Modern Day Tightwad Gazette?

[Soror]

If you're familiar with the Tightwad Gazette are there any blogs/sites you follow these days that are similar. She was frugal b/c she had to be, they were single income family with several kids living off of military pay. I keep finding blogs that choose frugality as a lifestyle choice when they are wealthy by any other standards. It's not the same to live cheaply when you have a giant pile of cash.  Having extra money allows you to make choices that save money in the long run and I'm not finding that particularly inspiring right now. 

[vonfirmath]

Money Making Mom started out that way. THough she doesn't have the nuts and bolts of how to be thrifty that the Tightwad Gazette did. Honestly, the principles in those old books are still useful. You just have to do the math yourself now.

[G5052]

I still look at my Tightwad Gazette.My income is very low for this area, and we wouldn't get by otherwise. I do have an emergency fund and retirement investments, but I don't want to tap those unless I absolutely must.

I like Dining on a Dime because they are truly frugal: https://www.livingonadime.com/

There is a book they sell called Penny Pinching Mama that really helped me see what is possible on low income. Some things I ignore (she didn't use bags in trash cans), and some things I've implemented like having very simple meals focused on nutritional value.

Another one is Mr. Money Mustache: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

He can be a little edgy, but has a lot of good tips. He emphasizes thinking about how choices affect your enjoyment of life. As an example, I might be able to get a much better-paying job if I was willing to take a horrible commute and be away from home 5am-8pm every day. But I'd rather work locally and be tight financially. I have more time to enjoy family and friends and such.

[NorthwestMom]

I second Mr Money Moustache.

 I would love to know how things turned out for the Dacyczyn family and if their adult kids embrace a similar path or not. 

[Soror]

38 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Money Making Mom started out that way. THough she doesn't have the nuts and bolts of how to be thrifty that the Tightwad Gazette did. Honestly, the principles in those old books are still useful. You just have to do the math yourself now.

I've looked at MSM some but it's been awhile I'll check it out. I reread Tightwad Gazette several years back and it didn't resonate nearly as much when I was first married and it was more relevant, but I did think of of cheking it out again for old time's sake.

20 minutes ago, NorthwestMom said:

I second Mr Money Moustache.

 I would love to know how things turned out for the Dacyczyn family and if their adult kids embrace a similar path or not. 

There are some interviews with her daughters from 5 yrs ago-https://thefrugalshrink.blogspot.com/search/label/Dacyczyn Interviews

22 minutes ago, G5052 said:

I still look at my Tightwad Gazette.My income is very low for this area, and we wouldn't get by otherwise. I do have an emergency fund and retirement investments, but I don't want to tap those unless I absolutely must.

I like Dining on a Dime because they are truly frugal: https://www.livingonadime.com/

There is a book they sell called Penny Pinching Mama that really helped me see what is possible on low income. Some things I ignore (she didn't use bags in trash cans), and some things I've implemented like having very simple meals focused on nutritional value.

Another one is Mr. Money Mustache: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

He can be a little edgy, but has a lot of good tips. He emphasizes thinking about how choices affect your enjoyment of life. As an example, I might be able to get a much better-paying job if I was willing to take a horrible commute and be away from home 5am-8pm every day. But I'd rather work locally and be tight financially. I have more time to enjoy family and friends and such.

LOL, Mr. Money Mustache is exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for- frugality is a lifestyle choice for him, it changes things, they had lucrative jobs. That is not inspiring to me at this point in time.

I'll check out Living on a Dime and see if I can find Penny Pinching Mama! TY

[katilac]

OP, this is an interesting quote from one of the grown TG daughters, from link above:

I also have to say that our family was in a unique position where we lived very frugally even though my family was wealthy.

[BarbecueMom]

I was going to say the same thing about MMM, his thing is voluntary and intentional... oh what’s the word, not deprivation or hardship.  I can’t think of the word.  Discomfort?  Yes!  Voluntary discomfort.  But that’s certainly not the same thing as having to live on a small income without assets and blog income to back you up.

However there are a couple threads buried on the forum that I like to follow because they really challenge me to look deeper into budget items.  The $200/month grocery budget thread is something I check almost every day.  I tell myself, “I can’t do that,” which is true, but I can more clearly see now which parts of that are due to personal choice and which parts are necessities I have to work around.

