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Am I Being A Grinch?

January 28th, 2007 at 11:46 pm

I just read a blog by a guy in Kansas, who represents himself as being "The .... of Thrift", who asked people to send him money, so he can get out of debt. This guy bought a new car last year, that he couldn't afford, and now he is talking about his medical needs, that he can't afford. So we are supposed to send him money. Am I being mean spirited, or does this kind of tactic annoy others as much as it does me? My understanding of being "thrifty" or frugal, is living within your means, not begging for money to fix your problems.
How does this person have the nerve to
"advise" others on how to manage money?

Well, that is my soapbox!

It has been a "no spend" weekend, but tomorrow, I will go get eight packages of Philladelphia Cream Cheese for a dollar at King Soopers (Kroger), as they have a special at $1.00 a package, and if you purchase eight, you get an instant $7.00 rebate. Can't beat that.

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Am I Being A Grinch?”

  1. JanH Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 12:20 am 1170030035
    1170030035

    I saw a thing on television about people setting up websites asking for money. They were getting lots of money sent to them for paying off their debts. It was a surprise to me! But then again....there are some crazy things going on!

  2. baselle Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 01:01 am 1170032475
    1170032475

    Thrift? Ha ha. More like grift!

  3. HouseHopeful Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 01:05 am 1170032743
    1170032743

    I know exactly who you're talking about. Didn't he start a new site about eating frugally? Took the idea from someone else, then uses mostly pantry food & free food to get through the month. I find it amusing that the plug for funds is on the site. What I'd really like to know is what HE is doing to get himself out of debt.

  4. nance Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 01:34 am 1170034484
    1170034484

    He also calls "free food" things he can pilfer from fast food places. He mentioned getting salt and pepper and condiments from places like Mac Donalds "free". However, it appears that he doesn't plan on buying food there, just taking the condiments.

    On one recent post, he asked people to send him a dollar to five dollars each.

    I used to work with someone like that. When there was a potluck, he would sign up to bring condiments, and then he would go into a place that had the packets that were easily accessible, and fill his pockets. This is what he would bring. He also took big piles of napkins and anything else he could get his hands on. He was not frugal, he was "cheap", and he was an embarrasment.
    He was fired for padding his mileage, and when he left, he took everything on his desk, including the stapler, post-its, mouse pad, etc., all of which belonged to the agency! People like that give being "frugal" a bad reputation.

  5. campfrugal Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 01:20 pm 1170076832
    1170076832

    It reminds me of a couple websites. One was savekaren.com and the other was oneredpaperclip.com. The save Karen website was a young woman in debt and she wanted out, so she asked for money. The other was a guy who traded a red paper clip up for something else and kept trading until at the end he traded for a house. So, I guess the moto is "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained"

    I think I will start one "Send Jon To College". My son's college costs are keeping me broke (LOL).

  6. pjmama Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 01:47 pm 1170078432
    1170078432

    I always grab a few extra splenda packets everytime I go get coffee... the stuff is expensive when you buy it in the store. I also pick up jelly packets if there is one I really like at Denny's... but I never JUST take those things! I always buy food/drink/whatever it is they're selling. And I'm an increedible tipper. I think it goes along with being a server...

  7. Broken Arrow Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 03:09 pm 1170083388
    1170083388

    I agree with you. That type of person is downright cheap, and they have no place telling other people how to be frugal.

  8. laceshawl Says:
    January 29th, 2007 at 11:21 pm 1170112893
    1170112893

    I don't want to sound cynical but that guy's site gives me bad vibes. What is he doing hanging round political events and stuffing himself with the food? His claim to be a Christian doesn't sit with what he's doing either. He sounds like the sort of person who claims to be working in the public interest but is really only interested in feathering his nest. And why is he spending part of his food budget on coke and bottled water? Is he really living on a dollar a day or is he pretending?

    Sorry I don't usually criticise people like this, but he comes across to me as a total fraud.

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