Just curious who else is living super frugal

[wilbilt]

I obviously have not read every post in this thread, but I have always lived frugally out of necessity.
I work for a school district and get paid once per month, so I do grocery shopping once a month, with maybe a few perishable items restocked at the 2-week point.

The nearest supermarket (or convenience store, gas station, etc.) is 15 miles from home, so it makes sense to consolidate trips. I don't need fancy toys or new vehicles. Every vehicle I have bought in the past 25 years I have paid cash for. If they break, I fix them myself. The only debt I have is the mortgage. No credit cards. If I can't pay cash for it, I don't need it.

No cable TV here, I tried satellite but dropped it because of the junk I don't care to watch. I get 3-4 channels via antenna, which is plenty.

Even if I had a lot of money to spend, I don't think I would live any differently.

 

[Beekissed]

I was doing the "thrift store thing" before it was so popular. Anyone else?

Always. Our local Salvation Army was our first such store in the area and it was on 5th street so it naturally became SAKS 5th Ave. to us regulars. Anytime someone complimented us on a piece of clothing or such we purchased there and ask where we got it, we would reply, "SAKS, of course!"

 

[dascountry]

Always. Our local Salvation Army was our first such store in the area and it was on 5th street so it naturally became SAKS 5th Ave. to us regulars. Anytime someone complimented us on a piece of clothing or such we purchased there and ask where we got it, we would reply, "SAKS, of course!"

CLEVER

 

[barbiegirl]

I shop the Salvation Army store. I use coupons and match them up to the sales at the store. I have propane gas in my house for heat and that was costing way to much to heat our house so I have a wood burning stove now to heat my house.

 

[Beekissed]

We've used wood heat for many years but lately have become interested in rocket mass heaters, a type of wood burning stove that maximizes heat using very little wood. Easy and cheap to build by yourself, it has large appeal for those who have to buy their wood or are too old to get in the same wood they used to when younger.

http://www.earthenbuilt.com/past-events/rocket-stove

I can't wait to build and design one to suit our living quarters....the designs you can form are only limited by your imagination!

 

[dascountry]

We also heat with wood. We got ourselves a bigger wood stove this year and DH is so happy that he doesn't have to get up at night to feed it. We still use the propane furnace for back up. Sometimes it gets to nippy in here so I turn it up a bit, but most of the time its kept on 52. Also do the couponing.

 

[marty8587]

There is alot of "false economy" around these days. About 15 tears ago I had our old furnace replaced with a new gas model. sposed to be real efficient. Our old one was the old basemrnt octopus originally coal burning converted to sawdust and then to fuel oil. That funace was about 100 years old and was still working with a tuneup every couple years. Now I'm told that my 15 year old furnace is no longer efficient enough and I shoul replace it. The first new fornace w/duct work was about $8,000.00 and a new one would be around the same. If I had the old furnace back I sure could buy alot of fuel oil for $16,000.00. I believe alot of these companies create an industry for themselves.

 

[dascountry]

I've found in alot of things that older is better. I try to do things on the concept of the older ways....not that the canning did the way my grandmother did was right (I pressure can most of my items) but the fact that she canned most of her food plus made dinner from scratch. So many things are way to processesd now and you really don't know what you're getting. Houses I think were even built better...look at all the older farm house still standing. It"s hard for me to get on paper as to what I'm trying to say but hopefully you get the picture. And Ya I realize this isn't paper

 

[HeatherLynn]

We have been doing the thrift thing since we got married, granted we had a little one right off the bat so that sorta pushed us in the right direction. And yes people will think we are all weird. Someone even said us hippie types. I didn't think I was a type at all, lord knows my husband has yet to be able to put me in a nice comfy category lol. I just find it a bit nutty to live on the edge of ruin by choice rather than by unfortunate circumstances. For pities sake i wish friends would get a realistic view of their debt because their debt is stressing me. We are all nuts for living the way we do but they think its sane to teeter on the edge like that and charge their way out of their problems. Ummm I think they need to re evaluate their view of sanity personally.

Things are still starting to look up here. We have taken some hits. Our van is sitting in the drive ready to be traded in because apparently it hates me and as soon as I drive it, it breaks in some way. Always different ways but on the side of the road none the less. Anywho not thrilled but right now if we all had to go somewhere we couldn't so thats bad. It will get taken care of though. Its odd because it doesn't even freak me out because I know we can handle it now. I don't think I have ever been able to say that. Not ever. I mean its not going to be easy peasy but its actually possible with effort. If it happened a few years ago our options were pretty much just cry because we had no way of changing or taking care of anything. Freaky and cool at the same time. Slightly more freaky than cool tonight though. lol

I get to go real shoe shopping tomorrow and sorta praying there is a HUGE sale somewhere. I promised my husband that the next time I needed shoes I would buy something decent that did not kill my feet rather than my $5 clearance finds. Well my mom sat my shoes outside and a tom cat decided they were a litter box. I could have gotten another year out of those dang shoes but they were pretty dang nasty. No way even with bleach I would ever put my feet in those. Stupid cat. So goal tomorrow is to find $60 shoes for $20 or less. stupid stupid cat

 

[StevieNay]

Great thread! I'm just getting into chickens, and am going to finally have a garden this year. I'm going to can extra produce, too. Can't wait!