Have you been picked on?

[SOAPPRO]

Have you been picked on, or trashed because you have a budget, or are
frugal? I have had people tell me that there is know way they will wait to get what they want by saving for it. They say Life is to short and I will never get what I want by saving for it.
look forward to reading your responses.

[jodi]

I have totally been picked on, but in good humor. My husband's family picks on me all the time for being so frugal, but then they also tell me how much they admire what we have done on a limited budget. I think if it bothered me, they would stop, but I can laugh about it just as well as they can

[savvy06]

Yes and no, until they realized that my frugal ways were beneficial to me.

[pearlieq]

I've had friends and aquaintences make snarky comments. One of my friends likes to "joke" about how cheap I am. Intellectually I know it's because she's in serious money trouble and is probably feeling both envious and defensive. Still, it bugs.

Most people who make rude comments about how you handle your money are either completely clueless or are in bad shape themselves and feeling bad about it. After all, misery loves company.

There is NOTHING wrong with living on a budget and being frugal. Living simply and within your means is honorable and worthy of respect.

The nice thing about being picked on because you're frugal is knowing that you'll most likely have the last laugh. And you'll be laughing all the way to the bank!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

No, as far as I can remember, I've never had anyone comment of how I manage my money. Friends and family are mostly on the same wavelength. They have better manners than that, too.

[geojen]

Most of my friends are so totally clueless about being systematically frugal. I always get blank stares when I mention coupons and budgets. Most people I know have a concept of what their budget is, but not an organized system like we do. No snarky comments, just a lot of "huhs?" followed by awkward pauses...

[DivaJen]

No. But DH and I both have parents who live frugally and save, so family-wise, there's no difference there. I can't think of any friends offhand who would say or have said anything rude about living within a budget.

[Saving in So Cal]

I don't get picked on, but I occasionally feel a negative vibe. I earn a good salary, so I'm sure I'm seem unnecessarily concerned about saving money to some people. I don't talk about being frugal too much. I just do it.

Last Saturday, I went to Wal*Mart with a friend. I had a specific list of items I needed and coupons for most. (These were items that couldn't be obtained more cheaply at another store.) Anyway, in addition to Wal*Mart's already low prices, I saved an additional $8.00 with coupons. My friend didn't say anything to me and I didn't say anything to her, but the next day she clipped coupons from the Sunday paper. That tells me she is as interested in saving money as I am. She just does not know all the ways to do it yet.

That's been my experience with most people. They make think I'm a little funny at first, but when they learn what I do, they follow suit.

[kealina]

people tend to react from their own perspective, usually based on their situation and their past experiences...
mostly the reactions are more negative than supportive from our family....
my parents and FIL are comfortable and forget that we're young, broke and working on it... they think we need to relax and spend a little more... they keep nagging us to spend...
our siblings, who are getting by, haven't given us too much flack (aside from typical sibling "i wouldn't do that" vibe and occasional comments), although they think we should spend more too...
MIL has money issues and is sensitive to our saving because she knows we are in better shape than her... it is rather a delicate balance with her...

i would love to have the supportive atmosphere some of you guys have posted about... you are very lucky... one lucky thing is that my mom and sister both love yard sales so that is one common area...

[amberfocus]

Originally Posted by SOAPPRO

Have you been picked on, or trashed because you have a budget, or are frugal?

OH YES.

When my roommate found out about my ziploc bag washing habit, there was much mocking. I wasn't in the least bit surprised by his reaction, though. I don't let him get to me or stop me, of course.

My co-workers made fun of my retirement saving plan. None of them are saving for retirement. The women just leave it up to their husbands, and my roommate is like, "Pshaw, why do you care about when you get old??"

My mother was absolutely horrified that I rescued some perfectly good plates and glasses from the street curb. By the way she went on about it, you would have thought that I'd taken home biohazardous radioactive waste. Plates are washable! Heck, they're even sterilizable, if you're really that paranoid! And I even know who threw them out--graduating seniors who had too much crap to take home. Yeesh!

My roommate also mocked me for wanting to check out thrift stores and garage sales. Actually, both he and my mother are against buying used stuff. My roommate has too much pride/ego and always wants "the best quality". My mother, once again, is convinced that thrift store merchandise is donated by smallpox, leprosy, cancer, and AIDS-ridden wannabe axe murderers. Never mind the fact that cancer and AIDS are not transmittable in that fashion. They just "sound" scary.

Originally Posted by SOAPPRO

I have had people tell me that there is know way they will wait to get what they want by saving for it. They say Life is to short and I will never get what I want by saving for it.

