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Alone on my Island

May 22nd, 2007 at 07:35 pm

Does anyone else ever feel like they are alone in their quest for fiscal responsibility (aside from PFA of course). The more I look around at my neigbors (and some of them are my friends) the more I shake my head and feel like I am all alone in my quest to be financially responsible. Even my DH often makes me shake my head although in the 21 years we have been married I have been slowly and steadily converting him. Two separate incidents have been making me think this way this week. The first involves my two neighbors who live across from my house (and next door to each other). One sold a perfectly good John Deere Lawn mower and purchased a newer model for around $10,000.00 (yes - that is a 10 followed by thousand). What!!!!!!!! It's not a car, he cannot drive it to work, what is he thinking. Unless it is guaranteed to cut the grass all by itself for the rest of my life, I could never spend this much on a LAWN MOWER. (And his lawn is under 1 acre!) Not to be outdone, the next door neighbor gave his older lawn mower to his 11 year old son (who has done the lawn mowing for the last 3 years but that is a whole different story). He goes out an buys a $5000.00 lawn mower!!! What!!!! Again, his son was mowing the lawn for the last 3 years on a perfectly good mower!!! These two are just plain crazy in my book and so are their wives who take the attitude, boys and their expensive toys. The second incident was a conversation with a different neighbor and friend. She was complaining how everyone always seemed to be asking her for money this time of year and there were so many additional end of year expenses like kids field trips etc. She wanted a piece of softball equipment for her daughter but didn't want to spend any more cause her DH was not due to get paid for another week. Knowing that my oldest two girls used to play softball, she asked if we had the equipment in question and could her daughter borrow it. I said sure since we were not using it at the time (although the youngest probably will in a year or two). About a week and a half later I saw her and she asked me to admire her manicure and pedicure that she had treated herself to. She had also treated her 9 year old daughter and then gone out to dinner with the whole family that evening. Now, she has the right to spend her money any way she chooses, but it certainly irks me that she asked me for the softball equipment while complaining about money being tight. I know her DH got paid between our first and second conversations, but I cannot help thinking that it is no wonder money is tight toward the end of his pay if she spends like crazy as soon as he gets the next check. Again, all the people mentioned here have the right to do whatever they want with their money, it just makes me feel like I am very lonely in my quest to be responsible. I am very thankful for sites like this one that let me know I am not really all alone - it would just be nice to have a real flesh and blood friend or neighbor who shared these values and that seems to be very hard to find. I do have a few, they just do not live very close so I don't get to do fun/frugal things with them very often. Okay, thats my rant for today.

6 Responses to “Alone on my Island”

  1. littlemama Says:
    1179860096

    In my eyes, you're arguement is justified. Lots of people are like that. I know someone that "doesn't have any money", but not long ago purchased a $2000.00 TV. I guess everyone has their own priorities. To each their own, I guess.

  2. homebody Says:
    1179860365

    Yes I know people like what you described and it drives me nuts! But then my sisters and my daughters all try to stretch money so I get my ya-yas talking to them and this forum.

  3. LuckyRobin Says:
    1179862623

    Half of my neighborhood is Ukranian and Russian immigrants, really hard working people, large veggie gardens instead of front yards, large extended family living under one roof and the other half of the neighborhood is newbie wealth with overbuilt new houses, 3 of which have been unable to meet their mortgages and have had their homes put on the sales block. It's quite a juxtaposition between the frugal and the Not Frugal.

  4. Ima saver Says:
    1179862775

    I know how you feel. I have no frugal friends either.

  5. fairy74 Says:
    1179941646

    Yep, I hear ya! Everyone I know in real life (except DH) is spend happy..."you can't take it with you!". That's why I come here for a dose of frugal sanity...

  6. nance Says:
    1179943694

    There was a huge write-up in a local newspaper, today, that covered a couple of pages. It was about people protesting "bankruptcy foreclosures". It went on and on about the injustices of it all. A woman lost her home because she made a bad decision about refinancing, and got an arm that she couldn't deal with. She knew it was coming, and had three able-bodied adults living in the home. I can't imagine why they didn't make the house payments over a six month period. Then, they put on the "victim" hat and cry about the injustice of it all. I
    know there are legitimate reasons for someone to loose a house, like a major illness, but these people were in good health, and at least one of them was employed. Don't know why the other people weren't if they were not employed. There were no minor children. I have little sympathy with people who can't take responsibility for their own actions, or inaction.

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