[Jessesbride]

Being frugal is different for most people. What certain things will you NOT do that you've heard of other people doing. My list that I won't do is:

* While I do reuse ziplock bags to a point, I will not wash them out to reuse them if they've held food. It simply grosses me out.

*I use enough toilet paper so that I don't get ANYTHING on my hands.

* I wash my hands with enough soap to get a good lather.

* I use my dishwasher ~ but make sure it's completely full.

* I LOVE long baths & showers. What's the point of being stingy with the things you love if you can afford to pinch pennies elsewhere?

* I do shop for new clothes (b/c I hate the clothes that I find & can hardly ever find nice stuff in my size at the thrift stores), but I also ONLY buy things that I LOVE on me & then wear them until they no longer fit or they are rags!

* I refuse to buy things that would endanger my family OR would need to be replaced anytime in the next few years...

Those are the tops of my list. What's the top of yours?

Kim

 

[lisaflex]

many....

would not buy or wear used bras..eeeewwwwww....and, they wont fit correctly.

i wont wear used shoes...just gross imo

use the dishwhr daily and use heated drying in the summer. not in winter because we need the humidity it provides

dont use off brand toilet paper and kleenex...just doesnt work. tried it n the past...

no "discount" haircuts...i pay up as i have tried to save and change and to no avail....

premium denim...love my david kahns and joes....sorry ladies, sometimes it does pay to pay up....no shrinkage or baggage after one wear...

i do use softener...but, cut it in 1/4 w/ vinegar...need the softener....

 

[Guest]

I hear you on long shower. With really hot water.

On the same token, I won't freeze. I keep the house at 68, if it wasn't for DH, I'd have it at 70. I refuse to be cold in my own house. I also wear a sweatshirt when its 75, I'm just always cold.

I won't cut my own hair.

I use my dryer to dry my clothes.

 

[lottaLove]

I would never sacrifice safety or do something dishonest to save a few dollars.

 

[monkeymia]

* While I do reuse ziplock bags to a point, I will not wash them out to reuse them if they've held food. It simply grosses me out.

Kim

I will only use the ziploc bags again if it is "dry" food like a sandwich.
Wet foods like fruit and meat get new bags.

I use ziploc bags to freeze meat in so as soon as it gets cooked, the bag gets thrown out.

While I will don another jumper or sit under a blanket, I don't scrimp on heating when the kids are involved. In winter I always put the heater on for 30 minutes before their bedtime to warm their rooms up. Then the heater gets turned off and I jump under a doona on the lounge. lol

 

[krbshappy71]

Are you talking casually frugal? There's a lot I would do in a dire situation that I wont do unless I am in that dire situation.

I'm already making sacrifices to keep my electric bill down, both as a challenge to myself and as a boost to my snowball plan. But if I had to cut things due to a dire situation I could definitely go even lower than I have. It would just start to get uncomfortable again, to a greater level.

Casually frugal, I haven't gotten rid of my dryer, YET. But due to my frugality I haven't used it for weeks now. I'm not quite ready to get rid of it but very close. Dire situation? I'd sell it on the corner in a heartbeat, among other things I'd have out there to sell. I'm not sure there's anything I would NOT do, in a dire situation.

 

[l8eebugg]

No second hand underwear
Only wash baggies if dry items stored in them
will not eat or serve anything if I am not sure it is 100 % safe
skip on vaccinations for animals
not use toilet paper
not help a friend in need

 

[mamamia]

Hmmmm...let's see...how much time you got?? :call:...haha!

First off I could never use little washable fabric squares in place of toilet paper that I've heard of on other boards. :screwy: To me that's where I would draw the line, kwim? YUK!

I know that many people will swear that generics are no different than name-brands. I'm sorry, but there's very few things that I've tried that can match national brands. And like lisaflex said about tissues and TP is VERY true, and I'll add fem products to that also.

Another thing I won't skimp on is paint. We had to cover lipstick red, and deep purple walls with turquoise in my oldest's room. We bought Valspar with the primer already in it, and it literally covered those colors with one coat. I was so happy for my hubby's back! :cheergrl: So, so worth the extra $$. Now Behr also makes this type of paint, but heard it doesn't do as well. (just fyi)

Since for the 1st time in our lives, we actually have "better" furniture, I won't skimp on good wood care products. I can't think of the name of the product, but I get it in Lowe's, and it also has UV protection in it. That's a big plus for this Fl sun.

I have no problem buying used clothes in good shape. But garage sales around here are not often very good, and the thrift shops are getting higher and higher in prices. So I stick to the "deep" clearance sales, and everyone always looks nice enough. With teenagers, it gets pretty tough with the clothes they want. So it's been my challenge to get them what they want, but at affordable prices. Kohls has been my best friend for that. At least for the girls! :vibes:

well, there's more, but for now that'll do it! Somehow I always manage to talk way too much...lol! :jabber:

Fun topic!

Theresa :choco:

 

[alotofgooddeals]

I think that is the key...

dire situation...now i use toilet paper and won't use cloth that people make instead of toilet paper....at this time in my life i can afford the toilet paper but in a dire situation and i had no money and i had to choose between milk for my kids or a roll of toilet paper...I guarantee you we would learn to use cloths for toilet paper...

 

[Spirit Deer]

I wouldn't do anything dishonest, either. Nor would I try to weasel out of paying money we owed.

I won't wash bags very often. We don't reuse them much either. The exception is FoodSaver bags. We sometimes reuse Ziplocs that have had dry stuff in, but not very much. Although we did reload the cookie bag we kept in the front of the truck for almost the entire two weeks we were on our trip to Yellowstone last year, till it started falling apart.

