Kat and I are home sick today. Both of us are feeling under the weather a bit, but I just wanted to direct your attention to another blog post I read this morning by Karen at Living Well On Less. She writes about finding your own optimal comfort zone when living a frugal lifestyle.
This is something I think about often. In living a frugal lifestyle, Shane and I encounter opposition (for lack of a better word) from two distinct camps: those who "get it" and those who don't.
We know plenty of people who just don't get it. They don't understand why we strive for the best value on everything we buy, or why we deprive ourselves (in their eyes) of things we want because we refuse to put our latest whims on credit. They don't understand our goal to become entirely debt-free by retirement, if not sooner. They don't understand that often, less is more. Many of the men Shane works with fall into this category.
On the other side of the coin, there are those who do get it...in a big way. Sometimes they are even harder to deal with, because frugality suddenly becomes a competition. Nearly everyone in my family is frugal, but unfortunately some have become very competitive about it. To me, the competitive nature cheapens (pun intended) the concept of being frugal.
I guess my point is....there's no wrong way to be frugal. Use coupons or don't. Shop at garage sales or don't. Focus on smaller savings or just the larger ones. It doesn't really matter, as long as you are working toward the goals YOU set for YOUR family and situation, and that you try not to judge others who choose to go a different route.
I think Karen says it better than I can. Check out her post here.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Just Some Thoughts
Labels:
Less Is More,
Living Without Debt,
My Opinion,
Our Goal,
Simplicity
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7 comments:
Wonderful post Annie! I admire what your family is doing. Cathy
Great post, I totally agree!! Well said
Great post! And I know exactly what you mean. I was once accused by my "very frugal" uncle of "spend[ing] money on the dumbest things and sav[ing] money on the dumbest things." This was because I mentioned washing Ziploc bags, which I find to be an envrionmentally responsible thing to do, as much as it is cheap. The same uncle, who claims to be such a saver and so tight with his month, does NOT eat any leftovers -they get thrown out. I just don't get some "frugal" people!!!!
Cathy: Thanks! I admire what YOU are doing (in terms of your RA).
Emily: Thank you, also. Your post today was along these lines, too, wasn't it?
Janelle: This is exactly what I mean. Shane's boss harps "Why don't you just buy (insert gadget) here, if you want it?" while my sister is saying "If you were really frugal, you'd handwash your dishes instead of using the dishwasher." Sometimes it's hard with all the opinions flying in from different directions.
I'll never understand why people can't just do their thing and let others do theirs...and seriously? I think no matter HOW people are trying, it's a start, and a move in the right direction.
Tug: Shane and his big, manly co-workers are worse than a bunch of old hens when it comes to arguing over spending habits. It's both funny and pathetic.
You're right, any move toward frugality (if that's your goal) is a good move.
annie I'll check out her post, but I think you said it yourself wonderfully! I agree, being frugal means a lot of different things and we can all learn from each other. Like my grandfather said "There's more than one way to skin a cat!" And just so you know, I wash a lot of my ziplock bags too! ;)
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