I think any blog is going to have the big asterisk disclaimer that the blog itself produces ad income or promotional items or affiliate links that artificially lower their expenses.  I’ve found a lot better information from taking useful bits from non-bloggers on various personal finance forums (or here).

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

I was going to say the same thing about MMM, his thing is voluntary and intentional... oh what’s the word, not deprivation or hardship.  I can’t think of the word.  Discomfort?  Yes!  Voluntary discomfort.  But that’s certainly not the same thing as having to live on a small income without assets and blog income to back you up.

However there are a couple threads buried on the forum that I like to follow because they really challenge me to look deeper into budget items, and the postersThe $200/month grocery budget thread is something I check almost every day.  I tell myself, “I can’t do that,” which is true, but I can more clearly see now which parts of that are due to personal choice and which parts are necessities I have to work around.

I think any blog is going to have the big asterisk disclaimer that the blog itself produces ad income or promotional items or affiliate links that artificially lower their expenses.  I’ve found a lot better information from taking useful bits from non-bloggers on various personal finance forums (or here).

Yes, this is what I was going to say too.....that someone who is being frugal from necessity doesn't really have the time to write a  blog.  And then if it gets successful, they usually are not longer doing it from necessity!  I used to like the llnoe.com board for good ideas on frugal living.  And this board too, I agree, has lots of good ideas over the years..

[Scarlett]

26 minutes ago, katilac said:

OP, this is an interesting quote from one of the grown TG daughters, from link above:

I also have to say that our family was in a unique position where we lived very frugally even though my family was wealthy.

Wow!  

[Carrie12345]

Yeah, it seems like a catch-22 at play.  One way of looking at it might be that those who are being frugal by choice have had the room to make mistakes, and can then steer others away from making the same ones.

[historically accurate]

Here's one I stumbled across recently; I haven't made my way through a lot of it yet though so I can't give it a thorough review.

http://underthemedian.blogspot.com/

[shawthorne44]

42 minutes ago, katilac said:

OP, this is an interesting quote from one of the grown TG daughters, from link above:

I also have to say that our family was in a unique position where we lived very frugally even though my family was wealthy.

 

They hadn't started out wealthy.  But, between being frugal and the money from TG, they became wealthy.  

 

[Scarlett]

I just took a peek at llnoe.com and they have a lot of threads there in the frugal living section.  

[katilac]

11 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said:

 

They hadn't started out wealthy.  But, between being frugal and the money from TG, they became wealthy.  

 

 

But they weren't poor or low-income, either. In the first book, she says their income had been about $30,000 on average in the early years of their marriage. That would be about $56,000 today, just below the national median. The extreme frugality was a choice that enabled them to fulfill their dream of buying a 1900s farmhouse with attached barn while one parent stayed home.  

It's a choice I completely applaud, and I still own all of the Tightwad books and learned a lot from them back in the day. I love all of her thoughts on spending money thoughtfully and making conscious choices (ie, there's nothing wrong with eating out if you value and enjoy eating out, just recognize what you are giving up in order to do so). But they did have a decent income, and loving relatives who gave gifts to the kids. Also, the most amazing garage sales in the world! You don't find those remarkable deals unless you live rich-people-adjacent, lol. 

I make the distinction so that people who are truly low-income don't feel bad about not replicating her success. 

[Guest]

I still love TG, even though specific math is no longer applicable.

I read at Dollar Stretcher from time to time. 

[G5052]

1 minute ago, katilac said:

I make the distinction so that people who are truly low-income don't feel bad about not replicating her success. 

 

This is the bottom line.

There were eye-opening aspects to all of this that I hadn't considered. For example, we had a bad habit of getting fast food all the time as a family. When I learned to always have quick meal fixings available, our overall food bill dropped significantly. 

I garage sale too, but only in the many upscale neighborhoods near me. I look carefully at the the addresses and pass by if it is like my own neighborhood. I also keep a list of things I'm looking for. 

Both good fixes if you want to limit your spending for whatever reason. 

 

[NormaElle]

Pennilessparenting.com is good. 

[klmama]

42 minutes ago, G5052 said:

I garage sale too, but only in the many upscale neighborhoods near me. I look carefully at the the addresses and pass by if it is like my own neighborhood. I also keep a list of things I'm looking for. 

