Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's not a bad plan. Psychologists have also found that it's better to spend money on experiences than on stuff. Of course, it still has to be within your means, but as long as that's the case, I think you're on the right track with that. Best wishes
Thanks! If I lose weight at the rate of 6 lbs per month (which should be doable) I will be at goal in one year. Wow, it seems daunting, but that is what happens with certain hormone changes (read menopause), not working out, eating too much and being on certain medications. It just creeps up.
Even my own mother, world's MOST frugal person is on board. She keeps saying "think of Hong Kong, think of Hong Kong." I thought for sure she out of anyone would poo poo the idea. She eats 99 cent Banquet dinners and peanut butter on rolls. She refuses to buy anything as she is convinced she is kicking the bucket in a few years (and sadly, at her age she just might). But she shopped at thrift stores her entire life, never used credit, didn't buy a house unless the cash was in hand, etc. My dad wore the same sweater every day for 10 years! It was this cardigan I bought him at Costco. Guess he really liked it.
i wonder what you mean by sheltered and boring? im just thinking of my parents who were very wealthy but spent very little time together. i would think being sheltered and boring together would have been a positive above not spending time together and being busy. im trying to learn from their relationship and one of the things i dont want is a very big house. the house was so big, it was easy to not see each other. their bedroom had 2 floors and he would work and watch tv downstairs while she would watch tv and fall asleep upstairs. money certainly doesnt buy happiness.
I guess what I mean by sheltered and boring (from my perspective) is they HAVE a lot but don't seem to DO a lot. The only travel I've seen them do and talk about is to their place in Florida. There doesn't seem to be much evidence of an interesting inner life...no books or hobbies (unless you count a lot of time at beauty salons and the local exclusive gym as a hobby), no volunteering or pets or apparent interest in anything civic or politics or anything outside of the mileau of business and doing banal rich-folk things. No going for walks or getting out in nature or learning about how their giant house operates. No playing in the dirt or acting silly with the kids.
Hard to put into words I guess. Of course this is just my observation albeit from spending quite a bit of time in the house working (and chatting to everyone there) and getting sort of a feel for the routine. Perhaps they are tremendously happy and fulfilled and I'm way off base.
I've known plenty of other very wealthy people who DO seem to live happy and enviable lives, mind you. So I guess my point, as someone elsew pointed out, is that there's not necessarily a correlation between wealth and happieness, and sometimes greater wealth can have an inverse effect. Of course being impoverished and unable to meet basic needs is tough; there has to be a middle ground.
And for several years, I was...well not personally wealthy but living with someone who was. While it was very nice to have access to that lifestyle, in retrospect I wouldn't say those years were any happier than years I've been muddling along.
It's all about getting quality for the price. $1 tacos? Hell yea! Free meals at work? Totally. Spending $80 for lobster, shrimp, and dim sum for 13 people? You bet!
Spending $500 for a civilized wine and seafood/steak/caviar dinner for 4 people at a high class restaurant? NO THANKS. Spending $2 on drinks at the vending machine or $2 buying coffee everyday when I could just as easily bring it for home at a fraction of the price? No thanks. Buying a brand new car at retail price when in a few years it's going to be worth 1/3 to 1/2 the price? No thanks. Going to a $14 movie when you can watch something at home? No thanks.
Being frugal is just about being smart. You can be rich (income and savings) but still be frugal. I love it. And then you can splurge when you want to on important things without feeling bad.
Can't rep you again but I totally agree with what you say here. I too bring coffee in a portable mug and since I don't drink soda always bring my own water - even into restaurants (we don't do tap water where I live as it's so gross). But then I am talking dives or places like Denny's where I'd bring my own water. However, if I am meeting someone for coffee as in a social thing of course I will spend $2 on coffee - but just the house blend. No foofy coffees for me. What a rip-off.
Can't rep you again but I totally agree with what you say here. I too bring coffee in a portable mug and since I don't drink soda always bring my own water - even into restaurants (we don't do tap water where I live as it's so gross). But then I am talking dives or places like Denny's where I'd bring my own water. However, if I am meeting someone for coffee as in a social thing of course I will spend $2 on coffee - but just the house blend. No foofy coffees for me. What a rip-off.
I enjoy the social aspect of going out for coffee, breakfast, or dinner so I restrict those purchases when on my own so I don't feel guilty about it when I do go out with others. Admittedly I treat myself to a small cup of coffee at the local deli once in a while, but it's worth it the pleasure it brings in the morning.
