tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post8560043394729327196..comments2023-12-11T08:19:00.272-05:00Comments on DoctorMama: $DoctorMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05187502628715846144noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-46967520586489502972008-10-13T09:44:00.000-04:002008-10-13T09:44:00.000-04:00I'm a year behind as well, but I just found your b...I'm a year behind as well, but I just found your blog and spent most of last night reading your archives. :)<BR/><BR/>While my family's situation wasn't as dire as yours (we never had our electricity turned off...) money was a constant stress when I was growing up.<BR/><BR/>I'm like you when it comes to money and frugality. Now my situation is different, yet old habits die hard. It's nice to buy Bob and Elyshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10392064703228586740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-82329617088350661992008-09-01T14:41:00.000-04:002008-09-01T14:41:00.000-04:00Nothing like adding a comment over a YEAR after yo...Nothing like adding a comment over a YEAR after you posted. But I enjoy your blog and am still catching up on old posts.<BR/>I'm in a similar position. We were very poor growing up. It wasn't until I was in college and read a book on how marginalized women and children are in our society that I realized that our income put us in the poverty bracket. My father was a small business owner (mechanic)Mainly a midwifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10774653177391560892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-21615813474748673162008-02-27T23:34:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:34:00.000-05:00I've been in a position where I had to listen to s...I've been in a position where I had to listen to some stupid ass person give ME suggestions on how to save money. I should write a book on how to save money. (although I will have to give your driving technique a go). I've raised three teenagers with just one income and most of their friends were much better off than us. I used to have a rule on buying clothes. The $1 rule. Whatever the pricefiftyfinallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16019730729530487031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-32526877667316021532007-11-24T00:39:00.000-05:002007-11-24T00:39:00.000-05:00Your local YMCA should have (or will have soon) a ...Your local YMCA should have (or will have soon) a program called Money Smart Kids. Its a FREE family program that is a partnership between the YMCA and Washington Mutual.<BR/><BR/>I live in Seattle and the program started here. I just heard that the Y received a grant to take the program national.<BR/><BR/>On the off chance that you aren't near a Y or your local branch isn't offering it, you Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-78619496062093073582007-11-12T23:32:00.000-05:002007-11-12T23:32:00.000-05:00I am the mother of an 8 y/o boy, our one and only ...I am the mother of an 8 y/o boy, our one and only - as fate would have it - and the money topic you posted really got my attention.<BR/><BR/>My husband and I live well as a double-income household in a DC suburb and, our son attends the local private day school (no child left behind/ESL issues - we are not private school snobs.) <BR/><BR/>We are not frugal, but we're not jet setters, either. We<Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-29174333484574601572007-10-22T14:01:00.000-04:002007-10-22T14:01:00.000-04:00One last thing - I bought some stock at the age of...One last thing - I bought some stock at the age of 10 and had a lot of fun watching it go up and down for various reasons. Utilities or large consumable companies like Johnson and Johnson can be good intros to that part of financial life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-22855627212764570312007-10-22T13:58:00.000-04:002007-10-22T13:58:00.000-04:00I think the main things to teach kids are this:Eve...I think the main things to teach kids are this:<BR/><BR/>Everything costs something - is it worth the cost?<BR/><BR/>Save your money for emergencies or large costs. <BR/><BR/>To do this, you can:<BR/><BR/>Get him his own Orange savings account so he can watch his saved money grow. ING Direct has a great kids curriculum for saving money.<BR/><BR/>Loans cost a lot - talk about interest, credit Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-59192827787336407662007-10-14T00:17:00.000-04:002007-10-14T00:17:00.000-04:00Of course, just because you have the money, it doe...Of course, just because you have the money, it doesn't mean you should buy your kid what he wants. I'm not doing my job as a parent if I don't teach my kid that he can't have everything he wants. Sometimes, you want to practice discipline and save for a rainy day. Sometimes, you realize what you want isn't really necessary--you can be creative with something you already have. <BR/><BR/>If IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-49499946852853289172007-10-11T06:49:00.000-04:002007-10-11T06:49:00.000-04:00this is off-topic, but could you, in your next pos...this is off-topic, but could you, in your next post regarding running, tell us what's the best way to cool down? a hot, lukewarm, or cold shower should be taken after a run?<BR/>thanks! i enjoy your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-12362470319258127082007-10-10T21:33:00.000-04:002007-10-10T21:33:00.000-04:00Although I consider myself very frugal in some way...Although I consider myself very frugal in some ways, I am often perplexed by "extremely" frugal people, for lack of a better term. I'm an attorney in a large law firm, where the attorneys are relatively well-compensated. I'm always baffled when I ride down to the parking garage with one of the partners (average profits per partner here hovers around $700K, to give you an idea), and, after we Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-74604639051871918972007-10-08T17:52:00.000-04:002007-10-08T17:52:00.000-04:00You are terrifying me with the student loan stuff....You are terrifying me with the student loan stuff. I'm never going to get out from under it.Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15606922510495018342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-49317295312001926152007-10-08T11:09:00.000-04:002007-10-08T11:09:00.000-04:00Love your blog. I have a 6mos old and am also won...Love your blog. I have a 6mos old and am also wondering how we will tackle this. Both my husband and I are products of public school but if we can afford it, it sounds like private school might offer all kinds of wonderful opportunities-- but should we do it if the local public schools are decent (but not fantastic)? Plus I fear the exposure to "the spoiled bratty rich kid" environment-- so Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-36128025096088116092007-10-07T21:34:00.000-04:002007-10-07T21:34:00.000-04:00thank you for posting.enjoy reading your blog.thank you for posting.