I own my own business and have for years, I worked 7 days a week for 8 years, then I broke up with my boyfriend and was trying to move out and into a new place after work one night.  I went down to the furniture to buy a mattress set,  as I was going to need one and I got there 15 mins before closing.  I went up to the person who wasn't hounding me and said I will take this one.  She was typing up my order and asked how I wanted to pay for it.  By check as I was writing it up.  (I was also using my personal checking and not my business checking so yes the check numbers are not as high) she asked if I wanted to charge it, I said no, I want to pay with a check, I con't writing it. I even had the total including tax figured in my head before she had it.  She asked me are you a student? no I said.  Do you want to charge it, no I said, I am going to write a check.  Are you a student? no I said, I am not a student, if you ask me a third time I will say the same thing.  Do you want to charge it? NO, I said I am going to write a check. She gave me this IDK look.  I said look, if you want your commission the only thing I want you to say is thank you, and if you have to walk over to your manager for a min and then back to me to do it then start walking.  BTW, my name is in the computer for all the other crap I have bought here without a problem.  Needless to say the manager over heard me and she shut up.  If I didn't need a bed the next day I would have spun on my heel and left. But I was desperate.  Sucks too, I wanted a woman to get the commission.  (another time I choose the handicap man to work with instead of the slick guy)

At 42 and in the heat of a mid-life crisis (post divorce), I decided to quit my job of 22 years and give up a 6 figure salary to start life over.  I have always been frugal, shopping at thrift stores, buying only from the $1 menu items, driving used practical cars and living well below my means.  Coworkers would to give me a hard time for living in a small house in a lower income neighborhood, when most of them lived in homes costing 3 times as much.  Life is way to short to be chasing the almightly dollar and having to make more just to buy the junk that our society deems necessary.  So now I work part time, make half as much but I get to enjoy my time both working and playing.  Oh and for those of you wondering how I will survive into retirement.  Being frugal is a great thing, especially when you learn it early in life, I have already saved enough to fund my retirement which I plan to do at 56 after 14 years of working for myself (aka semi-retired).

One of the things that I do when out shopping is something my mother taught me.  We were lower middle class most of my childhood and had to pick and choose what we really wanted so  not getting everything that I want is something that I am used to.  

My Mom used to pick up whatever had her attention and think about the price and how many hours she would have to work in order to make up for the money that she was considering spending.  If the price seemed too steep, then she would set it down and walk away.

Now, I find myself a mother of 3, a wife, and I hold a part time job and a full time job.  When I go into a store, only when I have to (I don't window shop), I will do the same thing.  That $200 stereo there, let's see, would equate to oh, well 16 hours at my full time job.  That would be 2 full days of work for a stereo...that is normally when I walk away and think to myself that I am glad that my 14 yr old stereo still plays the radio, at least.

I'm like the fellow blogger; no one has given me a dime either! Everything I have I've worked for. Recently I went dress shopping, since I like to keep up with fresh new styles. Upon entering a very well named store, the sales persons, all wowen rushed to the back of the store and began whispering.How rude and unprofessional. I knew they were gossipping about me. I browsed awhile, then finally fed up I voiced my opinion very loudly"Do yo have this in another color or what?"  When the sales person came to wait on me I turned and said never mind and walked out.

I like going to the 99 Cents Stores. they have lots of good stuff for 99 cents.

While "shopping" many of the folks there will point out the real goog bargains, like "This is $3.49 at the major market", also you really get to meet some really interesting people. (Many of them are pretty well off because they don't spend foolishly.)  I make it a point to go there first, then if it's not there, I'll go some place else.  Just make sure "It's on the way" so's you don't waste gas.

I am a 29 year old woman with a successful career who looks to be about 21.  I have yet to go into a car dealership and get approached by a salesman (mind you I already make probably 5 times what the average car salesman does).  I went to a particular dealership in town and out of 5 salesmen on the lot who noticed me, not a single one offered me any assistance, and all shot a glare of "get out of my showroom"...so I left.  

i have a friend who used to work in that dealership say to me, "if you don't look like you can roll out of there in a $30,000  vehicle, they aren't going to waste their time on you".  Ironically, I rolled into the lot in a replica of one of their most expensive vehicles out in the lot, but none of them noticed.  I rolled in there in one, so I could easily roll back out with another, but they will never know.

My point is, dont' judge someone by their "poor" or "underage" looks.  When I was a waitress I received my biggest tips from people who fit that profile....Just be aware of what or who you could be missing out on if you're judgemental!  

I drive a 1996 Dodge with 170,000 miles on it(wouldn't swap it for a new car) We also have a 1984 Ford Pick-up. We have a pretty little ranch house that we paid for in 6 1/2 years. We may appear poor to some, but I think we are richer than most. We have a comfortable home we don't have to worry about losing,transportation that we know is reliable (we service them regularly) and we praise our Heavenly Father every day for them.  We could have bigger, newer cars and trucks and a $400,000 house, but we would have more worries and a lot less sleep at night. Just keep on thinking  we are poor!

I was working in a pricey women's boutique in Seattle about 25 years ago.  While the owner was briefly out to lunch, a woman wearing no makeup, a a dowdy coat and tennis shoes came into the store. I took one look at her, said hello and just kind of ignored her.  The owner soon returned, and I went to lunch.  When I came back, the owner was chatting and laughing with this woman and ringing up thousans of dollars worth of gorgeous merchandise.  When she was done and the owner was walking her to her car, I looked at the name on the receipt.  The last name was the same as a  certain Seattle- based airplane manufacturer.  Lesson learned.

My job is about customer service, work for a big supermarket company,I never pass a customer no matter what they look like or what kind of outfit they wear, because to me we all are equal, if you have money fine, if you don`t i`ts ok, we all have to have the same service . Who knows one day you`ll be providing great customer service to a person that in the future will be famous. So never judge people for what they wear or look like.

i like all the stories of people walking into dealerships wanting to buy new cars with cash... how frugal are these people??  doesnt seem frugal at all... maybe im confused....