Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation or example. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back. But that didn’t mean my husband and my son couldn’t stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.

The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged - okay, ordered them to wait it out at the airport, to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?

Now some people may think I’m a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.

I’ve made a living looking for the best deals and exposing the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC’s Today Show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.

I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn’t hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps longer, and it’s the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.

When I was a child,my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest.No other children ever stayed there.I didn’t even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister.

I could never understand what the attraction of the house was,even for my parents,who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book.The woman in the house,my father’s distant cousin,was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.

One day,when I was wandering around the garden behind the house,I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned.As I walked towards it,I heard a noise,like an animal moving hurriedly away.Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door.I was greatly surprised.

“Please don’t tell them you saw me,” he said.“They never use this place,and I have nowhere else to live.” “Don’t worry,” I said.“I won’t tell anyone.But are you all right out here?I mean—do you have enough to eat?” The old man shook his head.

The same evening,I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and,while no one was looking,emptied some of the food into it.Later,I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man,whose name I had discovered was Taff.

I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Taff’s face when he ate the food.From then on,my visits to the old house had a purpose,and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay.