The other day I was invited to go to a restaurant where since it was snowing the person was contemplating about using the valet parking or simply parking further away to another paid parking which would be a little cheaper. Two dollars cheaper exactly. But after thinking about it he decided to just spend the extra two dollars and use the valet service. On the way back he was expressing how he wanted to drive a little further away to a gas station where he can save money. Funny enough, in this case he saved about $2.
With that he got a reaction from the other person in the car who was expressing how she didn’t really understand how like in the above case one would just spend the extra two dollars without any real dilemma whereas in the other case one would go the extra mile, figuratively speaking, in order to save two dollars. I would have probably done the same honestly. For myself the mindset is in one situation you have to go through things like the heavy snow twice if you are far away. As well, after having your meal you would probably want less hassle as possible. So the extra two dollars seems sensible as this isn`t something you do all the time either.
The gas scenario is more of a frequent routine where it`s about building a habit of saving money in that department. In many ways it would be like comparing spending entertainment dollars on some once a year event versus your everyday grocery bill. In one department you want to make the whole experience as best as possible for the best dollar value at the moment versus trying to consistently find the best deals for frequent purchases that you need that requires a consistent spending habit.