I know people in both camps and they're distinct. My frugal friends are self-sufficient and ask for nothing from anyone else. They're just selective with their spending. The mooches disguise themselves as being frugal when they are really just opportunistic, selfish mooches.
Of course, we should all take the money since there's no button to push and no repercussions. I'd be delighted to accept such a gift from the universe as I always welcome abundance in its many forms, money included.
If we get moralistic about money, then we'd accept none. I'd venture to say that all the money in the world has touched something negative at some point in time. If you work for a large corporation and accept your paycheck, then you can rest assured that your money came from the exploitation of someone or something (maybe even YOU). Even if you're freelance or work for a small company, do you really think all your clients only earn their money through doing good? Since when has doing good been terribly profitable anyway? To even be concerned with the source of the money is ridiculous. If it comes into your life in such a way that you yourself are not causing harm, then it is a gift from the universe. What you do with the money will determine if it's "good" or "bad".
This may seem ok to you but some things need to be taken into consideration:
1. If this company requires so much information (Government ID, SSN) to apply for the card yourself, how did this company know this information about you without your applying?
2. If, as they allege, they received the information from other "partners and financial institutions," which of them SOLD your information?
Yes, it sounds fabulous, but no one should ever accept an unsolicited offer to gather their personal information. In the end, when your identity is stolen and your money starts to disappear, the company will tell the FTC that they did not steal your information. You offered it to them voluntarily.
I called the customer service number on this card. The reps were clearly not American. I am not being racist, but understand this: if the company is not based in America, then American laws do not apply. What stops this company from "free-fall fee application?" In short, what laws protect you abroad from their own rules? NONE. None. Plainly put: no FDIC protection means no protection at all. Not a good idea if you have your paycheck direct deposited to a card that may just cease to exist one day. Protect yourself. Only invest your capital when you wish to, not when someone else who purchased your information randomly offers to.
It took me 36 years and countless dollars lost on exercise equipment and gym memberships to figure this out. I get more value (read functional strength) out of five minutes of Hindu Squats and Hindu Pushups than I ever did as a gym rat. I used to live with two bodybuilders, one of whom could bench 400 plus pounds. This was just out of college and we went to the gym six days a week. We three had countless injuries and I don't remember a single pain-free day during that year that we lived together.
You cannot improve upon the functional, everyday strength provided by doing body weight exercises. Sure, you can become a better athlete, by working specific muscles in the gym for a specific sport, but overall, compound exercises like the Hindu Pushups, Hindu Squats and Yoga are terrific.
If more people realized this, it would be the end of the billion dollar Fitness industry.
I do admit to overdoing the cardio, because I train for longer-distance races and triathlons, but again, that's sport-specific training.
I don't begrudge people for hitting the gym, or buying the equipment, I just know for me, I sit in the majority who didn't use it sufficiently.
Only 3% of workers will be impacted by this many of whom only work part time. Less than 40% of people live in states impacted by the change. Smartmoney said it will mean a $1.6B increase in pay which is a tiny drop in the bucket for our national economy.
At a cost of $1.6B that equates to $5 per person. If you cut the $1.6B off of corporate profits it would be a 0.1% drop.
This isn't the best time for such an increase so I could see delaying it a year or two. But it certainly won't have all that much impact.
A similar experience happened to me. ID thieves hacked into my financial accounts and wiped me clean. After a lot of anger and why me, I changed the way I handled my money and my life. I'm not saying you did anything to warrant what happened to you, but I know I did. I hope this is all behind you. But if you find it continues, consider how you're living.
You have to try lambs quarters. They are very abundant where there is purslane, and they are delicious. I was reading that when people had a drought during the depression, they would can these "weeds" for use during winter. Try them today.
Joanne
I am so sorry for your horrible situation and hope that you are able to resolve it immediately. The I'd think about not only reporting them but possibly contacting an attorney who may help you.
I am wondering at the possibility some of these unsolicited cards are actually coming from another scammer or business using the same name. I have never had customer service charge for a phone call, and only had a hold from a hotel not removed immediately, but it was removed after contacting the hotel who had placed the hold in the first place as a mistake on their part. After your crises has improved, I would take a look through any paperwork you may have on your card, and if nothing was sent to you I would definately call an attorney or even just the police?
