s/o Anyone surprised by the level of frugality practiced by some of our fellow

[Lisa R.]

WTM board members?

 

We use coupons, cut male family members' hair, and watch grocery costs. I'm all for frugality. However, I admit I'm taken aback by some of what is posted here. Cloth t.p., dressing in winter clothing indoors, serving potatoes for every meal, etc. are surprising cost-cutting measures to me.

 

Of course, if one must do this in order to have food to eat, I would do it, too. It sounds like this is the case with these posters.

 

It makes me wonder though--I hear Dave Ramsey tell people that are having financial difficulty that they either need to cut spending or increase their earning. If one is using the measures above, it seems that cost have been cut far beyond what most would consider. Has increasing earning been investigated with the same dedication that cost cutting has been? I'm trying not to sound naive here. I know that the economy has been hit hard, but there are still ways people have found to earn some extra money or prepare for a career change that offers a higher salary.

 

I'm asking honestly to anyone willing to share, is this a short-term solution to money issues such as a job loss? Or, is this a life style you intend to keep for the near future? Have you considered increasing the income by a job change or moving to a part of the country with a lower cost of living? While I'm all for frugal living, there is a limit to how little one can spend and live comfortably.

 

For those that felt free to post about cutting costs, I hope you don't mind me asking about the background that's driving this. I'm genuinely curious.

[secular_mom]

While I'm all for frugal living, there is a limit to how little one can spend and live comfortably.

 

For those that felt free to post about cutting costs, I hope you don't mind me asking about the background that's driving this. I'm genuinely curious.

 

Different strokes for different folks. ;)

'living comfortably' will not be defined the same way by different people. Some people HAVE to have central air and cable TV to be 'comfortable'.

Some people aren't comfortable without having their hair and nails done every week, driving a really expensive car, etc.

Some people prefer TP and some prefer cloth or a bidet or other option.

 

 

I'm sure that those who are struggling financially are doing all that they can reasonably do to make ends meet. Some of us just don't have the option of working for several reasons. Yes, selling things seems to be an option, but not if no one in your area is buying- shipping costs and seller fees make e-bay a less appealing source of income. There are just so many variables with different families.

[Caitilin]

On the cloth diapering site I visit, there're a whole lot of ladies who use "family cloth" (cloth TP), as well as "mama cloth" (for aunt flo) and cloth diapers and napkins too. Some of them do it out of frugality, but I think that most of them do it to be greener. I think that there are frugal people, and then there are "green" people who are also frequently frugal as a way of reducing their "footprint." But, these same women are appalled (generally speaking) at the frugality espoused by the Hillbilly Housewife (is that right??), involving eating cheap but often empty calories, etc.

 

We strive for frugality, but, for instance, we don't eat cheaply. I consider it a health investment. :)

[LauraGB]

I agree that each family has a different idea of what's comfortable. I think its admirable for some families to be as frugal as possible if homelessness is the next thing in line. I find it difficult to believe that people willing to go to some serious extremes aren't doing thier very best to find a better job.

 

Some people simply don't like to spend money. I can appreciate that, too. (I fall into this category - I'm cheap ;))

 

Some people are planning ahead and want to do without anything "extra" now so they can stash anything so they can afford to grow old without counting on an allowance that won't be there in the future while they look for a job they are too old to get.

 

There was a time when a lot of those "extras" seemed like necessities...experience has shown me otherwise for a lot of them. I think those "extras" mean something different to different people, given thier personal situation.

 

I've also heard that rich people don't get rich by spending money. A lot of wealthy people I know are way cheaper even than me!

[tex-mex]

Ummm...

dumb question. But does the "family cloth" (TP) get reused? :ack2: All I can think is that is a great way to catch tapeworm. :confused:

[Crissy]

Ummm...

dumb question. But does the "family cloth" (TP) get reused? :ack2: All I can think is that is a great way to catch tapeworm. :confused:

 

I would imagine they wash each cloth between uses.

Honestly, I don't want to imagine it any other way. :001_huh:

[5knights3maidens]

I would imagine they wash each cloth between uses.

Honestly, I don't want to imagine it any other way. :001_huh:

 

I have never heard of this until now.:svengo:

[Caitilin]

Ummm...

dumb question. But does the "family cloth" (TP) get reused? :ack2: All I can think is that is a great way to catch tapeworm. :confused:

 

Oh, yes, it gets reused. ;) However, unless someone actually HAS tapeworm, and there's no reason to suppose that you do, it wouldn't spontaneously generate them or anything. :lol:

 

Seriously, we're using cloth diapers, and my DS eats everything I do, so there's not a lot of difference, KWIM? For the record, though, we don't use family cloth, although I do use cloth wipes on DS. And we wash all the dipes and wipes twice: one full cycle on cold, and one full cycle on hot. Plus, in the summer, we hang them in the sun to bleach and sanitize them. Do you feel a bit better?

