Does your family members support your frugal simple lifestyle?

**nwmissourigal** · 01-25-2007, 11:49 PM

I was wondering how many of you have family members that support your simple and frugal lifestyles? We have a few that understand but for the most part people either think we are poor or just plain do without. I am so tired of explaining our lifestyle to people. I have also had people tell me it is just a fad to live simple. And I have lived pretty simple all my life. I would love to know if anyone else runs into this. This has probably been blogged about before, but I am fairly new to this site...so I am interested in what people say or think about your choice of lifestyle....Blessings to all...Kathy

**Marie78** · 01-26-2007, 12:32 AM

Family and friends really don't understand some of my choices. They think I do it only because I don't have the money to buy and spend freely. This is part of it, but they don't understand that if I had more money I would put it towards debt or savings instead of the latest gizmo or gadget on the market.

**lilbit** · 01-26-2007, 08:59 AM

My family supports me...but even if they did not..they way I look at who is saving more..ME! Some wonder how can you afford this or that..I say because I watch how I spend most of the time. I use coupons, shop thrift stores, I hate to pay full price for anything..so yep they envy me..hahaha!
I got my sister to saving more now also.

**halloweenfreak** · 01-26-2007, 11:17 AM

im not sure my hubby thought it was all worth it or not until i showed him our 75 dollar electric bill today. he asked how that was possible. ive gone from 'notorious light leaver on-er' to the lowest electric bill we've had since we've been married. yay, makes me feel that im actually accomplishing something now.

**frugalwanttobe** · 01-26-2007, 12:02 PM

My husband and mother are very supportive. My daughter walked over to the computer on Tuesday and shut off the printer so we could save money. (She is 10.) My son on the other hand keeps saying we are poor. His interpretation of poor means that you can not buy a new video game every week. I still have to work on him. (He is 13.)

**Backtoreality** · 01-26-2007, 12:54 PM

DH is getting on board with it lately. In July I made every effort to live more simply, do without, or make do with what we have (we have plenty). He has seen the progress we have made in the bills and I think this has changed his way of thinking now too.

We have so much to be thankful for, why do we need to keep filling up with "stuff".

My children are adults now and guess what? They are better at this than we are?!?

**GMA21** · 01-26-2007, 03:06 PM

My dad always has infact before he moved back here he used to call me and ask me if I could use certain coupons that he had & he would send them to me & now he asks what coupons I have before he goes to the store & he has even emailed co.'s & received coupons from them.

**danni** · 01-26-2007, 03:18 PM

My family is very supportive. My sister always asks for ideas to save money and my mom has gotten me to help with her budgets over the last year. Dh's dad always tells him that he better hold onto me because I'm a magician when it comes to money. LOL!!!

**brenda67** · 01-26-2007, 03:47 PM

My Dh is very proud of my frugalness and supports me in everyway...My Bil is more frugal then I am...Pretty much all of my family supports me other than my brothers fiance ..she thinks I go over board with everything..but yet she couldn't save a dime if she tried...My friends are a whole nother story..

**sunshine** · 01-26-2007, 10:47 PM

Both my parent's and dh's parents were depression babies. .. they grew up being radically frugal . . . thankfully, they've taught both of us (and helped teach our children) the frugal lifestyle as well.

My kids are actually more frugal than we are. . . my oldest son is 22 --bought a house at age 19 and made the down payment in cash. My middle son is 20, and a Marine. . . we just helped move his wife to him, and he had over $5000 saved for the move. My 17 yo daughter asks for her Christmas clothes money so she can go to Goodwill. She says she gets more, and better quality by shoppping there, than if she went to the mall. . . she's already accepted to an all tuition paid college, when she graduates from HS next year.

My brother has just discovered Dave Ramsey . . .he did start a retirement fund a couple years ago (he's 51) . . .

My sister, however--- uses her equitiy in her house as free cash. . . over extends regularly, bounces checks. . etc. Then looks at me like I'm weird because I don't. . . she had the nerve to ask how I could afford to go shopping so often (I went twice in one month) and I told her "I don't spend $400 / month in cigarettes, I don't spend $200/ month at the bar, I don't have a car payment, etc. " She still doesn't get it.

**suzysaver** · 01-27-2007, 12:35 AM

My husband has seen the progress I have made and has joined in (I'm so proud of him). My family really doesn't seem to get it..they just think I'm broke all the time, they don't understand that I'm paying off my cc bill and saving for the future. It really doesn't matter to me, what they think..as long as I know I'm doing whats best for us.

**bumplett** · 01-27-2007, 01:00 AM

within these walls (which are the only ones that count) my family supports the effort ~ in the end it's all for the four of us anyway - I had a friend comment on the way my 4 year old turns all the lights off (even in other people's houses)

on the other hand, yes.... family members make comments that they shouldn't, but I try to blow it off - they're just jealous!

**redhead68** · 02-04-2007, 07:39 PM

I don't think our families & friends have any clue what goes on within these four walls. It's been a long, gradual change to a simpler lifestyle. As far as our children, well, they've never known any different.

**Nada.Leona** · 02-04-2007, 07:46 PM

is very supportive of the way I live my life. Sometimes he just smiles and nods his head, and very rarely does he ask me not to do something -- I can only think of one frugal thing I did that he asked me to stop doing and that was unplugging the entertainment unit (TV, VCR, etc.) when it wasn't in use. He's very good about shutting lights off, using up everything, making things stretch, etc.

My extended family humor me -- they say things like, "Nada can stretch a dollar farther than anyone I've ever known". It's all good, I suppose. No one ever tells me I'm cheap or mocks me.

**nwmissourigal** · 02-04-2007, 11:27 PM

I am so glad that you all have support on this issue. People are comming around and trying to understand the life choices that we have made. But it's nice to know that some of you go thru the same things. Our home is our home and we choice this life and really it shouldn't matter what other people think. Sometimes I just get tired of the questions about doing without...LOL...if they only knew....Blessings..Kathy