That's my roommate in a nutshell. "I want to live life to the fullest right now", he always says. "This is what makes me happy. I don't care about retirement, or have any savings." What I do (saving/investing money and long-term planning) is a completely foreign concept to him.

At least we signed separate leases.

~mimi

[crazyBMB]

My DH picked on me about this, but when I came home and showed him that I saved $43 on our grocery bill and the power bill was lower he suddenly decided that this was a good deal. The same thing came up with the power bill, my DDs use of paper and other caft supplies. Everyome in the house seems a bit more aware of these things, but we have a long way to go.

[LuxLiving]

No, I haven't. But I don't make a habit of broadcasting my financial moves one way or another, nor do I shop often with another person. When I do, I'm generally uncomfortable, as my mother and sister can do a mall or department store up proud! They come home with sacks and sacks of stuff and I have spent a day browsing and being horrified by the prices! I could buy stuff I just won't pay that much money for NEW when I can pay about 1/3 to 1/4 of the price by buying used.

However, they both earn about double or triple the amount The Hubster does so there is no way I could regularly shop in those places comfortably on a financial level, much less even if he did make that kind of money I STILL wouldn't feel free to just be indiscriminate with our money. My mother and sister are both fairly good w/keeping up with their money on a broad level and have investments and long term plans so it doesn't worry me for their sake...I just couldn't do it! I think they know their limits.

The Hubster's parents were always frugal and big coupon shoppers. My mother has always made fun of them. Not that they couponed, but that it was their main conversational outlet - who could get what cheaper where. It was a family contest of sorts. I opted out of playing, because they could always find it cheaper elsewhere. Didn't mean I didn't coupon as I did for many years, I just quit talking about it with them. Sometimes it pays not to poke the stick in your own eye by opening your mouth.

[Ima saver]

I don't ever shop with anyone. I do sometimes say to my best friend, "I can't affordthat" She will get mad at me and say, yes you can, you have lots of money. Maybe I should say, That does not fit in my budget. She gets mad at me for worring about money. She thinks that anyone with $10,000 in the bank, should never worry about money again.

[Dixiechick]

I get picked on for the other extreme...

I have 2 kids, one which is in college. My ex harps on me for "blowing money", but I'm supporting the kids 80% of the time. I cover most expenses whereas he needs a "bill" that comes into the mail before he pays anything. Which isn't very often! Food, clothes, and other living expenses are what I'm "blowing".... grrr....

Dixie

[boefixepa]

I get people looking at me like I have two heads sometimes, but I know that when times get tuff and you can bank on it happening, I will be just fine and they will be in really bad situations. I know that there are somethings I might be a little extreme on, but I am working and experimenting to see what does and does not work for me!

[Ima saver]

You know it is a shame that people pick on each other. It starts as a kid. High school is really bad!

[geojen]

I only go shopping with other people 2 times a year: a yearly shopping trip with my women family members that is really fun, and I save up for it for months beforehand, and the day after Thanksgiving, when I get my nieces and nephews their christmas presents and tools for my husband at sears.

[Ima saver]

the other forum that I am on, they make fun of me for saving money and trying to be frugal.Most of the ones that make fun of me, are smokers! Now I know it is hard to quit smoking (I did it cold turkey) but I find that to be a total waste of money. Yet, they are making fun of me!!

[rob62521]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

You know it is a shame that people pick on each other. It starts as a kid. High school is really bad!

You are right, people picking on others starts as little kids and it often gets a lot worse. People are jealous of each other.

As for being picked on, yep, I've gotten the brunt of that. My parents were frugal because they had to be all their lives. The people I work with usually aren't and used to tell me I was cheap and flaunt their fancy clothes, homes, cars, etc. Now, they ask me how to save on this and that and what I'm doing to save money. I scrimped and went to graduate school and then got hours beyond my master's for an additional pay raise. When I graduated and when I finished, I didn't owe any money for this additional education. When we inherited a little bit of money, we paid off the house which we had paid down by paying extra on the principal each month. We didn't buy fancy clothes -- we purchased stuff on sale or did without. My house is smaller than most of theirs and my cars aren't as fancy and sporty, but, I'm satisfied with what we have. I enjoy looking for ways to save money. And, I don't worry when the bills come in if I have enough to cover them which many of them still do! I am not the total tightwad -- we do splurge here and there, but we have money invested, the home is paid for, and if we want to go out to eat at a nice restaurant, we do.

[shengmei]

I am probably way too sensitive for my own good.

When I am frugal I was being picked on. When I was unfrugal I was being picked on. I eventually realize that they will pick on me as long as I don't pay for their meals. They pick on me when I spend money on myself with my hard saved money or when I try to save money.

I had a horrible bunch of so called "friends". I couldn't get rid of them fast enough.