Why did you start to be frugal?

[bjl584]

I have no idea. My parents were horrible with money.

Something just clicked in my head I guess. It was probably due to the fact that my parents fought a lot about money. They eventually got divorced, and I guess that I decided that I never want to be in their position with money and finances.

[Frugalicious]

In 2005, after we closed escrow on our 2nd home, DH became disabled temporarily off the job and we had to rely on SDI and disability insurance.

We had to use credit cards @ 0% and dip into savings to pay for both mortgages and expenses. Got into $9000.00 in 0% credit card debt!!

Since then, we are both a lot more frugal. We are not die hards, but we do try to get stuff free, and save energy and we are not typical consumers.

Typical consumers kind of make me gasp!

Also, we have a 10 year old washer and dryer.
We need a new mattress ours is from 1999
Furniture? Do not go there!

Love? We have plenty of that to be warm.

I bought hubby a new nova form pillow for Christmas. I got a deal on it and he needed a new pillow.

I told him what to buy me, just some face cream.

All in all on each other we spent $20.00 per gifts this year, frugal, but the love is there.

[boomeyers]

I was raised by a frugal mother. It helped when I quit work to become a SAHM. I have always tried to have a little part time job going. I have really blown it this year with spoiling the kids and way overspent. Now I have to dig us out by really pinching and trying to go back to work full time.

[thkgranny]

I learned from my grandparents (all were young adults during Depression)how to use up what you had, save for what you needed, and don't fall into the trap of the latest trends.
They raised gardens, sewed & crocheted. My Mom made most of our clothes right up thru High School.
Money was sometimes tight when I was growing up, but I never knew it. We had family, food, clothes, and a roof over our heads.

When I married, had my kids (4 sons in 6 years) I HAD to be frugal. Used cloth diapers, bought clothes at yard sales, made most of my own clothes, raised a garden. Didn't have all those government programs back then and most people wouldn' even think of them anyway. We got by. My boys didn't have a roomful of toys they didn't play with - they were raised on a farm and everyone pitched in and helped. Not alot of $$$ in the bank but we didn't have any debt except for our home. Lots of good memories for me & them. We drove used cars/trucks and still I won't buy a new one. I use coupons, watch for rebates, and shop for holidays & birthdays all year long from clearance sales. Alot of gifts are hand/homemade.

We even had a Pediatrician that was wonderful! My boys would go thru what we called ' the vicious Strep Throat Cycle'. One would get it and within a week or two, ALL would have it. This was twice a year. He would write one prescription, with refills, with a note on dosages for each of them, to cover them all plus charge us for ONE doctor visit. All my boys eventually had their tonsils removed and the cycle stopped.

Now I'm frugal by choice. $$$ in bank and being able to invest are wonderful things.
I've made some bad choices along the way but have learned from them and moved on. Credit Card debt was a BIG mistake aka lesson!

Saving money is like a game now. The Tightwad Gazette has been a blessing! I re-read it cover-to-cover twice a year and reference it often in between. The Internet has also been invaluable in finding information on how to do all kinds of things cheaper and for DYI projects.

I travel, do genealogy research, run my home business, attend church, and have wonderful dear friends! My immediate family lives close by so I spoil my grandkids with love and homemade goodies. I donate to local charities, love to go to yard sales, and continuously look for bargains.

Believe me, my life is rich and full!

[Ima saver]

I didn't want to be a homeless, baglady!!

[atorrin]

When I was a kid my parents took me comparison shopping for tricycles... been frugal ever since.

[JoJoGal]

I realized I had to change my spending habits radically to be able to afford my own house one day. Simple as that!

[Radiance]

I became frugal to get out of debt and I liked it, so I continued even after my debts were paid.
This is now allowing me to have a savings account that actually grows overtime instead of being depleted each time I have an emergency.

[My English Castle]

My parents were Depression-era kids, so they were pretty frugal. I've had several serious spates of frugality--being broke and single, then with some 1980s guru (Charles Givens?), and in the last decade when I've really become focused on paying off the house and funding DD's college. And oh, retirement funding too. I really enjoy personal finance. It's so different from my teaching job, but if I had another career, I'd like to do personal finance counseling for those on limited incomes.

[cypher1]

Looking back, I dunno how my parents put 6 of us through private schools on a single income. My mom did daycare family vacations/stuff, and I used to help my dad (postal worker salary) with his part time job as a janitor to keep him company. Overall, they did what they did, also adopting myself and my older sister. I could say they were frugal,but at the same time I want to say we were spoiled in a good way, or grateful. That only semi explains how I am with finances. The other half realized when i was younger, that anytime I was going to buy something, I had to ask myself if I really needed it, or just wanted. Also the fact that I try to keep as many options available for work/money/investments. But then again, having a mortgage now definitely put some restrictions on my lifestyle, in a good way.

