Does anyone here have unfrugal friends that just don't "get" the things you do to save money? Do THEY do things to waste money that drive you insane?

Yes! Most of the people I know just don't 'get' the things I do to save money. I feel like the only people who really understand where I am at are you ladies on this board. I have felt so validated and a part of a community of frugal friends since joining.

I have a friend I call "Oprah" because I never see her in the same clothes twice. Most of the ladies in my circle of friends shop for entertainment and are constantly telling me about their 'deals' spending hundreds of dollars every weekend on things they don't need, buying them just because they were on 'sale'. I once met a lady I thought was turning out to be similarly frugal. She had told me just that day she'd been to the thrift store and bought a beautiful dress for $10! When she took me upstairs to show me, she said, "Oh, it's in the guest room closet. My walk in closet is already full!" When she opened the 'guest room' closet it was FULL of thrift store clothes. She must have been spending hundreds of dollars a month at these places. That's not saving money, that's spending money!

I admit I like to talk about money issues ... saving money, reducing debt, simplifying, but I haven't yet met a real life kindred spirit who really understands where I'm at when it comes to living both frugally and simply. When I find myself talking about these interests, I find that other people just don't 'get' that I find it interesting. They don't understand that I want to live this way, that my life is better simple and living on less.

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I have the same problem. I think that some people misinterpret frugal with cheap. Just a thought.

I agree completely. People tend to get a "deer in the headlights" look when I try to have a conversation about things like that...they just don't get it. I would LOVE to meet someone in person that has the same ideals as me as far as all that goes. What makes it worse is that DH makes a good salary so people are always asking "why do you live the way you do when you don't have to?" (We drive paid for cars, clip coupons, don't buy dd every new toy that comes out, don't eat out a lot, etc.) I guess they think that we should be spending every penny he makes...I don't get it.

I also agree with KathrynHannah about this. I don't really share my same lifestyle with a lot of moms in our community- yes there is a lot of SAHM's in my community, but a lot of them have nannies and housekeepers. I have a 2 friends who kind of live like us (in a way), but not enough that I feel like I can relate with them (their lifestyles are completely different from ours). I have to say that I also felt kindred spirits when I found this website (Thank you Kim!)!

I sought out this discussion forum because I wanted inspiration to get back into the frugal / simple living that I know was really working in my life.

My best friend is quite frugal, at least when I first met her. However, I'm such a bad influence on her, things are starting to spiral out of control. She and I are getting back on the bandwagon together - trying to inspire each other.

My 5-yr old goes to a charter school in a community that has a lot of SAHMs. They talk the frugal talk but they don't walk the frugal walk. It is so funny to hear them speak psuedo-frugaleaze. But that neighborhood is a great place to go garage saling!

My non-frugal friends don't fustrate me. I just smile knowingly. If they want to ask me questions, that's fine. Otherwise I don't offer much.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

Yes, I think there are a lot of people that don't "get" me. Including my in-laws. I get frustrated when I hear of others money problems (in-laws) but I see how they spend, spend, spend. I just want to speak up and say it's really your fault that your broke.

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Me too!

Probably the most frustrating thing for me with my UNfrugal friends is their eating habits. My friends eat out almost exclusively. Of course restaurant portions are HUGE so even in the rare occassions that they do cook and eat at home they are used to huge portions and then have the obvious weight and health issues. Eating out is of course a great way to socialize but I only go about once every month or so with my friends who eat out 10-12 times a week. I just imagine the things that they could be doing in their lives if they used that money for other things. I know they don't have savings, retirement, etc. and do have car payments, credit card bills, etc. I worry about their financial futures. They think I'm stingy and no fun since I don't go out with them very often.

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Better to give your kids the values you have
than the valuables you can't afford.

Okay, I admit I am not the most frugal (I do okay) person, I have a large family and alot of expenses and we do like to buy some fun things. But what I hate is when people are constantly complaining about being broke, and in the same breath they are telling me about gong ut to the casino all the time, buying ciggarettes and alcohol and clothes shopping all the time!!!!

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~Happiness is a large family~

Oh, yes, I get called cheap all the time and it ticks me off.

A friend just last week gave me a big compliment - that I was the most frugal person she knew. She suggested I enter a contest the newspaper was having, which I did, on frugality.