Dealing with Opposition

Dealing with Opposition
An average telephone conversation between myself and a non-believer:

Sid: Hello?
NB: Hey Sid, do you and Jon want to go out to eat with us?
Sid: Where are you going?
NB: Bob’s, like usual.
Sid: Well I don’t have a coupon for that place, and Jon and I usually pick one place a week and reserve some money for that. So, take a rain check?
NB: You guys are old, you don’t ever want to do anything with us.
Sid: Well, everyone could come over here and I could make dinner! I got some great chicken on sale.
NB: (dial tone)

If you are living the frugal life, you have probably met some severe opposition along the way. I find it a daily battle to try and justify my way of living to people who don’t seem to understand. I live in deep South Texas, and being “Yankee-born”, my eccentric way of life doesn’t always mesh well with the locals. So I have a few tips when dealing with friends, family, and strangers who, in attempt to make your feel as big as a Lilliputian, haven’t yet adjusted to your frugal lifestyle.

1. Encourage participation in your frugal activities so people can see for themselves that it does pay off.
2. Offer frugal alternatives and suggestions so you are not left out.
3. Convert as many as you can! I am always dishing out tips or recommending books in hopes that I can get a few converts under my belt, if only to lessen the stares.
4. As Dave Ramsey says, “If they are making fun of you, then you are doing it right.” America has bred a population of people who follow the beat of one drummer, and any side stepping throws them off.
5. My greatest tip: They will get over it. You cannot change everyone, and when people see the fruits of your penny-pinching (and that money saving garden you put together) you won’t have to waste your breath.

I am not a cynic, but I do believe that for so long, we as a people have come to believe many myths and feel compelled to keep up with the Joneses. Just as when you were in high school and you wanted to play the tuba, but that was the geeky thing to do, you did it anyway because you are your own person.

Welcome to November and happy All Saints Day!