Edited October 21, 2009 by Caitilin
typo

[tex-mex]

I would imagine they wash each cloth between uses.

Honestly, I don't want to imagine it any other way. :001_huh:

 

Lol... makes sense!

I can see why folks used the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs to wipe -- or old dried up corncobs. THAT seems way more hygenic, kwim? :svengo:

 

P.S. I completely understand baby cloth diapers... and if it is laundered clean, great. But still unsure of sharing cloth TP with the whole familia, que no?

Edited October 21, 2009 by tex-mex

[Emmy]

I am pretty sure people that use family cloth handle it the same way as cloth diapers - it goes in a pail / hanging bag / whatever and gets washed and sanitized just like diapers.

 

To the original question - yes I'm often surprised at some of the measures of frugality I read here. I have my things I'm frugal on and my things I'm not. The ones that bother me the most here are the ones related to limiting food for children. I don't understand that and for my own comfort level, if I could not provide enough food for my children it would be time to look at increasing my income - even if that meant not homeschooling anymore. Food is more important than homeschooling to me.

[Colleen in NS]

If one is using the measures above, it seems that cost have been cut far beyond what most would consider.

 

Most where? Not in a lot of the world outside of America or other "first world" nations.

 

Has increasing earning been investigated with the same dedication that cost cutting has been?

 

In my family, yes, but up to the present, cost-cutting has been the more economic way, for many reasons.

 

is this a short-term solution to money issues such as a job loss? Or, is this a life style you intend to keep for the near future?

 

For us, frugal living has been a way to live within a low means, so that we can give our kids a good education at home. It's not something I would have chosen 15 years ago when we got married, but along the way, I have become glad that I have been forced to figure out new ways of doing things and seeing things. I've acquired many skills along the way and have developed my creativity, for which I am now thankful.

 

Have you considered increasing the income by a job change or moving to a part of the country with a lower cost of living?

 

Yes, but have encountered barriers to these things, which were not worth it to us. It's easier on our family to keep living frugally.

 

Having said all that, I'm at a point that I do actively consider different things *I* can do to make more money for us (dh is the breadwinner). But it would have to be something that would not interfere in our education and family life. I would rather eat beans than give up homeschooling and a relaxed family life to go out to a "job."

 

EDIT: I just realized you were talking about particular measures of cost-cutting - we use paper t.p. ;), but we also bundle up when it's cold and use potatoes or homemade wheat flour products a lot, because they are the cheapest of the "grain/filler" type foods. I make sure my family gets healthy grains/veggies/fruits/proteins/calcium/water each day, and appropriate amounts of each, but I do consider things like "which type of proteins are least expensive? Which types of *beans* are least expensive but still have a decent amount of protein per serving?" In other words, I sweat the small stuff.

Edited October 21, 2009 by Colleen in NS

[sarahf.]

For us it is more about limiting consumption and reducing our carbon footprint. The Earth's resources are finite and our environment is under threat. Being frugal is our way of making a difference.

[Erica in PA]

WTM board members?

 

We use coupons, cut male family members' hair, and watch grocery costs. I'm all for frugality. However, I admit I'm taken aback by some of what is posted here. Cloth t.p., dressing in winter clothing indoors, serving potatoes for every meal, etc. are surprising cost-cutting measures to me.

 

Of course, if one must do this in order to have food to eat, I would do it, too. It sounds like this is the case with these posters.

 

It makes me wonder though--I hear Dave Ramsey tell people that are having financial difficulty that they either need to cut spending or increase their earning. If one is using the measures above, it seems that cost have been cut far beyond what most would consider. Has increasing earning been investigated with the same dedication that cost cutting has been? I'm trying not to sound naive here. I know that the economy has been hit hard, but there are still ways people have found to earn some extra money or prepare for a career change that offers a higher salary.

 

I'm asking honestly to anyone willing to share, is this a short-term solution to money issues such as a job loss? Or, is this a life style you intend to keep for the near future? Have you considered increasing the income by a job change or moving to a part of the country with a lower cost of living? While I'm all for frugal living, there is a limit to how little one can spend and live comfortably.

 

For those that felt free to post about cutting costs, I hope you don't mind me asking about the background that's driving this. I'm genuinely curious.

 

Yes, I've wondered about this too, especially in light of the income poll results I've seen on the board. There were very a small minority making as little as our family does, for example, and yet many people do things to be frugal that even I don't do. I wonder if, for many, it's more a way of life or mindset than actual financial necessity?