This is the opposite of what I've found.  At least in the upscale neighborhoods in our area, the garage sale prices are astronomical, with many used items priced higher than a new comparable quality item on sale at local stores.  In middle class and poor neighborhoods, people seem more interested in just getting something for their unneeded stuff, and the prices are very reasonable for things that are still decent quality.

 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

If I remember correctly MMM doesn’t have health insurance because he has the money to cover medical expenses. Definitely a lifestyle choice. I have a love/hate thing with MMM, he’s highly amusing, but kind of makes you feel like if you didn’t retire at 40, you already did it wrong. But he’s 100x better than Dave Ramsey, no snake oil feel about MMM.

[Carol in Cal.]

I hear that there is a new, updated edition of "Your Money Or Your Life" that came out recently.

I think I would start with that.

It's about more than being frugal.  It's about being frugal FOR something.  Frugal, not cheap.  And it does talk about how to do that.

The thing is, there are so many different levels of prosperity and frugality looks different at each one.  When we had very low income, we already had a (heavily mortgaged) house, and we had a Costco membership.  Those were things we could leverage, and also I absolutely prioritized holding onto that house, hard though it was.  (We could plant veggies, dry laundry on a line, store bulk Costco staples like flour, sugars, and rice, and bake and cook from scratch there.)  Whereas really poor people who were crowded into a SRO room for a family of 4 didn't have the room to benefit from buying in bulk, which was a great strategy for us.  Plus they didn't have the financial margin to do so.  So their frugality might have been to move to an SRO near a more generous food bank, and for the oldest kid to get a paper route.  

 

[G5052]

44 minutes ago, klmama said:

This is the opposite of what I've found.  At least in the upscale neighborhoods in our area, the garage sale prices are astronomical, with many used items priced higher than a new comparable quality item on sale at local stores.  In middle class and poor neighborhoods, people seem more interested in just getting something for their unneeded stuff, and the prices are very reasonable for things that are still decent quality.

 

Yes, it really depends on your area. In neighborhoods like mine there are worn clothes, cassette players, and saggy couches. I've never found anything useful at those sales. When I go to the upscale, development-wide ones with a homeowner's association, there are a few overpriced items concentrated at certain houses, but on my last run I found a very fancy radio for our dog for $1 and a brand new Luluroe with tags for $5. That's pretty typical. There were a number of other things that were very nice like multiple new, room-sized Persian rugs for $20 and full-sized house plants in planters for $2 that I passed by that I didn't need.

[BarbecueMom]

11 minutes ago, G5052 said:

 

Yes, it really depends on your area. In neighborhoods like mine there are worn clothes, cassette players, and saggy couches. I've never found anything useful at those sales. When I go to the upscale, development-wide ones with a homeowner's association, there are a few overpriced items concentrated at certain houses, but on my last run I found a very fancy radio for our dog for $1 and a brand new Luluroe with tags for $5. That's pretty typical. There were a number of other things that were very nice like multiple new, room-sized Persian rugs for $20 and full-sized house plants in planters for $2 that I passed by that I didn't need.

My experience is similar to yours.  In my (lower middle class) neighborhood, people that have good stuff to sell do it on Facebook or Craigslist, and their garage sales are more of the “declutter the garage” variety.  Inversely, when I’ve put higher ticket items out for a garage sale, they get passed by because shoppers here aren’t looking for well-maintained useful items.

I took an informal survey at my last garage sale of the people who stopped.  They wanted Coca-Cola decor, specific sizes of screws and hardware, collectible bears, and some other character item that I can’t remember.  I stopped having garage sales after that.

 

ETA:  Oh, and holiday decor.  Apparently my neighbors cannot resist dusty, second-hand wreaths.  I’m not even sure we have a wreath.

[Kalmia]

The Simple Dollar. Several Contributors but the originator was Trent Hamm. He started out earning enough money but then made lifestyle choices that put him in deep debt. He had a baby and realized he had to change his ways. There are very specific tips, which I like, and there is a lot of content. The site is a little hard to navigate. There are a lot of financial services ads on it to ignore. 

He also has a book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Dollar-Wiped-Achieved-Dreams/dp/0137054254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531938547&sr=8-1&keywords=the+simple+dollar

Read these first to follow his story: 

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-road-to-financial-armageddon-1-the-earliest-mistakes/

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-road-to-financial-armageddon-2-early-profits-lost/

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-road-to-financial-armageddon-2-early-profits-lost/

(You can continue to follow the ten part story through links at the bottom of each page.

