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Re: The problem with being budget minded is other people.
I use the phrase, we can't afford it, quite often. This is for things like dining out too frequently, or buying a "want" when it wasn't budgeted.
laughing...the neighbors figure that we are broke because my husband, who retired from the fire department at age 50, will take odd jobs around the neighborhood. (He is now 53 with the old type of government pension that will continue until we die.)
The extra money he makes, goes on making extra payments on our bills or for buying hay for his buffalo. (We have a small herd of two cows and one bull.)
My daughter just graduated from college on June 10th. She moved back home on June 11th and started work on June 12th. The neighbors found out that she will also be available to house sit at night after her daytime job. She let them know that she would be glad to earn the extra money. She needs to buy herself a car as fast as she can.
My son has two more years in college. He is spending part of his summer on campus because he has a job as a research assistant in the geology department for a research professor. When he comes home, he is glad to take on odd jobs of house sitting or feeding the neighbors' livestock. (He also helps the elderly neighbors free of charge when they run into a problem like needing someone to stack wood.)
It is pretty nice for people to believe that we don't have any money and are having a difficult time of it. They don't need to know how we stand financially.
We don't loan, or co-sign for anyone. (That is one of our boundaries.) We will go out and buy groceries if they are having a difficult time of it or share what we have onhand since I keep a good stock of groceries.
Truthfully, all of us like doing things this way. My kids hate to ask me to buy anything for them, even though I never hold it against them. (They feel that we help them enough and they should be able to take care of theirselves.)
While they were away at college, I would have to demand that they let me give them some money when I could tell that they were pretty much down to their last dollar (usually at the end of the quarter).
I don't know what happened. I wasn't like them when I was their age.
I use the phrase, we can't afford it, quite often. This is for things like dining out too frequently, or buying a "want" when it wasn't budgeted.
laughing...the neighbors figure that we are broke because my husband, who retired from the fire department at age 50, will take odd jobs around the neighborhood. (He is now 53 with the old type of government pension that will continue until we die.)
The extra money he makes, goes on making extra payments on our bills or for buying hay for his buffalo. (We have a small herd of two cows and one bull.)
My daughter just graduated from college on June 10th. She moved back home on June 11th and started work on June 12th. The neighbors found out that she will also be available to house sit at night after her daytime job. She let them know that she would be glad to earn the extra money. She needs to buy herself a car as fast as she can.
My son has two more years in college. He is spending part of his summer on campus because he has a job as a research assistant in the geology department for a research professor. When he comes home, he is glad to take on odd jobs of house sitting or feeding the neighbors' livestock. (He also helps the elderly neighbors free of charge when they run into a problem like needing someone to stack wood.)
It is pretty nice for people to believe that we don't have any money and are having a difficult time of it. They don't need to know how we stand financially.
We don't loan, or co-sign for anyone. (That is one of our boundaries.) We will go out and buy groceries if they are having a difficult time of it or share what we have onhand since I keep a good stock of groceries.
Truthfully, all of us like doing things this way. My kids hate to ask me to buy anything for them, even though I never hold it against them. (They feel that we help them enough and they should be able to take care of theirselves.)
While they were away at college, I would have to demand that they let me give them some money when I could tell that they were pretty much down to their last dollar (usually at the end of the quarter).
I don't know what happened. I wasn't like them when I was their age.
.... only people who really want to see us would venture inside and be pleasantly surprised... lol... 
It's great to see how others live. Sometimes we change and other times we become more set in our ways as we see how we prefer our way of living.
I am a saver, my husband is a spender! Figures, huh? We have only been married 5 years. I am the laugh of the "neighborhood"- cheap so and so, so tight she squeeks, won't let him buy ANYTHING!!. Do you know what? I could care less. I retired at 51 with no company retirement plan only the money I put aside. I married 2 or 3 years after that. I do not touch "my money"- it is in the bank making money- we live on his income only. Some of our friends are retired military, both work, and still have financial issues!! We have one income $60,000 which includes the overtime and we do just fine. In fact we just came back from three weeks in Italy and Belgium. We are planning China in 2008. I make every buck work for us. We eat out once a month. We NEVER buy fast food of any sort. My husband takes lunch. We think the house will be paid off by the time my husband retires in 6 years and we have no debt except for a 2004 van we are still paying ourselves. Do I care that others spend unwisely? Hell no. Do I lend money? Hell no. lynclarke
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