Re: Frugal by nature?
I'm the same way as well.
I don't drink coffee. Rarely drink alcohol. Drive a 1998 Camry with almost 94,000 miles and plan to keep it another 2-3 years. Just got limited basic cable ($10/month) earlier this year. Before that it was just a roof antenna and rabbit ears all these years. Don't believe in buying books - if I want something, I borrow it from the library. We eat very little meat, though aren't totally vegetarian. Our only pets are fish which cost very little to maintain. Child - we have one daughter but we are raising her to be mindful of her spending, like us. We shop at yard sales, flea markets and thrift shops. She borrows books from the library. She sells her old toys at our yard sales.
Indulgences: Vacations would be on top of my list. I love to travel. Though even when I do, we keep costs foremost in our mind and scour the web to find great deals. We also have a Marriott Rewards Visa and earn points toward free stays. DW and I have already discussed that next year's summer vacation will be determined by where we can use our points for a free week. We also spend a week each year in Disney World, but we spend far less than most people do for that trip. We drive down, stay offsite, eat some meals offsite, prepare some of our own meals, etc.
Another splurge area is cookware. DW and I both love to cook and can't stand cheap kitchen stuff. But those are usually one time purchases. For example, we bought a set of Calphalon cookware last year. It was $400, but we will probably have it forever. I don't think we've spent a penny on kitchenware since then.
|