Then the getting started posts:

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/little-steps-100-great-tips-for-saving-money-for-those-just-getting-started/

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/category/money/getting-started/

 

 

 

[G5052]

1 minute ago, BarbecueMom said:

In my (lower middle class) neighborhood, people that have good stuff to sell do it on Facebook or Craigslist.

I've sold a lot of the better things on local Facebook yard sale groups and need to get going on that again because I have some decent but older IT stuff and a few kitchen items we don't need. Things like canning equipment, tools, etc. sell well if you price well.

[klmama]

37 minutes ago, G5052 said:

I found a very fancy radio for our dog for $1 

To keep it company while you're gone or...???

[Beth S]

The Simple Dollar Guy interviewed Amy Dacyczyn in 2014:

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/an-interview-with-amy-dacyczyn-the-author-of-the-tightwad-gazette/

I think everyone has unique strengths & weaknesses in regards to money management--it's a lifelong daily challenge for me, to spend it wisely! 

I get a lot of encouragement from personal finance bloggers (each in different personal situations) like:
http://www.frugalwoods.com/
http://thepowerofthrift.com/
https://www.getrichslowly.org/
https://thebudgetingwife.com/
https://thinksaveretire.com/

 

 

[Annie G]

Mr Money Mustache might not be your cup of tea but the forums there have plenty of normal people trying to live frugally.  Much more helpful than mmm blog posts. 

[Katy]

MMM Forum might be a better fit than the blog.

Frugalwoods is similar, although their tone & lifestyle have changed A LOT in the last 18 months or so. They started out actually struggling to save to buy a home, tightened their budgets considerably, and then kept at it after they met that initial goal, with early retirement to the woods in mind.  Now they're not technically retired - he works in town, she's making significant income from the blog, but there's some good info in there too.

Dollar Stretcher https://www.stretcher.com/ may be the closest thing that's still kept up.

https://rockstarfinance.com/ has some good content, and some that's more annoying than MMM.

http://theprudenthomemaker.com/ has some inspiring material.

You might find more luck on YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/user/dirtpatcheaven is a bit too longwinded for my taste, but they really struggle sometimes.

Andrea Mills is a lot of large family, herbalist, and homeschooling content, but there's a fair bit of good money savings advice mixed in everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32NjXTymKCSPhc3CqhcE1g/

[Soror]

Thank you guys so much for all the links, you've given me lots of links to go through! Some I've never seen before and some that are entirely no to me. 

I actually had a MMM forum account years ago, it might have changed but it wasn't my thing back then.

[Annie G]

Like Katy mentioned, the tone of Frugalwoods has really changed. It no longer appeals to me. I did the frugal month challenge in January and didn’t get a thing out of it, but there’s another this month so clearly some people find it helpful. 

[BarbecueMom]

Funny story.  I’ve never actually read The Tightwad Gazette, but this thread (and the interviews with the grown daughters) prompted me to look for it on my library run tonight.  I opened the cover to scan it at the checkout and saw that it’s a signed copy.  Pretty cool!

So thanks Dorothy, for your library donation and the gift of thrift.

[NorthwestMom]

Such a great thread! Thanks to those who posted links to Dacyczyn updates! It was great to hear their kids turned out happy and with similar values. 

[Soror]

10 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

Funny story.  I’ve never actually read The Tightwad Gazette, but this thread (and the interviews with the grown daughters) prompted me to look for it on my library run tonight.  I opened the cover to scan it at the checkout and saw that it’s a signed copy.  Pretty cool!

So thanks Dorothy, for your library donation and the gift of thrift.

LOL, very cool!

10 hours ago, Annie G said:

Like Katy mentioned, the tone of Frugalwoods has really changed. It no longer appeals to me. I did the frugal month challenge in January and didn’t get a thing out of it, but there’s another this month so clearly some people find it helpful. 

I think the tone has changed (1) because she has kids now and life is busier and (2) because they have been raked over the coals for hiding their income which was to find out was very high (even more ironic is that she was always posting about how average they were- statistically they were firmly in the upper class). Someone up thread mentioned TG not being authentic b/c they made the equivalent of $50k+ in our time when the Frugalwoods were saving 70%+ they were making $300k+ combined, Nate still pulls in $225k+ working at home.  Most people just can't live really cheaply for a couple of years and retire, it just doesn't work.

