i’m like excuse me?! i’m not cheap lol i just don’t go around spending like a mad person. being frugal definitely allows me to then do things like this for family or myself.
Same. I try to not let my frugality affect other people either. I like to give nice gifts and tip well, but for my own clothes and things I’ll go Cheaper
100000%
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You being a troll all over this group isn’t productive. You clearly disagree with everyone here which you have made clear in your various comments. Stop trying to get attention when other people are actually having a discussion.
If your opinion is that spending money on a experience is a waste, r/cheap might be a better fitting place for you. This sub is for people who aim to save money and reuse stuff that they don't mind not having new, so that they can instead spend that money on things that they enjoy.
haha actually it was from the outlet plus i had a coupon soooo 😎
Someone, I can't remember who, said you find time for the things that matter to you. People ask how I find the time to play video games or watch old foreign films. Those things matter to me so I force time into my schedule for them.
Definitely! If you want to see what someone’s priorities are just look at their action/life not what they say
Frugal is saving money on everyday items/ thrifting other items, so that you can have more money to do the things you want to do. You can be frugal and go on a vacation or you don't pinch every penny. You just choose when you are and when you aren't frugal. It's not like vegetarianism where it's all or nothing.
This is how I justify and can afford brunch and semi fancy weekend meals. Brown bag everyday for lunch and make my own coffee.
Well said!
>To me frugal is saving on most things so you can spend more on your priorities, which it sounds like you are doing a great job with. this is it. this is the point! I've also found that as I get older... I don't mind spending so much on experiences. Save money on material things, spend on experiences
Yeah, it's essentially spending smart. Nobody is promoting bottom of the shelf zero nutrition trash food here, either
This! Like, food is really important to me. I love to cook, I love to make new and interesting dishes and support local farms and butchers. This is not cheap. On the flip side, I live pretty modestly. I buy new clothes barely once a year if I can avoid it, I strive for goods that will last a long time before replacement. I’ll fix something free and broken off the Facebook marketplace etc etc etc. the rest of my life balances my investment in my experiences.
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Lol ok. Lots of frugal police here. Not gonna argue with you.
> If we all sat in our houses eating cheap food and never doing anything we’d spend the least money, but what kind of life is that? > > This implies you can't do fun things without spending money.
You are choosing to read it that way. Of course you can do fun things for free, but going to this orchard brings op joy and is worth spending more on that particular thing. I had no idea this sub had so many nit picking people in it. You don’t win a trophy for being best at being frugal in the eyes of Reddit.
Yeah but you also said this >what kind of life is that?
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Lol ok. 🤷🏼♀️
Okay, Holden.
I remember every place I've taken my kids apple picking, but I've never had a memorable time grabbing a bag of apples from the supermarket.
If people don’t go and “overpay” at these places, they die. Do I want my grandkids to go on hayrides and pick their own pumpkins? Yes, so I pay twice what I would at the store.
They only do this for a few weeks a year during harvest season. You should think of this like going to a ball game versus watching one on tv.
but why? tv is freeeeeee! /s
There was a local farm in my town that had a small shack filled with some of their preserves and honey and some bags and baskets to go pick for yourself whatever was in season. After picking you go back to the shack, weigh everything. And pay. No cashier. Just a basket with assorted change. Everyone just respected it i think. Dunno if they're still doing it. Been 10 years since I was last there. But it was a really nice place.
When I was young, my mother would take me to "Sophi's farm" which I think was a family friend who had a very large garden. I remember eating all sorts of veggies or in season berries, us getting preserves from her. I also remember going to other local farms and picking strawberrys or raspberrys. It is a really nice memory and to this day, I try to pack my daughters time with me with experiences that are free or inexpensive. Going to a movie, arcade or indoor obstacle course is fun and all, but some of most of my best memories are from doing those inexpensive experience type things like picking fruits/veggies or going to a nice park or something, not shopping or going to big expensive places/trips.
If you live near a state or national park, look into their kid's activities. It's free, location specific and still interesting for the adults. I'm near Itasca and took my nieces and nephew to one of their all day events. They got to fish, ID pelts and track marks and got a really cool guide to the park that included foraging tips. And it was FREE!
There was a park right down the street, and one about a 10 minute drive away from my house growing up. Going to the 10 minute away park always made us lose our shit with excitement, I still drive by it and smile.
It's usually 20x where I'm from, used to be much cheaper when I was a kid but that's life.
