NPR on Thursday:Update

Hello! I'm going to be on NPR's Talk of the Nation on Thursday. I am going to be frugalizing and carrying on. Please tune in if you get the chance.

*UPDATE*

Here's the audio link.

Comments

[PJD]

I am so excited for you!!! Ok next stop 20/20 and Dateline :-)
Congrats Frugalista!

[michael Forster Rothbart]

Hi,

I just listened to you on Talk of the Nation. Very interesting.

I'm by nature a penny-pincher. My clothes all come from the thrift store, my furniture off the curb. I once went on a 5 month vacation to India on a budget of $2 per day.

But here is my question: after a while, living this way makes you start to think small. I make my own website instead of hiring a professional, buy the cheapest brand at the grocery store rather than what I really want, and so on. Even when living frugally, I think it's important to splurge now and then, what do you think?

[Hannah Reyor]

I try to be frugal but sometimes you have to do something to make things bearable when money is tight, and if this candle is as great as your friends says it is, and it brings comfort and joy - why not spend the $25 and go without lunch out, or eat a sandwich for dinner a couple of nights, to make up for it?

[Kate]

I just heard you on "Talk of the Nation", and I found your interview very interesting. I'm now in my late 50's, and being frugal is much easier for me now than it was when I was in my 30's and 40's. There are some advantages to growing older.
When I'm tempted to blow money on something frivolous, I ask myself how long I'm going to feel the passion for the item that I feel at that moment. Asking that question makes me slow my impulses long enough for sanity to be restored. I usually walk away without whatever bauble had caught my eye. I also avoid going to the mall.

[The Frugalista Files]

@michael-Oh you have to treat yourself. Work it into your budget for a "fun file", and do something that makes you feel great. Down with misers!
@Hannah-I agree
@Kate-Yes, malls are made to take your money. My mom's older than you, but basically, she says she's coasting financially now. She's a very happy woman.

[Janet]

I listened to you on Talk of the Nation earlier today. Congratulations on continuing your frugal ways. I'd like to comment on one of the callers' concerns about the high cost of eating healthy. I think that's a myth. A person can eat very healthy on a modest budget if he or she likes to cook and is willing to explore vegetarianism. Beans and tofu are less expensive than meat and fish. Yogurt is a nutrious and reasonably priced substitute for cream. Nuts, which contain heart-healthy oils, can be expensive per pound, but you can fill up on small amounts. For fruits and vegetables, look for what's in season. The prices are usually lower and the quality usually better. The key is to shop around for the best prices. Don't assume that you have to go to Whole Foods. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, Costco and local green grocers. Many of the dishes I make cost $1 or less per serving.

[Paul Still]

For more frugal tips check out the forum on www.tyhecheapbook.com. Tips like using the paper towels you use to dry your hands in restrooms and paper napkins to replace toilet paper, catching your shower water to flush the john and other flushing or not flushing tips, wood fired water heater that uses junk mail and sticks, picking up and selling aluminum cans, deodorant mining to get that last bit of deodorant out of the applicator, cheap clothing, reusing coffee grounds and more.

[Paul Still]

Sorry there was a typo in my previous post. The web site is www.thecheapbook.com.

[darcee]

I really enjoyed your interview. I especially enjoyed your comments about how your blog helps in the accountability that blogging your efforts gives you. I use my blog to help me stay on top of projects I am working on and I too find that putting things out there in the "blog-sphere" helps me keep focused on my goals.

Thank you for your wonderful insights.

[Lucy Perez]

So glad I caught you on NPR yesterday!

I've become much more conscious about how we spend, since my husband and I budget for private school and Spanish classes for my ten-year-old. We include her in our discussions about money to teach her that it's something to be resonsible with. On occasion, when she asks for something at the store, I ask her if it's something she'd be willing to pay for with her own money (she normally has about $5 on her). It's a tatic that makes her think and keeps me from just saying "no" to her. After she considers the question, she typically will say no to the purchase herslef, as she realizes that it's hard to part with money, especially when you don't have much of it.

ALSO, not only is being financially savvy good for your budget, but it's so much better for our environment! We have one car, we carpool,recycle, walk when running local errands, cook meals at home, etc. We're saving hundreds of dollars each month, we feel good about how we're treating the environment AND I believe it's a VERY IMPORTANT lesson to teach children. Adults must lead by example so that (hopefully) they develop those same habits too.
Additional ways to save money, get FREE stuff, and EARN money is published on my blog.

http://thegreenroom1.blogspot.com/

[tejas]

Hi Ms. Frugalista,
You were great on NPR! Your audience certainly is expanding with the NPR exposure.Discovered your blog about a month ago and its great! I've found other interesting PFB sites from reading your site. Keep up the good work!

[Moneymonk]

Girl the $16 shirt, went to the radio !!!! LOL

[ruthie]

I heard you show via podcast and am a native Minnesotan who has found myself in Calcutta India. There was a time where I thought that an iPod would be simply a luxury that I would never have. Fortunately mine was given to me as a gift when I left the US. Now I wouldn't live without it!

On another note, one Labor Day weekend as I was cleaning out my clothes closet I was appalled at all the clothing I simply never wore. So I took a vow that I would not buy any new clothing for a year. This included under garments as I certainly have enough of them as well. Since almost everything in my closet is 'traditional' style I did go the year without buying any clothing. My passion are sweaters and seeing a sweater I wanted on sale nearly did me in but I held true to my vow. The outcome is that I rarely go clothes shopping now. I never was much of a 'mall' person but am even less so now and when I do buy something it is a more conscience decision.

Finally I find this trend very interesting. What you described in your blog is basically the way I was raised. My parants were 20 somethings during the depression and frugal (if not cheap) was my parants way of life. When the boom years of the 50's came and I was born they didn't change their way of life. We rarely ate out. When something broke we tried to repair it prior to replacing it. They bought high quality goods because they lasted forever and they only bought those goods when they could pay cash for them. They never, never, never bought everyday things on credit.

In reality they lived the 'intentional' frugal, green lifestyle decades before it became fasionable. I am glad they gave that legacy to me and hopefully I passed some of this down to my daughters.

Well, enough of my ramblings. Stay on your quest. It's a good one!