[HRAAB]

For us it is a lifestyle. In fact, I would say it's spiritual to an extent. The simpler we get, the happier we get. Also, we are always trying to reduce the footprint we leave. I will confess that it's toilet paper in this house, though.

[katemary63]

CLOTH TP??????

ACKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never heard of it and don't ever want to hear about it again! Please!

 

:ack2::ack2:

[LauraGB]

CLOTH TP??????

ACKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never heard of it and don't ever want to hear about it again! Please!

 

:ack2::ack2:

Okay, disclaimer: I did not use cloth diapers on my children. I do not use "family cloth" now.

 

However, what is the big difference between cloth diapers and cloth for everyone else as well? I'm confused.

[melissel]

Okay, disclaimer: I did not use cloth diapers on my children. I do not use "family cloth" now.

 

However, what is the big difference between cloth diapers and cloth for everyone else as well? I'm confused.

 

I always wonder the same thing. Vinegar and bleach are your friends!

[Sparkle]

Frugality has become a way of life for me, and one that I generally don't mind. Part of it is out of necessity, because our income has been cut, and part of it is just wanting to live a greener, simpler life. I don't do all the cost-cutting measures that some of the folks do here - I need to have my house at a comfortable temperature for example - but I do quite a few things to keep our expenses low. I could go out and get a PT job (BTDT in fact) but dh prefers me to be at home. I've just found that saving money has gotten to be a habit, and I don't feel the need to spend money on things once I've discovered a cheaper way to do them, that's all :)

[G5052]

I live in a high-cost area with "old money" types that appear on the front page of the local paper doing various worthy things and giving away $, and then periodically I'll see one of them digging through the discount meat bin at the grocery, checking out skads of library books, or buying clothes at the thrift store when I'm doing the same. It really set me back at first, but then I figured -- why not?

 

In our case, we're frugal (to a point) because we want to keep one parent home at all times, keep our debts low, and save for the future. Moving is not an option for various reasons.

[MeaganS]

We use frugality as a way for me to stay at home. When my daughter was first born, I quit my job not knowing how long we'd last until I needed to find another, but praying I could stay home. I decided that because I was home, it was now my responsibility to do whatever I could to help us spend as little money as possible. This was after looking for work-at-home options and not finding anything. It started with little things, canceling the satellite, getting rid of texting on our cell phones, and just sort of rolled on from there. I think frugality is addicting! I feel a great sense of pride knowing that we live more comfortably now within our means than we did when we were when we were making 75% more money. We are doing this while my husband is in Medical School, which he should start next fall. So...we'll be crazy frugal (cloth diapers, not cloth tp) for at least 4 more years, and probably 5 or 6 more than that while we pay off student loans. I've learned to like it and enjoy the challenge!

[Reya]

EVERYONE has a finite amount of money--and infinite ways to spend it. We decide what we want to spend it on and prioritize accordingly. :-)

 

I've spent, on average, MAYBE $50 a year on clothes for me since I've gotten married. I probably average $150/yr for the kids for the first three years, and $100/yr thereafter.

 

OTOH, we have a 3200sqft house and are getting 2 new bathrooms and will be getting another new bathroom and laundry room before next school year, and I have no budget at all for homeschooling and kid activities (though I don't go crazy).

[EthiopianFood]

EVERYONE has a finite amount of money--and infinite ways to spend it. We decide what we want to spend it on and prioritize accordingly. :-)

 

I've spent, on average, MAYBE $50 a year on clothes for me since I've gotten married. I probably average $150/yr for the kids for the first three years, and $100/yr thereafter.

 

OTOH, we have a 3200sqft house and are getting 2 new bathrooms and will be getting another new bathroom and laundry room before next school year, and I have no budget at all for homeschooling and kid activities (though I don't go crazy).

 

Very true. I would rather shop at Baby Gap than have two new bathrooms. :D

 

We keep our house at 62 degrees because sweaters and blankets are a one-time expense. We'd rather spend that heating money on something else.

[sunshine]

Oh, yes, it gets reused. ;) However, unless someone actually HAS tapeworm, and there's no reason to suppose that you do, it wouldn't spontaneously generate them or anything. :lol:

 

Seriously, we're using cloth diapers, and my DS eats everything I do, so there's not a lot of difference, KWIM? For the record, though, we don't use family cloth, although I do use cloth wipes on DS. And we wash all the dipes and wipes twice: one full cycle on cold, and one full cycle on hot. Plus, in the summer, we hang them in the sun to bleach and sanitize them. Do you feel a bit better?

