A Frugal Bit from Paul Harvey

I'm not sure what Paul Harvey's reasoning was for this piece, but it is definitely applicable to frugality here. Enjoy!

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, Id like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand-me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches.
I really would hope you learn humility by being humiliated and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It would be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
When you see a movie and your little sister wants to tag along, I hope you let her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town were you can do it safely. I
f you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn how to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove, and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I dont care if you try a beer once, but I hope you dont like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on the porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holiday.
These things I wish for you- tough times and disappointments, hard work and happiness. To me its the only way to appreciate life.
Good Day!

Paul Harvey

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!