Here are some of my own thoughts:

@Alex – Awww I like your grandma :) Very very good words to live by.
@Uncle El – Haha, I’m totally using your comment about my circus travels on Friday – watch for it ;) But to my defense, I also hardly pay for those trip! Perks to running an orginzation that requires you to travel every month – woop!
@LLF – Yep! Hoarding is hoarding!
@Lynn – Oh no! That is soooo sad! :( But what a perfect way to keep things in perspective, wow. Thanks for sharing that with us today!
@Nicole – I love that :) You’re a great mom.
@No Debt MBA – I can dig that… very well said, my friend :)
@Brian – Yup! Ramit is the MAN when it comes to this stuff. All about prioritizing your expenses and using your money toward what’s important to you, rather than what everyone tells you to.
@Jenny~Z – Awww, I’m sorry :( That’s not a good way to feel for sure. And I think Maria down below offers up some great ideas as alternatives! At least you’re reading blogs and learning about money now – that’s great!
@Maria – All great ideas, Maria – thanks for sharing and helping Jenny-Z out! Very thoughtful of you.
@Crystal – WOW that’s incredible! Living off 50% is hot yo!! (says the guy who IS turning into a laptop creature, haha…)
@StackingCash – Food and traveling – that def. adds up! But good for you guys on enjoying it :) I don’t know what it’s like to have grown up poor, but it seems you have a good head on your shoulders. And not just from this comment either, but from all the ones you leave, and which I appreciate :)
@Melissa – Well, he hasn’t gotten to know me yet so all is good in the world ;) It brought out a good comment & post too! Gotta love that. Working on having him write up a special guest post for us soon, so stay tuned…
@Amy – Wowwwww that is amazing! You are GOOD at this saving game! I am impressed! :)
@CityFlips – Most of the best posts here ARE from other people, haha… but it’s all good, as long as people enjoy the blog it’s a-okay with me!
@Yana – I have a cadillac your mother probably would have wanted ;) But it’s 20 years old now, haha…
@Ashley @ Money Talks – Hah! I’ve never heard of that before until now :)
@Jennifer Lissette – Haha… you guys are doing it right though. Skimping on the stuff that’s not important to you, and splurging on the stuff that IS. That’s awesome. And something I’m trying to get better at myself :)
@Gary – Yup! I’m always trying to sneak off to my parents – and the best part is it’s entirely free! (well, gas ofcourse, but for the most part)
@kody – Not sure I’d agree w/ that all the way, but I do like the idea personally of paying down the mortgage over other stuff… which is exactly what I’m working on now as soon as I can figure out the best way to work it :)
@jamie – “You need to save yes, but also enjoy life… It’s like losing weight, you’re bound to be successful if you find balance” I just put that on my Twitter and Facebook – love it! And agree w/ “conscious spending” too – I use that phrase all the time since reading Ramit’s book :) Keep on commenting away your thoughts too! Totally cool if they’re long and wordy, ya never know who will get inspired by them!
@Maria Nedeva – :) I tend to go hardcore myself at times, but as long as we’re all aware of our actions/thoughts it’ll at least keep us somewhat sane.
@C.M.C. – That’s not a bad way to think about things either, esp if it’s working for you and helping :) For me at least, I find going between extremes and balances help out depending on what I’m working on. If I have $5,000 on my credit cards for example, I’ll go extreme for 5-6 months until they’re paid off, and then get back to a more normal financial routine. With other things, such as car payments, big toys, etc etc, I tend to go the slower and more average-payment route. So I think it really depends on all of our personalities and what we deem is “successful” when we’re trying to hit financial goals. And for me right now, since I’ve knocked off everything BUT my mortgages, it’s time to get my ass in gear and find out how to go extreme enough to pay it off much much sooner, but still travel and do everything else I want to throughout the process… we’ll know shortly!
@Donna Freedman – Haha, I remember that story!!! And wouldn’t change the drama for anything ;) I’d be priveledged if you helped pack some stuff up with us for Love Drop – don’t forget to call/email/tweet/facebook me when the time gets closer!
@Yana – Isn’t she great?