 

Ok, I understand the frugality of this vs buying the expensive diapers. But doesn't that use alot of water. Something my County Commissioner, whom I just had a lonnng conversation with about water shortages and drought, is having a fit about. Washing the diapers 2 times in a full load.

My Mom, who hated cloth diapers, use to soak them in a solution of borax in a bucket after rinsing them in the toilet. Then she washed them with a little bleach in the washing machine. THEN dried them in the sun because she didn't have a dryer. She told me the heat of the dryer sanitized them when I had my children. I tried cloth, and am sorry to say I wimped out.

So back to the water. If the reason for cloth diapers are to be "Green", then wouldn't all that water usage cancel out the benefits?

[Tap]

I think that is about two things. Both money and time. The two are more intertwined than a lot of people want to admit. To some people, time is worth more, to others money is. Some people would rather have less time but equate it to quality time. To others, all time is quality time.

 

 

Years ago I knew a Very intelligent man who easily could have been a success in business. He chose to be a part time grocery checker. He lived in a small, inexpensive house and relished the fact that he had a no stress job, and only worked part time. His wife stayed home and they were a very close family with several children. His job provided benefits, so they didn't use any assistance programs. He thought it was ridiculous for people to work 60 hour weeks for 30 years, to be able to afford a comfy retirement, and to vacation in Fiji. To him, he thought he got double the life of those CEOs, but only working 1/2 the time, and being able to live a laid back, no stress life...while his kids were home, and little. He figured that when they were older and he had more free time, he could choose to work more and double their income.

[KidsHappen]

If the reason for cloth diapers are to be "Green", then wouldn't all that water usage cancel out the benefits?

 

Questions like this drive me nuts. Even after tons of research there doesn't appear to be clear cut answers.

[tex-mex]

Questions like this drive me nuts. Even after tons of research there doesn't appear to be clear cut answers.

 

I'm with ya... on one hand the grey water from washing all those diapers or cloth TP seems wasteful. OTOH, the purchased diaper will sit in a landfill for years. Neither method seems green or helpful to the environment. :confused:

[Vida Winter]

WTM board members?

 

We use coupons, cut male family members' hair, and watch grocery costs. I'm all for frugality. However, I admit I'm taken aback by some of what is posted here. Cloth t.p., dressing in winter clothing indoors, serving potatoes for every meal, etc. are surprising cost-cutting measures to me.

 

Of course, if one must do this in order to have food to eat, I would do it, too. It sounds like this is the case with these posters.

 

It makes me wonder though--I hear Dave Ramsey tell people that are having financial difficulty that they either need to cut spending or increase their earning. If one is using the measures above, it seems that cost have been cut far beyond what most would consider. Has increasing earning been investigated with the same dedication that cost cutting has been? I'm trying not to sound naive here. I know that the economy has been hit hard, but there are still ways people have found to earn some extra money or prepare for a career change that offers a higher salary.

 

I'm asking honestly to anyone willing to share, is this a short-term solution to money issues such as a job loss? Or, is this a life style you intend to keep for the near future? Have you considered increasing the income by a job change or moving to a part of the country with a lower cost of living? While I'm all for frugal living, there is a limit to how little one can spend and live comfortably.

 

For those that felt free to post about cutting costs, I hope you don't mind me asking about the background that's driving this. I'm genuinely curious.

 

I have relatives that live frugally to an extent that I can hardly believe. They have chosen to live on the *barest* minimum. Yet at least one of their kids attends a private out of state college and I think the other one plans to if not already doing so. The wife in this household does not work - in fact she does not even do work around the house. It has to be a choice they have made; if it were I in that situation, I'd be out working, even if I had to be a maid. So yes I do believe that many others have made these choices. In the case I am referring to maybe not mentally healthy choices, but choices nonetheless.

[EthiopianFood]

So back to the water. If the reason for cloth diapers are to be "Green", then wouldn't all that water usage cancel out the benefits?

 

Not everyone has such an elaborate routine. With some diapers, you don't need to soak. Then you can do one extra cold rinse either before or after you do a hot wash, depending on your preference. I wouldn't be surprised if some didn't do the extra rinse, since the hot wash and the dryer together probably kill everything.

[melissel]

Ok, I understand the frugality of this vs buying the expensive diapers. But doesn't that use alot of water. Something my County Commissioner, whom I just had a lonnng conversation with about water shortages and drought, is having a fit about. Washing the diapers 2 times in a full load.

My Mom, who hated cloth diapers, use to soak them in a solution of borax in a bucket after rinsing them in the toilet. Then she washed them with a little bleach in the washing machine. THEN dried them in the sun because she didn't have a dryer. She told me the heat of the dryer sanitized them when I had my children. I tried cloth, and am sorry to say I wimped out.

