Do people make fun of you for being "frugal?"

[leadfootlevi]

I work with a bunch of men in an industry that pays well. I have 2 mortgages, my husband is a "SAHD" (in quotes because his job is improving our property, so it's not like he "just" stays at home), and therefore need to spend money wisely. Most of these men are either dual-income families or are single.

The guys at work are always teasing me. I really don't care, but what is it any of there business to make fun of my old, non-smart cell phone? I refuse to pay big $ for a phone and I'm even more adamant that I'm not going to pay to have internet on the darn thing. Who cares if my phone looks like an old brick?

And, they tease me because I don't go to lunch with them very often (too much $). They tease me because I don't go to happy hours with them. I don't tell them it's because I don't want to spend money on those things, but still they tease.

Anyone else experience the same things?

 

[Robinrs]

LOL, I was just in the middle of my office being picked on for the EXACT thing!!

They call me FRU-"GAL"! One girl asked me to give classes in how I do it!

I make NO apologies, I'm a single parent of a teenager and I also support my elderly uncle. My frugality has gotten us FAR, my son knows the value of a dollar and they all know how to stretch it as far as i do.

I have champagne taste and a Kool Aid budget, but I manage!!

 

[jackie101]

I would say yes but my husband and I laugh about it ......the funny thing is when friends of ours are looking for a good deal they will call us.

 

[Ava]

Wow, I think the people you work with need to get a life!

I don't get teased, although my co-workers don't invite me out to lunch very often any more because they know I won't go. It's not really a big deal to me.

 

[Cruise]

I've learned that in situations like this most people are either trying to cover up the knowledge that they know their own money spending habits are not wise or they are seriously in debt. I did say "most," not all. I choose to take the high road and bite my tongue when they inevitably start to complain about finances within a week of making fun of various ways to save money.

 

[marie1203]

Yes we have only one friend that does that and the ironic part is that she has a bunch of credit card debt and she complains to me about it! So one day I got tired of it so I just told her she can make fun of me all she wants but because I am like that we can afford the vacations we do and the things we have stress free and that is the last time she said something.

 

[disneychrista]

Turn it around on them. Tell them/tease them how much money they are wasting on things like new cell phones, expensive meals/lunches out etc.

 

[SanFranciscan]

My husband has been a bit of a problem because he likes to spend money to impress people. I don't have expensive tastes so I don't let other people's expensive toys bother me. I'd rather have the security of a nest egg than a snazzy cell phone to attract the attention of people who would rob me to get it.

 

[QVCshopper]

Yes, all the time. I get comments from everyone; some are positive, like "you'll be a millionairre one day" and others are negative and make me feel cheap. For example, I tried to lower the cousin's pollyanna amount and was shot down immediately.

I don't really care what people think. My family has financial freedom and that's invaluable to us. I'm trying to give to others more; that's a good way to spread the benefits of my frugality. I'm just this way and always will be and I like it.

 

[Soarin_04]

I have champagne taste and a Kool Aid budget, but I manage!!

Love that line! Can I borrow that?

I agree with the other poster who said to turn it around on them.

"Wait... what? You paid HOW MUCH for that pathetic, little phone that was probably outdated when you left the AT&T store? Nice going, Tech-Fool!"

 

[windycitymom]

If a co-worker makes fun of you, just say with a smile on your face, "It's not what you make, it's what you keep that counts." Let them think about that one...

I don't try and hide my frugal side, I get it out in the open so friends understand where I am coming from and who I am as a person. I share deals with people, post coupon specials on facebook, and tell people what I do to save money. They are quite impressed.

I have a few more sayings, "Some people brag how much money they spend, I brag how much money I save." and "I don't mind spending money, but I hate wasting money."

Having said that, I enjoy my iphone and flat screen HD TV like alot of people, but before I purchase something, I do a ton of research to make sure I get the best value at the best price.

 

[SDSorority]

I work with a bunch of men in an industry that pays well. I have 2 mortgages, my husband is a "SAHD" (in quotes because his job is improving our property, so it's not like he "just" stays at home), and therefore need to spend money wisely. Most of these men are either dual-income families or are single.