<BR/><BR/>enjoy reading your blog.Sherihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18058311008894481929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-59804028963830110032007-10-05T20:51:00.000-04:002007-10-05T20:51:00.000-04:00I guess I have no fear of this, as we really won't...I guess I have no fear of this, as we really won't ever have money but I do try to figure out how not to make her as screwed up about money as I am. <BR/><BR/>My story is way less laudatory than yours. I suck with money. An unfortunate combo of poverty and a brush with wealth, perhaps.<BR/><BR/>For now, she knows we can't buy her a whole bunch of stuff but she can get stuff now and again. But Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-63724969647810318532007-10-05T09:47:00.000-04:002007-10-05T09:47:00.000-04:00I think you're doing the right thing by not giving...I think you're doing the right thing by not giving your son the impression everything will be handed to him.<BR/><BR/>When I grew up, my daddy encouraged me to take balogna sandwiches for lunch because school lunches were "so expensive". In many other ways he taught me to be cheap..I mean frugal.<BR/><BR/>To this day, I KNOW how to save money. I know how to find bargains and usually do not buy Surgeon In My Dreamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13179150077622941677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-39218687191632150172007-10-04T14:09:00.000-04:002007-10-04T14:09:00.000-04:00I may get slammed for this, but I kinda think most...I may get slammed for this, but I kinda think most kids in the Western world should grow up thinking they are poor (financially) regardless of the real financial status of the family. That way they learn limits and how to work within limits. I'm not saying to forego teaching them about money, I think it should be taught, but I would rather my son think our resources were limited (which they are, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-84859953087980013172007-10-04T13:02:00.000-04:002007-10-04T13:02:00.000-04:00So then why, exactly, are you sending HB to privat...So then why, exactly, are you sending HB to private schools?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-56698887378794312952007-10-04T08:16:00.000-04:002007-10-04T08:16:00.000-04:00You, my dear, are an honorary Stingy Northerner - ...You, my dear, are an honorary Stingy Northerner - Mr Spouse is a real Stingy Northerner, having lived in a house with no bath till he was 8, both his parents left school at 15; my family were frugal but not too poorly off, though on an academic's and a teacher's salary (and academics' salaries were much worse here then). Both of us have grown up "knowing the value of money" and he's teaching me DrSpousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259337858075146058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-61687664469812604572007-10-03T23:07:00.000-04:002007-10-03T23:07:00.000-04:00Just found your blog. What a great and thought-pr...Just found your blog. What a great and thought-provoking post! I too grew up relatively poor (my dad was a foreign student in grad school for most of my childhood) and often wonder how my upbringing has changed my very complex relationship with money.teahousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222848511993932548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-14851905423311323472007-10-03T18:47:00.000-04:002007-10-03T18:47:00.000-04:00I love how competent you are. My closest friend o...I love how competent you are. My closest friend of twenty years (we met in college) grew up in terrible financial insecurity. Her mom couldn't seem to hang onto a job or a husband. She was shuttled from household to household, often left with step parents who had no inclination to care for her.<BR/><BR/>She, too, responded by becoming enormously self-reliant. She got herself a scholarship to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-46650251826662133572007-10-03T07:48:00.000-04:002007-10-03T07:48:00.000-04:00My grandparents were my monetary backbone growing ...My grandparents were my monetary backbone growing up. They came from nothing, and when he became a successful businessman, the dollars started flying. They had nice cars, a nice house, and gave me money every time I saw them (which was at least 3 times a week). I did not know that people got loans for cars--when I bought my first car at age 15, my grandfather gave me a blank check and let me Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-61773495809347254482007-10-03T06:16:00.000-04:002007-10-03T06:16:00.000-04:00I just came across your blog today and love it. Es...I just came across your blog today and love it. Especially the post about running every other day.<BR/><BR/>I posted something similar to your money post yesterday, although I called myself miserly instead of frugal.<BR/><BR/>My husband's family never had to worry about money but was very, very frugal. He thought they were poor until he was in his twenties and helped his dad do his tax return. Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930427420786164103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-54154165605374780772007-10-02T23:15:00.000-04:002007-10-02T23:15:00.000-04:00as far as teaching your son about money: IT'S NOT...as far as teaching your son about money: IT'S NOT A LINEAR RELATIONSHIP!<BR/><BR/>it doesn't matter how easy you could something, it's not a linear relationship. Decide on limits, and give him control (at an age appropriate level) over his own money so that he can understand the consequences* of spending money.<BR/><BR/>*consequences of course are not necessarily positive or negative; they Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-76335546799871651472007-10-02T18:00:00.000-04:002007-10-02T18:00:00.000-04:00I am really discomfitted by the presumption that g...I am really discomfitted by the presumption that growing up wealthy automatically means that you are not frugal or that you are a "spoiled rich brat," as one of the above commenters stated. <BR/><BR/>Both of my parents are doctors; I did not grow up poor. On the other hand, both of my parents DID grow up poor. They were both exceedingly frugal, and they taught me to understand how frugality isAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15583952.post-86573938171138343002007-10-02T16:44:00.000-04:002007-10-02T16:44:00.000-04:00A lot of this resonates for me, but especially the...A lot of this resonates for me, but especially the part about my kid growing up in a family much wealthier than mine was.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com