I actually did one of the frugal month challenges years ago and signed up for the emails this month. As I said I do think there are some good bits in there, that hasn't changed. But I'd prefer to get inspiration from people in similar spots right now. Like @SamanthaCarter I have a love/hate thing with MMM but he got where he was making stacks of cash and likes to act like anyone can replicate that if they just work hard enough. It is not the same to save 50% of your income when you are lower or even lower middle class than when you are high class.

Some it is luck too, the Frugalwoods had their college paid for and timed out the real estate market just right, good for all of them! But there is a lot of that I just can't replicate so I'm looking for inspiration that hits a little closer to home! 

[ktgrok]

Timely thread! After finally learning to track our budget with YNAB I'm hitting the harsh reality of our finances head on. AND July was the last month we get child support for the oldest, so that is going to be a major hit to the budget. Time to be more frugal. 

And yet, DH needs to be low carb and groceries are our single biggest budget item. Sigh. Pasta and bean dishes won't work for us. at least not for him. 

[G5052]

16 hours ago, klmama said:

To keep it company while you're gone or...???

Yes, she's got a bit of separation anxiety. We tried classical music on a laptop one time, and she did significantly better. Now she has her own radio that I turn on when we are gone ?.

[Soror]

13 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

Timely thread! After finally learning to track our budget with YNAB I'm hitting the harsh reality of our finances head on. AND July was the last month we get child support for the oldest, so that is going to be a major hit to the budget. Time to be more frugal. 

And yet, DH needs to be low carb and groceries are our single biggest budget item. Sigh. Pasta and bean dishes won't work for us. at least not for him. 

I hear you! Dh and the kids eat a LOT more carbs than I do, a lot of times I pull aside the protein portion just for me or sometimes do a quick thing just for me. 

[Ravin]

19 hours ago, klmama said:

This is the opposite of what I've found.  At least in the upscale neighborhoods in our area, the garage sale prices are astronomical, with many used items priced higher than a new comparable quality item on sale at local stores.  In middle class and poor neighborhoods, people seem more interested in just getting something for their unneeded stuff, and the prices are very reasonable for things that are still decent quality.

 

 

 

Goodwill tends to overprice many items as well. I've found comforters used at Goodwill going for their "all comforters are this $$" price which were less expensive brand new at Walmart. 

[katilac]

2 hours ago, soror said:

  Someone up thread mentioned TG not being authentic b/c they made the equivalent of $50k+ in our time  

 

 

Eek, no! That was my post and I adore the TG, I would never say it wasn't authentic. I said in my post that the reason I pointed out their income was so that people who are truly low-income don't feel bad about replicating their success. The OP talked about them being on military pay, but his military pay was actually quite decent, and their intense frugality was a choice (a choice I very much applaud). 

[Katy]

1 hour ago, Ravin said:

 

Goodwill tends to overprice many items as well. I've found comforters used at Goodwill going for their "all comforters are this $$" price which were less expensive brand new at Walmart. 

 

Yeah, secondhand and garage store prices can be very location-specific.  The goodwill stores in Oklahoma aren't worth it, you can find new stuff on sale at Target or Walmart for FAR LESS. But in the upscale neighborhoods in other parts of the Midwest I've found Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Northface, JCrew, Banana Republic, and similar brands in good shape for pennies on the dollar.  Sometimes for 44 cents per item, if you hit the right sale.

And garage sale prices seem to depend on the motivation of the person selling.  I've found college-sized laundry bags full of kids clothes for $5 for people that just want to get rid of stuff, or $5 per stained baby outfit in other places.

[Annie G]

It’s not authentic to live well below your means or not disclose your income? That’s not what bugged me about Frugalwoods. I started reading there when they still lived in the city and they definitely lived frugally. almost never ate out, no new clothes, etc. But now reading their monthly expense report it seems like a different family. $38 for lunch out, $15k for a truck, $1200 for a use table saw (It’s a really nice one, I’ll give him that) and $28 for a baby tent to keep the new baby bug free. This was in one month and it wasn’t all of their discretionary spending. Not a thing wrong with these- they get to choose how they spend their money- but it’s not frugal. And she’s got a new book out about how to live frugally. It’s just not the same vibe as when I first read her blog. 