The guys at work are always teasing me. I really don't care, but what is it any of there business to make fun of my old, non-smart cell phone? I refuse to pay big $ for a phone and I'm even more adamant that I'm not going to pay to have internet on the darn thing. Who cares if my phone looks like an old brick?

And, they tease me because I don't go to lunch with them very often (too much $). They tease me because I don't go to happy hours with them. I don't tell them it's because I don't want to spend money on those things, but still they tease.

Anyone else experience the same things?

My dad does. He calls me 'cheap' like it's a bad thing.

... we just choose what we want to spend our money on and what we don't. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Soarin_04]

If a co-worker makes fun of you, just say with a smile on your face, "It's not what you make, it's what you keep that counts." Let them think about that one...

You're absolutely right. I work with a guy who used to be a financial planner, and that's his token line when someone starts bragging about how much they spent for something. The expression on people's face when he says that is priceless.

 

[sophie832]

OP, I am also married w/a mortgage, and DH is at home. Always glad to know there are other women out there like me who are the sole source of support for their family.

I only go out to lunch maybe 1-2 times a month (unavoidable work functions, usually), so I bring my lunch most days. I drive the one and only car I've ever owned (11+ years old now). DH keeps house and cooks dinner most nights, and does as much maintenance as he's capable of. We buy our groceries once a week so that we never end up over-buying and throwing things away. We've cut way down on our eating out expenses. Our phones are also without Internet, and that's fine with us. No new computers in the past few years, and very few new electronics.

But with the money we've saved, we are taking our WDW dream vacations with extra to spare. We've stayed out of debt. DH has been able to spend $ on his photography hobby. We're saving for our future, and we're so much happier being more financially secure.

I'm not sure anyone at my work even notices my frugality, but even if they did I wouldn't care. I've always tried to remember that people who spend a lot of money or seem to have a lot might just have a lot of credit card debt backing it up. Good for you for being financially responsible!

 

[MEM]

I am also the sole support of my family with DH the SAHD. Thanks to his extremely frugal years as a bachelor, we have no mortgage on our home - in one of the highest COLA in the U.S. (Boston). I am actually proud to be so frugal because I was born to two spendthrifts who were always bailed out by their frugal parents. There's no one to bail ME out so I had to be frugal in order to survive. I am teaching DD14 and DS16 to be careful with their money but DD cares too much about labels/brand names. Actually, no one makes fun of me for being frugal - this is New England after all, and Yankee Thrift is alive and well and taking notes!!!

 

[timzagain]

I've had more than my fair share of teasing about my frugality too. But I am also the go-to person at work or in my family when people are trying to find cost effective DIY solutions to their problems, or when they're trying to get a good deal.

Our older children sometimes do the eye-rolling thing about my frugality. DD18, now a business major at college, stopped her eye-rolling when I explained that frugality contributed to our positive net worth, while many other people we know are up to their eyeballs in debt they owe for the latest model cars, the oversized house, the latest tech gadgets, the expensive vacations etc!

 

[marcemc]

I wouldn't call you "frugal", I would call you SMART.

It's important to take good care of our money and use it wisely, I take pride in that!

 

[Ava]

I don't know why this thread reminded me of this, but the other day I was talking to a co-worker and she jokingly told a story about losing a paycheck. It was a paper check (obviously), which she apparently misplaced & found it again months later but she'd never even realized she'd lost it! My only thought was, how do you lose an entire paycheck & not notice it!? I have direct deposit but I still check my account every Friday to make sure I got paid & everything is correct. I've had errors on my paychecks before, so I always check my account. I can't imagine being so blase about money that you miss an entire paycheck & don't even notice it.

 

[disneychrista]

how do you lose an entire paycheck & not notice it!

I do the payroll. And I once had an employee not notice he had missed a check. It was me that told him, hey we have a check that you haven't cashed. He decided he must have lost it, so we cancelled it and reissued.

 

[bettymae1121]

No one makes fun of us, but I think we give off the impression that we simply make a lot less money than we do. I don't even think my brothers know how much we earn. We live like we make about 35-40% less than what we make. But when you keep your cars well past when you paid them off, and don't spend money on clothes or cell phones, you come across as "not having a lot of money". Really what it is is that you don't come across as spending a lot of money!