Are your friends frugal?

[asha]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

That's funny, devil!! I have a friend that asks you how many hamburgers you will eat. He won't cook any extra. I have another friend who will only cook 1 hamburger per person when they have company. We always serve a lot of food, figuring what we have left, we will eat up later.

that's cheap, not frugal.

Being generous (but not exploted) to family and friends, eg cooking them plenty of food, helping them out, buying them something from time to time that will truly enhance thier lives etc is a GOOD use of money.

I would rather come to your house for supper!

[Ima saver]

This same couple, that limited the food, just had a big party for their 50th anniversary. There was about 100 people and they had 4 bottles of wine!! I say, get enough wine for everybody or just serve punch!!

[Ima saver]

I wonder what charity Asha donates to? She says 100% goes to this charity.

[David]

No, my friends are not frugal as a rule. At work, I am the one people don't regularly ask if I want to get on the lunch list, because they know I always bring leftovers to eat at work. They spend about $6.00 a day eating lunch. I'm not sure what my meals at work cost, but they are less than that and its a good way to get rid of leftovers.
A story I think is kinda funny is that in 2004, my wife bought a Ford Explorer. Well, we had a dinner at my Mothers and my sister, a college degreed accountant drove up in a new 2004 Lexus SUV. Boy, that thing was fine. The two SUVs where parked side by side and my sister was showing off her new upscale ride and with a wave of her hand toward the Ford Explorer, told a person, "yea, we didn't want one of those". The wife and I just kinda smiled at each other about that. That's my sister, I love her, but she has that consumerism bug really bad. Our Explorer was paid for from the start, my sister likely had trouble getting a loan for such an excessive vehicle. Anyway, about a year later, my sister is at dinner at Moms and complaining about how rough it rides. I'm thinking I can't wait to inherit my wife's SUV once my truck wears out. Different strokes for different folks, but you would think an accountant would know a little bit about how to manage money.

[asha]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I wonder what charity Asha donates to? She says 100% goes to this charity.

www.helpeastlankaprogress.org.uk

they even pay their own airfares and accomodation

[asha]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

This same couple, that limited the food, just had a big party for their 50th anniversary. There was about 100 people and they had 4 bottles of wine!! I say, get enough wine for everybody or just serve punch!!

They should have just invited Jesus.

[asha]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I wonder what charity Asha donates to? She says 100% goes to this charity.

www.helpingeastlankaprogress.org.uk

[Ima saver]

Thanks, Asha!! (Yes, they should have invited Jesus, more wine!)

[simpleselu]

I have several online friends that are frugal but the vast majority of the people in my life are not frugal nor do they care to be.

[Broken Arrow]

Are your friends frugal?

Nope! Wish they were though, so we'd have more in common.

[getforfree]

I just don't understand people who complain that they struggle to pay their bills, yet they still can't try to spend less, or do without certain foods, new hairdo, new things for the house...

Well, if I would spend as much on food, and other stuff, I would be broke and in debt too. I have never in my life spent money on a haircut or nails or anything like that. I used highlights kit that was free after rebate, and most of my makeup is free after rebate. I even sold some extra on ebay.

[boomeyers]

Many are frugal, some are Jonesers! We like hanging out with both, but not as often with the Joneser group. Can't afford it!

[Ima saver]

My husband tried to be frugal with his customers money, but sometimes you have to pay more to have the better stuff. You just can't use crooked wood and expect things to turn out right. We have a customer that we think is going to be a problem. He wants to help build his house to save money. (he has plenty) but he wants to use scrap materials. My dh does not like that.

[Bookie]

Frugal means different things to different people. It all depends on your baseline, I guess.

Got a call from a friend this morning. He's supposed to pick up the three suits he bought last week at a super sale. Only spent $900 for them and is so pleased with his bargain. (Alterations were extra on sale merchandise.)

Like I say, it depends on your baseline.

[ummabdullah]

Originally Posted by asha

that's cheap, not frugal.

Being generous (but not exploted) to family and friends, eg cooking them plenty of food, helping them out, buying them something from time to time that will truly enhance thier lives etc is a GOOD use of money.

I would rather come to your house for supper!

Those are my feelings exactly. I think helping people out in a practical way is good for everyone.. and hopefully it will catch on.. so they can join in too.

[ummabdullah]

Originally Posted by asha

I heartily agree. I am sick of feel-good news articles about a young couple who had three kids in a row under the age of 4 years when she doesn't work and he has been out of work for months or has a low paying job. The tv show or its viewers but them a house and car and a vacation somewhere. FAMILY PLANNING, PEOPLES.

Worse still, those who earn a huge amoun or at least a decent amount and none the less rely on others becasue they have been completely foolish with thier money.