[Soror]

1 hour ago, katilac said:

 

Eek, no! That was my post and I adore the TG, I would never say it wasn't authentic. I said in my post that the reason I pointed out their income was so that people who are truly low-income don't feel bad about replicating their success. The OP talked about them being on military pay, but his military pay was actually quite decent, and their intense frugality was a choice (a choice I very much applaud). 

I guess I don't see it so much a choice for Amy D, unless they wanted to drastically change their goals and values. Extreme frugality so you can retire at 30, that's more a choice. Extreme frugality so you can stay at home with your kids, that's a choice many here are making. 

8 minutes ago, Annie G said:

It’s not authentic to live well below your means or not disclose your income? That’s not what bugged me about Frugalwoods. I started reading there when they still lived in the city and they definitely lived frugally. almost never ate out, no new clothes, etc. But now reading their monthly expense report it seems like a different family. $38 for lunch out, $15k for a truck, $1200 for a use table saw (It’s a really nice one, I’ll give him that) and $28 for a baby tent to keep the new baby bug free. This was in one month and it wasn’t all of their discretionary spending. Not a thing wrong with these- they get to choose how they spend their money- but it’s not frugal. And she’s got a new book out about how to live frugally. It’s just not the same vibe as when I first read her blog. 

No, living below your means is the goal. *To me* it is disingenuous to say your income is just average, over and over again, when it isn't. I have noticed the difference in the expense report too, I think that reflects that it is harder when you have kids and certainly so when you are in the midst of everything and you're tired as all get out. I think it is more realistic now in that way, really, you can't go month after month with no expenses and moving to the country is going to lead to some expenses that I think they underestimated. I think good for them for loosening up, they made their goal and have plenty of money, there is no sense in never doing anything at all. They are still frugal by US standards, just not uber frugal.

[Katy]

39 minutes ago, Annie G said:

It’s not authentic to live well below your means or not disclose your income? That’s not what bugged me about Frugalwoods. I started reading there when they still lived in the city and they definitely lived frugally. almost never ate out, no new clothes, etc. But now reading their monthly expense report it seems like a different family. $38 for lunch out, $15k for a truck, $1200 for a use table saw (It’s a really nice one, I’ll give him that) and $28 for a baby tent to keep the new baby bug free. This was in one month and it wasn’t all of their discretionary spending. Not a thing wrong with these- they get to choose how they spend their money- but it’s not frugal. And she’s got a new book out about how to live frugally. It’s just not the same vibe as when I first read her blog. 

 

Something about it bugs me too, but its not their income to asset ratio.  It's not even that buy-it-for-life attitude they seem to have now - wait, buy the thing that is quality and will last rather than something you'll have to quickly replace.  I get that. I've been doing that more and more frequently myself.  We're also in a better off place than many of their readers, I'm sure. It's something else that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's a hint of condescending to their readers?  Something about it is irritating.  I should ask DH. He's always good at identifying something that rubs me the wrong way when I don't know why.

[Annie G]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

 

Something about it bugs me too, but its not their income to asset ratio.  It's not even that buy-it-for-life attitude they seem to have now - wait, buy the thing that is quality and will last rather than something you'll have to quickly replace.  I get that. I've been doing that more and more frequently myself.  We're also in a better off place than many of their readers, I'm sure. It's something else that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's a hint of condescending to their readers?  Something about it is irritating.  I should ask DH. He's always good at identifying something that rubs me the wrong way when I don't know why.

If your dh figures it out let me know...probably the same thing that’s niggling at me. Like she’s bought zero clothing in four years. No bras, undies, socks? no tennis shoes? she bought ONE pair of boots and that’s all. That’s stunning to me. I get being thrifty, but...

 

 

 

[Katy]

1 minute ago, Annie G said:

If your dh figures it out let me know...probably the same thing that’s niggling at me. Like she’s bought zero clothing in four years. No bras, undies, socks? no tennis shoes? she bought ONE pair of boots and that’s all. That’s stunning to me. I get being thrifty, but...

 

Right?  I had some year-old underwear, three pairs of which all shredded in the same gentle wash cycle last week. I don't care if you're paying $25 per pair for ex-officio and hand washing them, nothing is going to last that long.  And if they do, share what they are so we can buy them too.