Prayers for your daughter to be well.
Sincerely, Susan
I want to thank the "guest" for replying positively for NetSpend accounts. And I do see the concern for private information getting into the wrong hands. It happens all the time when Bank and Mortgage Companies wanting to refinance your loans contact you without solicitation. That information is easily uncovered by public record.
My solution to that is easy, get on the "Opt-Out" list and the "Do Not Call" list provided by the Credit Bureaus. It protects your personal information from being sold and stops unsolicited mail.
There are hundreds of companies offering these prepaid cards and we use one as well. Most Banks won't open an account if you've had problems in the past. Not being "financially savvy" I think a 'cash card' with no overdraft ability nor charges for such is an excellent idea for those of us who now live paycheck to paycheck and closely monitoring our money. They send us an email EACH TIME a draft is made on the same day it drafted, Not a monthly list to reconcile. I am disgusted with the current banking industry and predatory mortgage lending as well. NetSpend is not a free service, but saves us money in the long run.
The NetSpend account offers those of us who fell from "financial grace" a way to now pay our bills immediately and promptly online even using automatic draft rebuilding our credit. We can also obtain money orders and make utility payments at the "branch" where we bought our card. We currently have no credit cards, no car payments, and plan to keep it that way, but we do have major debt from an 8 month job loss last year.Which we are paying off as we can.
NetSpend offers no waiting for a check to clear, minimal additional fees compared to $30 an overdraft or $10 to cover a deposit from another account at the bank. These things happen to good people,especially nowadays.
NetSpend has been a blessing for us and is helping us get back on our feet without "borrowing from Peter to pay Paul." We love the service so far.
Paul--You're right on the money! If you aren't motivated to excercise without equipment, then you aren't ready for equipment.
Walking, jogging, biking, roller blading, etc, require little to no specialized equipment. But you can't blame people, we're conditioned to believe that the answer to our problems is in a new gadget. The slick ads only reinforce what we want to believe.
Once you've proven to yourself that you have the motivation to exercise regularly, you're ready for equipment. But don't buy it brand new. Buy it from some other person who is like your former self, bought equipment he didn't use, and buy if from him for less than the cost at wholesale.
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to get into reasonable shape is walking. All that's needed are a pair of sneakers. After getting into a routine that you can sustain, you can add weights to the workout. The key is not to try to do too much too soon, as that can be a turn-off. All of these "miracle machines" really are selling the fantasy of getting in shape.
I run into the same problem. Fortunately though my exercise equipment was given to me for free. Now I just need to figure out how to motivate myself. I've pondered the idea of paying myself an hourly exercise wage which would then go into a flexible spending account to reward myself with.
The idea behind the new rules are great. Over-valued appraisals and collusion was a major problem. However, the rules need to be tweaked, and soon, because of the serious unintended consequences they are having to individuals and potentially the economy in general. There are numerous cases of deals falling through because of low appraisals. Not situations where an appraisal comes lower than the agreed upon selling price simply because that's the way the market is. But cases where the appraiser knows little to nothing about the locale, and frankly doesn't have to do a good job because he/she is not accountable in any way. They get their (now reduced, and thus even less incentive to do a good job) pay, accuracy be damned. Numerous appraisals are being made based upon median prices and price per square foot values for "comparables" that are in no realistic meaning of the word comparable in any way. "Comps" for a pristine, remodeled, beautiful home in a quiet cul-de-sac are frequently now run-down, bank-owned houses that need serious renovations and are on a busy roadway...but they happen to both be within a 1/2 to 1 mile and have similar sizes/configurations. Therefore someone trying to buy the pristine house for an amount that is appropriate even in this reduced market, STILL can't as the appraisal comes out way below the agreed-upon price since the selling price of the wrecked home is being used as a comp!
So keep the premise, but do something NOW to fix the unintended problems before the nation's economy is further distressed by holding down legitimately priced real estate sales.
I ran my first mile and more than ten years last September. Since then I've dropped 50 pounds and this morning ran a 5K, like I do every morning nowadays. Barring injury this is permanent.
I think Jabulani Leffall linked to this. He's one of the wackier people on your site. But he wrote a similar post recntly about not being able to say what you'd do until you are in a dire situation. I think in another post he jokingly said he'd except a check no matter where it came from but that's neither here nor there.
