I often just confess that we’re being “extra thrifty” this week (month, year…), and that’s why I chose not to do _____ or buy ______.

Otherwise, I proudly exclaim, “Like my boots? Thanks! I found them for $4 on craigslist!” or “I can’t resist popping into {name of store} New Years week–that’s when everything’s 75% off!

Most people say, “Man! I need to go shopping with you!”

I just hold my breath, when I give a “recycled” gift, and hope that they don’t say, (after they tell me how much they love it), “Where did you get it?”

When I was in a conversation about big screen tv’s, I told the other people that our tv (a very old 30 in, I think) was a better fit for our living room than a new LCD big screen would be.

“‘They don’t make them like they used to, do they?’ (Why would they? The new version is ten times nicer.)”

R O T F L O L P M P

oh. my. goodness. Got me there!

I am such a sucker for old things and reproductions. I even convinced my parents to spend the money to get Mom’s chair recovered instead of buying new. (You know it’s got better bones than new would have!)

Anyhow, there are some old things that are just better. Like the circa 1950s pocket book that I spent 75¢ for in October. You can’t get any better than that!

I’m always talking about how I love handcrafted, artisanal, home made…I think most people I gave handmade gifts to this year assumed it was because of my love for all things handmade, instead of my love for all things cheap:)

I really like being more eco-concious so that is my main motivation. My hubby is not so easy to convince. Heh. He doesn’t like feeling “poor”

Have you seen storyofstuff.com? That really got me motivated about thrifting more and really thinking about how much I “need” something before I purchase it.

I just can’t buy used shoes though. So I’ll save up for them and they will be one of my once a year splurges (along with getting a haircut and my brows waxed)

Great post! I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Our next step will be cloth napkins…I will feel so pampered, like I’m in a fancy restaurant.

I use storage as my reason, and it’s a good one. With 10 people and way too many pets in just under 1200 sq. ft. we just can’t let ourselves accumulate too much stuff.
We are constantly teetering on the brink anyway (I badly need to declutter!) so it’s easy to resist the impulse to add something new to the piles…unless it’s an organizational aid…I never could turn down a bookcase or a nice big container, which in turn allows us to buy more books or store more stuff.

When someone actually asks where I purchased something, I just say, “Wow, that’s a tough question since I shop year round at a variety of places. It’s hard to keep track of my purchases.” It’s the truth and I don’t have to reveal my sources! Besides, I was brought up to believe that it is rude to ask someone where something was purchased, so I don’t feel obligated to directly answer.

Well…right now, it is darn easy to be overtly frugal (my husband says I’m cheap!)….we just had a baby 4 months ago, and I’m staying home with him.

Usually, friends and family know what we’re up to: we like to be pretty transparent because we’re proud that we can be frugal, we aren’t ashamed of it, and honestly, we’re trying to pay some debt down, and DH is super proud that we’ll be ‘almost debt free (we’ll just have those nasty student loans, but I’m in no hurry to pay those off as I am still in school) in less than a year. AND still have savings. THAT is why we’re frugal. We also can’t afford to give a whole lot, money-wise right now: getting free or almost free food, toiletries, etc, is my way of giving charitably – I donate all my extras to shelters or someone I know will need or appreciate it…

And honestly, who wants to pay for toothpaste or TP? Not I!

(I’d like to know who pays $40 a month for cable! Our broadband/cable is $100 a month combined. It is our one splurge – we can’t live without the History Channel, Food Network, and all the Discovery/ Travel Channels. We live vicariously through the lives of others…hehe).

Loved this post, Meredith! We don’t try to hide our frugal ways. We just tell everyone that we are willing to make sacrifices in order for me to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I like to be very honest and hope a “frugal” lightbulb will go on in someone’s head and have them think, “Maybe I could be frugal, too.”

I guess the one “line” we do give people is about eating out after church (although we did splurge with friends yesterday). We know people who eat out every Sunday and we cannot afford that. Our “excuses” are mostly true though: “We don’t like stand in line and wait.” I don’t cook a big meal, either: “Sunday is a day of rest so we just eat sandwiches.”

I fall back on the environment a lot! Buying local produce…using plates and real napkins…not using paper towels…

I also frequently tell people that I can’t make up my mind…that’s about the TV. I can’t decide what type of LCD TV I want. Every one of my friends and family members has one…and they don’t seem to understand why I haven’t purchased one!

I just remembered…..

I pointed to an aquaintance’s son’s shirt and told he had that same shirt last winter. She said, “Yea, I love it. It was a hand-me-down.” I said ours was from a yard sale. She said, “That’s what I ment, I just don’t tell people that.” I know she yard sales….. I’ve run into her! But somehow cloths passed down to friends is more acceptable than shoping yard sales!

I think I might be really lucky! I do have some friends who roll their eyes at some of my frugal ways but in general get it and don’t fuss. Most of them know that I’m a fast reader and if I had to buy books to keep me supplied (as opposed to the library) I’d have to spend well north of $500/month. And we do talk about our choices, and none of us complains.

My most understanding friends are those who live in $1 million+ houses and who have household incomes that make me blush – still yard sale with me! I have several friends of this description and we all hand clothes down to each other, cover each other’s babysitting needs, and so forth. It’s really nice.

Generally, though, I don’t feel the need to “cover” my frugal ways. I do feel that’s because I’m “frugal” and not “cheap”. Cheap embarrasses me, but frugal makes me feel good that I’m so smart with my resources. No excuses necessary!

Yes, Meredith, there ARE times when it’s best to be more polite! I’m reminded of eating lunch at a restaurant with my girlfriends when the subject of grocery shopping came up and I ended up almost shouting at one of them, “I can’t BELIEVE you don’t know how much a pack of hot dogs is supposed to cost!” LOL I certainly could have used more discretion in that situation!

I tell people clipping coupons is a fun hobby. The reality is that we couldn’t afford not to clip them!! We need those babies.

I love your style, Meredith. This is funny.