Even though we're making pretty good money nowadays, my wife still likes to shop at Walmart because of the lower prices. Me, I hate Walmart, but I have to hand it to my wife for still being frugal.

We decided to continue to live at the means we were at before I started making such a good salary. Who knows how long anything will last these days. I'm even holding off on the 52" HDTV until my next vacation in August.

Excellent move. My wife and I try not to live higher than my base income. Until we bought this new house, we were doing pretty good, not so much right now. Luckily, we have 10 more car notes on both our cars, and we'll be back in the clear. 0 credit card debt (other than my favorite 0% deals) and no extraneous BS junk. Net year at this time, we'll be RICH.

Good point, PN. A major problem in America today is that many cannot (or will not) make this mental leap. It's not about what you spend, its about what you can save- so that you might be able to spend on necessities first. When your savings per month surpass the necessary amounts spent on the basic necessities of life; then and only then do you start taking on spending on unecessary luxury items. The problem; again; is that too much of our population spend toward luxury before neccesity.
Now, there is nothing wrong with luxury spending. Approached correctly, this is not so much a problem. I actually consider vacations a neccesity item because I believe everyone needs that temporary release from day to day headaches of life.
As a young boy, I got my first lesson in smart shopping from a neirborhood lady my mother was friends with. They were part of the local "coffeeklatch" of ladies with schoolage children. One Saurday my mother was visiting her and asked her and her family over for a barbeque later that day. The lady agreed, but only after she finished what she referred to as " coupon homework".
My mother was a little stunned; as she had never clipped coupons on a regular basis. The closet she came in this area was to always make sure we got the S&H green stamps that were popular at the time.
After seeing just what this lady and her family were saving each month; my mother was hooked. She clipped and used coupons at every possible chance she got; even after I achieved financial independence where it wasn't really necessary. But I have to admit; the monthly savings actually equalled the amounts of our phone and gas bill sometimes!

It used to be that one could buy an item for which a coupon is used on. Now, some coupons require more than one of the same item or the same brand. Like cereals: One has to buy more than one Kellogg's, Post, or General Mills cereals in order to redeem the coupon, if applicable.

The Vons and Ralphs stores usually double the coupons in the San Diego area. Albertsons does not.

If I lived in an area that has a WalMart Supercenter, I would shop there. For now, San Diego County will not allow a Big Box store to be built. I would use those coupons.

With the money they make and the lifestyle they have, why would they!?

Come on over to the "What's for Supper" thread sometime, WT. You'll pick up some great dishes there!

No nail appointments for you until next year.

Very true Nutty...I personally don't get it myself. LOL!

But then again, I'm the type anyways that's a penny pincher by nature. I cut my own hair, make my own natural herbal beauty products, and not big on shopping anyways...Heck, I don't even carry a purse. ROTFLMAOL!

Hubby bought me a spa day last year...And I hated every second of it to be honest...I much more prefer my own masks and washes to their synthetic additive stuff anyways. Not to mention, good ole lemon juice and geletin clean your fingernails as well as strengthens them, alot cheaper.

I'm a penny pincher about certain things, and a total financial disaster about others. I cut coupons, use shopping cards, and all my credit cards have some kind of reward program.

My 32" crappy WalMart LCD died last year, when my credit card sent me a check to replace it, I went out and bought a 50" Pioneer Plasma like some guy on an electronics store commercial.