We won't give up traveling. I watched my parents wait for retirement to be able to travel. Then my dad died at 52, and Mom and Dad's dreams died with him. That was a HUGE lesson I learned the hard way. We travel on the cheap and that's fine, but we're not staying home, although if gas got to be about $10/gallon we might have to start using the tent or the van instead of the trailer and the truck. Till then, we won't give up the truck and trailer, either, and will probably buy a different trailer in the next five years or so.

I won't buy used underwear.

I only buy used shoes if they look brand new.

I won't be too hot or too cold.

I won't eat cheap processed foods instead of more expensive whole foods.

I won't let our pets do without proper vet care, and I won't feed them cheap food.

I won't drive unreliable cars, and I won't do without a car at home full time for me to drive again, even though I rarely use it.

We wouldn't do without satellite TV service or the internet.

I won't skimp on my own medical care.

I'm not talking here about dire straits. All bets are off (except the owing people money thing) and everything is on the table when we go into a serious financial lockdown.

 

[bumplett]

I'm with krbs on this one..... it all depends on how dire the circumstances are.... I'd like to say that I wouldn't eat the cat, but if my kids were starving and there was no food, would I feed them the cat?? :toothy:

If we are staying on the casual/norm side of things....

there are very few things that I absolutley will NOT do -

I would never take a government handout - aka: foodstamps
I would never take a government handout - aka: medicaid
I would never take a government handout - aka: WIC
I would never take a government handout - aka: prepaid cell
I would never take a government handout - aka:utility assistance
I would never take a government handout - aka: sec 8 housing


I would be more comfortable dumpster diving, washing out my baggies, and bleaching my 2nd hand bras than to do any of the above... but that's just me.

 

[krbshappy71]

I'm with krbs on this one..... it all depends on how dire the circumstances are.... I'd like to say that I wouldn't eat the cat, but if my kids were starving and there was no food, would I feed them the cat?? :toothy:

If we are staying on the casual/norm side of things....

there are very few things that I absolutley will NOT do -

I would never take a government handout - aka: foodstamps
I would never take a government handout - aka: medicaid
I would never take a government handout - aka: WIC
I would never take a government handout - aka: prepaid cell
I would never take a government handout - aka:utility assistance
I would never take a government handout - aka: sec 8 housing


I would be more comfortable dumpster diving, washing out my baggies, and bleaching my 2nd hand bras than to do any of the above... but that's just me.

Ok I just have to tease you on this one, would you eat the cat before you would accept food stamps? :hungry: Only teasing!

 

[bumplett]

Ok I just have to tease you on this one, would you eat the cat before you would accept food stamps? :hungry: Only teasing!

Do I get to pick which cat?

:choco:

 

[bumplett]

ohhhh, seriously though - that's something to add to my list -

(the gun thread made me think of this one)

I would never go hunting.
(but I'm assuming my hubby would hunt before he accepted food stamps)


::::: going to ask him now:::::

 

[bumplett]

ok, I'm back -

so hubby's answer is:

He would hunt his food before he accepted food stamps, but he would accept food stamps before he ate the cat.

:toothy:

 

[mamamia]

Okay, it's true, dire situations will probably change anybody's standards. First of all, I won't allow anyone in my family to go hungry. If I knew of someone who was hungry, I'd do my best to "set them up" also. My "pride" would crumble fast in the face of hunger, and would seek help by any legal means. I don't see myself hunting either, but learning to fish wouldn't hurt me at all.

When my hubby lost his job in 2000, I had $70 a week to cover ALL household/food expenses for the 6 of us. Because of the "tricks of the trade" I learned on-line, we made it w/o any government help, except of course, unemployment benefits. For this, I do thank God for His guidance. But, but, but....if push came to shove, if I had no family to help us, I would go and get gov help. I wouldn't like it, but I'd still use my "frugal knowledge", exactly as I do now. And yup! I'd be making those fabric squares in place of TP too! :blush: Many on FV, and other frugality boards get FS, and don't treat it as a hand-out, but rather a temporary "helping hand". It could easily be anyone of us. It happened to us once, it could happen again!

Sorry so long :jabberas usual, lol ) !!!!

Theresa :queen2:

 

[bumplett]

sorry, computer died while I was trying to add to my last post - and now it's too late to edit....

I was going to add:

I personally couldn't hunt/kill my food, but since hubby is stuck with me, I'll live off his ability to hunt for food, thus no food stamps -

but assuming he's not around to feed me (after being shot by someone from the gun thread) - I think I'd rather ask for food at local churchs, still holding out on government assistance as a last option - but I'd accept food stamps before I ate the cat - he'd be too chewy anyway.

 

[Spirit Deer]

ok, I'm back -

so hubby's answer is:

He would hunt his food before he accepted food stamps, but he would accept food stamps before he ate the cat.

:toothy:

Seems like a reasonable conclusion to me.

 

[bumplett]

I'm hoping that my comments aren't offensive to anyone - they weren't intended to be. Nor were they directed at anyone.

These were just my answers - these are the things that I personally wouldn't do -

I wash out ziploc baggies, but I'm not offended by those that think it's gross.

I buy 2nd hand shoes, but I'm not offended by those that think it's a bad idea.

For me, having to rely on the government is the bottom of the barrel - and trust me, it's not for lack of finding ourselves scraping at the bottom of that barrel in times past - it's just my personal point of view. I'm not here to judge anyone else -

 

[frugalfranny]

I'm not sure there's anything I would NOT do, in a dire situation.

Same here.........but as for now.........

Won't use 'washable cloth' for TP.

Won't quit using paper towels for cleaning dogs anal glands.

Won't use hankies in place of kleenex.

Gees..........guess mine all comes down to what I want in
my washing machine..........which I won't quit using.