Anyone here not really frugal?

I'm pretty frugal, mortgage debt is about it (and not close to what the "experts" say we can afford either). Sometimes you have to spend money to make or save money. There have been times when I have more money than time and vice versa. I tend to think those who don't flaunt it actually have it. Being frugal also means getting the best bang for your buck.

__________________
Beware of radical christians: http://listverse.com/2015/03/22/10-p...e-for-america/

At this point in our lives we are lucky to have it to spend if we want. But I still worry about the future and always put some back too. When it comes to buying things we want, we do within reason. But I would rather cut my leg off then touch our savings account. Im a sucker for cloths and shoes and high tech gadgets.

__________________
Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right.

Like most of the other posters, I am a combination of both. I am working on being more frugal, as I would like to change jobs to get closer to our property - but it means a big drop in Salary. Saving now will help prepare me for that move. I grew up in a totally frugal family, so I can tighten my belt pretty hard if needed. I recently paid an electrician and a plumber for some work - I probably could have done it myself but I think it would have taken me a few weeks - while it took them a few days. Still feel like perhaps I should have done it myself I watch the grocery budget very carefully, prepare dinners at home, brown bag to work, haven't bought new clothes for quite a while - but I do have some toys that I enjoy and I am hard pressed to say no to a fun vintage kitchen item to add to my collection.

I'm frugal when it comes to buying for myself, but when I buy for my dh or ds, well, that's a different story. I cook from scratch, raise a garden, buy from farmers markets what I can't raise, can and freeze. I buy things in bulk when on sale, such as flour, sugar, etc. I hate to buy clothes. I take one look at the price tags and feel sick. BUT, I like my clothes dryer and my ac.

We can afford to do and buy more than we do, but I would rather know where the food is coming from and what's in it.

My daughter is frugal compared to her brothers.
She tends to hord money while they blow it right and left.
The boys were living together last summer..they each bought a 54 inch TV. Then they both went to Rapid City and bought a PS3 at 700 bucks a whack.
then on the way back to Wyoming, they made a detour to Deadwood which is a little gambling town.
My oldest son buys a new pickup at least every 2 years, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, tools, and he and his wife just had a house built.
It makes me dizzy just hearing about it.
I guess compared to them I'm very frugal.

__________________
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
______________________________________________

Enforced tolerance is oppression

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I'm like that. Not really frugal for the money so much as for the environment, and willing to spend MORE if I feel it's affordable for the greener /more organic option.

Dh is frugal- loves to crow over a $1 pair of pants/belt he found but I think it's false frugality because they're UGG LEE! Yet he gets frustrated with opening windows to avoid AC use (well maybe he can't hack the humidity as well as I can; I prefer cooler than the 80 F we AC cool the house to with more moisture than 80 F but less humidity). Me I'm often too lazy to hang my clothes despite feeling I ought to not for money so much as the environment.

Also it galls em to spend mroe than somethign's worth whatever that is. Also I doubt more expensive things actually last long enough I'd ever believe they are worth it. So only a few of my shoes cost over $40/pair, none of my trousers or shirts do, yet I'll spend a bit more on cashmere gloves and am always in a hurry to snatch up all the cashmere scarves (of the colors I like) that I feel I can afford. (Gifts if I don't wear them all out myself.)

Where I want to improve is books: not because the money is so much but also because if the library has it or I can borrow it from family/friends and I have no need to keep it on my shelf then why spend the money AND THE SPACE IN MY HOME which is also precious to me.

Sometimes I wish we were poor enough that I could feel the need to make the whole family work to feed/care for ourselves ie garden hang clothes carry water etc. But not for long. another concern I have is; what do I do when peak oil peak water etc makes it impossible for me to use AC to 80F or water veg/ do laundry? So I brainstorm such concerns and consider moving soemwhere I wouldn't need AC or where water supply would be even less of a concern. But mostly I reassure myself I'll probably be able to pay the price for some m ore decades- hope I'm correct and if not guess I can postpone the discomfort until then.

I try to be frugal but sometimes I just get sick of it and splurge. Like, I bought myself a bow and arrows, total cost around $300. There's a range nearby where I can shoot it for free, so I figure if I shoot it an hour 30 times a year for two years it is the same entertainment as seeing 30 movies but leaves me having a skill, meeting new people, and maybe something to supplement good eating if there's ever a local disaster and hunting becomes temporarily important.

Five years ago I bought a kayak for $800; since then I've used it at least twice that much in terms of how much it would have cost me to rent one for an equivalent amount of hours.