When I go out to dinner, I usually order whatever meal I want, but lately I've been ordering water. Much cheaper, healthier, and more thirst quenching than a soft drink.
I like an occasional Starbuck Mocha for a treat..... and when I was diagnosed Type 2 diabetic, I checked it out..... WHOA. That had to go. 40 carbs... way over my 15 carb snack limit.....
I think frugality is a good trait and something I look for in a life long partner. I like to know if times get tough and hard, we aren't going to be in a messy relationship because we can't afford those fine things in life that many people only find happiness in.
I also like the idea of saving so I can retire early and comfortably instead of working at McDonalds at the age of 75 like I've seen often enough.
I like to indulge once in a while in things that I absolutely LOVE, but otherwise I want to find enjoyment out of experiences, etc, not purchasing objects.
It can be tough for other people that don't live frugal. I have people comment because I use coupons and I laugh inside. Why wouldn't I use it, because I don't want people to think I'm cheap? My mom routinely saves $70 at the supermarket using coupons. I'm not that good, but I know its possible and I just ignore people as they go buy things full price all the time out of ignorance. Saving money via being smart is how my family got to where we are today, and I'm proud of them.
Lastly, people need to think of their purchases throughout the year. Everything you buy, think of it by the year, to put it in perspective, not by the day. Take your vice, and see how much it costs per year, cigs for example. $8 a pack, 3 packs a week. $1248 a year. You tell a smoker this and half the times you think they are going to pass out. Make coffee at home instead of $2 a cup at dunkin donuts, $730 a year. It makes living frugal make a lot more sense, a lot more common sense.
I have people comment because I use coupons and I laugh inside.
i have no shame in using coupons or paying as little as possible. i go to IHOP most weekends and they have a coupon online where i get 1 free meal. i use it every time. as long as its still available, im using it. i remember we went to some museum in manhattan and the entrance fee is a suggestion (it looked to me like everyone was just paying the full fee without saying a word). i get up there and i say i dont want to pay anything. the cashier said i have to pay something, so i said ok $1 each. it still bothers me that i paid that buck a person. i think most people were paying like $15 a person.
i have no shame in using coupons or paying as little as possible. i go to IHOP most weekends and they have a coupon online where i get 1 free meal. i use it every time. as long as its still available, im using it. i remember we went to some museum in manhattan and the entrance fee is a suggestion (it looked to me like everyone was just paying the full fee without saying a word). i get up there and i say i dont want to pay anything. the cashier said i have to pay something, so i said ok $1 each. it still bothers me that i paid that buck a person. i think most people were paying like $15 a person.
Also, sometimes, I can't help but to think if other less frugal people are *subsidizing* our frugal lifestyles one way or another.
Example 1:
You rent a room crowded apartment or house. The landlord pays the same amount of tax for the property regardless if 1, 10, or 100 people live on the property. Everyone uses about the same amount of resources from the city (water, sewage, roads, etc.) but on a per-capita basis, your neighbors in single family homes pay a disproportionate portion of the property taxes to fund these resources.
Example 2:
Say you drive a fairly efficient car (getting 40 mpg) and your neighbor drives an inefficient SUV (getting 20 mpg). You both drive 1000 miles a month. If gas is $4/gal, you pay $100/mo on gas (cause you're frugal) but he pays $200/mo on gas. You burn 25 gallons while he burns 50 gallons. You both utilized the roads on an equal basis but your neighbor ends up paying twice the gas tax cause his vehicle simply consumes more gas.
Maybe I'm paranoid but it seems once cities and states start to catch on how little tax revenue they're collecting compared to the huge deficits they're racking up, they'll impose new ways to collect more taxes and/or a more uniform distribution of taxes from each individual. This will hit people like us who are used to living a frugal lifestyle the hardest. For example, one of the proposals being floated around by several states is collecting highway taxes by the # of miles you drive, not the # of gallons of gas you burn. In this case, the tax burden will be equal among all drivers but there will be a significant increase in tax burden for the frugal individuals driving fuel efficient cars if this new taxation comes into effect.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But she shopped at thrift stores her entire life, never used credit, didn't buy a house unless the cash was in hand, etc. My dad wore the same sweater every day for 10 years! It was this cardigan I bought him at Costco. Guess he really liked it.