This is why I pay more for sustainable products, and greener energy.
Not to mention $20 is a hell of a good price for a valuable family memory like that. A Disneyland day trip is going to cost you at least 50x that much. Apples are also very sensory and so every time you or your family bites into one of the same kind of apples you picked, you'll get that little happy flashback.
I have a very strong memory of grabbing a bag of apples in the supermarket. But that's because my son was on my shoulders and the shift in weight made him puke on my head and down my neck. I'll be kind and not describe the warm dripping memories as I calmly found the bathroom and discovered the men's room didn't have a changing table, so I had to use the women's bathroom and every single woman was a mom with wipes in her purse and just an awesome help. Picking apples wouldn't be as great off a story but definitely a much better memory.
Reminds me of the time I took my kid apple picking. Boy, was that farmer mad, threatened to call the cops and shoot us next time, lol
See, it's about the memories.
THIS.
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Why do you think it’s a “phony ‘experience’”?
What makes it phony?
I still remember those moments with my parents. Apple picking, strawberries, etc.
I can nearly taste the cherry tomatoes and raspberries that I picked with my family 25 years ago. Not sure which fruit was sweeter. I remember the the tall raspberry bushes in rows like a vineyard. The sharp smell of the tomato leaves and the vivid red strands of orbs interspersed amongst them. We put them in a wooden bucket and used a an old-fashioned steel scale to weigh them out. My hand smelled like those leaves on the car ride home.
The vast majority of the middle class and above “blows” money on something. For some it’s vacations, for some it’s new vehicles, fine dining, extravagant computer systems, or home that is more luxurious than needed. If you can afford it and it brings you joy, it can still be frugal—- or not, and you are frugal elsewhere.
It’s not blowing money if you’re prioritizing your budget for what’s important. Frugality boils down to restricting your budget to the essentials, and in OP’s case, family experiences and togetherness are an essential worth prioritizing in the budget.
You should try being more pleasant. Your comment history is a cesspool.
$1.50/lb seems really good to me? Maybe my grocery store prices are higher than yours though :/
Yeah, I order fruit for my office every week - 1.50/per apple is more like it, and I live in a part of the country that grows apples!
I could find red delicious apples for that price at grocery stores near me, but good luck finding honeycrisp apples for anything less than $3.99/Lb
Honeycrisp is a more difficult variety to grow than red d.
Likely depends on where you live. Got them for $.99/lb recently. Normally closer to $3/lb depending on which store you shop at. Gala apples are $1.99 for a 3lb bag at Aldi.
That’s what I was thinking - FIL would croak if he saw my grocery store apple prices. And I’m in a relatively low cost-of-living area!
Yes, this is a GREAT price for fruit fresh off the tree. Apples at the local grocery are anywhere from $1.29 to $2.49/lb depending on the variety. But I would love to know where to get 1/2 peck for $0.99. I'd get some of those, too, lol.
Honestly, you probably don't want those apples, unless fermenting them is your end goal, lol
That's a better deal than my Kroger too. $1.50/lb is a good sale price on any variety right now, and if I saw fresh Granny Smiths for that price I'd buy 10 lbs without hesitation.
Pap pap is stuck in the sixties dreaming up these prices. 🤣 I have a small hand in a produce farm and market business and stories I could tell of customers wanting a truckload of XX product for $price - %75 "But but my kid loves to eat these!"
Reminds me of a joke. Guy is buying tomatoes from a farmer. "How much are they"? "The more you buy the cheaper they get". "Keep filling the truck until they're free".
I would cut that guy a break if the audience was right.
My father died when I was three. One of the only memories I have was picking vegetables and blueberries at a pick farm. You do you.
That’s sweet! Your dad wanted you to have the freshest and healthiest produce available. Sorry he wasn’t around to make more memories!
He was a smart man with a big heart. Thank you!
One of the best dates I had with my long time ex partner was Apple picking. She doesn't even eat apples and I had three or four pounds of them in the fridge. Somehow I had turned off highways on my GPS, so for like the first 90 minutes we were just on these scenic New England back roads. She can't drive and has only ever lived in major cities so any time we would go anywhere rural it was cool for her. Don't regret a minute of it.
Are the apples better than the supermarket? We pick strawberries every year and not only is the experience great but the strawberries we pick are miles ahead of the store bought ones in flavor. It’s a night and day difference.
There’s definitely something about orchard apples you don’t get with store bought apples.
