Money Pt 2

Okay, so maybe I should sub-title this "poor vs frugal"

I found a new blog this week [http://thepeacefulmom.com]

Catching up on some of her past blogs, I came across this list:

Poverty Vs. Frugality

 “We can’t afford that.” vs. “We choose not to buy that because we have other priorities.”
“There is never enough.” vs. “We have more than we need.”
“Doing without.” vs. “Making do.”
“We can’t make it.” vs. “Let’s do everything in our power to make this work.”
“We have to eat macaroni and cheese because we can’t afford good food.” vs. “We choose to eat macaroni and cheese once a week in order to save money for something more important.”

She also mentioned this other book, that I took a gander at earlier this year called "The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy":

Did you know that most people who look “wealthy” really aren’t? In the book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, author Thomas J. Stanley reveals that most Millionaires drive older used cars or trucks, wear non-designer clothes and aren’t really that noticeable in society. Why? They are putting their money where it counts, not spending money to impress people they don’t even know.


You should pick up the book, it's crazy the statistics on what cars millionaires drive, and what houses they live in, and what kind of wine they drink... it's all not typical on what you think of when you hear "Millionaire".

Anyway, I like what she had to say about being poor versus being frugal.  The past few years I've grown accustomed to changing the phrase, "I can't afford that", to "I choose not to afford that".  And because I'm choosing to not afford certain things, I get to travel like a madwoman, pay off debt, own my own business and live more fully into who I am, not what designer label I'm wearing, or how expensive my jewelry or my car are... I get to just be me and take care of the things that I already posses.

Additionally, I think I might have already mentioned this before on the blog, BUT.. a few years ago, a friend and I read this blog about how to spend less, and love your closet more; I think it was in Glamour or something.  In any case, the author looked at her own spending habits, and came up with 7 rules to shop by [I of course, can't remember all of them].

One of them, however, was: Do you LOVE it?... simply put, if you don't love it, why buy it, why not wait until you find something you do love?  If you buy things that you love, you will wear them more often.  Buy things that you think are just okay, and you won't.

Another one was: If it's a clearance item, does it fit and DO YOU LOVE IT?... which I think was a good one for me specifically.  In this part, she talked about how some of us are conditioned to think "this shirt is only $5, and okay, it's a little tight, but it's only $5, I'm totally going to get it!"... I admit, that was me... [shamefully shakes head].  If it's a bit too tight, or too big, or too short, or too bright, or too whatever... most likely it will see the goodwill bag in the next year.  And I will have worn it once.

I really wish I still had the article.  It was good, especially for a Glamour article :).  I think the main point being, that it's okay to spend money, but make sure what you are buying, is good, because after purchasing 10, $5 clearance shirts you will wear once and donate, you could have had a nice dinner out instead.... okay, a nice dinner for one person, but whateve [smile].

****ALSO****
We're starting a new blog challenge... hopefully this one catches on :).  One blogger will pose a question, and the rest of us will blog our answers.  Should be interesting :).

-maike rinaye-

ps: in my frugality today, I was talking with the niece and nephew that I'm watching this summer, about doing a special 4th of July cake... so we looked some up on-line, found one... and then tried to see if we could make it without going to the store.. which we could... except for frosting... so we found a recipe for that as well... also can make it without going to the store... so then we decided we needed sprinkles... and shit... did you know that you can home make sprinkles!!!!... how freakin awesome is that?!... so then, in order to do all this, we will need food coloring... me, thinking there is no way we could do this at home, tells as much to the 12 year old boy... who says, google it!... so we do... and ho.ly.shit.... you can make home made food coloring... we're not going to [too many ingredients we probably wouldn't eat]... but still... sorta awesome.