Character is who you are when no one is watching. But I guess the main Catch 22 is that if you're starving or on the verge of being homeless and destitute, you can't eat character and character can't keep you warm.
We'd also be foolish to think that we don't even unwittingly subsidize bannana republics in other places and sweat shops with consumer purchases. It all comes down to moral relativism because we all justify certain decisions for our own greater good.
I started saving the moment I was born. All the money given to me was put in a money market account, which was a good investment at the time. when I was old enough, I got to review the statements and see how much interest I was making. I was always given the choice of spending B-Day money or putting it in the account - I put most of it in the account. I liked watching the interest increase.
Now with expenses it is a little more difficult, but I still am a saver and find it difficult to cut back when I am not that frivolous to begin with.
Remember Saving is great but you still should enjoy life.
May I say, one of the most frustrating things to me, talking about planned obsolescence, is printers. I mean, for heaven's sake, dot matrix printers lasted forever, the HP IIs and IIIs, forever, but they were black and white and not suitable for much of today's applications, and the HPs were certainly too expensive for home use, but inkjet printers break and you can't even find someone who can clean them. Costs too much to take them apart! It annoys me greatly, just as today's phones do.
This is dating me some, but Bell Telephones were nearly indestructible. My aunt had the same telephone for over 30 years until her kids forced her to go from rotary to push button dialing. I can't get a phone to last more than a couple of years now. Cell phones, even less.
And cars...cars were built to last. It was assumed that you would drive that thing for a long time. Some people seem far more concerned with whether it has satellite radio than if you can drive it for 300,000 miles.
This kind of frugality is truly green thinking. More so than the hybrid vehicles, keep vehicles in operating order longer. The longer that car stays running and out of a scrap yard or landfill, the better it is for the environment in general.
Also, don't we think of ways to reuse items? A torn or holey t-shirt becomes an oil rag or a dust cloth, a decent coat which has been outgrown, is passed along to a friend or to a needy child. My cowboy boots have been re-soled at least twice, maybe three times, I can't remember, and even though I only bring 'em out on occasion, I've more than gotten my money's worth out of them. But they aren't done yet. I plan to keep wearing them for another 15 years or so, whenever the occasion calls for it. At this point they have cost me about $6/year. Yeehaw!
And another thing...I love scented candles, but often toward the bottom of the jar, or the last inch or so of the candle, it just doesn't burn right. Every so often I will melt the candle bits together, but a fresh wick in a jar, pour the melted wax over it and--ta da--a new candle.
More importantly than darning socks, or mending tiny little holes in t-shirts, I think the point is to buy quality in the first place, something that is increasingly difficult to find, and that many people don't even recognize any more.
I spent years being "frugal" and buying very inexpensive ($20 or less) watches. One day as yet another watch died, I went to put in it my jewelry box and it hit me how many $20 watches were sitting in there--dead and unrepairable. I had just been with an older friend who 50 years later still wore the watch her husband had given her as an engagement present. The light went off.
My next watch had a much larger price tag--over $300, but it is made by a very reputable maker whose products are known for their long life and reliability, and because of sales and coupons, I purchased it for $200 and have been wearing it for years. It is better looking than any of my previous watches and with one more year of use I will have more than made up for the price difference.
I bought my couch for $35 off of Craigslist. It had already been around for decades, so I knew how it would hold up, it has a more classic design, so while it isn't trendy, it doesn't really go out of style.
I will, on occasion, find clothing at thrift stores or garage sales, confident that I know how this item holds up when washed.
I will confess that style is important to me, although I am not trendy, but I don't want to wear things that scream 80's, so if something is trendy, it had better be an excellent price, because I know it won't be around a really long time. I look at certain things as investment pieces. I once spent a week's pay on a dress. It was classic. I could wear it as easily today as 20 years ago. Unfortunately I didn't plan on my waist increasing.
But, I don't do things that make me feel cheap rather than frugal, and that is going to be a different point for each of us. It offends me to replace things that should have lasted, but I refuse to wear faded, dingy or holey underwear. Makes me feel bad about myself.