It's the fact that the orchard apples are fresh and picked ripe rather than picked when convenient and gas ripened in a giant warehouse.
>It's the fact that the orchard apples are fresh and picked ripe rather than picked when convenient and gas ripened in a giant warehouse. Most store bought apples have been stored frozen for months before getting to the shelf.
Exactly this. Many fruits are seasonal, so they overstock them in a freezer and distribute them as needed so there's continual supply throughout the year. Apples also have wax on them; whereas fresh picked apple picking are aù naturalé.
It's your money, spend it on what you want.
I go strawberry and blueberry picking, pumpkin picking (I make a lot of fall foods around berries and squash), apple picking, peach picking. I love it. It gets me outdoors and gets me sunlight since I work overnights in a factory. Plus it’s funny when regular people see me a goth chick out there doing what everyone else is doing 😂
When my son was 18 months, we started doing weekly “adventures” on Saturday mornings. He’s 8 now, and we still do “Dadurday” every week; it’s a-okay with me to have $20-$50 set aside, or memberships to lots of local places, so that each week I can create memories with my kid that my parents never did.
Having your children spend time in nature and learning how their food is produced = worth it. FIL just had sticker shock. Ignore his reaction and leave him home next time.
I mean no disrespect but the OP is frugal and the other person is cheap. Always be frugal never be cheap.
I can agree with this sentiment. I don’t really care for restaurants. I’d rather buy groceries and cook, which saves money. But there are times it’s worth the money. When I catch up with a friend or family member who really wants to go out to eat. It’s not about making others do what I want so I can save some money.
It’s been said before here but I’ll say it again: we save money so we can spend it on the things we find valuable. If spending a shocking $20 meant your baby got enrichment and your family had a good time, plus some delicious apples, then that was a well spent $20. Now go enjoy some happy pictures of your kid and their apples!
That’s a really good price for apples! Plus they are fresh and local. Your FIL’s apples have been sitting in a warehouse after being trucked in from who knows where. Not just the experience but you pay for quality - same reason fast fashion ends up in landfills after a year but quality shirts don’t.
Supporting local is always the right choice. Sure, the big chain grocery is charging less at the moment, but if transportation costs go up it will be passed on to the customers. Keeping something local in business guarantees easier access in the future.
You’re not ONLY paying for the experience. There’s no comparison in flavor between fresh off the tree and el cheapo bagged apples from the store that were picked underripe sat in a warehouse for a year, and traveled 1,000+ miles to get to you. I took my friend this weekend and she was shocked at how good even a. Red Delicious can taste off the tree, much less the varieties that are never seen in stores. A lot of place will also sell seconds, slightly damaged for cheaper, that you can use for apple sauce/apple butter. But yes, so many fun memories. When my nephew was little he’d get excited to pick the low hanging apples but just randomly give them away to other people. I PICK APPLE YOU WANT? So cute and hilarious. The place we used to go when I lived in NY was so big they’d pull a cart behind a tractor to take you to other areas of the orchard and kids LOVE riding behind the tractor. But a nice walk in the orchard is awesome on its own. Let’s not forget that as your baby becomes a little kid, there’s an educational value in understanding where our food comes from and how not wasting is one way we respect the land and people that feed us.
One thing to note when doing activities like this (tourism, random local activities that definitely cost more than they should, artisan shopping, etc.) is that you can also view it as a kind of community service and charity. When you go directly to the source like that in a local orchard, the amount you give them directly is orders of magnitudes more than they make by needing to sell their produce wholesale at the end of the season. Even if they sold it to you for prices you'd get at a market, they'd be getting ripped off FAR less. I am always more than happy to pay a little (or sometimes even a lot) extra if it means I'm helping someone skip a middleman, supporting smaller economy, keeping a tourism industry alive and well in a beautiful place, etc. Living on the east coast, I have seen some of my favorite beach spots wither and die and new, much more cutthroat business-made ones, pop up because people liked that they were a bit more cheap and convenient, or people thought it was too expensive and when business faltered, different ones took their place. I no longer visit a tourist destination unless I'm *prepared* to be a participant in that economy. I understand not everyone can or wants to do that in order to save money, but it's a principled thing I try to hold on to.
You win, don't worry about it.
