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This is a perfect example of a good thing to say and a not-so-good thing to say to your friends.
A comment like: "You would be amazed at the numbers of Coach bags you can find at the Salvation Army store if you go often enough. Our Salvation Army sells all bags for $2.99!" is confident and cheerful. When you talk about your lifestyle, this comment is going to go over well.
A comment like: "We placed our education needs above all wants for so many years, and now that our income is great due to the education investment, we will never overspend, I hope." is ok for this forum, but won't go over well when talking with your friends. It's holier than thou--which is another way of saying it sounds judgmental and snide.
Funny, I would prefer to deliver the second comment like a "left and right" from a .577 Nitro Express. Although I would leave out the "I hope" part.
People who behave in a rediculous manner deserve to be ridiculed. Same root word. Look it up in your Funk & Wagnall's.
Yes and no. We have nice things, but at the same time, we're a little frugal. The frugal parts: not eating out much, never shopping recreationally, cleaning my own home (almost unheard of where I live), mowing and maintaining the yard, washing my own car or using the $3.00 do-it-yourself wash and vacuum, bringing a lunch to work... We do shop when we need things and we usually buy higher priced quality items. My husband needs long lasting business clothes for work, so he usually spends a good bit on suits and shoes, but he gets the shoes resoled/refurbished a couple of times before he replaces them. We both take advantage of sales when we buy clothes and very, very rarely pay full price. I will spend money on a nice pair of wool slacks or a classic dress or a cashmere sweater, but I'll wear those items for years. I never go to the mall or shopping just to look. I go there for a specific item.
But we do not reach the level of frugality that I read about here. While an expired coupon makes me cry, and I buy generic on several items, I don't have time to go to more than one place for a better price.
We have two nice cars, that some might consider "keeping up with the Joneses" cars, but they are both paid for and one has 130,000 miles on it. We only had one car the first fifteen years of our married life.
We have a good income right now, so by living frugally, we're able to pay extra on our mortgage, save for our retirement and save for our kid's education. The rainy day fund is tucked away. It's a good feeling to know that if my husband lost his job, we wouldn't have to change our lifestyle much and we wouldn't be in danger of losing our home.
I think if we had less money to begin with, we'd be more frugal.
My feeling is.....if I can find the same thing for a fraction of the price, I will do it!
We go on vacations to some of the same places others go and enjoy the same beach, mountain, theme park, etc....but for far less because we find a condo for $200/wek, eat out of the picnic basket, don't buy the souvies that will be thrown away in a week or two anyway, etc....
No debt other than about 60% of our mortgage owed.
And still I stress about things....we have 3 kids to eventually put through college, a retirement to plan, etc....
I fit it moderately well, I don't go out buying things all the time because I don't like being wasteful. However, I be frugal when it gets the most bang for the buck and not pinching every penny till it bleeds. We have nice things, but everything we gave a through thinking over if we need it or not over at least a month...and if we give it a thumbs up after that we look for the best price possible for them over time (Slickdeals and Bens Bargains are my friends). I always believe that you get what you pay for, so I like buying items that aren't trash even though they might have saved money save they are cheap. Like my clothes I paid a bit more, even on sale they were a little more then I would have at places like Old Navy on sale...though I have been wearing them for 4 years and they are just starting to show wear. I also think that if I had a dollar, I'd rather keep it in a place where it is working for me then giving it to some one else.
I never understood those who go well out of their way to save just a little, like I know a couple people who would go way out of their way to save very little. Frugality, like spending, must be limited to what is effective...you can waste a great deal money external to the savings you get on the item.
i listen to dave ramsey.
consumerism - a dying religion
already its churches are closing aka the mall
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