One thing that ticks me off is that over the past few years, my jeans, my wonderful Levis have been replaced. The heavy denim that lasted and lasted and felt wonderful and worth the price tag, has been replaced with a thin, cotton/spandex fabric that can wear out in months. I have been unable to find satisfactory jeans for at least 3 years, unless I find them at thrift stores or the occasional garage sale. I have even considered going and having them custom made just to be able to get good denim that fit right.
But I digress...men may not care about fashion, but women often do. If we buy good quality classic pieces they last. (I love a well-made classic white dress shirt for work, and own many of them.)
This works for kitchen appliances too. I saved and scrimped, working a second job for a while to purchase my Kitchen Aid mixer. I expect to never buy another mixer as long as I live. I am currently looking for a blender with the same reliability. I'm willing to pay more for it. I am also looking for a camera. I dropped my 35MM, which I had used for decades, and I have a very early model digital camera, but I can't blow up my photographs as I want to on that one because the quality isn't good.
I started a savings account as a ten year old child... however an unscrupulous family member that was my co-account holder took all my money. Then I started saving coins at home and that was also stolen. So that really put me off from saving and from 12 when I worked as a baby sitter to college I never saved again. My family did not teach me about money because they were always living paycheck to paycheck. Once I was midway through college and had a job with good benefits, I started saving again and paid off debt, opened a 401k. Sadly all this went down the hill after a job loss, my 401k was cashed in, debt piled on again and savings was depleted. I read some financial books and blogs and then at the age of 25 I started to pay off debt again and save my money all over again. While my savings account at ING is not too full, I am slowly making my way through. From $15k in credit card debt to under $10k in one year, small savings account, and nothing new on the credit card. Paying bills such as student loans and mortgage with a little extra each month has got me feeling good. It took a while to get over the trauma of childhood theft, but now I know my money is safe in the bank! I think children should be taught financial information in school... unfortunately some parents don't teach it at home and this would help those that are not taught.
I know people in both camps and they're distinct. My frugal friends are self-sufficient and ask for nothing from anyone else. They're just selective with their spending. The mooches disguise themselves as being frugal when they are really just opportunistic, selfish mooches.
Of course, we should all take the money since there's no button to push and no repercussions. I'd be delighted to accept such a gift from the universe as I always welcome abundance in its many forms, money included.
If we get moralistic about money, then we'd accept none. I'd venture to say that all the money in the world has touched something negative at some point in time. If you work for a large corporation and accept your paycheck, then you can rest assured that your money came from the exploitation of someone or something (maybe even YOU). Even if you're freelance or work for a small company, do you really think all your clients only earn their money through doing good? Since when has doing good been terribly profitable anyway? To even be concerned with the source of the money is ridiculous. If it comes into your life in such a way that you yourself are not causing harm, then it is a gift from the universe. What you do with the money will determine if it's "good" or "bad".
Hi!
If you work out with a partner or go to a class its gives you added motivation.
Least that has been my experience.
You always have the ground under you.
You may not always want to be a slave to weights.
This may seem ok to you but some things need to be taken into consideration:
1. If this company requires so much information (Government ID, SSN) to apply for the card yourself, how did this company know this information about you without your applying?
2. If, as they allege, they received the information from other "partners and financial institutions," which of them SOLD your information?
Yes, it sounds fabulous, but no one should ever accept an unsolicited offer to gather their personal information. In the end, when your identity is stolen and your money starts to disappear, the company will tell the FTC that they did not steal your information. You offered it to them voluntarily.
I called the customer service number on this card. The reps were clearly not American. I am not being racist, but understand this: if the company is not based in America, then American laws do not apply. What stops this company from "free-fall fee application?" In short, what laws protect you abroad from their own rules? NONE. None. Plainly put: no FDIC protection means no protection at all. Not a good idea if you have your paycheck direct deposited to a card that may just cease to exist one day. Protect yourself. Only invest your capital when you wish to, not when someone else who purchased your information randomly offers to.
It took me 36 years and countless dollars lost on exercise equipment and gym memberships to figure this out. I get more value (read functional strength) out of five minutes of Hindu Squats and Hindu Pushups than I ever did as a gym rat. I used to live with two bodybuilders, one of whom could bench 400 plus pounds. This was just out of college and we went to the gym six days a week. We three had countless injuries and I don't remember a single pain-free day during that year that we lived together.
