Being thrifty ..

@kiran8 (15348)
Mangalore, India
October 1, 2015 12:15pm CST
The other day I visited a friend who is quite well off and was surprised to see her carefully cutting out blank pages from old notebooks of her sons . She later cut some of them into strips and clipped them together - was telling me, she uses the paper strips to make lists...She is a very careful person and according to her , it is only those who are thrifty and realise the value of money and things, that make money ! Friends are you all thrifty, please share some of your own thrifty habits that have helped you save money !
23 people like this
22 responses
@MALUSE (69409)
• Germany
1 Oct 15
I live in an area in Germany where the indigenous population behaves just like this. They are the Swabians. They have the same argument, too. Only thrifty people make money. The other German tribes make fun of them but must admit that they're right.
6 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
1 Oct 15
I would agree with that, unless you value things you do not realise their importance in your life.Money is a necessary commodity and so are other things ...
1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
1 Oct 15
I do that - taking out the unused pages from older diaries and cutting them to smaller units. Some make my monthly notepad - a rough booklet used to keep track of time, and some others to make lists of purchases etc. I dont do that to save on money though. I feel that these would eventually get wasted and I prefer to use them instead of lying blank. I dont drive too much these days. Health reasons apart, I feel my duty towards the environment and as such I use shared cabs (autos in India). I also try saving electricity and ensure turning off fans and lights when not in use. Not for cutting down electricity bills again. But I see it as a power saving thing. We have too much of power failures. Now, you might be wondering, why I am giving the other reasons. The reason is I never have been a saver of money. I always have been more of a spendthrift. I would never have bothered about these, if things were normal at my end. My wife however is better, in fact very good when it comes to saving. But I mostly fail to see the good.... I mean, how good is saving a few rupees if you continue wearing a sandal that has problems?
4 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
2 Oct 15
I agree sid, it is making use of paper and also doing your bit to the environment ..Your response is thought provoking ! At the end of the day we have to be satisfied with our life and thats what is far more important !
2 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
4 Oct 15
@hereandthere True, one has to use ones common sense while trying to be frugal..No point in being penny wise and pound foolish !
1 person likes this
• Philippines
2 Oct 15
@thesids better one spendthrift than both but i agree, some frugality can be taken to extreme it's no longer practical or safe.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (459122)
• Switzerland
2 Oct 15
I can say the same as @MALUSE. Swiss population behave like this, Swiss believes that only thrifty people can understand the value of money and then make money. This is the only country where I have never found a cent on the floor.
3 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
2 Oct 15
I totally agree with both of your views.Unless we value money or anything for that matter, we will not be able to multiply it nor put it into the best possible use !
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
3 Oct 15
I'm not particularly thrifty, but I use old envelopes for lists, and use the backs of junk mail for writing.
2 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
3 Oct 15
@jaboUK Yes that is something even I do...I keep all neat and usable envelops so that I can reuse it to keep bills and receipts..
1 person likes this
@anushreem (333)
• Mumbai, India
3 Oct 15
One of the activity which I follow while shopping is not to ask for plastic bags for which the shopkeeper asks for some money. I carry my own bag which helps me save money
4 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
3 Oct 15
Yes I do that as well and anyway here in my city we need to pay for bags so most people carry their own bags and I have also noticed that city has become lot cleaner with less plastic bags strewn around all over unlike before , after they started charging for bags !
2 people like this
• Mumbai, India
5 Oct 15
@kiran8 Very true
1 person likes this
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
11 Oct 15
@LadyDuck Lol you forget us . Even in india you wont even find a penny in the road. People even takes metal pieces and sells it at metal shop. is their such people in your country. Lol! Incredible India is thus made.
2 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Oct 15
@rahulvsmokiee It is different when it comes to other things like food, public transport etc ...You get to see any number of abandoned buses and other vehicles rot and disintegrate, what a waste !
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459122)
• Switzerland
11 Oct 15
Swiss people are known to be very wise with the money. They hate to waste even a single cent.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
2 Oct 15
I wouldn't go that far to be thrifty. Especially as a notebook is only 17 cents. I am thrifty but not buying what I don't absolutely need. I'd rather put extra money towards the bills than buy extra things.
2 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
2 Oct 15
I agree that one save a lot buy buying only what is essential and not buy on impulse and regret later
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
6 Oct 15
It is always good to reuse anything reusable. I admire the thriftiness of your friend. I think I will do the same. Thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
6 Oct 15
Very true and you are welcome , I too admire her a lot , each time I visit her I get to learn something from her ..
@marguicha (215807)
• Chile
11 Oct 15
I donĀ“t spend too much money in clothes although I buy good garments that will last. The same goes for shoes. I cook my own food and can do it for guests with little expense. And I never throw away leftovers.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Oct 15
@marguicha Yes that way you can save quite a bit of money..I too dont buy too many clothes nor jewelry .The only thing I spend on is travelling..
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
5 Oct 15
I did that also from those notebooks of my daughter from her high school notebooks , when she finally went to a far city to study college . We really have to strategize and make use of those blank pages .