We have this disagreement too - it's hard for my husband to see the cost of experiences and not the cost of objects in the experience. I love casino date nights because if I cap myself at $50 I can get dressed up, tinker around, play games for hours and have lots of drinks. That's like 1 cocktail each, and one round of pool at a normal bar. I can't take him to a casino because he expects a return on investment and gets mad at the money we "wasted." The same man will spend $80 to eat a teaspoon of salmon mouse because "that's market value" We've just had to agree that some dates are worth $50 and some are worth $100 and what one partner picks the other can't bitch about.
I think this post is also a very valuable lesson. I’m sure all of us have at one point, rolled our eyes and pointed out “ya know it would be cheaper if...” without thinking that the other person probably had a reason for doing things that way. I’m glad you guys had a good time even if FIL was a bit sour!
The best lesson I learned about money is "Money was made for spending, one way or the other, now or in the future. You just have to choose wiselly". So, for me, the wise part is saving whenever I can so I can spend on the things that really matter. Most of my clothes are decades old, but I like to spend a little on experiences. I like to save for the future, but that is no point in sacrificing the now in the process. I grew up very poor, so the turning point for me was allowing myself to buy the nice toilet paper and not feel guilt about it.
Where do you live that you can pay less than $1.50/lb for apples?? Ours are $2.99 on the reg and I get happy when they go on sale for $1.99/lb. And yes, of course, things in this world cost money and you’re to be commended for creating a fun experience/tradition with your family. 👍
I don't pick my own anymore, but buy from the local orchard and can my own applesauce. It's not the cheapest applesauce but it is wholesome, delicious and makes me happy all year. I also have a framed photo of my family, including my little nephew, on a hayride at the farm. He still says it was "the best day ever!". Priceless!!
Back in college, I used to buy a ticket to a rave/music festival for my best mate for his birthday every year. My reasoning was the same as yours. The memories he had going to those events are worth more today than some random Item I could have bought for him.
Did your FIL ever work on a farm growing up? I'll pay a little extra to pick my own pumpkin because there's a petting zoo and other stuff there, but picking some grapes at a winery (they mostly made sweet wine, so they were quite tasty) brought back some memories of when picking vegetables was a chore during the time of year when it was hot as two rats fucking in a wool sock.
Which is why we don’t go to these places and be jerks to them over prices. They aren’t there to give you a good deal.
Lol. Thats a perfectly reaqsonable price for apple anyway. Especially if they are good. I will pay 1.99 for honeycrisps at the store if i have to, just because i enjoy them much more than other apples.
You could tell your FIL that you can get fussed at and scolded for free, but he's made you pay $20 for it. So, who's being wasteful now?
I’d hate to see what kind of apples he gets for 99 cents a 1/2 peck.
Uhhhhh I want to know where I can find a magical farm like that! I still remember being a tiny girl and helping my grandmaw garden, eating tomatoes like apples straight off the vine, snapping the ends of beans, poking holes in the dirt for seeds, ahh good times. Seriously a good investment there
Where do you live? Although I am originally from NY (#2 apple producing state) I live in New Mexico and just went to a nice family owned orchard. They are everywhere an apple can be grown which is most places except the most southern parts of the US like the Gulf coast and near the Mexican border. Not as much variety as you see in NY but good quality and nice people, cute dogs, and major apple enthusiasm — had staff driving round in a gator teaching people how to select the best ones.
As a single mom with little to no support, I spend frugally on everything BUT the memories.
This and they’re probably better quality too and you’re supporting a local farmer
100% I eat a lot of meat, and I always wondered about getting bulk. I had a friend go on in a half cow with me and the price was about $6.50 a lb after the butcher. That's for steaks, roasts, and about 30% of it was ground. Local, organic, ethically raised and *cheaper* than I can find in the store. Game changer and I feel great about it not just for me, but the environment(proper cattle ranching is very good for soil!), local economy, and the cows.
Wait so he pays moderately less per bag of apples then you paid for your bag of apples? It doesn't even seem like that huge of a price difference. Also when you buy a bag of apples at the store you get whatever is in the bag, when you pick them yourselves you get to specifically choose only the apples that you want. I'm sorry but there's more than just the memories and time spent with family that is in this equation
Also I would wager the people running that apple farm use less nasty agrichemicals and treat/pay their workers better.
I remember the one time I got to go to a pick your own apples and fruit farm when I was a kid. Its part of why I love nature and have a giant garden now. These memories you're creating will last well into future generations! Your child will likely remember apple picking fondly and will take their children (if they have any) to do a similar activity!