But I still don't have a sofa in the family room. Since I live alone, a $20 camp chair from Costco is adequate, along with a hand-me-down 27 inch TV from 1987. There's a sofa in the living room; when I have people over it is to interact with them, not sit in front of a tube.

I could bankrupt myself eating Japanese food if I had as much as I wanted.

LOL Well apparently I am NOT frugal. My mom just lectured me when I mentioned beating and moving our old area rug to the sun rm for our older dc to play with *small parts* toys instead of the play rm.... and that I was going to buy a new $30 rug for my liv rm this weekend.

snort... 40yrs old and my mom still lectures... funny coming from the queen of shopping... she shops for entertainment....

ah well... I am still buying the rug been planning to for 3 weeks

__________________
Lynn

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
— P.J. O'Rourke

I sometimes wonder just how much I would save if we didn't have kids

Actually, I'm kind of serious. Not that I'd trade my kids for the world, but the one area that I don't scrimp is their education and on things like technology, etc., that they are going to need to be familiar with to live well in this world. They each have their own iBook, and all the attendent "stuff" -- iPods, etc. I don't scrimp on their school stuff -- ever. I probably spend $2000 a year on curriculum and other educational material. If you figure in the cost of DVDs of documentaries (David Attenborough's Planet Earth series is AMAZING, as is Canada: A People's History), trips to IMAX for others, trips all over, microscopes, telescopes, and my rather shocking Amazon habit, it's probably twice that.

If I didn't have kids, I'd probably still buy most of this stuff, of course... but this is the area where we're really not in any way "frugal", but I thank God every day that I can provide these learning opportunities for my boys.

__________________
Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

I am a bit more frugal than DH. He likes to buy "stuff" and I am a bit "stuff"ed out. While not "rich", we can afford to buy what we would like to. Instead I prefer to use up what we have and get by with less. Most of my clothes come from Salvation Army or garage sales. I buy books at garage sales and am a regular customer at the library for books & DVD's. We have a medium sized garden and I have been canning not only for us but to give as gifts and to donate to the church bazaar. Our cars are 7 and 10 years old and we'll keep driving them until they are done even though I would love to go ahead and trade in my car now for a pickup. We also put away money each month towards a new car.

Most things around here we do ourselves as we are rarely satisified with someone's work. We do spend money on the tools and supplies that we need and we buy good tools that will last. Some jobs we do have to have others do. For big jobs that can be put off, we get an estimate and then have the work done when we have the money saved up. Our only debt right now is our mortgage. DH will retire in 9 years and the mortgage will be paid off before he retires.

So, we are frugal when we can be and save up for things that we can't be so frugal with.

__________________
"Never stop questioning - curiosity has its own reason for existence." Albert Einstein

"I used to be a terror, now I am a tired man" Jim Croce

I am not overly frugal! I have money to purchase things I want/need--but we have long paid for our house, rental and farm, our children are all grown-finished with college and support themselves. Dh is working long and hard putting money into our retirement fund. We have stocks, bonds, investment property and savings. We are lucky that dh has worked for the same company for 30yrs. and is in a senior postion, with full benifits, full insurance. Most of the time if we want something we get it BUT by the time you are 55--you have almost everything you NEED and are tired of the little things that you WANTED in your younger days. We both long for simpler days-the swings and hammock are looking really good..Queen Bee

Wellll....you can't take it with you! Life is too short to deprive yourself of things just for the sake of frugality. My point of view is this -- if spending the money is something I can plan around, it's not going to get me in trouble later, and I have a little set aside for a rainy day and my kids' futures, I'm fine. I don't need to -- and don't want to -- save up a huge bank account and die before I get the chance to enjoy it!

I never spend money just to be spending - seems to me that DH does that sometimes, he gets into a certain "shopping mode" and he will not leave a store without buying something. This is particularly bad at festivals and on vacation trips. I can't stand to watch him look around for things to buy, nothing he needs, just wants to buy something. Makes me crazy.

I love dining out. I guess that would be my biggest weakness! Love it love it looooove it!!! I like the inexpensive family places like Bob Evans, chains like Olive Garden...buffets...steakhouses...ribs...ethnic...I like pricey places with French menus too. I loooove good food and it's even better when someone else makes it for me! I would gladly dine out every night of the week. Wait...every lunch as well. And maybe a few breakfasts too. Just not fast food. Blech!

But otherwise I'm pretty darn frugal, or maybe cheap is a better word. There are things I won't skimp on, like food - I buy store brands but only if they're equivalent in quality, gotta have fresh veggies, etc.

I am working on being frugal in another way -- buying high quality items that will last a long time vs. buying cheap things that don't dent the budget but don't last and probably won't work quite right either.

