I might save a few dollars by checking two stores to see who has a better Kipling sale, but at what expense?

Introducing…

I love a bargain. Who doesn’t? Like many of my friends and relatives, we’re a two-income family, yet still struggle to end the month in the black. I love to save money, both for the slight cushion it adds to my slim bank account, and for the thrill of beating the system in some small way.

Sometimes, though, I wonder why I bother. I shop around for the best price on brackets for our shelves, but then I misplace a library book and end up with a $20 fine. It feels like one step forward, two steps back. Of course, it’s not one or the other — I didn’t forget to return my book because I was busy comparison shopping — but maybe I should forget the penny-pinching and couponing, because the time I spend on them isn’t justified by their impact on my bottom line.

I’m not one of those frugal fiends who have binders with price lists and know all the stores’ sale cycles in their sleep. I’m just a regular mother who likes to feel that I’m getting good value for my money.

Economists love talking about opportunity costs — the losses of possibilities that are the inevitable result of any choice we make. If I were an hourly employee that would be super easy to compute, since any minutes I waste on shopping would translate into fewer minutes for earning dollars.

But being “just” a mother, and a salaried employee, how do I evaluate my time?

I might save a few dollars by checking two stores to see who has a better Kipling sale, but at what expense? Time spent baking muffins with my kids while talking about the upcoming school year? Taking a walk with my husband?

Bottom line: Am I paying too high a price for saving money?