There is nothing better than getting a bargain on something no matter what your financial situation.

Americans love a good buy hence the advertising of sales which occur on a weekly basis trying to separate us from our hard-earned cash.

My friend from Montana states it correctly when his wife exits the store by saying “how much did you save me today?” Because it has become easier for her to tell him what she saved as opposed to what she spent.

Trixie's mom was the ultimate shopper and could get a dime out of a nickel most of the time. She was an expert on browsing and I loved to tease her about it. No matter how much she saved her favorite response was “Well that will buy you a hamburger.” Which was not always true but the point being that a penny saved is a penny earned has some merit.

Miss Trixie is just like her momma in that regard and loves a bargain. Last month with using coupons, rebates and other things, she got $45 worth of groceries – coffee, toilet paper, bacon, milk, cheese, produce, chicken and more – for $8. I’m telling you, she is good. She can find and utilize sale items when no one else can.

And Ol’ Dutch has found that remaining in the truck with Cooper while she peruses the store aisles is best for our relationship as I am more of a hunter than gatherer when it comes to shopping.

A typical stop at the grocery store for a loaf of bread will find Miss Trixie returning with an on sale chicken, can of tuna or jar of pickles which we did not come for in the first place, but they were cheap. This drives Ol’ Dutch to what is called “distraction” so I stay in the truck and watch shoppers come and go.

This is also good for me as I get to see couples fight; people trip and fall; too tight of pants try to cover too big of butts; kids running out in front of cars; carts careening across the parking lot and police called to catch someone shoplifting a pack of tissues.

A good part of our days and nights are spent looking for excellent deals and this in turn lets us spend more on things that really matter like boats, fishing rods, guns and ammo.

Having taken up a snowbird existence of wintering on South Padre Island over the last few years, Ol Dutch has had the opportunity to do things never before even thought about in his previous life.

Things like offshore fishing, beach combing, shrimp eating and trips into Mexico.

I recall the first trip across the border and how cautious I was due to the constant barrage of bad news out of that country. Hoping to interact with some native peoples I went nonetheless and found 10,000 old white-haired Americans hailing from Minnesota and Michigan.

It appears that this one certain Mexican town anyway is a bastion for tourism and is controlled by someone with bigger guns than the criminals hence it is safe-so far.

Crossing over the border you have to pay 50 cents to get into Mexico. After a long day of shopping, getting a haircut and new dentures a person then finds out he has to pay 25 cents to get back into the United States.

Now there is a bargain to be reckoned with.

Kevin Kirkpatrick and his Yorkie, Cooper, fish, hunt, ATV or hike daily. His email is [email protected]. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.