Observing others financial choices, the good
I had a request from FatherSez to mention some of the good things that I was observing. While I have seen a lot of bad choices, there have at least been some good things that I have witnessed.
The amount that they spend on food is amazing. They manage to feed a family of four, including a teenage boy with an amazing appetite, for around $450 a month. I was really shocked when I learned this. My sister-in-law says she is very careful when it comes to food spending. She buys what is on sale and plans their meals around that. She is also not afraid to get Wal-Mart to price match a cart load of groceries.
They also have a small garden. That seems to have really helped them save on food costs this summer too.
The kids play sports. In order to cushion that cost, they volunteer to coach the teams. This allows the kids to get a bit of a discount on the uniforms and such.
They choose to live in a really small town with a cheap cost of living. They have said that they would love to move, but that they know that it is best for them to stay due to the cheaper cost of living.
So, while they have and still do make a lot of bad financial choices, there are a few good ones in the mix.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:12 am
Thanks, Chica for this post.
You see, there is a lot of good in them. Perhaps they just don’t understand charges they don’t see….like hidden interest elements in monthly repayments etc.
I would place a wager that by the end of this year, you will be writing about how these “almost financial deadbeat relatives” have turned around.
Keep working on them. After all they are family.
Thanks again.