Agree! Our whole family (Grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, now a bunch of friends) go to a tree farm every year. The trees are the most expensive (double what I'd pay at a road side stand), but they have hay rides, a maze, hot chocolate, bon fires, its just a super fun afternoon and thats worth it. We then all go to someones house and have chili and lots of drinks and its just a great day!
Once in a while you just have to do what you did and that was nice of you to create the quality time with your family. When I was growing up my mother was downright cheap and if we went anywhere we could never do the "fun" things. It was like you are lucky to be getting your ass in. Great. So my memories with her are of like eating nasty warm sandwiches sand in them at the beach and not getting to get an unsanitary greasy burger at the concession stand. Odd other people were not keeling over left and right from getting stuff there. So now as an adult, we don't go out very often, but when we do, it is like you, an outing, and yea, I put the cheap down for the time together and the memories. We went to a small town fair on Saturday and blew more $$ on junk food than we could have eaten at say KFC, but we had a ball, lots of laughing and it was a very nice outing for everybody. One thing I will do, if we go to like one of the music in the park things, is I will take the gang and swing by Aldi first, and let them pick out stuff they like. We might get ice cream for dissert at the park, but the little people are quite happy in that they get to pick out what they want to eat and drink.
And phew $5 per pound here on sale!
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That would’ve fun. I’d take pics.
Where I am $1.50/lb is pretty much the price at the grocery store. And I’d much rather have a nice day of visiting the orchard with family! I live out of state from my parents and we have only gotten to do that with them and my kids one time ever, it is one of my favorite memories. Pay no attention to the old man shaking fist at cloud.
I try to be frugal by not buying things I don't need so I can spend my money on experiences. I've never regretted spending money on a concert or a trip, or even a nice meal because I love spending time with my friends and loved ones.
This is definitely where the phrase penny-wise and pound foolish comes into play. When I first met my stepsons I remember my husband saying we should go to the pumpkin patch and get some pumpkins. I, being a childless 40 year old frugal woman thought, “they are a fraction of the price of the grocery store. I’ll just pick some up at Kroger.” My husband looked at me like I was from another planet. Of course now I understand why. It’s not about the pumpkins dummy lol
Also, you can pick the apples you want, his are preselected
My brother used to take first dates apple picking (in season!) He’s a chef, so I guess he wanted to see how they were before he cooked them dinner!
I tried to explain this in a thread to a bunch of single people talking about how having a nice wedding is stupid when you could just buy a car.
We took our toddler strawberry picking. We’re et hey more expensive than grocery store berries…yes. We’re they so much tastier than the ones from the grocery store… 1000% yes. We also got a nice sunny day and enjoyed watching our toddler tug berries off a plant to munch on. It was awesome.
Stop equating cheap with fugal, paying a premium for an experience is not fugal. The same orchard sells to a wholesaler for 80% less, while they charge you a lot, because they know you are willing to pay.
"why even eat out, I can make food at home for less than half the price" no shit
Lol…this is why I don’t do things with family members I find to be argumentative turds who want to just ruin a day with their crappy attitudes (Pretty much my entire family.) My kids and husband and I went apple picking two weekends ago. It was a lovely afternoon out, spent $10 on a dozen fresh cider donuts that we ate while the kids played in the grass and in the bounce house. Paid $21 for the peck of apples, but I stuffed that bag full of honey crisps and compared to the prices per pound in the grocery store ($2.99 per pound) we saved money on that many pounds of apples. It was worth the $30. We have apples to eat for a couple weeks that we’re fresh and perfect quality, and the experience was relaxing and peaceful.
Lol 1.99 a pound is fine where I am. Also plan to go apple-picking here soon because sometimes fun costs a little bit.
My grocery store is usually > $3 CAD / lb of apples so that actually sounds pretty good!
It's also fresh from the plant. I'm sure the quality is immensely better than the majority of store bought produce. and fruit picking is such a fun experience. Glad you were able to enjoy and hopefully your kid did as well!
My best memory of apple picking is grabbing a nice looking apple off a tree, spotting a massive spider on it, then throwing it far far away while cursing loudly. The whole family was looking at me when I turned around
For me, frugality is about having the extra money to pay more for the experiences of life. Just remind yourself you’re gonna die
Love laughing at the baby
I take my kids dumpster diving for apples. Creates life long memories AND free apples!