NO WORK, NO SAVE: NO HOUSE, NO FOOD

I have always contributed to charities as have millions of millions of well-meaning people. I worry about where the $ goes. I have finally found a charilt to support which gives 100% of the $ to the charity recipients and will trust NOONE else to ensure the money is actually used appropriately.

My friends are not frugal and I am really excited, now, about frugality. You have to make that inner transition. Rich Dad Poor Dad was the first step.... I know he is controversial but it made me think. Then, articles about how cappitalism is a con. We are sucked into thinking spending $ will improve happiness. I was watching a fashion show and all these nonchalant models gliding fown the runway in designer clothes (or, stalking down the runway, they look really odd...) and I felt as if I was missing out on something.... and then caught myself. That feeling is what Docle and Gabbana and Vera Wang NEED to generate in us so we can net them billions.

Sadly my sister is one of those people who mooch off society. She had her first child at the age of 15 years old. And then 3 more boys in the past 4 years. One of the boys she gave up for adoption. she left the father and got with a guy who was younger than her.. and didn't work.. He still doesn't work.. and they not have 2 babies just off the breast.

I think my sister has a mental problem and really needs some help. It would be fair to ask the goverment to set guidelines in order to get support from them.

However, the goverment have made it even more difficult.. by telling her to look for a job.. while she has the babies.. and once you get a job.. how in the hell can you pay for 2 kids and all your bills?? The truth is that she really needs an education.. and mental help. I would say she may even need a strong forceful push by the goverment.. to leave her husband.. if he does not want to work or look for a job..
and create places that people have to sign up and monitors them looking for a job.. (the husband if married).. and education if a single mother with no childcare/ family.

[Duchesse]

I havetwo frugal friends. TheY are on the ball. They never need to borrow. They have savings, investments, and a working knowledge of frugality and what it takes to save.

The rest spend like fools. They can't pay their bills, have large credit card debt. One had to go for credit counseling and consolidate and she still has fallen behind in those payments. She gets her hair, nails, eyebrows, and toes done on a regular, in what she calls a "Head to Toe", when she shops she does not shop sales, bulk, or use coupons. She had a jar of mustard which I saw she paid $1.69 . She thinks "life is too short to make a mission out of finding coupons."

One of my girlfriends has four kids and four grandchildren and she doesn't have one cent of life insurance. She doen't have $500. in the bank and she still owes me $200, which I'm sure I'll never get back. When she sees me she just acts like she forgot. I think she remebers enough not to ask for anymore loans.

You can't win over people like this. They believe you do it your way and I'll do it mine.

[pearlieq]

My friends run the full gamut

I have one friend who seems faily sensible about money and interested in budgeting. She does a lot of shopping, but they purposely bought less house than they could afford and seem to make other prudent decisions.

I have another who, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how she makes ends meet. They have 3 kids, and the husband has a good job but makes a modest salary. She works a bit part time, but I think they're just barely hanging on. She's my source for finding fun, free things to do. She seems to know about them all!

I have one who is just starting out. She's had to support herself from when she was about 15, so she's tough and has a lot of "street smarts" where money is concerned. She put herself though college and got a full time job, so now she's trying to learn about money and get her finances in order.

My other friend is a total financial disaster. Her husband is a well paid professional, but they just can't control their spending. They're upside down on their house, have all kinds of fancy toys, and are constantly planning some kind of home improvment. I love her dearly, but it's very hard to hang out with her sometimes because she likes to unload on me about her woes. I'll never forget the time she was telling me that her debt keeps her up at night while she was buying 3 $9.50 bottles of sunscreen at Walgreeens (Ever heard of Wal-Mart???). I don't really know what to say to her so I just let her vent while I bite my tonuge.

[Ima saver]

We had one guy that worked for us. The poor guy was 70 and still had to work full time to support his wife's habit. Hair done, nails done, tanning booth, etc., every single week. It cost him about $150 a week and that was 10 years ago. Then she went and got a face lift and blew his savings! I haven't spend $150 on my hair and nails in my life probably! (except hair color, which I do myself)

[Bookie]

What strikes me about so many of the people I know (well enough to chat about finances) isn't that they're paricularly extravagant, it's that they are commited to a standard of living that leaves them no margin. The bills are met, the obligations are satisfied, the Joneses are kept up with, but that takes it all. There's no slack in the budget, and no room for error.

In their own way, they are thrifty. They shop sales, buy domestic caviar, fill up the SUV at the cut-rate gas place, and hold frequent garage sales. With working wives, these families have adequate income to cover the take-out meals, cleaning women, commercial laundry, and daycare expenses, but things do get tight some months.

Franky, they're stretched. Christmas can throw them for a loop. Summer camp for the kids is a fiscal crisis. There's only so much they can do with two incomes, however well they manage, and if anything should ever rock that boat . . .