So back to the water. If the reason for cloth diapers are to be "Green", then wouldn't all that water usage cancel out the benefits?

 

I think, in part, it depends on where you live. Here in NJ, we have plenty of water, but a huge garbage problem. Plus, it takes plenty of water, petroleum, fiber products, chemicals, electricity, fossil fuel, etc. to manufacture all those paper diapers and wipes and their packaging. Then add to that the aggregate cost of trucking those diapers to their points of sale and then away from our homes, and the accumulated solid waste eventually making its way into our environment rather than into the water treatment system where it belongs. Finally, when we use cloth diapers, we're controlling what we put on some of the most sensitive bits of our babies' bodies. It's not as clear cut as it might seem, and certainly the manufacturers of those disposable diapers aren't going to make it any easier for you to analyze the situation.

Edited October 21, 2009 by melissel

[sunshine]

I'm with ya... on one hand the grey water from washing all those diapers or cloth TP seems wasteful. OTOH, the purchased diaper will sit in a landfill for years. Neither method seems green or helpful to the environment. :confused:

 

that is what freaks me out. I can't decide which way is the better way. But then over and over I hear that all the water in the world is still being recycled. The glass we drink today was drank thousands of years ago. So why are we rationing water in non drought years.

I do see the landfill thing. That i something that sticks out like a sore thumb. It WILL take thousands of years for that to decompose.

 

Another question. Why don't we burn the landfills? Is it because of the fumes? Grrrrrr why aren't there any clear cut answers?

 

Science drives me nuts. 100 years ago "Science" declares bleeding people to be the best medicine.

After numerous deaths....they figured out not to do it.

 

The doctors laughed when told that infection was transmitted by their own hands and should wash their hands between patients. Finally, they got it.

 

Science says the earth is melting and we are killing it and then you find out it is the Cows pooting that is doing more than that big honking SUV that "Science" declared was killing the environment.

 

I just am confused.:confused:

 

Cloth TP or no cloth TP .....that is the question.

[GnomeyNewt]

Questions like this drive me nuts. Even after tons of research there doesn't appear to be clear cut answers.

 

How much water does it take to create and dispose of a disposable diaper? You are forgetting that disposable diapers do not come out of thin air! Just about if not more water than it takes to wash those diapers for years. And when I'm done with my cloth diapers, I can throw them in my compost pile. But I'm only on my 2nd child now and they are still wearable for the next.

 

On the cloth diapering site I visit, there're a whole lot of ladies who use "family cloth" (cloth TP), as well as "mama cloth" (for aunt flo) and cloth diapers and napkins too.

 

I'm one of those moms. I do all of these things and I do them not to be "green" -- because I started doing this before the term "green" was around but I do it because I find it to overall reduce my impact on disposable items. I don't use disposable paper items in my house because they are onetime uses and than into the garbage (or hopefully compost!), and I was not able to continue to do that as I found it wasteful. For me it started with paper towels and than I had children, so I used cloth diapers and wipes, than I started using them for TP, and than I started to use them for my aunt flow. And it works fine, we don't have any contagious diseases.

 

I soak them for 30 minute, do a regular wash and than do a cold rinse. I hang them when I can, oddly mostly during the winter over the wood stove and dry them in the dryer the rest of the time. I don't like to use the dryer either because that is also wasteful use of energy so I hang as often as I find the time. I'm sure it is a new concept for a lot of people, but I guess since I've been doing it for so long and we haven't had any issues with it, its just part of our lives. We do have TP in our house though for guests of course!

 

Now back to the original question... I think that for each family they do frugal or what seems to be frugal things for different reasons. Personally I try to both reduce my impact on the earth and also I try to save money, but nothing like some of the frugal people out there. Some of them are truly amazing at what they can do! I do have my weaknesses, so hopefully the things I am frugal with, will make up for the places I am not!

[melissel]

Not everyone has such an elaborate routine. With some diapers, you don't need to soak. Then you can do one extra cold rinse either before or after you do a hot wash, depending on your preference. I wouldn't be surprised if some didn't do the extra rinse, since the hot wash and the dryer together probably kill everything.

 

Oh yeah, this too. I didn't do any special treatment for the majority of my diapers. Our nighttime diapers gave us the most problems, and I'll admit that I ended up going to disposables at night most of the time, because both DDs were such heavy wetters that no matter what nighttime dipes I tried, they would soak through. If I had stink problems, vinegar and baking soda handled them just fine.

[Reya]

Very true. I would rather shop at Baby Gap than have two new bathrooms. :D

 

We keep our house at 62 degrees because sweaters and blankets are a one-time expense. We'd rather spend that heating money on something else.