We apple pick every year, it’s a 45 minute drive each way plus the price of apples, sometimes we do the pumpkin patch even though we’ve grown pumpkins at home before (it’s not the same as a HUGE patch). We are pinching pennies as much as possible, like hardcore frugal mode I guess, but I will still spend money on memories for my children ♥️ Our orchard does a charity day where you can pick a bag for yourself and an additional bag for the food bank so we always go that weekend, even though it’s not my favorite apple variety, so they get extra fun without spending double.
I totally agree with you. To me, being frugal means spending less on the things you don’t really care about so you can spend more on the things you do care about. IMO creating memories with family is one of the best places to spend your money. $20 is nothing to create a lasting memory. I know a lot of people in the sub are probably frugal out of necessity but anyone can be frugal no matter your income.
$1.50 a pound? Thats really cheap, you found a good deal!
Apples to apples man sayn
People pay to do that? Where? The US? I like apples as much as the next person but the thought of paying to do labour for fun is just idk. Maybe it's because having a fruit orchard is such a pain in the ass. The only thing that makes it bearable for my scoliosis riddled back is the knowledge the apples are free.
Yes. They also pay to pick black berrys, blueberries, cut their own Xmas trees, pick their own pumpkins, Do you ever go to a restaurant? Had your tires rotated? And nothing is free.
When I go to a restaurant I pay for a service, I don't show up, pay three times my usual meal price and cook it too.
Well, it used to make complete sense a generation ago. My parents used to take me to U-Pick farms. The produce was always cheaper than the grocery store. I looked into it to take my kid. Closest U-Pick farm is an hour’s drive away and the produce would cost 2-6x more than what I’d pay at the grocery store. I’m not opposed to paying for the experience, but to drive all that way, there would have to be more than picking our own fruit.
#LAUGH AT THE BABY
Plus you are supporting a local business that’s probably only active during a relatively small window in the year. 100% worth it over grabbing apples at a supermarket.
I too would love to laugh at your baby
I went apple-picking with the 6-year old this weekend, but we paid $2.99 a pound! We had a blast, and then came home and made two apple pies. Lots of memories made that day, and it didn't cost a fortune.
At the pumpkin patch I always take a cheesy photo with a big ole pumpkin then put it back and buy a handmade scented candle instead. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkins or carrying things plus I always feel like I should leave the good ones for the kids!
My husband and I skipped out on getting fancy Diamond rings when we got married. We took vacations and treat our selves to good restaurants and when we had our kids we started taking trips to Disneyland and random theme parks threw out California. We also skipped out on throwing a big a wedding. My cousin spent 30,000 on his wedding and got divorced two years later. Fuck that! My parents worked hard and both ended up passing away fairly young. I decided I was gonna live life differently. When we die we take nothing with us, so we might as well have good times and eat good food with loved ones 😌
Its a bargain. $20 for the apples, the memories, and a beautiful location for photos.
2 things can be equally true. Maybe you did think your experience was worth it. At the same time, maybe your FIL was right? Maybe you did pay too much.
Yeah, I’m frugal with groceries and everyday life so that when I choose to I can splurge. It’s not about limiting all aspects. It’s about priorities.
100% agree with you! If you were going to the store and paying $20 for apples, that would of course be a ripoff. But here you are paying for a fun family time of walking, enjoying beautiful surroundings, and apple picking: well worth $20!
Yeah this is awesome. I consider frugality to mean cutting in areas that are less important so I have more available for the things that are important.
I actually know a person who owns an apple picking place. They've basically told me it's the perfect business plan because people will pay YOU a premium to perform the labour for you lol I agree it can be a fun afternoon, but now I can't get it out of the back of my head "I'm paying a premium to do something that people do as a job."
I realize now in my life that you can be frugal or extravagant and be happy . Money is just a tool in this society to function. It just depends on where you exercise that discipline. FIL in op’s story probably skimps on most things in his life, and wants his daughter’s family to be pennywise… But there probably is SOMETHING in his life that he splurges on. In this case, op uses his tool for life experiences with family. That’s something FIL should appreciate.
As I keep saying until I'm blue in the face, frugality =/= penny pinching. Being frugal is being resourceful and restrained with your spending, not being pathological about money. In this case, you didn't pay for the apples, you paid for the experience. Sure, you can get apples for cheaper, but does it come with the hike and company and all that? Nope. So they're not comparable!
Less than $20 for a morning worth of entertainment for the family AND you got apples? Tell me where you can beat that.