You cannot improve upon the functional, everyday strength provided by doing body weight exercises. Sure, you can become a better athlete, by working specific muscles in the gym for a specific sport, but overall, compound exercises like the Hindu Pushups, Hindu Squats and Yoga are terrific.
If more people realized this, it would be the end of the billion dollar Fitness industry.
I do admit to overdoing the cardio, because I train for longer-distance races and triathlons, but again, that's sport-specific training.
I don't begrudge people for hitting the gym, or buying the equipment, I just know for me, I sit in the majority who didn't use it sufficiently.
-Charley
Only 3% of workers will be impacted by this many of whom only work part time. Less than 40% of people live in states impacted by the change. Smartmoney said it will mean a $1.6B increase in pay which is a tiny drop in the bucket for our national economy.
At a cost of $1.6B that equates to $5 per person. If you cut the $1.6B off of corporate profits it would be a 0.1% drop.
This isn't the best time for such an increase so I could see delaying it a year or two. But it certainly won't have all that much impact.
A similar experience happened to me. ID thieves hacked into my financial accounts and wiped me clean. After a lot of anger and why me, I changed the way I handled my money and my life. I'm not saying you did anything to warrant what happened to you, but I know I did. I hope this is all behind you. But if you find it continues, consider how you're living.
You have to try lambs quarters. They are very abundant where there is purslane, and they are delicious. I was reading that when people had a drought during the depression, they would can these "weeds" for use during winter. Try them today.
Joanne
The only reason I bought my equipment was to avoid the hassle of getting to the gym, where I would also have to have to wait for equipment.
It wasn't exercising that I hated (I really enjoy it), but I found my main motivational problem was the time investment involved just to workout.
I use my equipment at least 5x a week because:
1) the guilt of not using something I paid for
2) it's super convenient
I am so sorry for your horrible situation and hope that you are able to resolve it immediately. The I'd think about not only reporting them but possibly contacting an attorney who may help you.
I am wondering at the possibility some of these unsolicited cards are actually coming from another scammer or business using the same name. I have never had customer service charge for a phone call, and only had a hold from a hotel not removed immediately, but it was removed after contacting the hotel who had placed the hold in the first place as a mistake on their part. After your crises has improved, I would take a look through any paperwork you may have on your card, and if nothing was sent to you I would definately call an attorney or even just the police?
Prayers for your daughter to be well.
Sincerely, Susan
Buying exercising equipment is only worth it if you are going to use it.
I want to thank the "guest" for replying positively for NetSpend accounts. And I do see the concern for private information getting into the wrong hands. It happens all the time when Bank and Mortgage Companies wanting to refinance your loans contact you without solicitation. That information is easily uncovered by public record.
My solution to that is easy, get on the "Opt-Out" list and the "Do Not Call" list provided by the Credit Bureaus. It protects your personal information from being sold and stops unsolicited mail.
There are hundreds of companies offering these prepaid cards and we use one as well. Most Banks won't open an account if you've had problems in the past. Not being "financially savvy" I think a 'cash card' with no overdraft ability nor charges for such is an excellent idea for those of us who now live paycheck to paycheck and closely monitoring our money. They send us an email EACH TIME a draft is made on the same day it drafted, Not a monthly list to reconcile. I am disgusted with the current banking industry and predatory mortgage lending as well. NetSpend is not a free service, but saves us money in the long run.
The NetSpend account offers those of us who fell from "financial grace" a way to now pay our bills immediately and promptly online even using automatic draft rebuilding our credit. We can also obtain money orders and make utility payments at the "branch" where we bought our card. We currently have no credit cards, no car payments, and plan to keep it that way, but we do have major debt from an 8 month job loss last year.Which we are paying off as we can.
NetSpend offers no waiting for a check to clear, minimal additional fees compared to $30 an overdraft or $10 to cover a deposit from another account at the bank. These things happen to good people,especially nowadays.
NetSpend has been a blessing for us and is helping us get back on our feet without "borrowing from Peter to pay Paul." We love the service so far.
Paul--You're right on the money! If you aren't motivated to excercise without equipment, then you aren't ready for equipment.
Walking, jogging, biking, roller blading, etc, require little to no specialized equipment. But you can't blame people, we're conditioned to believe that the answer to our problems is in a new gadget. The slick ads only reinforce what we want to believe.