 

Ah, but if you hit the clearance racks, you CAN shop at those stores.

 

DD has DOZENS of little perfectly matched princess outfits. Really, DOZENS. I just shop ahead and shop CAREFULLY!

 

(Oh, one of my favorites for this season is the red and black plaid with black velvet trim and an empire waist, a matching coat with a velvet cape collar and cuffs, velvet-covered buttons, and box pleated trim and the most DARLING cloche you've ever seen!!!! Black patent leather shoes, and it's perfect!)

[Tap]

Not everyone has such an elaborate routine. With some diapers, you don't need to soak. Then you can do one extra cold rinse either before or after you do a hot wash, depending on your preference. I wouldn't be surprised if some didn't do the extra rinse, since the hot wash and the dryer together probably kill everything.

 

When we did cloth for ds15 and dd11, we emptied the contents into the commode, tossed the diapers in a dry bucket and washed them every few days with a quality detergent on a 'sanitize' cycle and dried them in the drier. That was it. They were nice, fresh and white. We lived in are area with good quality city water, so there were not any issues like some friends who had not-so-great-well-water. It wasn't any more water than a usual load, just a little more electricity used to heat it super hot, and extra time to soak/slosh around.

[EthiopianFood]

Ah, but if you hit the clearance racks, you CAN shop at those stores.

 

DD has DOZENS of little perfectly matched princess outfits. Really, DOZENS. I just shop ahead and shop CAREFULLY!

 

(Oh, one of my favorites for this season is the red and black plaid with black velvet trim and an empire waist, a matching coat with a velvet cape collar and cuffs, velvet-covered buttons, and box pleated trim and the most DARLING cloche you've ever seen!!!! Black patent leather shoes, and it's perfect!)

 

I don't know. When a pair of jeans is originally $29.50, by the time it is $7.99, well, it's usually not even there long enough to get to that point. The cheapest I COMMONLY see is about $14.99, and it's not like the rest of the line, in the size I need, it sitting right there all together. Am I missing something? :confused:

 

I really like pretty much the entire line that is mostly black, with some tan thrown in there. Oh lord. :tongue_smilie:

[Laura Corin]

dressing in winter clothing indoors,

 

I grew up wearing thick clothes indoors in winter. It's winter after all. I remember the first time I went to visit my Texas in-laws for Christmas. I took turtle necks and corduroys, and roasted the whole time. All the pictures from that Christmas have me with very pink cheeks.

 

I had not anticipated that their heating would be turned up so high that one could wear short sleeves indoors. In fact, their flat was warmer in winter than in summer. To me that's strange.

 

In Scotland we have the heating on for the mornings and evenings, to cover baths/dressing/etc. Otherwise, we wear sweaters, wool socks and (if needed) long underwear. Winter clothes feel cosy, and it's an easy alternative to high fuel bills.

 

Laura

Edited October 21, 2009 by Laura Corin

[Kate in Arabia]

In Scotland we have the heating on for the mornings and evenings, to cover baths/dressing/etc. Otherwise, we wear sweaters, wool socks and (if needed) long underwear. Winter clothes feel cosy, and it's an easy alternative to high fuel bills.

 

We do something similar, in that we have the AC on at night and mornings, but really the house has cooled down a lot by then and we turn it off throughout most of the day. A couple of rooms have individual units that we may turn on if it feels stuffy. Thankfully, it's getting cool enough in the evenings that we may be able to just have the windows open and not turn on the central ac at all. There were just a few weeks we were here at the end of the summer when we had to have the ac running all day and night, and our electricity bill that month was frightening.

[justamouse]

I am all for being green and lord knows I'm frugal, but I draw the line at sharing bathroom cloths. No how, no way. (But I have heard that fabric pads are awesome.) I did use cloth diapers, but for different reasons. They were an investment (with all the kids I have), they were green and my kids get latex irritations.

 

We are frugal. We know it and accept it. But we also aren't a slave to it. I have a flat screen (which we caved to buying when the tube TV was DEAD as a doornail). We eat out.

 

You can't save $ you spend. You can't build wealth peetering $ away on junk. Most millionaires live far below their means, live in unassuming houses and don't make tons of $. It's how they spend it and how they invest what they save. Most old $ I know--you'd NEVER know they were wealthy. Ever. Beater cars, humble, frugal. They call those meadow mansions homes for the penny millionaires.

 

I know people in NY who have a 800 con ed (heating) bill if they keep it at 68. You bet they wear sweaters and long johns and slippers.

 

*shrug* It's all about your priorities and those are highly personal. Me? I'm building what we have for our family. That's my goal. I'm training them now to be savers and investers, to value what they will be given and to work hard on what we've built. I don't expect any one of them to go into the business, but the foundation is still there.