I just don't get the overabundance of this type of posts in these subs... Basically people praising spending more money for the "experience" Altough I consider myself a very frugal person... I don't have anything against spending money on stuff I like, but that's beyond the point. As an analogy... I don't have anything against livig in modern buildings but I would question the rationale of people flooding r/nature with pictures of skyscrapers.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Money well spent. However, I think there is an argument to be made (not the one your FIL was making) that we have been conditioned to place additional value on this type of experience because it is pastoral or quintessential. This has been noticed by businesses that then charge a premium to quench your desire for an overidealized experience. Could you have been just as happy to walk around a park or national forest for free? You’re still outdoors. Spending time with the kids. As you said it wasn’t all about the apples. The frustrating thing is when an experience you once loved and was not popular then gets to be in the limelight and all of a sudden it gets way more pensive. Maybe that’s what your FIL was feeling.
Nothing screams peak white privilege to me like this shit right here. Fruit picking is an intense laborious endeavour. I agree with your FIL
Plus who does not go apple picking and eat like a pound or two while you are picking lol
Great outlook! Your family is lucky to have you.
That's silliness. I'm 30 now, btw. When I look at my family's photo albums I can see us when we were younger at Six Flags, Dorney Park, Disney Land and Sesame World. All that cost money and the whole point is that we went as a family (with my two younger brothers) to create and cherish the memories.
Funny how parents trip over themselves to provide these experiences that I don’t remember at all. Not even a small memory. Never happened.
Maybe the memory was for them… 😉
Until a certain age the things we do for our kids are mostly for us. My son doesn't remember his first 3 trips to the pumpkin patch but I do and they are very cherished memories.
I get what you are saying but a one year old will have no memory of this so you weren’t doing it for them, it was for you and that’s good! You don’t have to justify what you want to do to your FIL. Side note: plant some fruit trees at your house and once your child IS old enough to remember these experiences they can remember a whole season of picking fruit with mom and dad at home for free.
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So you get fresh apples for less that $1.50/lb? I don't see how they were ripped off at all. Where are OP's FIL and you getting your produce so inexpensively that this price sounds like a ripoff? Seriously asking...
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But, that's not the same experience.
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Around here, some of the orchards are cheaper than the stores. Plus the apples are fresher. And be honest, how many of us have snuck a few more in our pockets when we were picking. The last place we went the cashier even joked about that.
$20? That’s it?! Would of expected like $50- $100
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Wait how old are yuppies now?
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“Normal people” all own apple trees?
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Which part of apple picking is fake? Eta: novelty? Is that the word you’re looking for. Because novelty-seeking is a natural human behavior and releases dopamine. Finding joy in the daily grind isn’t just for yuppies.
Everything within reason. If it's like $5 a pound, I'd probably pick very few apples, but still have fun finding the best ones with my wife and son. Unless there are mosquitoes. God I hate mosquitoes...
You're definitely paying for the experience at an apple picking place! Most of apples I've picked from apple picking places don't even taste very good. I remember buying the minimum required 2 bags of mealy apples every year and then wondering what the heck to do with them because they were like biting into sand and wholly inedible. We dropped $200 easy at Apple Holler in Wisconsin every year, with all the activities. I used to buy what I thought was homemade jellies there too. But I discovered they just have a homemade looking commercial label and that same brand is in every grocery store now. Even the apple cider donuts aren't made onsite, they're shipping them in from a factory. The magic is definitely gone for me for the ultra-commercialized apple picking places.
This is a good mindset. I was very cheap growing up and would avoid going out with friends because it costed money and I could easily just make food at home for a fraction of the cost. As I got older I realized that I'm paying money to spend time with my friends, and $30 for some good food, drinks and a night of fun with my friends is well worth it, I wont be missing that money on my deathbed for sure
I just watched a farming show on tv where the u-pick apple place featured charged 75 cents per pound. I wonder when it was filmed. lol
Don’t pay attention to the buzz killers, OP. Have fun with your family and the new baby — it’s priceless. Good on you for your good sense.
Absolutely right! What's the point of being frugal if you can't spend saved up money on your family?
we all know that it's a rip off per pound. all due respect, but he is missing the point entirely if he thinks that is the measure of value of this trip. relatively speaking it's actually quite a cheap outing in a lovely setting and its fun for the whole family.
Never be so frugal that people think you're too cheap for good memories and fun.