I don't think of myself as frugal but I rarely buy anything that isn't going to make money. This tends to deal with my need to buy things - in fact I get bored buying things since we own companies.

We don't have to be frugal but I would prefer to buy an old car and rebuild the engine than to buy something new. It helps that we have a full-time mechanic on the payroll...

I have learned the biggest luxury of all is time. I guess my biggest expenses are people - people to do the house keeping, lawn care, gardens, horses, wood shop, office work, farm work, welding, mechanic, etc. But, these are business too so most of them are a profit, not an expense. Even the housekeeping is since it frees us up to work on the businesses.

Most people I think would think we are very frugal since we live well below what we could - but I don't think that is being frugal - we just only want a certain standard of living and no matter how much we make, we don't plan on spending it just because we got it. We are happy at our current level - and more money doesn't always bring more happiness - but sometimes just more junk.

__________________
Growing trees and food in Costa Rica.

I would be semi-retired and doing some volunteer work.

__________________
Beware of radical christians: http://listverse.com/2015/03/22/10-p...e-for-america/

Hello, my name is Charaty and I too have a book habit. I don't often buy 'em new, though. We have an excellent used book store here that offers trade credit. Basically you get half of whatever it sells there for. During yardsale season I frequently buy boxes of books in great condition and of newer publications, read what I want and then take the whole lot to the bookstore and get credit towards what I want. One of my favorite places to buy online is www.bookcloseouts.com

Happy reading!

__________________
" It's better to ride even if you get thrown, than to wind up just wishin' ya had."

Chris Ledoux

Apparently I can't edit from a blackberry...... There's always coupons out there for bookcloseouts too.

__________________
" It's better to ride even if you get thrown, than to wind up just wishin' ya had."

Chris Ledoux

Good post. Ditto. We're pretty much set. Even if dh lost his job tomorrow, we're not going to really change the way we live. I use as much cloth as I can get my family to do so. I raise a garden. We are nature lovers and care very much about not generating green house gases, landfill fodder, etc.... and that naturally leads to being frugal. But I do run the A/C in the summer to keep comfortable and if I see a yummy stinky cheese for $20/lb. or a great new free-trade organic coffee that smells good, I'll buy it. I don't buy plastic toys for dd, so that means that her toys are more expensive. We buy furniture that will last a lifetime (and more). It's all about what will end up in the landfill. I'd rather spend $3000 on a bed and $1200 on an organic mattress that we'll use for 50 years rather than buy that item over and again throughout the years. It's all about perspective. We were just in London a couple of weeks ago and, realizing it's a very expensive city (the most according to some polls), I didn't have a problem laying out $50 for lunch for just myself and dd. I'd never do that here in the US, though. Somehow it seems wasteful here.

Yeah, books are our downfall also.
GFB can spend hot nights happily sweating into his sheets, but I can't.
So no a/c is NOT an option...
I also believe in travelling. Witness this summer's monthlong camping trip, and the Labor Day weekend we paid for the kids and grandkids to meet and stay in Atlanta.
I went thru a phase after graduating from nursing school /getting off Welfare where we ate out every night and all the clothing came from department stores. I am so over that now, but usually go along with GFB's requests to eat out. (It's not that he doesn't like my cooking- heck, he has no sense of taste at all, but he still is fighting his parent's battles from THEIR marriage and one of those is over cooking)

I just spent $40 on books at Costco--and got *4* of them!

I am semi-frugal, I guess. I don't buy stuff just to buy stuff, I never buy Starbucks, brown bag my lunch to work most of the time, buy our clothes used or get them free from friends, and garage sale for as much of the farm and household stuff as I can. I could be more frugal with putting up food for winter, and I kill way too many plants. I am known as the queen of frugal at work, yet I don't feel that I am all that frugal - I just don't like to waste money on stuff we don't have a need for. At the same time, I have a weakness for junk food and takeout - I really don't like to cook all that much. I get on tears where I do a lot of cooking at home, and then I hit patches where I just would rather do anything else. KFC is my friend. Until this year, I haven't taken a vacation for more than attending the county fair in years. This year we've made up for that with 3 trips for at least an overnight away from home, and just got home from a 2 week trip to Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Glacier Nat'l Park, etc. I could have stayed in cheaper motels, or camped, but chose to stay at LaQuintas where we could because I like their comfy beds, having a microwave and fridge in the room, and a pool for dd to swim in. They have a good breakfast, too, but I could have stayed in the lowest priced budget motels and eaten out for less. I guess I figure that if you are being frugal just to be frugal, but aren't having fun doing it, it kind of defeats the purpose (enriching our lives). It's worth spending a little more and being happy with the increased comfort, IMHO. I could also work full time and pull down a much bigger salary, but made the choice to work part-time so that I could homeschool dd and have time for the farm and my home. Thankfully, I have a career I love and that is well compensated to the point that the part-time option is open to me.