[justamouse]

I live in a high-cost area with "old money" types that appear on the front page of the local paper doing various worthy things and giving away $, and then periodically I'll see one of them digging through the discount meat bin at the grocery, checking out skads of library books, or buying clothes at the thrift store when I'm doing the same. It really set me back at first, but then I figured -- why not?

 

In our case, we're frugal (to a point) because we want to keep one parent home at all times, keep our debts low, and save for the future. Moving is not an option for various reasons.

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I'm the potato lady. :-)

 

For me it's all about living within our means and planning ahead for future expenses. I don't want an outside job, I like being at home and homeschooling. Working from home to make money would take away from the kind of lifestyle that our family enjoys. Beside that, making money myself has never given me any satisfaction and often feels like a waste of time.

 

Our lifestyle is not hurting us or our children, in fact I think it is doing them a service to have to think about the limitations of life and how to manage money so that you can live comfortably within your means.

 

When I find another way to save money that's like giving us a raise. We do use tp, and that would probably be one of the last things to go, but if it had to go, I would find an acceptable way to deal with it. If things got that desperate, I'm betting dh would be looking for a better job, or a way to supplement our income.

 

I personally think so many american have lived at an unrealistic level for so many years, we expect waaay more material things than we can actually afford.

 

So, I may be serving potatoes once a day, but I'm also eating homemade chocolate chip cookies and apple pie. My kids are on a bowling league and taking music lessons, we paid off our van, and our credit card, and are working on paying off parent loans. We have low house payment and we are not underwater because we bought our house before the boom, but we are paying 2 1/2 times as much for heating oil as when we moved in, hence the need to keep the heat low. Our van's warranty expired around the time we paid it off (of course) so now we have to plan for repairs to an aging vehicle. We've got one child in college and one nearing graduation, the more we save now, the more we can help them when they need it.

 

I agree with other posters who said we all have our own preferences, goals, and priorities. When our children talk about how much we have in relation to other people, we always ask, "Do you have more than you need?" (yes) "Is there anything you need that you do not have?" (no). Then you are rich. That is our philosophy.

[JFSinIL]

Having read The Tightwad Gazette - no. In many cases the eating potato type of thing is cheaper than all the hassle and cost (taxes, wardrobe etc.) of having a double-income life or a more demanding job.

 

Besides, the Irish in some of us LIKES potatoes! ;)

[Colleen in NS]

Having read The Tightwad Gazette - no. In many cases the eating potato type of thing is cheaper than all the hassle and cost (taxes, wardrobe etc.) of having a double-income life or a more demanding job.

 

Besides, the Irish in some of us LIKES potatoes! ;)

 

:iagree:

 

And :D about the Irish (see my name :D).

[Seeker]

I have to say something about the TP v. family cloth thing here. I am all for being conservative with our resources, but what is conservative changes with environmental issues. For instance, we were in a drought situation for four years and last year was quite severe in the Atlanta area. So, would it have been more conservative to use TP and flush only when necessary (smell factor) or to use family cloth and end up with more laundry using more water?

 

I think it all gets to be a bit ridiculous at times as to what is conservation and what is frugality. I like to think my family does a pretty good job for not living in a tent and hunting game for our food and clothing.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Having read The Tightwad Gazette - no. In many cases the eating potato type of thing is cheaper than all the hassle and cost (taxes, wardrobe etc.) of having a double-income life or a more demanding job.

 

Besides, the Irish in some of us LIKES potatoes! ;)

 

:D

 

We just read something in History about the potato being responsible for the population explosion in Ireland before the famine. It appears that potatoes and milk were a very nourishing diet.

[Marylou]

Different strokes for different folks. ;)

'living comfortably' will not be defined the same way by different people.

 

Yes! Some folks don't put the emphasis on comfort at all. My family will gladly keep the heat at 62 so that we have $ to help an orphanage or food pantry. I think people who constantly monitor their own "comfort level" might be the same folks who constantly have "money worries".

 

I'm the potato lady. :-)

 

When our children talk about how much we have in relation to other people, we always ask, "Do you have more than you need?" (yes) "Is there anything you need that you do not have?" (no). Then you are rich. That is our philosophy.

 

:iagree:Maybe this is what I will paint on the wall!

 

If we have food and clothing, with that we will be content. The Bible verse doesn't mention "comfort" at all!

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Isn't that funny, I didn't even think about how much money we give away. That's probably about %7 of dh's take home pay.

