How Did You Become A Frugalite?

[AndersonGal]

My parents would go along being Frugal then BAM! extravagant.
Guess that's where I developed the same pattern.

So?
*Were you born that way?
*Became that way due to money matters?
*Just a hobby?
*Not frugal at ALL?
*Or other?

Do you think creative types are more likely to be frugal or that being frugal tends to make you more creative?

Do you enjoy being frugal or HATE it?

Note: Board will not let me post polls lately.
We'll just have to do it the old fashion way.

[kmarr]

I think I was born that way. I am the oldest and my parents didn't have much when I was young. I was always frugal. Now my 5 younger brothers and sisters are the complete opposite. They spend every penny they have and then some. I find that even now that I can afford things I like the challenge to save. I also enjoy the security of having a cushion in the bank. That is very important to me.

[cujo0123]

I have always hated wasting money and resources so I guess I have always been frugal. Right now I am totally broke and it really helps me right now. But I also believe in paying more for quality items because it saves money in the long run.

[bbouma]

Well, to be honest, my husband and I have incurred a lot of debt, and it is a stressful lifestyle, so I'm just doing anything I can to cut back expenses and get out of debt. Once we are out of debt, though, I anticipate that we will also continue with the money saving ideas for the really important purchases, such as saving for a larger home.


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[momto1]

I remember I used to laugh at my parents when they mailed in their rebates and clipped coupons.

Well, a few years ago I had a child and realized going from 2 incomes and 2 mouths down to 1 income and 3 mouths being frugal is not so funny. Frugal is a MUST in my home now. Boy do I wish my mom would quit teasing me now!

Now I do not understand why in a society as rich as ours why people would buy all things brand new and at full price. I mean there are a few things that I will not skimp on but in general it must be a deal.

Anyway I LOVE being frugal. I love when someone says that I have a cute outfit or that my son is dressed great and then I can say yep for less then a dollar or whatever the deal was! It is almost a huge pride thing for me. I really love giving great gifts that cost next to nothing! I try to compete from year to year with myself on spending less each holiday.


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[AndersonGal]

Anyway I LOVE being frugal. I love when someone says that I have a cute outfit or that my son is dressed great and then I can say yep for less then a dollar or whatever the deal was! It is almost a huge pride thing for me. I really love giving great gifts that cost next to nothing! I try to compete from year to year with myself on spending less each holiday

Yeap, it's like a game.
My dh & I have played:
"Live The Best You Can On As Little As You Can"
for years.

If I could only stay in FFM. (Full Frugal Mode)


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[ghostie79]

i became that way out of necessity. when dh & i got married, he had huge cc bills and very little money. thankfully, we're in a better place now where i don't have to be so frugal. although i must say, i could certainly stand to cut back on my spending, because i've been going a little overboard lately.
i just have to keep that picture of my dream home in my head at all times, i guess.

[cata5]

I also have always been frugal due to having very little money. When we did have more money and didn't need to scrimp, I still remained frugal but at a different level you could say. I still saved those darn strawberry baskets and ice cream buckets, but I spent more money on better quality clothes. What kept me more frugal during these better times was watching other people spend on things I knew they could get cheaper or that they really didn't need (yeah, according to me...) I just don't understand some people's lifestyles...I guess they wouldn't understand mine!

I do feel good about being frugal and could do much better than I am doing right now. Sometimes I hate being so cheap! I just cannot spend money on something if it isn;t on sale and normally it has to be reeeeaaaaallllly on sale! I know it bugs my kids sometimes though they are proud of the fact that we don't spend foolishly.

And did I say that Dh is not frugal AT ALL? It is VERY difficult living with someone who has the opposite spending/saving habits.


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[3tbear]

As a kid I used to go through our attic and look for clothes, so I guess I had that frugal thing in me all along. I didn't really start getting frugal 'til my first marriage, we never seemed to have much money, so I'd go to the used book stores for my reading material, and to thrift stores for clothes. I just started really enjoying it, the savings, the variety, so I've kept it up into my 2nd marriage. My DH loves the fact I don't spend much, and I have fun at the same time. I do buy clothes retail every once in awhile but I really enjoy being in a thrift store or consignment shop, finding something I didn't expect to find, it's the thrill of the hunt.


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[Twinplets]

My parents were always big on stocking up during sales, going to several different stores to get the prices at each, coupons, rebates, etc. When I was in college, and had to start buying things for my apartment, I tended to follow the same path. And then I discovered store brands, and started saving even more.
Now I'm getting better at remembering things like "I like the store brand peanut butter at Hannaford better than Stop & Shop, but the Hannaford-brand cheerios aren't very good". Between that, and some stores not carrying some items, I still end up having to split my shopping between the three major chains (plus Sams Club, and sometimes Target or Wal-Mart or K-Mart, etc). No matter how good the sales are, there's a limit to how much milk, bread, and produce you can "stock up" on. (The Tupperware FridgeSmarts really do keep fruits & veggies fresh much longer, but even they have a limit.)


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[cutie_pie]

I think I was born frugal that or I was just rebelling against my mother, lol.

My mother spends like there is no end to the money (hence her being soooo far in debt she'd need a telescope to see the end of it) and when I was little, even though we didn;t have the money, she would spend like there was no tomorrow, debt piling up HIGH.

I was always in shock about it all, and when I saw her with her first credit card, I was in shock as she charged her way to the max in no time, then on to the next one.

My bio father is schizophrenic when it comes to spending...he will live sparsely (same couch for the past 30 years I know of, and I swear he bought it used then) but would plunk down thousands for fancy trips for his now ex-wife. Go figure---I say he should have bought a new couch, lol, that wouldn't have run off with someone with more $$

[pjsbabybj]

I guess I was born into it. My Mom quit school when she was 16 to marry my Dad. They raised three kids on just his income. Mom was a great money manager. To this day, she has never had a credit card. She has always said if I can't pay cash for it I can't afford it. I didn't always have the best growing up, but I never remember having to do without anything. We always had a huge garden and would freeze and can everything. We also ate a lot of fish that my Dad would catch. I learned a lot from being raised like I was. I don't know many people my age (besides myself) who actually can food.

I like it when my DH brags on me, while other men are fussing about their wives spending so much.


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[TeresaD90]

We're frugal because we have to be. I like it though. I shop a lot of yard sales and the sales at the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I love to see my kids in the same name brands and know that we didn't pay nearly as much for them.

Also an avid deal shopper on the web. My husband brags that I can buy $300 worth of x-mas for less than $100. Usually true.

My biggest downfall is eating out. My kids pester and I can't resist them sometimes. ARGGGGGGGGHHHH!

Have gotten really good at cheap homecooked meals though.


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[3tbear]

I have a used pocketbook I bought on our last trip to Canada, found it in a thrift store and I absolutely adore it. It's even a name brand, Nine West. You pull the ties to close it, it's a cloth bag, think I paid something like $2.00 for it.