you know when you are thrifty when...

What a great question...but here is my dubious answer...No.1; I don't ever see a "Shopping Channel" as you must have Cable or Satellite (and I find them too expensive)....and for Fashion Magazines...I just look at the Cover Price in Canadian dollars, and non-plus in my head...$8.95 + taxes, that would buy 3 stewing fowls @.99 cents a pound, 3+ pounds of lean hamburger @ $2.38 a pound! A 12-pack of Toilet Paper (with change leftover)! Course, fruits & veggies are in the mix, too! Pretty boring thought processes....but "bling" is not necessary to keep me happy...give me a cosy fire & and sufficed tummy..a good book, or my pergamano crafts (hence the name) and I'm a happy camper! The only thing..clotheswise that I have not bought at a Thrift Store/Salvation Army/Consignment Store in the past 12 years, is two pairs of shoes....AND, of course, MY UNDIES (and I don't think that needs to be explained..LOL!)

well i know mine is kind of not legal but when you look at the prices of movies and think i can download that on my computer for free.

My best trick to save money is to stay home and don't watch tv on Sunday morning. That's when I've been suckered into buying something off the set from an infomercial. If I leave my car parked in the garage, spend my free time online and not shopping, I can save loads of money. I've also raised my deductibles on insurance, and that's helped too.

I hear what you're saying on the frugal life..but I never WATCH the Shopping channel,as I don't need stuff I don't want pushed at me in my spare time while watching TV..I don't have an expensive TV subscription package,either,but still,I'm planning on getting rid of mine in favour of freeview digital soon..Similarly,I don't have any magazine subscriptions,and rarely buy them..If I do need something,I'll use online price comparison searches and cashback sites to get the best deal..I recently upgraded from a basic,cheap broadband to a faster service and with the cashback deal am paying the same money each month!.I'll shop in thrift stores and donate stuff that's cluttering up my place..I'll pay most bills by direct debit so I don't have to go to the bank or post office with a Cheque book,bank by phone or online for the same reasons..when fuel prices hit the roof,I stopped buying oil and had my open fire chimney swept and got it going again using wood blocks! I always shop around at insurance renewal time,looking for offers and playing them off against the other,going to my insurer with a cheaper quote from a competitor and ask them to beat it,or else..

I do something very similiar. I equate the cost of wanted items to needed items. "Yep, that is 1/3 of my rent this month." or "Is this really worth the electric bill?" I am not sure it is thrifty as opposed to just using common sense. This is how my grandparents did things and how they taught me to do things. It wasn't until I was grown I realized that despite my grandparents mass fortune, they still looked at everything that way. And only spent money on wanted items, such as rings, parties, etc., once they paid everything else and knew the money they allotted for such items was available. But then again, it is really the Baby Boombers fault for all this "living above my means via credit" problem. Yep, I'm blaming my Mummy. ;) I am just thankful my grandparents taught me about money. And now, if we go back to being wise with our money, we are called "thrifty", "frugal", etc.

I do that all the time! Victoria sercret....I can buy that stuff at walmart for less than half that price!

Ah! At first I thought the word was thirty not thrifty. But I see yoru point. I guess I am thrifty because when someone tells me they got that table and chairs for 600 bucks. I say I can get the thing for 75 bucks off craigslist.

shoes, the ones I have are in perfectly good condition, perfume, the cheap stuff still makes you smell good movies, at those prices I wait until they come out on tv

You see a georgous bird house at the garden shop... then you run home an make a better one. You find you have a drawer of holey socks get used for everything from car washing to dog baths You shop at the dollar store first and fill in with things from the market xoxoxoxoxo

when you find an item on sale and wonder if you have a coupon. when you look for coupons online before ever placing an order. When you look at an item and think i could make that for less! When your thermostat is turned so low you hav to wear layers of clothes indoors (and take them off before you can put on a coat!) You keep your soap shards in a container then use them later You have a building of things you cant throw away because you might need it again someday even if its broken you have piles of paper you write on that have already been used once or twice for something.

Hi there, An interesting topic indeed! I immediately thought of the ways I've been cutting back on expenses. Some might think it's a bit extreme, while others wouldn't have it any other way. For instance, you wanna talk about a real cheap skate? I've been saving roughly $175 a month on grocery costs. That's right! Now, remember, it's just me...one single big, fat cat with attitude. That's a lot to spend on just food! And for just one cat? Here's how I done it. I bought a case of bottled water to take in my lunch box to work. I re-use those same bottles with filtered water from my refridgerator. Every so often I will throw them out and buy a fresh case of bottles. This one step alone saves a ton of $$moolah lah. This plus not eating fast food as much has pocketed some serious shoe money! meow & ciao!