[Jennifer in MI]

EVERYONE has a finite amount of money--and infinite ways to spend it. We decide what we want to spend it on and prioritize accordingly. :-)

 

I've spent, on average, MAYBE $50 a year on clothes for me since I've gotten married. I probably average $150/yr for the kids for the first three years, and $100/yr thereafter.

 

OTOH, we have a 3200sqft house and are getting 2 new bathrooms and will be getting another new bathroom and laundry room before next school year, and I have no budget at all for homeschooling and kid activities (though I don't go crazy).

 

Very true. I would rather shop at Baby Gap than have two new bathrooms. :D

 

We keep our house at 62 degrees because sweaters and blankets are a one-time expense. We'd rather spend that heating money on something else.

 

I agree with these posters. It's all about choices. We choose to live frugally at home. To us, that means used clothes (mostly name brand!), cloth diapers, coupons, heat turned down in the winter (it IS winter after all - you're supposed to be cold!), hang dry our laundry, etc. I will not, however, compromise our food to be cheap until I absolutely have to! We eat mostly organic and I can do this fairly cheaply because we don't eat much meat or cheese.

 

But, we take nice vacations 2 - 3 times/year. We stay at NICE hotels. We cruise. We eat out every meal. That is our priority with our money. Living frugally means we can afford to travel and give our kids that experience.

 

Different strokes for different folks!

[Laura Corin]

What is your house made of? I only know this was similar to my in-laws in Germany, but it worked out because the home was well constructed and insulated. Here in the states the homes are often little more than Popsicle stick constructions with very little insulation. It would be inhumane to turn the heat off.

 

When I've seen houses being built in Dallas, I'm always amazed by how flimsy they look: it looks like just wood framing and something flimsy to fill in the gaps between. If I lived in one of those, I might well turn the heat down during the day but not off. Is there any move, with rising fuel prices and environmental concerns, to change building standards?

 

Our house is a mixture. The oldest part is stone; the newer parts are brieze block/cinder block. The roof has slates on one part and tiles on another; there's thick insulation in the roof space. The older part of the house is much warmer than the newer - the walls in the older part are about 2'6" thick.

 

Laura

[stripe]

The level of frugality practiced by many immigrants reminds me of the frugality practiced by my grandparents. Also one should keep in mind that members of the board include people around the world, people who were born / raised in other countries before migrating elsewhere, and people who are influenced by such people. So things like if/how one cleans oneself after using the toilet IS influenced by culture, desire for cleanliness, tradition, exposure to other systems, as well as to some degree by money.

 

Personally, I am shocked by the utter lack of understanding of what frugality and wise money management is on the part of most Americans. I swear, virtually every news piece I see / hear / read featuring people who are supposedly having massive money problems includes gems like this from a recent piece on Marketplace Money on NPR about people who are so discouraged about seeking work that they've stopped:

Janeane Marie Ceccanti: My name is Janeane Marie Ceccanti. I am 28 years old, and I live in Portland, Ore.

 

 

I met Ceccanti at a local farmer's market. She was counting her cash to see if she could afford a $5 sandwich. Ceccanti finished a degree in fashion design last December. Then, her student loan payments kicked in.

 

Ceccanti: And there are absolutely no jobs to be had. I've actually kind of given up. The hardest part is entering a field where you're competing against people with 20 years experience, because they lost their jobs.

 

 

So Ceccanti's gone out on her own. She's trying to develop a line of clothing. But that's not paying the bills.

 

Ceccanti: And my husband is supporting both of us on his salary as a kitchen manager at his family's restaurants.

People simply don't know what cooking on the cheap is. To most people it's a cheap take out meal, or a chicken at the grocery store. How many non-immigrants under the age of 60 do you know who regularly buy big bags of rice or cook their beans from scratch? They are few and far between and look "extreme" in their frugality. But there are many around the world for whom a dish of rice and beans seems like a feast, not like barely surviving. Do you know any Americans without electricity or without hot water, or without any running water whatsoever? These things ARE being rich.

[TravelingChris]

I don't have a money problem and don't have a comfort problem. WE heat and cool according to my requirements. Why mine? Because my disease has made my bodies temperature regulator to be not working right. I get too hot or too cold very easily and I really mean too cold. My body temperature starts dropping. Yes, I can put on more clothes but that creates some more problems. So we keep the heat between 70 and 72 and the cool about 76.

 

I don't care what you do to be frugal as long as you aren;t doing it with my money. So I don't like people who plan (not those who have unforseen circumstances like disasters, health emergencies, or unemployment) to use government assistance to live out their lifestyle be it frugal or not. It those cases, other ideas should come like getting more work or forgoing having anymore children). But if you are not getting government aid, be as frugal or as non frugal as you want.Isn't freedom nice?