The only thing I disagree with is that I feel Consumer Debt MUST be paid off as fast as possible. I feel that accumulating it in the first place was wrong, so if you have to live like a “pauper” for two years just to pay it all off, you should. It’s kind of like working to correct a bad behavior. Some people would rather quit smoking cold turkey, while others would rather gradually stop. On the other hand, I never hear of alcoholics or drug addicts gradually gaining sobriety. In fact, when they use again, it’s called relapsing. If people got into debt by living beyond their means, some may very well have been addicted to spending (on credit). They probably need to quit cold turkey and cut up the cards.
And what about Student Loans? Are they considered a consumer debt or something more like a mortgage?
I guess my idea is that we should try to save up more before we make a purchase. Whether it’s a car or a motorcycle or a boat, or house. Maybe these things should take time and work to acquire the savings for. Not necessarily, “I need a car, so let me take out a loan to buy more car than I can afford right now and pay the rest over time, instead of buying a cheaper used car or even taking more time or getting another job to save up more for it.” I know this is the way most people operate (old me included), but wouldn’t life be so much simpler if we didn’t take on car payments, credit card payments, loan payments, mortgage payments?

Mortgages I guess are different, because it would take quite a while to pay off a whole house and the alternative is renting, which is a money-pit and shelter is a basic necessity. But making your best effort to accelerate the payments while you have a steady income might help in times of trouble when you can’t pay it off as fast.

One last thing: I consider working hard to build my career and obtain things part of “living in the now.” I understand having hobbies (traveling is one of mine), but it’s something I don’t think we should REALLY be able to indulge in until all of our financial obligations are taken care of. In the meantime, we save up for week-long-or-less-trips on the side and go maybe once or twice a year. I’m working toward a time in my life when we can go on month-long trips anywhere in the world… which I think takes financial sacrifice now.

I don’t know…it’s just an alternative view on things.

I know that there were times when I was changing my behavior that I realized that I was buying something just to make myself feel better. Until I got into a much better position financially, I had to scrutinize my purchases to make sure it was something I needed and wasn’t just for the emotional bandaid.

@Maria
Great suggestions saving $$ while still having a full life.

@StackingCash
Thanks for the complement. :) I’m glad I never got addicted to the fine dining thing. I eat like that maybe twice a year and it makes those meals all the more special. Lunch in the rotating restaurant on the Seattle Space Needle was well worth it for the experience!

@Melissa
I know where you are coming from with your parents. My dad died when I was 4 and my mom didn’t know anything about finance. We lived hand-to mouth accruing credit card debt my entire childhood. Thankfully I was exposed to my in-laws while I was still young enough to change my habits (early 20’s).

I think that as long as you are somewhere in the gray area in-between total financial ruin and never spending anything you squirrel away you’re not doing too bad.

@Amy
I love my HSA! Best thing to come around. I did the Lumenos thing before the HSA came out (you had a pool of $$ to spend that rolled over, but there were limits and you didn’t take it with you if you left your job). When I saw the HSA with the HDHP I knew that was the way to go for me. It’s like an IRA that you never get taxed on (as long as you spend it on healthcare). Without kids and in relatively good health it was a no-brainer! I mean I’m gonna need the money for healthcare someday. In my opinion, I think it’s more important to fund an HSA than an IRA.

I do hope that if you hoard the actual cash that you have a safe that is bolted to the floor. :)

And I think that one of the dangers of living super-frugally for a long time is that you become accustomed to it. You can get yourself to a point where you can’t enjoy spending the money at all. I think that’s almost as sad as seeing someone bankrupt themselves (almost).

@CityFlips
I’m glad you appreciated the content. Thankyou.

J.$ has graciously invited me to submit a post or two on my own on material I am interested in. So you might see that in the coming weeks.

Realizing that the vast majority of us really do have everything we truly need helps me put off getting some of my wants. Delayed gratification is a good thing. Half the time, I end up realizing that I wouldn’t even use what I wanted enough to warrant buying it in the first place.

@Yana
That really reminds me of that movie “Up”. I love Pixar, but I had a hard time enjoying it because I kept thinking about the old couple not ever doing anything before it was too late.