I don't always save PENNIES - I use my washer and dryer, rather than handwashing everything and line drying, although I do line dry when I feel like it. I have a small A/C unit that I did use quite a bit off and on this summer. I have electric heat because I still haven't installed my woodstove (it's on the to-do list!), so I could save money on the power bill that way. Luckily our PUD electicity is fairly cheap compared to much of the country.

I do often save DOLLARS - by paying extra on the mortgage every month, I will have it paid off in about 7-8 more years, and will save a bundle on the interest that I won't end up paying. I take advantage of the employer match for my 403b at work and make sure that the first 10% of my income goes straight to retirement savings (should I ever retire). I do not owe money on anything other than my home and a credit card, which is paid in full every month when it comes due. I use it to help track my spending, and have enough credit cards (rotating their use) to improve my FICO score. By using credit wisely, I am improving that FICO score steadily over time, which saves me money on interest rates when I do borrow. I will be borrowing next to build a house on a (paid for) lot that I own, then selling the lot and house for a lot more than I put into both. That's smart debt. Even with my finances, though, I could be doing more. I still need to open my ROTH IRA account, and could be putting more into savings and investments than I do. I firmly believe that your spending rises to match (or exceed, if you're not careful) your income. By taking more of that income and preplanning where to put it, it's possible to "trick" your mind into thinking you don't make as much, and spend less as a result.

I, like so many others here have said, tend to splurge on good books, but buy them used or swap for them. We have a huge home library, both of reference books and fiction. I use the public library heavily, and will then eventually buy the books that I know I'll enjoy reading again. My other splurges are having DISH satellite, and adding wireless access for my laptop. DD and I both have laptops and use the internet extensively for recreation and education. I actually really LIKE TV! Gasp! We watch a lot of documentaries, history shows, travel shows, news, animal planet and TLC and Discovery channels, and I love watching the decorating and house flip shows on HGTV and A&E. I enjoy watching the local news, RFD-TV, and my favorite vice - Law and Order (and LAO SVU). When the grands are over, they like Dora and Diego, etc, although we spend more time playing, going out to see the animals, coloring together, and reading books.

I don't ever want to be so frugal that I cannot give. Whether it is giving to an organization I believe in, or anonomous giving to a person who is having a hard time, or giving of my time or goods, I believe that giving is an important part of being a caring human being. Frugal is NOT the same thing as miserly!

I probably waste more money on the animals than I do on anything else. I am not anywhere near making a profit on anything but the chickens. I spent a LOT of money on high quality goats, which if I get to showing them and doing LA, being more diligent on milking every 12 hours, and going for milk stars, would produce offspring that would sell for as much as I paid, if not more. I haven't done that as well as I ought. Also, feed and hay expenses are through the roof, and I'm sure if I sold all the animals, I'd be saving at least $500 a month right there. That's a huge chunk of money, and it's tempting. I'm not sure I am getting $500 worth of enjoyment out of the animals that this point. However, I have a dd who probably does, so for now, the animals stay, although I am probably going to cut back on how many head of horses and goats we keep. Anyone want to buy a good gaming horse (QH/Morgan cross mare) or a few excellent goats? Besides, I'd have to change my screen name if I sell all the animals, lol.

I have 2 trucks and could cut to one, but which one? The older one, which needs only a little work, is a huge engine and is set up to tow our trailer better than the newer one, which is in new perfect shape and can also handle the trailer, but not as well. I did buy a 4WD SUV a few years ago to make sure I could get to work in the winter (after having been snowed in and missing work for nearly 2 weeks - it hasn't snowed that much since I got the 4WD, lol), and just spent extra to get true all-terrain mud tires instead of the cheaper tires the shop recommended for all traction highway use. I hated to pay the extra, but love knowing that I have that extra traction for mud or snow, not to mention plain old heavy rain. Sometimes I think spending more can actually be MORE frugal than going with the cheaper, less suitable alternative.

So, I guess I'm frugal enough to be happy, always striving to find more ways that work for me to save effectively, and am a lot more frugal than most of the folks I know IRL (excluding my family - we are all pretty tight with a dollar), but not as frugal as a lot of folks here at HT. I like to get the biggest bang for my buck, and like others have said, sometimes that means saving money and sometimes it means saving time and hiring it done.