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
6 Oct 15
@SIMPLYD It is also satisfying when you have made use of things ...I dont throw even old bedsheets and soft cotton sarees,,Make quilts by stitching them together .It is soft and warm during winters.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
Yes I used to do that too...In fact I used to collect all blank sheets from note books and stitch them together and make a note book for their rough work..
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
6 Oct 15
@kiran8 Yes, i stitched them also . I guess as mothers we tend to be thrifty in all things .
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
2 Oct 15
yes we reuse paper, too. we either cut them up to make notepads/scratch papers to list things or write notes/reminders/labels, or use the back when we print stuff (not the important documents that need to be mailed or filed, of course).
2 people like this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
2 Oct 15
I too do that, I hate wasting or throwing any usable paper..I also neatly fold and keep all the paper covers and bags that we get from the shops and take them with me so that I I can reuse them rather than get a new one for which we need to pay here.
1 person likes this
@yugocean (9965)
• India
5 Oct 15
I'd like to value the money instead of wasting. I wasted too much during my younger days, but now I am careful.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
Mny of us learn late in life, I too keep thinking how much I could have done earlier in life .But no time like the present , so we can do what we could not do , even now..
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
7 Oct 15
@yugocean True, every penny ( rupee) counts...I just wanted to share this here - One of my neighboring lady was widowed at the age of 54 with no children, absolutely no income or money since her husband was a vagabond.She had the old house of her own, that too inherited from her mother and the responsibility of taking care of her old mother. It was very difficult for her initially.But the lady started supplying home cooked food to offices with the help of her mother and began earning,Since she was a good cook, she enjoys it and now after 3 years she is comfortable and earning well to take care of all her needs and I guess more since she has two people working under her ..
1 person likes this
@yugocean (9965)
• India
7 Oct 15
@kiran8 Yeah, I started learning value of money, and even started making online.
1 person likes this
@sherryeb (580)
• Duncan, Arizona
6 Oct 15
I am thrifty,because I have to be,if I made a lot of money...dunno what I would do with it except payoff my debts.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
4 Oct 17
I agree that we need to be thrifty at all times ..
• Delhi, India
5 Oct 15
This is like waste management. I often make certain decorative items for my home using old and discarded materials. I last made a flower using old X-rays. That's wealth out of waste.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
I agree that is a good idea, Glass bottles which we get in plenty can be reused since they are better than plastic bottles, I never throw glass bottles , one can do a lot with them..
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
@shivuspeaks It just takes some practice ...
1 person likes this
• Delhi, India
5 Oct 15
@kiran8 thats a pretty great idea, provided i dont drop them I am a crockery - destroyer at my house. Bottles destroyer would be too much to handle.
1 person likes this
@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
4 Oct 15
I use the bills envelopes that come in the mail to write my lists on..I take snips of plants i like instead of buying them
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
4 Oct 15
Same here Rose, i too never waste paper , try to get the maximum use out of it and normally exchange plant cuttings with friends
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159451)
• Boise, Idaho
4 Oct 15
Yes, I have heard some stories of how miserly some rich people have been. It is sort of odd. I am not one of these types at all.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
LOL, some are miserly , the more money they have the more greedy they become.However, being careful with our money benefits us directly
@vandana7 (98952)
• India
5 Oct 15
I believe she is right. Nature has limited resources, and everything that we create such as paper, uses up trees. Trees take long time to grow, and you know that they give us oxygen when we need it. Moreover, the process to make those papers is energy consuming. Therefore, we need to conserve trees, as well as energy, and reduce pollution too. I don't see why it should be wrong at all considering that we would be saving the world for the next generation. In fact, it is very nice of you to have shared it here. More people will learn to do that.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
Yes absolutely ! Most people just tear up even usable paper and throw, we need to teach children to respect things around them and make the most of the resources given to them..
@Avimom (65)
• Gurgaon, India
5 Oct 15
Today we all know that what is situation of cost inflation. So we have make behavior of thrifty because without this we will not get some extra money for our good future. In today's environment there are no limit of expenses. Every where costly to costly things are present like you want to buy shirt then you buy it 500 rupees or 5000 or 50000 it depends on you that how much you are save your money by some thrifty. Use recycling behavior which is useful for u as well as for Earth and this is also ethical.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
Of course recycling materials should be given priority and each one of us have to do our bit for the environment , so that the future generations are not deprived of essentials like fresh water, fresh air ..
@sofssu (23662)
5 Oct 15
I reuse paper, I never let my kids throw away unused sheets of paper. I also recycle them. I compost my kitchen waste and use them on my veggie patch. I also am very careful about carry my own bags for grocery shopping. I never bring more plastic or waste money on them.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
5 Oct 15
Same here sofs, I never waste anything , not even old magazines, have a huge pile of them and I too make compost at home with kitchen waste, peels and dry leaves ..it is so good for the plants.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10744)
• Canada
4 Oct 15
I do the same. I cut up any blank paper and use as a notepad. I also reuse any plastic or other containers to start seeds for my garden
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
4 Oct 15
@Freelanzer...I do that too....use plastic containers or even sturdy plastic bags to grow small plants...