The problem with being budget minded is other people.

[Ima saver]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

I enjoy just sitting around and talking with friends. I don't need to spend a lot of money going to concerts or fancy restaurants. I wish some of you guys would move to my town. Then we could sit around on my deck over the creek and talk about being frugal together!!

[Broken Arrow]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

That sounds like wonderful idea, Ima.

I wish I knew people who are frugal in real life.

[Ima saver]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

I do too. I know one couple, in Florida, but I have to say they are really cheap. They like the all you can eat for $3.00 buffets, even tho the food is terrible. They went somewhere on vacation for $70 a week. It was their room and their food for $70. They had to cheat somehow to do it. They used different names and moved out of their room and into another one. I am not into cheating or eating food just because it is cheap.
But I would like to meet people who are frugal and don't believe in wasting money.

The ladies I party with all drink expensive wine. They make fun of me cause I like Boones farm wine. It is $2.99 a bottle and I like it. (obviously, I am not a wine person)

[cbmeeks]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

I bet George Soros, Steve Ballmer, Oprah Winfrey have credit cards too. Not everyone who has a credit card is carrying a balance.

Having tons of money doesn't mean you are smart. I bet Britney Spears has a CC too. What's your point?

cbmeeks

[Thrifty Ray]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

I have a rewards cc and I charge EVERYTHING on it...then I pay it off each week/month... I never pay interest and every month or so, I request a check which goes into my challenge account.

If you are disciplined, you can reap some benefits from having a credit card.

I understand some folks aversion to cc's but there is nothing wrong with maintaining one if you can do so responsibly.

[Ima saver]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

That is just what we do too, Ray. My husband charges lots of materials at home depot. I deduct it from our check book the day he charges it and then pay the bill in full. So far, we have over $500 which we will get back in August!! It is money he has to spend anyway. It keeps him from writing a check almost every day and we get money back.

[Thrifty Ray]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

That is just what we do too, Ray. My husband charges lots of materials at home depot. I deduct it from our check book the day he charges it and then pay the bill in full. So far, we have over $500 which we will get back in August!! It is money he has to spend anyway. It keeps him from writing a check almost every day and we get money back.

IM (controversial) O you are missing out if you qualify for the opportunity and don't take it. It truly is free money- but the key is DISCIPLINE.

Disclaimer: If you don't have self discipline, it is NOT worth the possibility of getting into debt.

[Ima saver]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

Oh no, it has to be paid off every month. In our case, it is often something charged for someone elses house and they are really paying the american express bill with this month's draw!

[The Budget Man]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

IM (controversial) O you are missing out if you qualify for the opportunity and don't take it. It truly is free money- but the key is DISCIPLINE.

Disclaimer: If you don't have self discipline, it is NOT worth the possibility of getting into debt.

Here's how to work out if it is worth getting the rewards. If you have not overrun the payment date on your card in the last year you have the discipline. On the other hand, missing one payment date per year usually costs you more than the benefits.

Enjoy Your Money

The Budget Man

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

cbmeeks, I think Paulette means that just having a credit card does not mean that you will charge it up to the point that you cannot pay it off each month. I have credit cards and never in my life have I been umable to pay them off each month. Having a credit card is not dumb, though there are dumb ways to use one. You know that, right? I do not consider having and using my cards the slightest bit risky. I have the money to pay them before I even use them.

[DebtManWalking]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

In our experience, we have lost friends now due to our financial position. Not because we are broke and can't afford things, but because according to our friends we "have it but don't use it". I have read the replies in this thread and can't believe how many comments strike me as having heard them before.

We have friends that are in debt up to the eyeballs, big house, BMW's and the white picket fence. The inside of the house is barely furnished because to them the outside appearance is far more important than the inside.

In our house, the outside comes last and the inside is the first to be looked after. We have a beautiful home that is beautifully landscaped by the two of us as we enjoy that stuff, but we had to wait and be patient because our life is about we feel and live on the inside than what we look like on the outside.

Thanks!

[The Budget Man]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

cbmeeks, I think Paulette means that just having a credit card does not mean that you will charge it up to the point that you cannot pay it off each month. I have credit cards and never in my life have I been umable to pay them off each month. Having a credit card is not dumb, though there are dumb ways to use one. You know that, right? I do not consider having and using my cards the slightest bit risky. I have the money to pay them before I even use them.

That's the excitement and freedom a credit card can give a person who has the ability to use it correctly.

You can still have a credit card and enjoy it even if you have difficulties with credit. The trick is of course to have a small limit and stay within it. The larger the limit the more you need to know you can walk away from a purchase.

I've broken up my credit card limits across multiple cards and only use them in specific circumstances.

Enjoy your money.

[Ima saver]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

We never charge large ticket items. If my husband needs something big, like a $1000 tool, we pay for that by check. It is just smaller items, like things in catalogs, that we charge and pay off monthly. That is with my credit card. His credit card is for home depot, or building supply places that we pay each month.

[flash]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

In our experience, we have lost friends now due to our financial position. Not because we are broke and can't afford things, but because according to our friends we "have it but don't use it". I have read the replies in this thread and can't believe how many comments strike me as having heard them before.

We have friends that are in debt up to the eyeballs, big house, BMW's and the white picket fence. The inside of the house is barely furnished because to them the outside appearance is far more important than the inside.

In our house, the outside comes last and the inside is the first to be looked after. We have a beautiful home that is beautifully landscaped by the two of us as we enjoy that stuff, but we had to wait and be patient because our life is about we feel and live on the inside than what we look like on the outside.

Thanks!

Same here...isn't it odd, people think that they can AFFORD something just because they can cover the cost, on the short term. We do use it, that's just it, we USE it, to work for us and keep us financially secure. Spending isn't the same as using! Thanks for the post!

[tgavin71]

Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.

If you lose friends over issues such as this then they weren't your friends in the first place.