Your mattress is the one peice of furniture you should not skimp on.  I could have spent 1/2 of what I paid for my mattress if I want any old thing, but I wanted something that was not only going to last a long time, but would be good for my back.  Other than my bedroom furniture, which is 12 years old, my mattress is the most expensive furniture I own.

I live frugally too, use Freecyle and Craigslist.  Shop at the dollar store and thrift stores, but there are certain things I will not skimp on, my dogs, they don't have expensive toys or clothes, but I do buy high quality dog food which I am repaid by their continued good health, which saves on vet bills. I am a coffee snob, but I buy coffee by the pound, not by the cup.  Like Orange, I have decided what is most important for my quality of life.  Expense furniture, electronics are not.  Healthy dogs and a really good cup of coffee are.

You're not frugal...you're just plain cheap.

Sparkito, I still don't understand your point. Why should people whose families have been in this country for generations be expected to be able to shop for furniture at Ethan Allen, or even Thomasville? Why should I spend $200 dollars on a coffee table, when all that I need is a place to rest my mug, and a $40 Ikea table will do? It's not a third world mentality - I know that I'm young and I need to earn the standard of living that I want one day, which may or may not include finer furniture.

Folks. Sparkito is not making a statement to go out and rush into buying name brand items to prove someone is American.

First of all his example is a bad one for Orange who is still single and a student. You spent HOW MUCH on your mattress? I slept on mattresses that were close to being wooden boards as a student and scrapped my through college.

No one is advertising to stop shopping. You need to instead focus on SMART SHOPPING - ebay, Craigslist etc that end up helping individuals then fat cats from corporations.

Will it really matter if there is one less Circuit City or Best Buy in your town. Who cares if the chains need to close some stores.

The economy is being RIGHSIZED for the current conditions. The weak and unprepared will starve and the ones who had been saving BEFORE the crisis will be able to hunker down with minimal changes, especially since they were not going overboard with their expenses.

Do we really need that many ball games and overpaid athletes to watch?? There are several expenses that can actually HELP reduce your dependence on the establishment.

EXAMPLE - I spent 800-900 dollars to set up a nice projector based media rook in my basement though Sundays ads and basic set up materials from Home Depot etc.

The result is a nice and personalized movie theater for my famiily and kids that we can watch with home made popcorn and snacks and a $1 Redbox new release.

I even spent $350 on a Nokia N95 but I am using my company provided unlimited data card (SIM CARD) in it and using to blog pics of kids and travels etc.

I have a pool and hot tub so with some basic maintenance costs (chlorine tabs etc) I can have nice Staycations at home and host friends if needed.

To make extra income I am renting my basement on short term basis (3-6 months) to student/professional etc and generating 400-500/month to add on to debt reduction or savings increase.

I am MAKING MY HOUSE WORK FOR ME!

Not exactly rocket science, but there are simple ways to either reduce expense or generate income if you get creative. Also you might need to SPEND some to generate more down the road.

So go ahead and but the Name brand items but shop the heck out of them to get them at near Walmart prices. I have found that the toys I have are always more enjoyabel when I get them dirt cheap.

THE POINT IS - that the standard of living is what differentiates an everage American from a rainforest dweller who can live till he is 100  on the bare minimum.

It IS alarming that we are automatically assuming the sharp down trend of standard of living as a good thing to counter the economy.

You can STILL live the good life on a limited budget if you are creative, proactive and determined to find as many ways as possible to eliminate recurring costs from your pocket book (movies, vacations etc)

As far as the lady who said she does not mind splurging on dog food etc. I am sorry but I do not agree with you and the unnecessary expenses for an animal.

If you have a pet then sure take care of it and get him exercises/walks and clean water and GENERIC food and stick to the diet for that particular species and there will be no health problems.

Yes, pets have therapeutic value and as companions but they should NEVER be treated at the same level as humans with respect to health needs etc. A dog is a dog is a dog not a kid. If he gets a serious illness or gets a major injury it needs to be humanely put to sleep not have catscans and surgeries or long term medical expenses.

The $$ spent on pet needs is a constant drain on many households that is sometimes understated or not as well captured on their budgets.

On the flip side  they can be inexpensive companions that can greatly increase the quality of life for some individuals.

i can't believe the negative comments being made.   Peace of mind and being debt-free is an experience only those who have achieved can appreciate.  If one is happy wondering how they are going to pay the bills each month, having nothing at the end of the month to cover an emergency ... go for it.  Try cuddle up to a credit card bill or a bill collector.  Perhaps she wanted a great bed to  enjoy her worry-free enjoyable sleep.  

Manish, if you ever bothered to read the ingredients of cheap generic dog food, you'll find it is full of fillers, mostly flour, corn and rice, very little, if any meat and its anybody's guess what kind of meat it is.    A poor diet can cause a lot of health problems, including kidney, heart and liver.  Also be reminded of last years dog food recall, it was mostly cheap generic dog food.  The food I feed my dogs was never in danger. I'd  rather spend for quality dog food then for vet visits.

I  agree with dym- Generic food for pets are mostly fillers.

To--??---the fact that you don't understand my point   is exactly my point----enough said!---good luck all--we will surely need it.

sparkito, I didn't get your point either.  You questioned someone's quality of life based soley on her lack of expensive material possessions.  You compared living with less with living in a 3rd world country.  I base quality of life on how a person lives their life, not what possessions they've accumulated.  You may not have made your point clearly, but I, like others all read the same thing.