I used to spend money on things that didn’t matter. (Things I just had to have, not need. More clothes, shoes, fun things, etc.) I have a lot of control over that now, because I realize that I have more important things to spend my money on. Like paying off my debt in a quick manner, so in two years my boyfriend and I can get married and start trying for kids. I won’t have the debt to worry about and I have a larger chance to stay home with our babies.

When I see friends spending money on things “they just have to have” and the next moment they are talking about money issues, I think of how they are wasting their money. I keep my thoughts to myself, but I still think them. I find it a good mindset to be in, it keeps me going with my money goals, to realize where people could be saving money. I don’t think any less of them. It’s just automatic to think that, and it works for me.

Now that I am not spening all that money on things I don’t need. I am putting that into my infant and toddler dress business. Fabric is expensive, and you have to put money in to get started. I am not saving that money like I could be, but it is going into something bigger, that is growing as we speak, and hopefully will become a full time job. (That will be continued when we have kids!)

On the laundry soap discussion. I tried making my own. I found that my clothes weren’t as clean, they were getting residue deposits. My boyfriend wasn’t to hot on the idea of not using “official” HE detergent, so it just didn’t work out for us. The point is, we tried it.

“Perhaps they do – and that’s fine.”

that doesn’t sound too judgmental to me.

I am judged in an odd light because I bring my own lunch to work everyday.

Ditto because I don’t pay for trash pickup.

And on and on and on.

If so much wasn’t coming from the other camp, Trent may not come off as sounding so judgmental.

The Tide comment is probably mostly to affirm–in his own mind–why it is he’s doing what he is. And in point of fact, there probably are a large number of people who use Tide who would be a lot better off making their own detergent and paying off their debts.

We all need affirmations in order to do what we do especially if it may be different from the norm. It’s mental conditioning. As long as he isn’t saying ugly things to people or treating then unkindly, it really doesn’t matter how he frames the thought. He’s using it for a positive action in his life. Inwardly directed, that’s actually quite brilliant.

““I’m saving money by making my own soap and they are spending money the way they choose, I will have more money than that person at the end of the year.” This is whqat is known as a fact, it is true.”

i think the reason people get upset is because we dont know anything about the person buying tide. they may have 6.3 million sitting in the bank. you cant call something a fact if you dont have all the info.

I will agree that that the statement as written, with the implied value judgement, comes across as the reason lots of folks flip the bird at frugality. I will also agree that it’s bad enough to deserve comment (I know I wrote one specific to the statement, but then decided others have pointed out the flaws in the statement better than I could).

But the lesson to all is that you can do a hundred things right, but one bad act, one weak moment, one off putting concluding statement at the end of an otherwise reasonable article, can erase it all.

Looking at your directions for making laundry detergent, I like that all the ingredients are pretty eco-friendly. But, how long does it take you to cut up the soap? Do you have to include a bar of soap in the detergent mix? I’m just asking because I don’t think I’d have to time to cut up the soap and make the detergent. So if I ditched the soap, would my clothes come clean?

thanks-
Little House

I totally respect your decision to make your laundry detergent and I understand why you do it. And with kids, as mentioned above, you probably need to do a whole lot more laundry than I do. My husband and I together do an average of 3 loads a week.

But I will never make my own detergent, as much as I care about paying down debt. For me, I’d rather pay a little more for a gentle detergent that is formulated to prevent color fading and prolong the life of my clothes, because I need my nice clothes for work and don’t want to have to buy new clothes regularly. So to me, I’m actually saving money by taking the best care of my clothes as possible.

I do other things to save money, like buying my detergent in bulk at BJ’s and with a coupon whenever possible, washing my clothes with cold water, and wearing non-soiled shirts and pants 2-3 times before washing. And I spend the time I would spend making detergent with my family.

It doesn’t mean I care any less about paying down debt; it just means that I save money in other ways. And considering my husband’s been on unemployment for nearly a year now, getting compensated less than half of what he used to make, and we’re *still* able to pay off our credit cards in full, contribute toward retirement and make larger than minimum payments toward our mortgage and car loans, I think we must be doing something right.