This is frustrating.

[murphysranch]

It sounds like a bunch of us know what you are feeling and how frustrated you are with family sometimes. Lord knows, you have your fill of family things. When I was moving my daughter, I saw some papers and saw that she owed Kohls $79 and was in collections. She owes Arizona for a traffic ticket. She owes the State of CA about 600 bucks for something. And those were just the papers that littered her floor of her old apt. Yet, for FAther's days she bought her hubby a Wii. WTH is she thinkin'?????

Stuff like you saw and that I've seen bother's me alot, but at least I don't do that and I'm proud of myself. We're in Bend OR this week and I just went to the BEST Goodwill ever! Huge! I bought a new set of measuring cups and a tiny bread pan, DH bought a shirt and a fleece vest, and then I got a cute tote bag for DD for Xmas. And of course the outlet stores were across the street and not one thing was bought there. Not nearly as much fun, I say!!!!!!!!!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Thinking about what I could store up for $85 !

i was thinking how much i could buy at the feed store for $85!!!!

 

[mandieg4]

My BIL is like that. He has no concept of saving until you have the money and he gets what he wants when he wants it. The worse is around Christmas. He whines for three months how broke he is and how he doesn't know how he's going to do Christmas for his kids and on and on. Then he spends more per kid for his 4 kids than my DH and I do for our entire family combined. I always think what a disservice he is doing to his kids by saying how tight money is and then spending hundreds of dollars giving them everything on their wishlist.

 

[chipmunk]

My mom always used to tell us "we're rich in the things that count". I thought she was just kidding around when I pointed out to her the kids in school that got whatever they wanted (I tended to hang out with the ones whose parents showed more restraint than that!). I didn't realize how true it was until I got out into the real world, and discovered that many families aren't as close or caring as ours.

Then again, I spent a little time as a teenager in Appalachia and discovered that, compared to some, we were economically blessed, too. But those families had so much to teach me about living life to the fullest with what you've got, it was a real eye-opener.

And then there's y'all, my like-minded friends. Shoot, I get picked on at work when I darn my socks at lunch time, but I don't really care because in the long run I've got life skills and friends that'll carry me through when TSHTF. Life is good.

(Just read this over and I'm kind of rambling here, sorry about that )

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

thats alright, chipmunk...we know just what you mean.

all the folks who make fun of us have INFORMED us that when The End comes their evac plan leads right to us. hummmm..

i tell 'em all that "sure, but everybody plucks".. thats scared some of them off. they'll take their chances with the mutant flesh eating zombies.

 

[2dream]

My poor son who has always been frugal is married to woman who does not even know frugal is a word much less what it means. She will not even come to vist me because I might serve them yard bird or rabbit.

Of course when they were without electricity for 2 weeks during Katrina they came straight to my house. She hated me even more when they left. If you don't work around here you don't eat.

They are in debt up to their eyeballs.

 

[tortoise]

My poor son who has always been frugal is married to woman who does not even know frugal is a word much less what it means. She will not even come to vist me because I might serve them yard bird or rabbit.

Of course when they were without electricity for 2 weeks during Katrina they came straight to my house. She hated me even more when they left. If you don't work around here you don't eat.

They are in debt up to their eyeballs.

That is sad.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

She hated me even more when they left. If you don't work around here you don't eat.

i think i love you more now!

i tell 'em all that there is nothing here but hard work and discipline and everybody works.

 

[xpc]

I know your frustrations and one of the reason why I left everything behind. These people seem to have some kind of skewed entitlement complex and no matter how much money they make will always be short $5 at the end of the week.

I had to help friends with mortgage payments who made twice as much as me, paid the property taxes on another for two years in a row only paying me back after I did his tax return and got the refund 4 month later.

Worse yet are those who take out yearly home equity loans so they can continue buying those shiny new video games or $200 silken duvets and after 30 years owe more on the house then they bought it for, working at McDonald's while moving into a boarding house at age 70.

Don't feel singled out in your poverty as I have been unemployed for 3 years now (still looking) and have been surviving on only $4000 a year, never received a single penny in unemployment or any other benefits. Didn't play the gimme free money with the electric company and only heated the house with one weekly fire last year otherwise it stayed 40F in the house for 3 months straight. Never worried about putting food in the fridge until March and had to microwave the olive oil as it went solid around 50F.

Life is good, you are happy I am happy what else matters... metaphorically speaking of course.

 

[big brown horse]

For the record, my silk duvet cover was a hand-me-down from some (rich) friends. It didn't match their new furniture. They have also given me an old cell phone (I have my own plan), a used treadmill and a really cool tent that they camped in for one weekend. On top of it all I get to enjoy all of their cool toys etc. for nothin, well I do make them laugh out loud when I say silly things like "sheep are the new black"! It pays to have friends in high places.

I agree with everyone else here, it has been a rough couple of years here too. Fortunately, like you guys, I am the queen of squeezing the head off of a penny, always have been. I HATE TO SPEND MONEY!!! My parents taught me that skill; they lived through the Great Depression. Funny, being frugal didn't sink into my sister's heads and they really suffered over the last two years.

This will make you mad too...One of the sisters has a nice pool and every time there was a slight wind their floating toys (lots of them) just blew far out into the pasture. They just went back to Wally World for more when they had another pool party. I had to take a time out from her house, I just couldn't handle it.

My daughter has no gadgets or video games. She still loves me, believe it or not! (She is happy as a clam to camp out with me in the backyard in that used tent.)

I'm not so good at stashing away food, my cabinets are always on the bare side, but I LOVE to stash away any extra money.

The house was cold all winter too, I cooked, cleaned, slept and lived in my favorite, 4 year old red coat that I got at Goodwill. I love it, I feel just as rich and as happy as my friends.