No invitations with a slight smell of lavender were sent. No white gown made primarily of tulle was painstakingly stiched. No escort from a well-respected family needed to be secured. I may be Southern born and may have gone through junior cotillions, but I never received a proper coming out ball. No dramatic introduction into society declaring I am a woman (and apparently ready to be wedded). So, let me formally make my societal debut here.
[In dramatic announcer voice]: Broke Millennial, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Fiscally-Aware Boomers, is escorted by her date, Mr. Frugal, son of Mr and Mrs. Cheapskate Tightwads.
Yes, stifle those unrefined gasps. I am indeed escorted by Frugality. A most respectable date, even if often rebuked as no fun and possibly a little obsessive.
(I’m not really one for curtseying …)
(Perhaps more for bull riding in formal attire.)
Jokes aside, coming out frugal has proven to be quite the find for me over the past few years. I’m not remotely ashamed of my frugality. I also will not balk at the terms: cheapskate, penny-pincher, scrooge, tightwad, stingy, skinflint or miser. Okay, maybe miser and scrooge would cause me to debate the merits of my lifestyle. I actually do spend money on things I see a value in, which tends to be traveling.
If you’re frugal, but are afraid to come clean with friends and family now is the time. Why? Because get this…THEY GIVE YOU THINGS! People who know about this blog or just know me well are pretty inclined to send coupons, discount codes, hand-me-downs, food and sometimes just cash my way.
A few great gets from friends and family being aware of my money-conscious ways:
- All this nail polish from a co-worker (painting my nails is my one girly vice).
- A lot of designer brand clothes from people who wore it once and decided to give it away.
(Yup, that Banana Republic blazer and cute sundress were hand-me-downs.)
- Furniture, home accessories and dishware
(That isn’t the actual set up in my apartment. For display purposes only.)
- People’s leftovers. Okay, that one might be a little embarrassing, but I can’t stand seeing food go to waste. If we ate family style or in a way that people’s germs aren’t all up in their food then I’m likely to take it home.
- FOOD, of the not already slightly used variety…
(Yesterday, a colleague brought me half a loaf of freshly baked bread. Unprompted!)
So this week’s frugal find is simple. If you tend to hide your frugality don’t. You never know what you might get!
What is the best SWAG you’ve received? Do you find people are more likely to give you things if they know you’re frugal?
Some of my favorite posts from this week:
- Versailles: A Tale of Ten Kitchens on Club Thrifty
- Movin’ On Down on 1500 Days to Freedom
- When lifestyle inflation isn’t even fun on Get Rich Slowly
- Could the end of unpaid internships be near? on Debt Blag
- Let Your Savings Account Blossom with These First Day of Summer Freebies and Discounts on GoBankingRates.com
And thanks to College Financing Group for sharing my story: How one student avoided the “millennial curse” by looking beyond her dream school.
Well, I’m a little older than you in the genx group so the best swag I’ve gotten BY FAR in terms of value has been hand me downs for my kids. I’m talking TUBS of clothes which have often included winter coats and boots so that I have probably spent less than $500 in the 7 years that my two kids have been alive for clothing/shoes!
You’re so right though – if you put it out there that you’re open to it and will really use them, people will pass things your way.
Also, I work at a medical center so sometimes patients or reps will bring in treats/breakfast for us and I’ll often be ‘stuck’ with the leftovers which I take home to my family. This lenten season one of our patients, a priest, brought us two huge tray of hot cross buns that he baked and I stuck one of the trays in my freezer and took a few out at a time and my kids ate them for breakfast for quite a while.
I’m with you on the hand-me-downs. We actually have a neighbor with a 4 year old son and NO desire for any more. She’s given us a TON of stuff, including a trash bag full of really nice jackets. We never asked for anything or talked about our financial habits or anything, she just wanted to get rid of it and offered it up. That kind of stuff is awesome.
Those hot cross buns sound awesome!
I’ve always been a fan of hand-me-downs. Some of my best clothing have been other people’s castoffs.
Are you on Swagbucks? I was just wondering what you thought about it? In case you don’t know it’s a site where you earn points by doing things like searching the net, etc. Then you can redeem your points for giftcards (ex 450 points for $5 Amazon giftcard) Here’s my referral link if you or anyone else is interested: swagbucks.com/refer/atxgirl623
You could discuss it if you wanted to in a future Frugal Friday.
I’ve heard of Swagbucks, but I haven’t signed up for it yet. I’ll use your referral code when I do! It’s a great Frugal Friday recommendations. Thanks!!
Make sure you follow @swagbucks and @SwagCodezAlertz for code alerts that are usually worth anywhere from 3-10 points.
Dang, I am openly frugal and the only thing people give me is a hard time. :0 I guess I need new friends!
Bummer that you and Michelle haven’t gotten anything as a result of your frugality! Hopefully that all changes.
Haha, I am with Nick on this one. The best thing of value I have gotten has been hearty laughter in my direction.
People know that I’m frugal, but I don’t think anyone has ever given us anything because of it 🙂
Thanks so much for the mention! Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the mention!
I would love for people to give me free stuff (That’s more than a hint…) but no one ever does. Hope you had a great weekend 🙂
Yes, we got a great pile of designer clothes from a friend for our 13 year old, who was thrilled to get the fancy clothes that mom and dad can’t buy right now. HUGE blessing. 🙂
My wife receives lots of clothes from my sister and her friend because they know that she doesn’t mind secondhand clothes. Some even have the tags on them!