Ummm...have I joined a cult?!?!?

**autumnlynn** · 08-11-2006, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by babetteq

Oh yes! This is a fiendish cult. Our whole purpose is to luuuuuure you in, make you stop spending money, thereby ruining the entire north american economy so that we can take over the world!!! mwaaa ha haaaa

That was so funny!! I about fell off my chair laughing!!

**tlenad** · 08-11-2006, 09:05 AM

How weird, I told my friends I was cutting back and just about everybody jumped on the band wagon with me. Admitedly I don't have a lot of friends but at least the people I hang out with are always on the look out for cheap entertainment now. Some of us are doing better than others but we're making strides slowly but surely.

It's almost a game now, we really like eating out on the weekends so we try to find really cheap entertainment so we can still eat out. Simple things like the dollar theater instead of the multiplex, renting movies, playing board games. Things we already liked to do just didn't do often.

That being said, my closest friends are my Mother whom has always been fairly frugal and my cousin Desiree whom grew up in a frugal house. My Uncle knows how to squeeze a penny until it cries for help.

Actually I think both my parents and hers are thrilled that we're both buckling down and putting some money aside and paying down debt. I hang out the most with her because we're both on pretty much the same page money wise. I'm saving up and paying down debt in order to be able to buy a house. And she and her boyfriend would like to get married and get a place of their own so we both need to save the money.

Oh no...I just realized if this is a cult I'm dragging her down with me.

**Shell** · 08-11-2006, 10:07 AM

Oh, oh, can we all wear these t-shirts? Of course we would buy them from a 2nd hand store!

**pkellyc** · 08-11-2006, 10:43 AM

My own mother used to criticize my spending. She bought the best of everything, was generous to a fault and could afford it. I could not. She passed away 14 years ago and that is one thing I do not miss about her.

**peanut** · 08-11-2006, 01:10 PM

LOL! I have 5 brothers and sisters. They think we're poor. Well we are poorer than them, but poor is relative (haha). We are a lot better off than a good 80% of the people living in this town.

Dsis#3 and I kind of have this frugal thing going. It really upset dsis#2. She claims dsis#3 was going 'a bit funny' with this frugal stuff. Acutally she was. My approach is you're frugal for a reason...to get the things/experiences you want out of life. It's about having the choice to spend your money as you want, and not being tied to high overhead. Dsis#3 is just tight, tight, tight, and it was affecting her mental health as well. She developed the idea that she was poor. She's married to a millionaire's son. They are living off stock dividends. They currently are pulling salaries as well. They are not poor.

My friends have been supportive by and large. I had one friend who made negative comments about shopping thrift stores. I just smiled and didn't say anything. She and her dh both worked at high powered jobs in high powered careers. They could afford top of the line designer stuff. I stay at home and get to do my arts and crafts all day. I'll gladly trade designer clothes for that. Especially when I often design and sew my own clothes!

Jean

**Nada.Leona** · 08-11-2006, 05:18 PM

I grew up in the country, where everything and everyone was thrifty. Yard sales and flea markets were the things to do in the summer with my family!

When I moved to the small town I lived in with my ex-husband, at least half the population was either older folks with lots of money they refused to spend, or starving college students, who could blow half their student loans at the Pub, but lived off KD and Mr. Noodle.

Frugality has never been a big problem with me, except when friends ask me out for something and I either can't afford it or my conscience tells me not to. My family and friends still chuckle at some of the things I do. I don't really care though -- they're all drowning in debt and I have no debt to my name!

I'm barely scrapping by sometimes, but on the whole I'm doing just fine.

**miss_thrifty** · 08-11-2006, 05:27 PM

Frugality is a way of life if u want it to be. I lalso love to find as many good buys as I can. And love to barg how much I saved. If i dont have to buy brand new , I dont. I only buy new underwear, socks and bras and sandles.(the athletes foot thing and catching it bothers me )lol
I had a Aunt who use to but second hand foot wear, her sandles gave her athletes foot, thsi is a woman who loves to wear nylons all summer. shes 75.
Otherwise everything else is up for grabs for me.I always had second hand, matresses and all.Redone over furniture, homemade corner tables and clocks. Hubbys is good with hes hands, jack of all trades.

**betharoo0** · 08-11-2006, 10:46 PM

Yes you are in a cult.

What size t-shirt do you wear?
We will e-mail you the frugal cult secret handbook.
Just kiddin about all that!
My in-laws who spends money like water, I truly think they are jealous of my less spendy ways. Like for instance they own 3 cars with CRAZY payments. We have one, that is just about paid for! We have made NO major purchases or new credit card debt in like 3 years. They are rackin up their cards. Guess what? My way of life(IMHO) is more stress free

My in-laws are WAY STRESSED! They work til they drop, I stay at home with my kids(Iam way grateful for that)
Bottom line- we don't have much, but we are sooooooo CONTENT!
My advice to you read a few books on consumerism! See how materially driven our society is. Its a sickness I believe
OK Iam off the box

sorry guys

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 08-12-2006, 12:01 AM

oh yes a very good friend of fine is a mother to1 child. she is always shooping at extravagant stores & i shop at thrift stores. she always looks at me crazy, she isn't paying my bills, iam!!!!

**frugalfarmwife** · 08-12-2006, 06:59 AM

Welcome to the GOOD cult, lol, hopefully one day it will be the largest cult there is! I get the raised eyebrows and rolling eyes from ALL the inlaws but hey, it's OUR life and we're living it the way we want to! My MIL spends money like water and now she's having to move in with 2nd brother, his wife and 4 girls, we're just watching for the atomic cloud from up north when THAT blows up!

I'm also one that the only things I buy new are undies, socks and shoes, the rest of our wardrobes are either Christmas presents or thrift store, works for me!

kj

**Cricket1** · 08-12-2006, 09:15 PM

You are all so funny and inspiring. Thanks for laughing with (or at) me.

**Leahmom** · 08-25-2006, 12:48 AM

Hey
ya know I realized it was easier for my (debt-loaded, credit card maxed out friends) to genteely sneer at me than to
a. Look at their own sit
b. Commit to doing what it took to get out from under
c. change themselves
That stuff is hard work,, it is so much easier to raise an eyebrow (you shop at thrift store? you mean used clothing??) than it is for them to knuckle down and get away from materialism as a human value (I guess some of this don't swing far from the tree

)
Leah
PS we had a tech crash and oh boy is the choir singing a different tune...