Frugal Mama article in today's Washington Post

[Anonymous]

Actually, some of my favorite homemaker, frugal, family-centered, Martha-type blogs are Mormon Mommy blogs. Not sure why so many Mormon women have great home/family blogs, but I like them (and I'm in no way Mormon or even remotely religious)!

Also, this list is worth looking at: http://frugaldad.com/2009/06/09/top-50-frugality-blogs-that-will-help-you-save-money/

[Anonymous]

Oh, good point to whoever explained about saving the cost of cable. My DH would never go for no cable, but I would be fine with it. I wonder how much less expensive it is to just have internet, no cable? Our whole bill is around $100 a month total.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, good point to whoever explained about saving the cost of cable. My DH would never go for no cable, but I would be fine with it. I wonder how much less expensive it is to just have internet, no cable? Our whole bill is around $100 a month total.

OH, I can totally tell you that. We have internet but not cable. We pay $60/month for the internet. So it's not a huge savings, but things do add up, and this just works well for our family. NB When things were super-tight and we were throwing every last cent towards students loans and savings, we did not have internet at home and just used internet at work. But about 18 months ago, we bit the bullet and did get internet. We felt like we were really living high on the hog then. PS I will watch this thread, though, so if anyone posts that they get internet cheaper than this, I am all over switching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually know her and she is quite nice. For whatever that is worth.

It's worth nothing with these posters. They would tear Mother Theresa down on these boards in a NY Minute if she were still alive.

I know her too and she is lovely. I really hope she doesn't read DCUM, I feel so bad about how she is getting ripped apart and undoubtedly never saw it coming.

It's really not personal. Sigh. If we don't even know her, why would she take it personally? Honestly, maybe she could learn a thing or two if she could read it and just take away the ideas, and not take it personally.

[Anonymous]

I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

Yes, this could absolutely fix the whole entire problem, you are right. That would do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

Instead of posting a snide remark in retort, I will elaborate...If Frugal Mama has a $2m in family money then perhaps she IS frugal. Because she doesn't explain her finances, we don't know. Maybe she doesn't have retirement savings because they are going to inherit gobs of money. And, for all the people on these boards going into DEBT to pay for private school, I disagree with the pp's who said that public school is a given of frugality. People of any HHI can be frugal. If you would like to express your difference in thinking, please do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

True. There are a lot of posters who think that just because you disagree or have a (valid) criticism that you are a "hater" or "jealous." She should not have labeled herself as "frugal"--most of these critiques are about her questionable financial priorities as a self-proclaimed frugal person, not about how she looks or whether she is a nice person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

Instead of posting a snide remark in retort, I will elaborate...If Frugal Mama has a $2m in family money then perhaps she IS frugal. Because she doesn't explain her finances, we don't know. Maybe she doesn't have retirement savings because they are going to inherit gobs of money. And, for all the people on these boards going into DEBT to pay for private school, I disagree with the pp's who said that public school is a given of frugality. People of any HHI can be frugal. If you would like to express your difference in thinking, please do so.

Yes, my difference of opinion is this: if FM considers herself frugal for her bank account set, please set up a blog for that type of readership. Please do not call herself frugal, b/c as another PP poster said up above, she is not frugal in the penny-pinching way. That is all. However, she, and the WaPo article, appeared to suggest that she is a penny-pinching mama, and this is not the case. Therefore, in comparing herself to WB,this is not accurate b/c WB does not have a blog on how to life frugally for his lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

True. There are a lot of posters who think that just because you disagree or have a (valid) criticism that you are a "hater" or "jealous." She should not have labeled herself as "frugal"--most of these critiques are about her questionable financial priorities as a self-proclaimed frugal person, not about how she looks or whether she is a nice person.

Yes. This. Thank you, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the constructive thing would be to help her recast her blog. It's interesting and beautifully presented. It's just that with her rising HHI and the expensive house, she's no longer (although she probably once was) in the penny-pinching demographic. Maybe the blog just needs to evolve a bit, to make it clear that she's targeting the "income under $250K in DC" crowd rather than the shoe-string budget crowd.

pp here. Warren Buffet has a BILLION dollars and people consider him frugal. But, then again, guys generally don't tear each other down.

Does Warren Buffet have a blog on how to live frugally? No, I don't believe he does.

Gosh, so many of you are missing the problem here. Is there a lack of critical thinkers on here today (and yesterday)?

Instead of posting a snide remark in retort, I will elaborate...If Frugal Mama has a $2m in family money then perhaps she IS frugal. Because she doesn't explain her finances, we don't know. Maybe she doesn't have retirement savings because they are going to inherit gobs of money. And, for all the people on these boards going into DEBT to pay for private school, I disagree with the pp's who said that public school is a given of frugality. People of any HHI can be frugal. If you would like to express your difference in thinking, please do so.

Yes, my difference of opinion is this: if FM considers herself frugal for her bank account set, please set up a blog for that type of readership. Please do not call herself frugal, b/c as another PP poster said up above, she is not frugal in the penny-pinching way. That is all. However, she, and the WaPo article, appeared to suggest that she is a penny-pinching mama, and this is not the case. Therefore, in comparing herself to WB,this is not accurate b/c WB does not have a blog on how to life frugally for his lifestyle.

I don't think "frugal" equated penny pinching. If you read, dollar stretcher, that is penny pinching as the name suggests. There are blogs/books on how to reuse tin foil. I think Frugal Mama is trying to cultivate her own demographic. You can google "frugal" and Warren Buffet and hundreds of links come up.

[Anonymous]

This comment on the WaPo nailed it (and basically summarizes many of the reason why most PPs found this article ridiculous:

professorhockey
5/31/2012 2:48 PM EDT
This article reads like a piece from the parody blog, Stuff White People Like. Or, more accurately, what happens when a family steps out of the Pottery Barn catalog into real life. This mom should walk around the corner to Chipotle, 7-11 or Z-Burger and ask the employees there how their organic basil gardens are working out for them. Maybe she can ride the bus and train home with them to give them some tips on frugality. Articles like these are another reason that few serious people get their news and commentary from the Post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually know her and she is quite nice. For whatever that is worth.

It's worth nothing with these posters. They would tear Mother Theresa down on these boards in a NY Minute if she were still alive.

I know her too and she is lovely. I really hope she doesn't read DCUM, I feel so bad about how she is getting ripped apart and undoubtedly never saw it coming.

It's really not personal. Sigh. If we don't even know her, why would she take it personally? Honestly, maybe she could learn a thing or two if she could read it and just take away the ideas, and not take it personally.

She is not anonymous and the criticism is being directed at her, seems like she is being personally attacked to me.