• Welcome to the Crispy Money forums, a community of people who share their experience with investing, saving money, earning tips, avoiding scams and living life to it's fullest.
    To start posting in our forums, and comment on articles and blogs please register free by clicking here.

Do your friends ever think you're poor?

Forthelove

Forthelove

New member
Sometimes I get the feeling my friends think I'm poor because I'm frugal. It gets frustrating, because I don't like to brag how I'm paying down debt, have socked away emergency cash and the future looks great. Sometimes it seems like some of them are pitying me. They don't say it oughtright but its a nagging feeling I get.
 
My one friend thought I was lying about work for a few months when I started cutting back. We haven't been friends long and in the beginning, I was still spending carelessly. Out of no where, I just stopped going out as much and when we would do anything, it would be at one of our homes.
 
I have been called party pooper and cheap but they know I am not poor. My one friend jokes with me and says I must have been Jewish in another life because I have gotten so good at managing my money and not spending a lot lol
 
Yeah same for me, they call me cheap and "tight". My sister pokes fun at me every chance she gets saying I have my wallet guarded with lasers and micro attack sharks.
 
My family did at one point. I was so frugal because of debt that I was spending $80 a month on food. It was bad. It was the only way I could get around it. A friend ended up helping me out for a few months until some of my bigger debts were being paid off.
 
I have been called a lot of things but poor was surprisingly never one of them. Most people know I can be "cheap" but I call it being wise with my money!
 
My other mother thought I was broke! She thought my husband lost his job too. This was when we started cutting back. I had thought I was pregnant so we made the change. I found out I wasn't and we never went back, we just became more frugal and it helped us both pay off nearly all of our debts including my husband's university debts.
 
Many of my friends think I'm either poor, massively in debt or crazy cheap. Its none of the above, I don't mind spending money but I have priorities about what I spend on.
 
I had someone in my family call me a few days ago. They wanted to know if I was on trouble with money. I kind of laughed about it because I have more money in my account and in savings than anyone in my family!
 
None of them have said anything degrading about my finances. Most of them I've met at jobs, so they probably have an idea I make about the same as them. But I do tend to be less showy and have a smaller house then most of them so I'd guess they know I'm just a bit careful with my money.
 
Yes, I got this feedback all the time from my husband side of family and friends who don't care about finance at all but judge their and others social status mainly based on spending (who owns bigger car and more luxuries, even all on loans/leases) . I'm so sick of this keeping up with the Jones spending game, and feel very lonely as no one understands why we are frugal and can't share any of our ideas in savings and investing with them, or we'll get an annoyed or bored look. We managed to save 20% of my salary while my husband can't work due to his disability, and paid off all student loans in 3 years. Yet we never got the respect or interests from them, and always perceived as the cheap boring couple.
 
@Lostinthenewland

We kind of missed the "fun" part of "things" when we first started tightening our belts and getting serious about long term financial goads. But its a great feeling having a big cushion now and being able to weather most any storm. A major car repair isn't a catastrophe, it's a problem that can be dealt with. We recently had the dishwasher and washing machine die the same week we had a roof repair and handled it easily.

Congrats on paying off the student loans, that's a BIG deal and you deserve a pat on the back for it.
 
No, my friends don't think I'm poor. But they also don't think I'm rich because I'm not a spendthrift or showy. And the luxuries I do purchase tend to be things that have long term value. For example, well-built furniture that lasts a lifetime.
 
Back
Top