My thrifty self

The state of the economy is scary and unpredictable as to what will happen next, but for some reason I'm not really worried for myself. I have a job in education and have been doing all the "right" things for years. The new craze is to clip coupons, do without, and cut your costs. But what about us thrifty gals who've always done those things? I can't remember a time in my life when I haven't been... well, cheap. (Okay, I really hate that word cheap. It brings to mind pictures of little old men to tight wad to open their wallets under any circumstances.) I'll just continue to call myself thrifty. Most of my life I've had no choice but to be thrifty.... I was poor. But being poor can also make you financially smart. Since you don't have lots of money and you usually have to work really hard to get the little money you have, you become much more careful with what you do with it.

I have never been a materialistic type of gal. I don't own the newest gadgets or clothing fads and I really don't care to. I don't have all those fancy cable channels or own an Iphone. (though I like to play with Mr. Riot's iphone when I see him but do I really need one...no!) I won't go to the grocery store without a handful of coupons. I rarely eat out and when I do, I try to bring a coupon. This has been known to cause embarrassment to my friends, but I always tell them if they didn't want you to use the coupon they would have never made them in the first place. I also tell them if it bothers them that much, they can personally take the money that was saved from the coupon and add it onto the tip. They never seem to want to do that though!

I buy at estate sales, auctions, and goodwill. In a way, I'm not only thrifty but I'm recycling too. Saving the planet as I save a few bucks. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak! I've noticed lots more competition at the thrift stores lately. There's a great goodwill store that I go to that I have yet to be in and not find some amazing things. From vintage finds to brands like Anne Taylor that I would wear to work. If a person says you can't look stylish on thrift store finds, they're usually the people who are in over their heads in credit card debt trying to keep up with the materialism in our society.

Is it really that bad to wait until you save the money to buy something you want? Wouldn't that feel better then instant gratification using the credit card and having to pay on it for however many years it takes you to actually pay for it? I don't know about you, but I work REALLY hard for my money. Why would I want to make my life harder by making stupid financial decisions? I don't, that's why I'm a smart thrifty girl!