Half Off. HALF.

Une tableau:

That’s me self-bagging Aldi’s store-brand knock-off Raisin Bran Krunch in my Williams Sonama bag.

I’d title this post “How the Mighty Have Fallen” or “Ozymandias” or “Nouveau Poore,” but a title like “Gary and I Wise Up” is more accurate.

Here’s what happened today. The cable bill is our biggest expense, and Gary and I have been talking about dropping cable TV, switching to cheaper cable, switching to DSL, reading books – well, no, not that. Today Gary called the cable company, got as far as “DSL,” and they immediately CUT our BILL in HALF. Same cable service. Same internet, same phone. Same. Not a cheap knockoff. Half-off forever, they say. “Oh, did you want your bill to be half-off? Oh, you should have said.”

He’s delighted. I am furious. I knew the trash company overcharges everyone who doesn’t complain, but I didn’t know the cable company did the same. It makes me wonder, if I had complained about the mortgage would they have suggested we just pay half? “We were just waiting for you to ask.We thought you might have some reason to pay twice as much.”

Anyway, now Gary and I are doing competitive economizing. In an effort to keep up with his cable coup, I shopped for groceries at Aldi’s. There is no store lower on the Great Chain of Groceries than Aldi’s. But, must be the same stuff at half price. Pisses me off.