Teasing

[mightymoo]

I realized I cross a line last weekend in my frugal journey I'll call it when I had some friends and family over for a game night / bday party and I was teased first for having a bag of batteries labeled 'half used batteries', and another time for bringing out the saved already burnt once birthday candles to put on the birthday cake. (In my defense, they are the thick kind, not the ones that are like 1 mm and burn halfway down by the time you blow the candles out or anything!

Okay, I want some company here - what frugal acts have you been teased for?

[msjd123]

My IL's used to give me all kinds of grief for hanging out the laundry. If it wasn't one thing, it was something else, and they would criticize that to no end: it's WT, it's cheap, it's dirty, it's tacky, it's wrinkly, it's not clean, blah blah blah. As a long shot, MIL even dared to criticize HOW I hung it up -- "Shouldn't everything be in order?" -- but I finally shut them all up by showing them by $7 gas bill (we have a gas dryer) from the summer months.

Mightymoo, you may want to look into rechargable batteries. We've switched to those and they ARE more expensive up front, but I think they'll save us in the long haul.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by msjd123

Mightymoo, you may want to look into rechargable batteries. We've switched to those and they ARE more expensive up front, but I think they'll save us in the long haul.

Well, in this case what happened was I was putting some toys away for hand-me-downs to my brother, and I took the batteries out since they can corrode and destroy the toy, and I didn't want to forget they were half-used lest I grab them for something important.

We actually have rechargeable batteries and all the equipment, I could never make the system work - the batteries never seemed to hold charge very long, even brand new - I would charge all the batteries up so they would be ready when I wanted one, then it wouldn't work when I needed it. And it would take way too long to charge when we needed them. Maybe I went too frugal and got too cheap batteries, but we just could never make the system we had work!

[velochic]

More than teasing, I get grief from my family because I keep the thermostat down during the winter.

I've been teased for my emergency preparedness stockpiling.

We've done well for ourselves financially, but I shop at Goodwill (and donate liberally), which my sisters cannot understand and tease me incessantly for that. They tease me that I drove a 15 year old car... but the one sister didn't mind when I gave that car to her son.

I'm sure there are more but those come to mind.

[ShaggyDaddy]

hah my brother-in-law once said "you know they changed the law and now it's legal to throw used bags away"

It was just a joke and pretty funny cause we do save too many bags and at the time I was trying to make room for more bags to save.

[root*children]

I am also teased by my inlaws about buying in bulk (I was going to say just food in bulk, but then remembered a time with SIL teased me about buying computer paper in bulk : ).
Teased about hang-drying clothes, by my brother and his wife, who pretty much consider us white trash since we have a clothes line

Sheesh, at the same time i want to sort of hit them over the head, because in the same breath as making fun of me, they are also commenting how in awe they are of how much money we save (have in savings). :

About the batteries - we have a few rechargeables, but with the littles running everywhere (we also have a daycare in the house), I'm afraid my $10 batteries would get lost! We use mostly the regular ones. But we do own a $5 battery tester (from ebay) so I can just test each battery to see how it's doing on life

So, it's mostly just family who teases us, fortunately, not friends (not doubting they make fun of me behind my back )

[root*children]

Oh, and I've never heard of being teased for the birthday candles... how dumb! Just goes to show what a disposable society we live in

[Petersmamma]

Dave Ramsey always asked people who call into his show to yell "I'm debt free!" if people teased them and they almost always say yes. So you're not alone!

I don't actually get teased, but I don't have a ton of friends and I probably wouldn't stay friends very long with someone who teased me for trying to get out of debt and save for my future.

Then again, I don't do anything crazy frugal, like knit sweaters out of dryer lint or split my two-ply toilet paper into one-ply, and I am often surprised at the reaction I get when I share a frugal tip (like borrowing videos from the library) that people think I'm cool! Part of that might be my attitude. I don't think there's anything wrong with what I do (not saying that you do! : ) and I don't go on about the money I save by saving baggies, so when I do mention something, it's usually very casual, like "Oh, yeah and I was able to watch the whole series of Six Feet Under." "Wait, I thought you didn't have cable" "Oh, I don't, but I borrowed them from the library" "Whoa!! You can DO that! That's cool! I should do that!"

BTW, we rarely have people over (we live in a big city in the suburbs and most of my friends don't live near us), and maybe if we did then they would start thinking we are weird. Of course, our neighbors got a clothesline after we put ours up, so I was laughing about how they were trying to keep up with the Jones', except that we don't buy much!