[Soror]

7 minutes ago, Katy said:

 

Right?  I had some year-old underwear, three pairs of which all shredded in the same gentle wash cycle last week. I don't care if you're paying $25 per pair for ex-officio and hand washing them, nothing is going to last that long.  And if they do, share what they are so we can buy them too.

I remember reading a post on her underwear, they were like $20 a pair or something. I couldn't wrap my brain around that. i don't have the mental energy to handwash super fancy underwear.The fact that she has went so long without buying clothes indicates to me she must have had a heck of a lot to begin with and is getting a fair amount of hand me downs. Of course, a lot of really rich people live very frugally, that's how they get rich! 

Her tone doesn't generally bother me but it is a bit um, too much at times, a little self-righeous. I remember her posting their grocery budget was nearly nothing and they ate oatmeal every morning and rice and beans every lunch. And she went on and on about how good they did keeping it so low and when she'd talk about portion sizes they were uber small, I don't even know how they got in enough calories.  Lo and behold it is like 4x more. Because when you are working outside you are hungrier and you can't perpetually eat the same dang meal every single day without getting tired of it, unless you truly have to.

[Annie G]

3 minutes ago, soror said:

I remember reading a post on her underwear, they were like $20 a pair or something. I couldn't wrap my brain around that. i don't have the mental energy to handwash super fancy underwear.The fact that she has went so long without buying clothes indicates to me she must have had a heck of a lot to begin with and is getting a fair amount of hand me downs. Of course a lot of really rich people live very frugally, that's how they get rich! 

Exofficio undies are nylon so no matter how great they are, they’re not for me. 

[Soror]

3 minutes ago, Annie G said:

Exofficio undies are nylon so no matter how great they are, they’re not for me. 

Me either, even if I did have $100 to just drop on underwear. 

[KarenNC]

3 hours ago, Ravin said:

 

Goodwill tends to overprice many items as well. I've found comforters used at Goodwill going for their "all comforters are this $$" price which were less expensive brand new at Walmart. 

Goodwill has been a mixed bag for us, but it helps that I now qualify for the "25% off for seniors on Tuesday" that our regional Goodwill offers. ? I'm happy to take advantage of the "all x are $" when the items are better quality/higher initial cost. Having access to a smartphone so that I can do quick price comparisons and look up info or reviews has been really helpful. It's been a great resource for looking for dorm supplies and college-branded gear for my daughter. I am amused that ours has also started a loyalty card program ($5 off after you rack up $100 over time). They vary so much by the individual region or even the stores within a region. We have another thrift store which does individual pricing by item, but is mighty proud of their used stuff. They do mark down things that aren't moving quickly, which can sometimes make them a better buy than the group-pricing Goodwill uses.

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Annie G said:

If your dh figures it out let me know...probably the same thing that’s niggling at me. Like she’s bought zero clothing in four years. No bras, undies, socks? no tennis shoes? she bought ONE pair of boots and that’s all. That’s stunning to me. I get being thrifty, but...

Actually, I find that believable if it's about adults (kids outgrow clothes, so there is no way you can get buy without acquiring new clothes). But adults? Sure, if you have enough to begin with. I have clothes that are 20 years old, KMart T shirts I had for 10 years and that still hold their shape, and socks also last for several years. If you start out with a complete wardrobe, you can get buy for years without needing clothes. Now, wanting some new clothes is a totally different beast.

[Annie G]

1 minute ago, regentrude said:

Actually, I find that believable if it's about adults (kids outgrow clothes, so there is no way you can get buy without acquiring new clothes). But adults? Sure, if you have enough to begin with. I have clothes that are 20 years old, KMart T shirts I had for 10 years and that still hold their shape, and socks also last for several years. If you start out with a complete wardrobe, you can get buy for years without needing clothes. Now, wanting some new clothes is a totally different beast.

I have some old clothes that have lasted for years, too. She works on a homestead now so I assumed she wasn’t able to repurpose her old work clothes to farm clothing now. I buy a new pair of jeans every year, usually two pairs of Vans tennis shoes (that’s all I wear unless it’s an extraordinary event like a funeral) and usually a new sweatshirt every other year. My tshirts hold their shape but I do a lot of house renovation/furniture refinishing so they get holes and stained and such.  I wonder if the hard water we have here makes my clothes wear out faster. 

But you’re so right- wanting new clothes is different than needing new clothes.