Comments on: Weekend Roundup — Affording It Edition

By: Not by Bread Alone | On a Quest To Be Debt Free...

Not by Bread Alone | On a Quest To Be Debt Free... — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:12:27 +0000

[...] a list together of the activities you and the family actually want to continue. Prioritize the list from the things that are the most [...]

By: dave

dave — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:03:49 +0000

I would rather have piece of mind that a houseful of junk that I have to worry about paying for every month. I’m debt free now and plan on staying that way. I’m done trying to impress anyone. I may have done that in my younger days, but I’m much wiser now.

By: Frugality, Friendship, and Feeling Left Out | Mrs. Micah: Finance for a Freelance Life

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:58:41 +0000

[...] Weekend Roundup — Affording It Edition [...]

By: Bita

Bita — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:11:35 +0000

I will read all the posts as soon as I can, but I wanted to comment on two things. Simple Tam I agree with mrsmicah, depending on how close you are to your friends just be honest with them with how much you can afford. If they go out get an appetizer and water. It’s really about enjoying the company in the limits of what you can afford. If you’re not that close since they are just work buddies, then just do what I said above.

By: mrsmicah

mrsmicah — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:31:12 +0000

Unfortunately, being frugal can definitely have social downsides. Some options I can think of for dealing with it (things that have worked for me) include:

1. Having frugal friends. You probably don’t prescreen your friends, but it helps to know if your friends are frugal. That way you’re not both assuming that the other person wants to spend money.

2. Planning the activities yourself. For instance, if I want to have dinner with friends but don’t want to do a restaurant, I can invite them over. I can also provide a DVD that I borrowed from the library.

Obviously, it doesn’t work in every situation.

By: deepali

deepali — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:13:10 +0000

Thanks for the link, and the other links as well (more to explore!).

And RacerX brings up a really important point – we tend to measure happiness and success in subjective, present terms. Perhaps we should be more mindful of looking forwards and backwards instead? Like, this time last year, I had 4K in debt, and now I only have 3K. I’d much prefer that measure of success.

By: Simple Tam

Simple Tam — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:13:36 +0000

I would like to know what you all think of the social aspect. I like to save. But my work buddies usually hang out after work or on weekends. They have expensive choices and invariably end up going out to eat or to the movies. I can avoid it for some time, but if I continue to, I am deemed a social outcast. Any thoughts on how this situation can be handled ?

By: RacerX

RacerX — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:06:12 +0000

Beyond the personal feelings of “Affording It” there is the social aspect as well.

When your friends talk about the lastest movie or their awesome vacation, it is easy to feel left out.

By: Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances

Meg from The Bargain Queens & All About Appearances — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:06:22 +0000

Thanks for the link!

And thanks for writing such great posts! You give me a lot inspiration when I can’t think of what I want to write about : )