Once you've proven to yourself that you have the motivation to exercise regularly, you're ready for equipment. But don't buy it brand new. Buy it from some other person who is like your former self, bought equipment he didn't use, and buy if from him for less than the cost at wholesale.
Your post makes no sense.
Do you honestly believe that $15,000 is worth the same now as it did 30 years ago and will be worth the same 30 years from now?
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to get into reasonable shape is walking. All that's needed are a pair of sneakers. After getting into a routine that you can sustain, you can add weights to the workout. The key is not to try to do too much too soon, as that can be a turn-off. All of these "miracle machines" really are selling the fantasy of getting in shape.
I run into the same problem. Fortunately though my exercise equipment was given to me for free. Now I just need to figure out how to motivate myself. I've pondered the idea of paying myself an hourly exercise wage which would then go into a flexible spending account to reward myself with.
The idea behind the new rules are great. Over-valued appraisals and collusion was a major problem. However, the rules need to be tweaked, and soon, because of the serious unintended consequences they are having to individuals and potentially the economy in general. There are numerous cases of deals falling through because of low appraisals. Not situations where an appraisal comes lower than the agreed upon selling price simply because that's the way the market is. But cases where the appraiser knows little to nothing about the locale, and frankly doesn't have to do a good job because he/she is not accountable in any way. They get their (now reduced, and thus even less incentive to do a good job) pay, accuracy be damned. Numerous appraisals are being made based upon median prices and price per square foot values for "comparables" that are in no realistic meaning of the word comparable in any way. "Comps" for a pristine, remodeled, beautiful home in a quiet cul-de-sac are frequently now run-down, bank-owned houses that need serious renovations and are on a busy roadway...but they happen to both be within a 1/2 to 1 mile and have similar sizes/configurations. Therefore someone trying to buy the pristine house for an amount that is appropriate even in this reduced market, STILL can't as the appraisal comes out way below the agreed-upon price since the selling price of the wrecked home is being used as a comp!
So keep the premise, but do something NOW to fix the unintended problems before the nation's economy is further distressed by holding down legitimately priced real estate sales.
I ran my first mile and more than ten years last September. Since then I've dropped 50 pounds and this morning ran a 5K, like I do every morning nowadays. Barring injury this is permanent.
All money is legal even if it's gotten illegally.
I think Jabulani Leffall linked to this. He's one of the wackier people on your site. But he wrote a similar post recntly about not being able to say what you'd do until you are in a dire situation. I think in another post he jokingly said he'd except a check no matter where it came from but that's neither here nor there.
Character is who you are when no one is watching. But I guess the main Catch 22 is that if you're starving or on the verge of being homeless and destitute, you can't eat character and character can't keep you warm.
We'd also be foolish to think that we don't even unwittingly subsidize bannana republics in other places and sweat shops with consumer purchases. It all comes down to moral relativism because we all justify certain decisions for our own greater good.
I started saving the moment I was born. All the money given to me was put in a money market account, which was a good investment at the time. when I was old enough, I got to review the statements and see how much interest I was making. I was always given the choice of spending B-Day money or putting it in the account - I put most of it in the account. I liked watching the interest increase.
Now with expenses it is a little more difficult, but I still am a saver and find it difficult to cut back when I am not that frivolous to begin with.
Remember Saving is great but you still should enjoy life.
How do I sign up for the soul program? Is there a website?
May I say, one of the most frustrating things to me, talking about planned obsolescence, is printers. I mean, for heaven's sake, dot matrix printers lasted forever, the HP IIs and IIIs, forever, but they were black and white and not suitable for much of today's applications, and the HPs were certainly too expensive for home use, but inkjet printers break and you can't even find someone who can clean them. Costs too much to take them apart! It annoys me greatly, just as today's phones do.
This is dating me some, but Bell Telephones were nearly indestructible. My aunt had the same telephone for over 30 years until her kids forced her to go from rotary to push button dialing. I can't get a phone to last more than a couple of years now. Cell phones, even less.
And cars...cars were built to last. It was assumed that you would drive that thing for a long time. Some people seem far more concerned with whether it has satellite radio than if you can drive it for 300,000 miles.
This kind of frugality is truly green thinking. More so than the hybrid vehicles, keep vehicles in operating order longer. The longer that car stays running and out of a scrap yard or landfill, the better it is for the environment in general.