[aja-belly]

my family teases us mercilessly about 'sweater pants' (longies). i don't know why it bugs them so, but they can't get over it. i was so thrilled when my brother and his wife (who btw is also an mdc mama ) put sweater pants on their boy.

[myhoneyswife]

I've only gotten it from a single friend who still lived at home... then she got married, moved out, had a baby and doesn't tease me any more about my cold house, cloth diapers, or hand me down clothes!

[mightymoo]

Let me just say that it was all good natured teasing. I would be pretty put off by people giving me serious crap.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

We actually have rechargeable batteries and all the equipment, I could never make the system work - the batteries never seemed to hold charge very long, even brand new - I would charge all the batteries up so they would be ready when I wanted one, then it wouldn't work when I needed it. And it would take way too long to charge when we needed them. Maybe I went too frugal and got too cheap batteries, but we just could never make the system we had work!

You can't charge the batteries "Just in case" they don't work like that. Most grown up toys have low battery indicators, and things that don't usually alert you with a reduction in performance. If I have a rare "battery emergancy" I go to get some at the $Tree.

[BookGoddess]

My family knows I shop at Goodwill and that I reuse/recycle. People at work do know I'm frugal but I don't think they know just how much. No one has said anything mean to me about my thrifty habits. I keep the really odd (or what would see odd to mainstreamers) to just close family members who share a passion for saving money and helping the environment.

[cristeen]

I've been teased about making DH's lunches every day. He's been teased about bringing his lunch every day (all his colleagues go out to eat every day and then wonder why they're always broke).

[anthasam]

Originally Posted by root*children

Oh, and I've never heard of being teased for the birthday candles... how dumb! Just goes to show what a disposable society we live in

Me neither! We always reuse candles!

My sister used to make fun of me about the plastic bags -- she used to say that washing and reusing bags was the reason DH and I could afford to buy a house at age 23! (Yikes, that was almost 10 years ago!!!) Anyway, she has since seen the light

We get the cold house teasing and folks poke fun for cloth diapers. (Ah, yes, wait until they see the family cloth system I am thinking about ) Our washable swiffer covers have been laughed at as well.

We also get teased for recycling EVERYTHING. The big joke when family/friends visit, "What do I do with this?" Meaning can they put it in the trash or recycle or wash it or...?

Mostly we get made fun of because we do things differently -- although most people have open minds about it (at least they pretend to while they are here!!)

[kijip]

Nobody has said anything mean but my cold apartment and plethora of sweaters and blankets is a running joke in my family. Like "oh, dinner's at *your* house? I better go get a warmer jacket and my ear muffs!!!" I fully participate in this joke. Other things people have mentioned at one time or another in the past are cloth diapers, reusing the bags that store bought tortillas come in for random stuff (including homemade tortillas), coupon clipping/combining sales (when we ate less organic food and it was really a money saver) and walking to the grocery store even if the car is around.

[lisalulu]

Well this isn't about me but I can remember staying over with my grandparents and my grandfather hanging up the paper towel he had used to wipe something down so he could reuse it later after it dried. I haven't gotten to that point yet!

[lisalulu]

Originally Posted by kijip

Nobody has said anything mean but my cold apartment and plethora of sweaters and blankets is a running joke in my family. Like "oh, dinner's at *your* house? I better go get a warmer jacket and my ear muffs!!!" I fully participate in this joke. Other things people have mentioned at one time or another in the past are cloth diapers, reusing the bags that store bought tortillas come in for random stuff (including homemade tortillas), coupon clipping/combining sales (when we ate less organic food and it was really a money saver) and walking to the grocery store even if the car is around.

Really walking to the store? I wish I could walk to the grocery store-its just a little far for us.

[Ruthiegirl]

I don't get teased much from friends. In fact, I have noticed some of my more spendthrift friends picking up some money saving habits of their own.

My FIL does give me a lot of crap about our car. We drive a 2000 Honda Civic and in his mind, it is a teeny, little death trap. We are a family of four and while it is small, it fits us just fine and gets great gas mileage.

He thinks we need a minivan or SUV and should just finance one. Hah! Never, never will I finance a car again. Worst financial decision of my life.

So, we just putter happily along in the paid-for civic.


Oh, and we always reuse birthday candles -- that's where birthday wishes are born. You can't just throw them away.

[boobybunny]

Originally Posted by root*children

Teased about hang-drying clothes, by my brother and his wife, who pretty much consider us white trash since we have a clothes line

)

Why is this one so touchy for people? Our HOA actually says we can not do this, but we still do. None of the people in our HOA care, and most have asked me questions about how, how much do we save, and commented about how great everything smells off the line.