And it’s a good idea not to pledge too much of that future fantasy money. (only the government seems to get away with that consistently :) )

@Ashley
No need to stop. As long as you’re not endangering the less coordinated members of your family, we can let it slide. Of course if you can skip steps you could alternate odd and even every other day. :)

@Jennifer Lissette
Not really. You enjoy spending your money on what gives you pleasure as opposed to resenting every expense you have to outlay for.

@kody
If I had to choose between one extreme or the other, I too would suggest being a skin-flint just because it would leave the person with options if the fecal matter hits the fan. But neither extreme strikes me as reflecting a healthy attitude about money and possessions.

If your investments are on track to allow you to retire at a higher standard of living than you enjoy now, you have a six-month emergency fund saved up, and your mortgage will be paid off before you plan to retire, I think that you should be comfortable with beginning to enjoy spending some of the extra income you have on things that give you pleasure. It’s a matter of discipline not to go overboard and threaten your future success.

@Jamie
The weight analogy is perfect! I love it. Credit cards purchases are like junk food – empty calories that make your waistline expand (unsecured debt). And a lot of work is required to correct either one. :)

I agree about things being more accessible to the majority of the population compared to yester-year. About the only thing I see as being worse is the way access to information can increase our stress levels. But I’d never trade that in for all the positive changes technology has bestowed upon us.

@Maria Nedeva
I understand the ‘iWant’ mindset (about whatever, be it paying off debt or buying stuff). The only thing that helps me not to blow all my discretionary dough on the first shiny gadget I see is the horrific thought that I will see something even shinier before I get more discretionary income again. So as the cost of what I am currently drooling over goes up, so does the amount of time I wait to make my decision.

Practically, I have always, always had problem to achieve balance (and moderation) and not only in relation to money and all matters financial. I am very impatient so I want it, and I want it now! ‘Want it’ is rarely possessions – I want experience, I want our debt paid off, I want adventure. The art of living is to manage to have ‘enough’ of all and not too much of any.

They didn’t have the internet where they could compare and look up reviews. Now we even have websites like freecycle where people exchange things for free. There are also companies that market to just about every level of income. Stores are also super competitive where they will match prices, we also have coupons, sales, warehouses, discount stores, dollar stores, online stores like Amazon.

I know people say the COL has gone up and it has, but at the same time there are so many things that are affordable to us than they were in our grandparents days. We live better than kings in the 15th century did. It’s common for most Americans even at the lowest income level to have an A/C, fridge, tv, a computer, etc. Clothes are much cheaper now than they were in my gran’s day.

Even if you can’t afford college, if you can afford internet access and go to the library then you can educate yourself. Well as long as you have the self-discipline. Internet access can even be free if your library has it. I know that my grandmother didn’t have access to inter library loans.

Most people around the world have gone away from the farms and most of us around the world now live in cities and towns. Companies make sure that they have brand recognition so if you go to Target in the east or west it’ll most likely be the same. Everything has gotten a lot more convenient. I really do think from what I’ve seen that we have more access to things than our parents and grandparents ever have.

But college, housing, and health care were much more affordable during their day. Those industries seem to have had the worst inflation.

Anyway sorry to ramble but I do from time to time do hear how people say we live worse than our parents and grandparents and the truth is that we don’t. And some people complain the middle class is shrinking, but I really think its peoples debt and spending habits that do them in. Anyway I’ll shut up now. lol.

=)

I live with my BF and we’ve found out that cable isn’t important to us. My bf really likes movies, and I like watching series and movies. So we don’t have cable, but we did buy a 40″ inch tv (that was bought at Wal-Mart for $1,000) and yes we paid with cash.

We use Netflix and itunes for our movie & series. We love our tv, and we love watching movies whenever we want. Everyone needs their toys. But anyway we have gained a lot of enjoyment from our tv. We also use it for gaming. I pop in movies and get on our stationary bike while they’re playing. It makes exercise much more fun. No our tv hasn’t taken over our lives.

This is just one example of how we save but still have fun. I really like what Ramit wrote on his book, he rephrases frugality in an interesting way. He says to be a conscious spender.
I love that. I also think saving money is different to each person. Everyone has an idea of how far they’re willing to go to save money.

I could never go to extremes. I just try to work with my habits.