Are We Frugal & Methodical or Just plain Cheap?

[Tadpole]

I have never been to a Goodwill or other recycling store, but I think I am still a savvy shopper. I have given a lot of stuff to them though. Am I missing something?

SWR

It's a personality thing so probably not. Back in the 90's, I collected an entire closet of Pendelton wool suits. For some reason, a lot of the manufacturers were dumping year end goods into Goodwill. After a good run, Goodwill caught on and started a designer section for the good stuff. Gone were my new $4 suits. No, the good days are really over and now it is just hanging out. In some communities near rich sections and near Universities, there is a large turnover of really nice stuff.

 

[KB]

Ha/Mikey....glad you're ok but it's a shame about the car.  What's that saying about the best laid plans........?

My son just wrecked his car last week, but he excaped relatively unharmed.  And for that I'm very grateful.

I like to think of myself as frugal, not cheap.  However, I often do not buy something because I have a limit on what I'll spend on it.....I guess it's my limit on what the value is to me.  

I will need to continue to be frugal for a few more years, until my pensions kick in and both boys are self sufficient.
At that point, I'll probably let loose a little more.

 

[mikew]

Our thought process goes like this.

We went out to buy a mop to wax our floors.
We got to the store, looked at the mops.
I said we don't have any closet space (We live in a 1000sqft house)
DW said where are we going to keep it.

We looked at dust mop covers and now we got a dust mop cover that we jerry-rig to our mop handle. We saved a couple of dollars because a full mop wouldn't fit in our house.

 

[haha]

To all the sweet people who wished me well- Thank you!   

I am definitely getting better already.  Still, I have to say that a big crash is is a truly unpleasant experience.

And KB, I hope your son gets better really quickly. I am glad he escaped pretty well also. I think I would be be more upset about a son or daughter having this experience than me.

Mikey

 

[Outtahere]

HA, Car accidents whether large or small are tramatic, I hope you recover quickly.

I would consider myself frugal, I shop for the best quality at the best price unless of course I'm forced to make that purchase in an emergency situation.

As for Goodwill or Salvation Army Stores, you have to do some hunting to find the really good deals but they are still there.

 

[maddythebeagle]

Ha: hope things go better and glad to hear you are ok.

 

[Lazarus]

Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do! Glad you are ok.

 

[Jarhead*]

I say you are lucky. I live where there is no public transit. I live alone. Some jerk just hit me head on, and my wonderful car that I planned on keeping for ten years gave its life to save mine.

So, actually, I do need a car.

Ha-- feeling sore but happy to be alive

Mikey:  Just noticed your post.  -hit oh dear, a head on!  Somebody up there is looking out for you.  Did you have air-bags?  If your only problem is feeling sore, good enough.

My two adult kids are on my case all the time because the two cars and p/up we're driving don't have air bags.

Anyway, glad to hear that you're tougher than your car.

Take Care, Jarhead

 

[Nords]

My two adult kids are on my case all the time because the two cars and p/up we're driving don't have air bags.

The day our airbags deploy, they'll drive my hands against my nose (and break it), and they'll push my spouse's feet & knees off the dash (and break her nose too).

I prefer the good ol' days when your seatbelt lacerated your liver and your steering wheel collapsed against your chest...

 

[haha]

Mikey:  Just noticed your post.  -hit oh dear, a head on!  Somebody up there is looking out for you.  Did you have air-bags?  If your only problem is feeling sore, good enough.

My two adult kids are on my case all the time because the two cars and p/up we're driving don't have air bags.

Anyway, glad to hear that you're tougher than your car.

Take Care, Jarhead

Thanks Jarhead and everyone else for the good wishes. Jarhead, please get airbags! I was hit twice- 1st a T-bone from the side from someone who ran a stop sign. He knocked me across the line and a pickup hit me again. What they say is true-time slows down. I felt the seatbelt digging hard into my chest, and my body rolled forward and to the left. I was afraid I would hit my head. Then poof! Here came the airbags. I think without them I would have been in a much hotter kettle of soup.

I have a nasty abrasion on one hand, which the Doc told me is from the abrasive surface of the airbag. But I'll take 100 or more of those in preference to the other possibilities.

Oh, and I think I will be installing a St. Christopher medal. 

Good luck and good traveling to everyone.

Mikey

 

[wabmester]

What they say is true-time slows down.

Glad you're here to tell the story, Ha.   I had a similar experience in my Miata about 10 years ago.

Bozo decided it was a good idea to make a U-turn from the right lane.   I only had a few seconds to react, but I distinctly recall having a long conversation with myself as I tested various strategies to avoid collision.   "Hmm, brakes don't seem to have any effect.   He's getting closer.   Can't go right.   Going to hit him.   Try to minimize impact with a hard left and slide into him."    Boom!   Air bag knocked the wind out of me.   I sat in the car exhaling the smoke that filled my lungs after the air bag exploded.    Then I cursed at the guy till the cops got there.   My Miata was totaled, and I was amazed that I walked away from that one.   I was really impressed by the engineering of both the crumple zones and the air bag, but I bought a Big Ass SUV the next week.

 

[Eagle43]

Thanks Jarhead and everyone else for the good wishes. Jarhead, please get airbags! I was hit twice- 1st a T-bone from the side from someone who ran a stop sign. He knocked me across the line and a pickup hit me again. What they say is true-time slows down. I felt the seatbelt digging hard into my chest, and my body rolled forward and to the left. I was afraid I would hit my head. Then poof! Here came the airbags. I think without them I would have been in a much hotter kettle of soup.

I have a nasty abrasion on one hand, which the Doc told me is from the abrasive surface of the airbag. But I'll take 100 or more of those in preference to the other possibilities.

Oh, and I think I will be installing a St. Christopher medal. 

Good luck and good traveling to everyone.

Mikey

Mikey, you're lucky and thank goodness. Hope you recover completely and yes, I do have airbags. Abrasions trump concussions every time.

 

[Dreamer]

Glad to hear that you walked away! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

Dreamer

 

[TromboneAl]

Try to minimize impact with a hard left and slide into him.

So, did you hit him side on, in which case the airbag position wasn't optimal, or end up hitting him head on?

 

[wabmester]

So, did you hit him side on, in which case the airbag position wasn't optimal, or end up hitting him head on?

Yeah, that probably wasn't brilliant logic, but I didn't have time to fully execute the turn, so I t-boned him leading with my right headlight, which probably was pretty optimal in terms of crumple zones and air-back effects. My front-end looked like a compressed accordion, windshield shattered, but the cockpit remained pretty much intact. My legs were sore for a couple weeks from getting pushed into the dashboard, but that was it. I wouldn't have bet on somebody surviving that kind of crash in a Miata, but it actually seems to a pretty safe car.

 

[ESRBob]

Mikey/ Ha
Amazing story and am I right that the lacerations can't be too, too bad if you're typing (or are you using some fancy voice-typing software?)

Will be thinking good thoughts in your direction for a full, safe and speedy healing.