Also, don't we think of ways to reuse items? A torn or holey t-shirt becomes an oil rag or a dust cloth, a decent coat which has been outgrown, is passed along to a friend or to a needy child. My cowboy boots have been re-soled at least twice, maybe three times, I can't remember, and even though I only bring 'em out on occasion, I've more than gotten my money's worth out of them. But they aren't done yet. I plan to keep wearing them for another 15 years or so, whenever the occasion calls for it. At this point they have cost me about $6/year. Yeehaw!
And another thing...I love scented candles, but often toward the bottom of the jar, or the last inch or so of the candle, it just doesn't burn right. Every so often I will melt the candle bits together, but a fresh wick in a jar, pour the melted wax over it and--ta da--a new candle.
More importantly than darning socks, or mending tiny little holes in t-shirts, I think the point is to buy quality in the first place, something that is increasingly difficult to find, and that many people don't even recognize any more.
I spent years being "frugal" and buying very inexpensive ($20 or less) watches. One day as yet another watch died, I went to put in it my jewelry box and it hit me how many $20 watches were sitting in there--dead and unrepairable. I had just been with an older friend who 50 years later still wore the watch her husband had given her as an engagement present. The light went off.
My next watch had a much larger price tag--over $300, but it is made by a very reputable maker whose products are known for their long life and reliability, and because of sales and coupons, I purchased it for $200 and have been wearing it for years. It is better looking than any of my previous watches and with one more year of use I will have more than made up for the price difference.
I bought my couch for $35 off of Craigslist. It had already been around for decades, so I knew how it would hold up, it has a more classic design, so while it isn't trendy, it doesn't really go out of style.
I will, on occasion, find clothing at thrift stores or garage sales, confident that I know how this item holds up when washed.
I will confess that style is important to me, although I am not trendy, but I don't want to wear things that scream 80's, so if something is trendy, it had better be an excellent price, because I know it won't be around a really long time. I look at certain things as investment pieces. I once spent a week's pay on a dress. It was classic. I could wear it as easily today as 20 years ago. Unfortunately I didn't plan on my waist increasing.
But, I don't do things that make me feel cheap rather than frugal, and that is going to be a different point for each of us. It offends me to replace things that should have lasted, but I refuse to wear faded, dingy or holey underwear. Makes me feel bad about myself.
One thing that ticks me off is that over the past few years, my jeans, my wonderful Levis have been replaced. The heavy denim that lasted and lasted and felt wonderful and worth the price tag, has been replaced with a thin, cotton/spandex fabric that can wear out in months. I have been unable to find satisfactory jeans for at least 3 years, unless I find them at thrift stores or the occasional garage sale. I have even considered going and having them custom made just to be able to get good denim that fit right.
But I digress...men may not care about fashion, but women often do. If we buy good quality classic pieces they last. (I love a well-made classic white dress shirt for work, and own many of them.)
This works for kitchen appliances too. I saved and scrimped, working a second job for a while to purchase my Kitchen Aid mixer. I expect to never buy another mixer as long as I live. I am currently looking for a blender with the same reliability. I'm willing to pay more for it. I am also looking for a camera. I dropped my 35MM, which I had used for decades, and I have a very early model digital camera, but I can't blow up my photographs as I want to on that one because the quality isn't good.
I started a savings account as a ten year old child... however an unscrupulous family member that was my co-account holder took all my money. Then I started saving coins at home and that was also stolen. So that really put me off from saving and from 12 when I worked as a baby sitter to college I never saved again. My family did not teach me about money because they were always living paycheck to paycheck. Once I was midway through college and had a job with good benefits, I started saving again and paid off debt, opened a 401k. Sadly all this went down the hill after a job loss, my 401k was cashed in, debt piled on again and savings was depleted. I read some financial books and blogs and then at the age of 25 I started to pay off debt again and save my money all over again. While my savings account at ING is not too full, I am slowly making my way through. From $15k in credit card debt to under $10k in one year, small savings account, and nothing new on the credit card. Paying bills such as student loans and mortgage with a little extra each month has got me feeling good. It took a while to get over the trauma of childhood theft, but now I know my money is safe in the bank! I think children should be taught financial information in school... unfortunately some parents don't teach it at home and this would help those that are not taught.