Reply #22: Go through this family's trash and find out what they're lying about. [View All]

[KitSileya]

Either find the wrappings of the little luxuries they say they've given up, or the receipts. Find tons and tons of convenience food wrappers and boxes, ('dad can't cook, so it's necessary' :sarcasm:), the starbucks coffee paper cups ('we've given up gourmet coffee, we deserve to spend $2-3 everyday on caramel macchiatos' :sarcasm:) the tags of clothes that's been bought on sale and will never be worn, of toys the kids *must* have, the lunch she buys every day at work, the muffin the husband buys everyday to reward himself for being a house-husband, and so on and so on.

Then scrounge up a copy of Amy Dacyczyn's http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Amy-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/sr=8-1/qid=1166120322/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5796332-6367049?ie=UTF8&s=books">The Tightwad Gazette, and get them to read, not the tips on this, that, everything, but the longer pieces on financial philosophy.

Oh, and the advice of automatic withdrawals for saving is good for these airheads, who apparently can't handle money, but for the rest of us, it's better to work out how much you'll use on a monthly average, and anything above that should go into savings. That way, you know you'll have enough money every month, and any windfalls or raises won't expand your expenditures.