How did you enter the world of frugality

[Frugal Father (tm)]

Hi everyone the Frugal Father here. I am curious how you guys became frugal or simplified your lives. I have explored this in some articles but never really have posted this question. I became furgal after I was laid off from my wonderfully secure wall street postion back in 1989..tried other employment options but was cast assunder, in addition my asthma/respitory condition had declined badly so I entered into the world of frugality. My first exposure was the frugal gourmet ( use what you have cooking) then the tightwad gazzette and my love of conlonial history led me to Ben Franklin of course...how about you guys?

Steve
The Frugal Father (tm)

[boefixepa]

I entered because of stress. I was tired of being controled by my money and feeling like a slave to debt. The stress is gone and I am sooooo much happier!

[Broken Arrow]

Stress is a good answer.

By nature, I've always been minimalistic and... kind of anal.

When you mix the stress of financial burden... well, here I am.

[Frugal Father (tm)]

I should add that stress was a biggy too. Being of poor respitory health and all of a sudden not having my wall street salary to spend haphazardly and having in the begining lost money to suspect businesses and the usual denial purchases...stress added up big time for my wife and myself. Many years later I find it fun to share these ideals and to use them.
I couldn't go back to buy as you please even if the lottery was in my future ( ok maybe I upgrade my car to a used van.)


Thanks for the replies keep em coming.


The "Frugal Father"(tm)
Frugality Rules!

[geneandmegan]

Went to college and the friends I made there were into Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, so I got the book (4 bucks at a used bookstore) and read it, loved it, did it, and watched my stress over money just start to disappear.

[LuxLiving]

recent thread on this topic:
Giant Finger of Frugal Blame or Blessing

[boefixepa]

Wow, a triple seated thread! It seems that this is a topic that pops up often.

I get mine from a desire to NOT do things like my parents. It's been a heard learning curve and there were meany fugal things my parents did, I know realize, because they really had no other choice. That is not why I want to make these changes in my life.

Unfortuantely my parents, now in their mid fifties, are both working full time and just purchased what they hope to be their retirement home....but it has a FULL mortgage and they have basically NO retirement money. So I really don't think they will stop working anytime soon. I doubt my mom has even earned enough credits over her lifetime to accuire full SS retirement benifits and I am not sure she makes enough or has enough time to do so. She was a SAHM, and a good one! Shame that they get the short end of the stick in that area....

I just remember as a child feeling like I had no security and seeing all the stress and worry my parents went through, I didn't want to live that life. So I made the choice to make a change.

[Broken Arrow]

Yeah, that's a good point, and one that I forgot to mention.

Recent events have given me a need to re-think just what I want to do with the rest of my life. Unlike my 20s, I see now that life may be full of possibilities, but that's all it is without the means to turn it into reality. And the means to do so is money.

Of course, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. All I know is, wherever I want to go or end up, I'll always need some money to get there. So, it's better to be a master of it and enjoy the freedom it can provide, than to be a slave to it, indentured for life under its heavy yoke.

[Ima saver]

I learned at an early age. If i wanted enough to eat, I had to work and earn the money for other things, like schools supplies, clothes, shoes, etc. Going to work at age 12 was one of the best things that happened to me!

[jodi]

Picked up a copy of the Complete Tightwad Gazette at a bookstore and thought it looked intriguing. I already had some dormant frugal tendencies, but that book really made my priorities clear.

[Frugal Father (tm)]

its amazing how we come to simple living and/or frugality. I live in NYC and its not cheap but using the right strategies it works. That is also the reason we applied frugality, the Tightwad gazette definately had an impact on us as well. Different reasons, different stories sames means.

[creditcardfree]

I married a man with debt from a failed business. We were both working and trying to pay off the debt and make ends meet. First read, Cheapskate Monthly by Mary Hunt. Tightwad Gazette, Money or Your Life and Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover have followed.

[Fizgig]

I watched my mother and older sister struggle with poor choices of career, money, and men. From an early age I decided that I would be a woman who could take care of her own ess.

[JanH]

Tightwad Gazette and stress! Added to the fact that the rest of my family is frugal and good examples.

[Frugal Father (tm)]

That is something I wish I had good examples, my parents were from the ilk of buy the best ( even if we can't afford it) it ruined them both in marriage and in separation. You're lucky Jan H to have had a family set a good example...what have you applied? (also I hear the stress factor, it killed me health wise)

[JanH]

Frugal Father: my parents don't use credit cards--so I didn't apply that one! Doing that now. They always had gardens and ate in--I don't have a garden, but I am now making almost all my meals and using as fresh ingredients as I can, helps your health I think. They were rarely ever sick. Mom invested well--trying to learn to do that. Didn't buy lots of stuff or clothes--have stopped spending on stuff I really don't need. Did most of their own maintenance work. Always saved money. They didn't have big salaries, but I was shocked at how much they had saved out of it when I applied for college scholarships way back when. It wasn't considered a lot of money, but when you looked at the income, it was a big percentage. They were good at it...still are.
Oh, and my brother and his wife are incredibly frugal. They pay cash for everything. And make most of their decorative or other needs. And my inlaws use credit cards for everyday purchases and pay them in full, cash for big items like cars.

[Frugal Father (tm)]

Jan H: thats an inspiration. You have a lot to draw on that possibly wouldn't have had the same effect if it were in a book. We are currently graduating to a cash system while we pay down debt. Thanks for your replies.

[T_I_N_A20]

How did I enter the world of frugality ?

Well.. I was 8 at that time, I didn't spend money or anything, I love saving money and my parents trusted me.

At the age of 10, I started spending my money on whatever I like, I always buy cheap stuff, I spend a lot of money on clothes and stuff like that. I had a lot of argument about money with my parents and I always have wants but I was never happy.

When I hit the age 16, I decided it was time for me to make a big change in my life and started saving a portion of my pay from my first job by putting away 50$ each payday. I also developped my only love of traveling into a dream but it was unachievable because I didn't know how to save properly. I started writting my expense on a notebook and I'm still doing that. It didn't work at first because I have some weakness in spending on clothes and food, so I decided to join this forum to help me save... It worked, I have two mutual funds with more than 2K in it (one is for travel), my first bank account has around 700$ in it, my second bank around 140$, my challenge money 151$ that I have started two months ago and my piggy bank 30$ from putting unwanted pennies in it. I'm planning to open a retirement account probably next year and put around 500$ in it for a start.

[Ima saver]

I think I have always been a big worrier about money, even as a child!

[PRICEPLUS]

I have always tried to be frugal but even more so when I encountered my SO!!!