Are your friends frugal?

[frugalfarmwife]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

No, most aren't frugal at all and laugh at me, but I can at least sleep at night and know that all the bills are covered before the next paycheck comes in.

Kj

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

I am on a local forum where I live and I am one of the oldest ones on the forum (I don't feel or look as old as I am)
I try to get conversations going all the time about money and saving and no one wants to talk about it at all. Yet they all admit that they live pay check to pay check and have no savings at all. I can't understand why they won't take my advice when I tell them to pay themselves first. all I get back from them (and I have met them) is "you can't take it with you" I don't want to, I just want to be comfortable while I am here and not have to rely on social security of about $400 a month to live on.

[frugalfarmwife]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

No, you can't take it with you but you can cash it in and live your retirement in luxury which I plan to do! Watching my best friend scrape and knowing that it's going to be that way for the rest of her life makes me sad but it's her choice, I meanwhile look to the future with every nickel saved

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

That is the way my best friend is too. The nicest place she has lived in was a new mobile home and she had to let it "go back" (repo) when she moved to Fla. She has paid rent for like 40 years and owns nothing but a few sticks of furniture.
She gets mad a me when I say I can't afford something. Of course, I could afford it if I wanted to, but I don't chose to afford it.
Once I held the mortgage on a piece of property for $35,000. After a few years, the guy paid me off and it was a surprise. I went to work the next day (I was a waitress) and said, wow, I just got a check for $33,000.
One girl said, wow, now I bet you will buy a new car. They were dumbfounded when I told them I was going to put it in the bank and save it!!

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

We have some friends we built a house for( they became friends after we built the house.) They just retired here and he is getting a pension of over $100,000 a year plus he gets social security on top of that. Even so, they have a budget and they stick to it. They very seldom eat out, but they do travel a lot.
When we retire, if ever, we will have to live on our savings!

[CJsoccerchic]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

Ack - isn't it crazy to have friends that have everything they want (or seem to) and complain ALL day long about how broke they are?
I brought a friend with me to a trip somewhere and initially I paid for everything and told her to just pay me back $150 as soon as she could. She met a guy there and they married 6 months later. She get's her hair colored all the time, seems to have new clothes all the time and is now pregnant so buying clothes for the soon to be new born. All the while, has to pay $600/car payment monthly $100/monthly insurance for car and I think they eat out all the time. I've tried being frugal in front of them and it doesn't seem to help.... it's hard to tell friends what thye should do and what they shouldn't do. oooo an she finally paid me back, almost a year later. yay!!

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

Loaning money to friends is a good way to lose them. We built a house for a young doctor. she went shopping every day, major shopping . They leased 7 cars in one year. I sent them a final bill for a retaining wall for $1400. They did not have the money to pay for it, and since it was in our name, we paid for it. It is not what you make that counts, it is what you keep.

[dwallyfam]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

We have several friends that are living paycheck to paycheck. They are always going out to eat and traveling. They wonder why we stay at home. Duh it is cheaper.

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

We do eat out a lot, but we didn't when we were younger. We stayed home and made due. for many years, I even worked at nights, so I guess we are making up for it by going out to eat at night and being together. It is our date! However, we still usually order the cheapest thing on the menu.
My friends always get appetizers, desserts, etc. We eat out, be we are frugal.

[him&her]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

Some are, some aren't.

We have a friend who runs a business and we know he rakes in more than $100K/year. We know he's smart with his money. When you make $100K a year, what's another latte?

Conversely, we have a friend who we like to trade coupons with.

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

The people that we had dinner with last night make over $100,000 a year, plus he gets social security. They still stick to a budget.

[CJsoccerchic]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

I agree with the "loaning money to a friend, is a GOOD way to lose them" If I ever gave anybody ANY advice - it would be JUST that - DO not LOAN MONEY to friends!!!!

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

I will loan small amounts. I have a friend that came to town and saw something she wanted. She called and asked to borrow $40. Of course, I loaned it and got a check back from her in just a few days.

[CJsoccerchic]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

ahhhh.... A friend had a birthday TWO Novembers ago and a local hotel charged 50/night. She asked if I would front the money and she would pay me back "right away" it's been over a year and... well, it's $50. That's a week of groceries for me....
It almost seems like she doens't call back or call anymore cause she feels guilty...
It just sucks to lend money to friends, cause when it comes time to ask for it back... it's hard.
On the other hand, I lent my best friend $400 when she really needed it. and I got it back when I asked for it a year later- she sent a check in the mail and everything is fine with us since... But maybe it was cause she was my friend for forever!!!

I dunno... it's always a hard call....

[Ima saver]

Re: Are your friends frugal?

Well when I see my friend waste so much money, it is hard to feel sorry for her when she needs money. She will spend between200-300 a month on long distance before she got her cell phone. She has to buy souveniers every time she goes somewhere. At what point in her life will she quit wasting her money? She gets her hair done all the time, perms too. If you can't pay your electric bill, why are you getting a perm? I have never had one in my life. Yes, I do get my hair colored, but I do it myself.