[Aleta]

I was raised in several homes in my family and I saw them struggling to pay bills. Growing up I also had one relative that gambled away the rent and food money. That sent him to his job for loans against his pay check. Also lost my father as a teenager. I think that insecurity had alot to do with my frugailty today not to mention that I buy 2 of everything just in case. As a young wife and mother, I learned to comparison shop to get the best deals. I didn't want for my children to experience what I did.

[LaVicky]

Grew up with frugal parents who are quite well off but never lived or behaved that way. I splurge far more on myself then they do, but Im still frugal.

[pumpkinpie]

When I graduated from law school, realized my student loan payments were $1300 a month, and I was going to work for the government instead of a law firm.

There is no way for me to live the life some of my friends are. Almost all of us have over $100k in debt, only the ones that make over $150k are living well.

[nick__45]

I am naturally cheap so frugal is just a baby step. This is why I don't do budget for grocery because we'd starve because I would take forever to decide what to buy. I do live in the biggest house in the very affluent neighborhood.

[nick__45]

Originally Posted by jmsgirl

I started to be frugal when I realized I could pay 10-50% of the cost of items if I shopped around, and hit garage sales and thrift stores. Why pay $50 for a shirt from Hollister, when I can get the same brand for $2 at a thrift store?

Actually Hollister shirts don't cost 50 dollars and you won't find them at thrift store. You may better chance of winning a state lottery than finding a decent condition Hollister shirt at thrift store. I frequent thrift stores for charity work so I know. Many kids are smart that they trade their expensive shirts with friends now. And most likely, kids wearing Hollister don't get too fat that it won't fit anymore. Hollister is skinny people brand.

Personally, thrift store' clothes are generally very expensive. You are better of catching a sale and take care of you clothes so they don't get too worn too quickly. A good shirt should have 15 life span. Wally shirt have about 3 and cost about the same since you'll never catch a sale at Wally.

[nick__45]

Originally Posted by snafu

Different strokes for different folks. My brothers and SILs spend way beyond their means and are always crying the blues. Friends are getting divorced over the money mess stress. DH and I decided that the stuff they bought weren't the things we valued.
We only take assignments we like, we travel, we live in other countries to see what it's like etc. Currently making plans to spend the winter in Vietnam.

Unless you speak the language, I say you are better off not doing it. And if you don't look local you will be bombarded with people trying to sell you stuffs. It's a great place to make you feel like royalties on low budget by those things don't do it for me. Poor countries only have one thing to offer me but I am always working so I don't get to go there.

[EconoMutt]

I've become frugal just these past three years. My incomes varies. I decided to pay down debt so I could afford to pay bills even when my incomes dips.

[Volkov]

My parents were very frugal - growing up in a developing country, I always wondered why they had a "budget" for everything, despite the fact that my parents earned well. They had only one kid (me) because they wanted to make sure I could go to the very best private schools, and they saved the rest away in real estate, savings, or good jewelry. Now in their 60s, they just bought a beautiful beach house, have a maid, and have enough savings to live an affluent lifestyle at an age when comfort matters the most. Even so, they continue to earn in their older age (mostly because they get bored), live frugally, and lead a very unassuming but comfortable lifestyle. That's a big motivating factor for me (and the fact that they told me all their savings are going to charity).

My wife, in comparison, grew up poor (i.e. no running water in the middle of nowhere poor). She joined the military to get the GI bill, and now goes probably to the best school in the world on her own.

So, I realized that I should be grateful for a good job, great pay, and a comfortable lifestyle - and got down to saving!

[krantcents]

Originally Posted by Mabuisakura

I would like to know your story, if you would like to share.

I really started to be frugal when I went on maternity leave so I could be a SAHM. Even though I had to turn into a WAHM. I still want to save the most money now!

Don't know, maybe genetic! Is it nature or nurture? I think it is both. My mother was frugal (cheap) and very successful. I think it influenced me more than I realize.

[msi56]

Originally Posted by krantcents

Don't know, maybe genetic! Is it nature or nurture? I think it is both. My mother was frugal (cheap) and very successful. I think it influenced me more than I realize.

I think that it is definitely nurture, as my mother was quite frugal and her mum before her was even more frugal.

I can see in our family each new generation is becoming a little bit less frugal, but the instinct to save money and spend wisely is still there.