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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 5:42am | IP Logged
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Who is more frugal... you or your dh? You or your kids?
I'm curious. At my house, I think it's a wash. I'm certainly more of a bargain hunter/coupon user, but I tend to shop more overall- maybe that is just because moms tend to do the bulk of the shopping.
Dh would never think of shopping as fun. He's not a big thrift store fan  . OTOH, he enjoys eating out, which I think of as a huge budget killer (with no guarantee the food will even be good!)
I don't know if we balance each other out or cancel each other out ...
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 6:23am | IP Logged
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We are a wash as well.
My frugal find this week: In early December we went to Gymboree to buy blue jeans for my oldest. He is slim and hard to buy for but desparately needed jeans, so we bit the bullet and paid full price. There was also an amazing sale, so we got stocking stuffers, bought the next size up in a nice coat and earned gymbucks which went into effect this week.
This week, blue jeans were buy one get one half off. Plus, we got a $50 giftcard from our credit card rewards. When all was said and done, I paid $10 out of pocket for 4 pairs of blue jeans and a pair of marked down cargo play pants. 
I went a little  Trying to predict what sizes we would use in the styles available, but it is a relief that when ds comes down any day now in waders, we are set! 
And it was dh who discovered the jeans were on sale since we'd joked about spending our gymbucks on his birthday, and he remembered to check. 
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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Bridget
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 6:36am | IP Logged
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I am more frugal and I manage all our accounting. Luckily my husband does not like to shop. 
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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millermom1110
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 7:49am | IP Logged
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DH is getting more frugal since he started taking over handling the finances. I'm naturally ... cheap . I am. I grew up with very little, so even when I have the money, my instinct is to find the best deal and not spend one penny more than I have to. Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. That's my mantra for basically anything. DH has helped me lighten up a little bit, though, which is a good thing.
I hate shopping. That has little to do with the $, though. I just would rather spend my time doing other things! Going with the kids (they're all still young) can be an interesting experience. And if I can find the time to go without the kids ... well, why would I want to spend kid-free time shopping?! I'd rather go sit at the library and read a book in peace and quiet.
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TryingMyBest
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 8:14am | IP Logged
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Since I've stopped working full time and we've examined our budget and our spending habits much more closely than we ever did before, I've discovered that my DH and I, unfortunately, have a lot of the same bad habits regarding money. This could explain why we've never had any real disagreements about money before which is a good thing. But on the other hand, we're not balancing out each others' weaknesses well.
So I don't think either one of us is particularly frugal. I do think that my husband is less able to move to the next level besides worrying about money to making changes in your life to live on less. I'm much better at moving through the worries and coming up with a plan, in this case a budget and finding ways to stick to that budget.
My frugal find this week was discovering (and I know I'm really late to the party here) Trader Joe's wine and how cheap it is. I've shopped there for years but never paid any attention to the wine section. I discovered you can buy some decent wine there considering the price. See this link for recommendations of the best cheap wines there.
Jenn
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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Well I think we both aren't real inclined to spending money on non-necessities when we have little.. but either one of us is more than able to spend money if it's something we're "allowed" to spend.
Small house, many people. DH has taken to coming shopping with me for groceries so that we get some time to ourselves where we can talk without being overheard. And he's good with going yard sale-ing too.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 12:30pm | IP Logged
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Oh and my kids are all over the board. Some want to hold onto their money and some feel like if you have money spend it.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Erin
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 8:38pm | IP Logged
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I'm more frugal, definitely. Dh has a couple of weak areas, kitchen shops and stationary, I only have one, books Surprised anyone?
Truth is though we're both pretty frugal, and the kids are all rather frugal too. Remember my boy who outfitted his whole house from kerbside pickups? and my college girl is happy to outfit her kitchen from the thrift shops.
It's a blessing to be 'on the same page' in financial outlook, really it is, to not be is hard.
You know I think some of our frugality is part of being a X generation baby
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Jan 24 2014 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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Definitely my husband. It is good because I could tend to be a spendthrift, but he goes so far the other way that sometimes it is really hard to deal with.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 25 2014 at 6:28am | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
You know I think some of our frugality is part of being a X generation baby |
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Interesting point... do you think the next generation is going to follow suit, learning from their parents? (Generation Y or Millennials) In general- your dc already have it down!
Frugality was a way of life at my house- six kids and a single mom, so it comes naturally.
My spending weakness is also books- no surprise . DH loves his techhy gadgets. He is an Apple man from way back.
But overall we are on the same page about many things- used books, used cars, used clothing.... all the same to him. That is very helpful.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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herdingkittens
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| Posted: Jan 25 2014 at 10:43am | IP Logged
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Seastar, we have a similar arrangement here, as well....
My husband spends almost nothing, so he wins. When he has his time out alone, his splurge is getting a $1 coffee at a cafe and getting refills. Mine usually involves a meal to myself, usually using a coupon. He wears his clothes out until the hole in the pant's back pocket is about to drop his wallet on the floor. "Honey, you need to buy some pants...." I love this about him. He is very minimalist by nature. So the opposite of me, but we balance each other out nicely. And we need to balance each other! When we met, he lived in a one room efficiency with a futon, a bible, a collection of Shakespeare and a jar of peanut butter. I kid you not. I lived in a little house filled with knick-knacks and lots of objects and things all over the place. The home we have is frugal in that it consists of mostly hand-me-downs, castoffs, roadside finds and bargain purchases, but it is also nice and homey, I think. A balance of his order and my love for beautiful "stuff". He is much happier and healthier in a home with warmth and beauty than in one with stark white walls. And I am much happier and healthier learning to find beauty without clutter around me - order and richness can co-exist, it turns out.  So, although I am the one doing the shopping/finding/bargain hunting, his influence of minimalism comes into my mind whenever making a choice ("This is a GREAT deal - but do we really need it or can we do without?").
The kids.... I have one that has zero attachment to money - he received $40 for a birthday and put it right in the poor box. My girls are savers (there is a pet gerbil fund in their bedroom  ). The others are too little to tell yet.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 25 2014 at 11:26am | IP Logged
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Minimalism is something that intrigues me.. living with only the things that you find meaningful/useful.
The problem seems to be that everyone at my house finds value and meaning in many different things
My (hopefully) big bargain this week was ordering dd a new pair of tennis shoes on line through Amazon. Saucony girls running shoes- size wide- for $17.62!
They have not arrived yet, so I am not sure of the fit.
However, I have recently discovered that Amazon often offers free shipping BOTH WAYS on shoes through Prime! Hooray.
What makes this so awesome is that if you watch, you can catch different shoes during price dips (you know how Amazon prices go up and down). The shoes I ordered were $45 but down to $17.62 the day I ordered. I had just seen them at Zappos for about $43, so I jumped on the Amazon deal
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Frugal Friday: Who is more frugal?
