I was frugal when frugal wasn't cool!

A lot of people wouldn't be in the financial position they are in right now if they had bothered to live frugally before the price of things started to go up. Too many people are living beyond their means and are too dependent on credit.

Luckily, we've never had to live through the rationing that occurred during the depression - although it might be a good thing for the many people who can't seem to regulate their own usage!

Sometimes it almost gets to be a game for me - to see how little I can spend, or to see how far I can make a little of something go.

It must have been very hard to try to make ends meet with a job or income of your own.

Even though our children may vary from our frugal ways for a time (two of my three grown children have), hopefully we will have provided them with the background to fall back on when they need to cut costs.

Our oldest son has no idea of how to value money. He doesn't try to save very often and when he does, it is to buy an video game...no saving for the future. He is spoiled by my sister, who buys my boys whatever they want.
My 5 yo is a little saver. He stops to pick up a penny ad is thrilled about finding it. It goes right into his bank when he comes home.
He doesn't spend his money all that often (every one in a while at the ice cream truck, but he buys candies that are 2 for a $1, rather than $2.50 on an ice cream bar)
Our youngest loves eating the ice-pops we make at home, while our oldest will try to sneak money out to buy ice cream off the ice cream truck.
Hopefully, when our oldest sees how much money his younger brother has saved in his online savings account (compared to him) he'll try to save a little more.
Hopefully...

That is fantastic! There aren't too many restaurants or even fast food places near us, so we rarely eat out, but on the rare occasions that we go into the city, we do splurge on a nice meal. I don't feel too bad about spending the money, however, since we eat at home the rest of the time.

I heard some comments on a talk show on television the other day that we can expect groceries to go up another 5% the remainder of this year and at least another 5% next year. They say there's no indication that they will return to the lower prices we've had in the past.

We made a major move across three states last fall, so we had to downsize considerably. I realized that we had a lot of "stuff" that we really didn't need and probably should have never bought. I have resolved never to clutter up my house again with any more than I can get in a large u-haul truck!

We have always lived a very frugal lifestyle, minimizing our requirements and demands. There are many, however, who have never practices this way of life, who will need to learn how to cut their expenses in order to survive.

Hello my friend newtondak Ji,
One should spread legs as per size of bed=sheet. Expenses will be under control. have a nice time.

I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand the meaning of your statement.

Hello my friend newtondak Ji,
It was our side idiomatic language, where it is pronounced to be careful about expenses and be fragile, within one's capacity, by not spending more money and become under debt, so that others will know, exactly in same way, if you spread you legs more tahn your bed-sheet length, your feet will be shown naked and your things will be known to others. If still not understood, I would still try. have a nice time.

It does take a little more effort, but is worthwhile in the long term. I know it has to be hard for those who may not have been raised in a home where it was not necessary to be frugal - I tend to think that no matter how much money you have, you should spend it wisely.

I think it is those of us who were raised to be frugal that are going to suffer the least in the bad economy. We are used to having to make do where others don't know how.