My wife will only buy European (especially Italian) shoes and "namebrand" handbags......

Fortunately she hunts through the second hand shops till she finds them....

The old saying 'Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves' has a strong element of truth to it. IMHO you are fortunate to be with someone that also believes in this saying so why would you ever want to change her even if you could (which you probably could not).

Frugality is part of ones personality sometimes learned as a child. I always remember the story about the actor known as Cary Grant who grew up poor. Even after he reached stardom and was worth millions of dollars, it was said that every morning, to save money he would have his maid cut the food coupons out of the paper before she went shopping at the market !

Heartfully agree with 'jetjock' saying...".Frugality is part of ones personality sometimes learned as a child ". The so-called 'Millionairs Nexdoors" are the produce of the children who grew up during the Depression Era. There are millions of Americans whose net worths much more than over million dollars but living a simple life - like any middle class. They learned the best lessons from their folks how to make do with the least.

On the other side of the mountain, this is from my observing, frugality can come in later years. Pictured! A young mother with the kids in tow and only one income, would always try to find a way to stretch that dollar a bit further. She learns how to be a savy and smart shopper. That's her way of being sured that it worths the money she spent. After many-many years of running household on this concept, it became part of her personalities, can hardly let go. That's why famouse actor 'Cary Grant' made his maid shopped with coupons.

For those guys out there, you should count your blessing for having a frugal wife.

In later of your life when you are sitting on all the prospective financial securities, you would sure appreciate for all the efforts and sacrifies SHE made for you and family in those days.

I had seen some (high maintainance) wives lately often talking about wanting to divorce their husbands. You see since their husbands retired, the money always tight ( these wives never learn how to save a dime, they lived from paycheck to paycheck), so when the need the big money like daughter marriage, house needs a new roof..i.e., they end up have to go to the bank to get second - third- forth...mortgage.

What a sad life !

The problem with a lot of people is they are spendthrifts when you are buying something for yourself--not for them.

She may complain about a 3 baht bag of ice, but would she complain if you bought her a gold necklace? If so, then you have a real keeper and enjoy your wealth!

Perhaps this was Heng's point: if you are only frugal in your spending, but not in your earning or investing, you're not completely frugal. We've all known people who bought something they didn't need, simply because it was on sale. The trick is not only to buy things cheaply, but to not buy them at all, and to increase your income without increasing your expenses. Unfortunately, that's not sufficiency economics, either, but it surely beats sitting on the porch of your shed, drinking cheap whiskey instead of Johnny Walker.

I think that's what Heng meant too, PB.

But also that being frugal doesn't mean not spending, investing, or even going to excesses now and then ...a lot of folks keep their foot on the frugal pedal until they are relatively well off and ease back a bit, and there's nothing wrong with that.

And not to forget it's all relative. It's annoying when folks brand you as wasteful when you are indeed being frugal from your own point of view (flying business instead of first... staying at the Evason instead of LeMeridien, etc.).

Frugality is all well and good as a long-term plan and identifying things that you actually do not need, nevermind at a knock-down price.

However, things that are essential need to be of a good quality. A lot of Thais know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

I advise you to start pratising gratitude. http://www.sgi-sa.org.za/?page_id=33

It could be life-changing. She doesn't sound that frugal.

My Grandmother hangs her tea bags up to dry to use them again.

A bag of ice is 3 Baht! Besides, better spend the 3 Baht keeping the food cold then having the food spoil or go off and losing a few hundred. To make things worse, she always stuffs those half melted bags into the freezer, where they harden into solid lumps that take a lot of work to get ice cubes out of. Penny wise and pound foolish things like this wear me down. I

I think you need to make the picture a little clearer here. My dear mum told me to NEVER re-freeze meat of anykind, I live by that, and with each new maid in my house have to train her to understand the kitchen rules.

A trip to a microbiology lab might solve the problem, might cost a bit, might take some time, BUT might just avoid this one point bening challenged again... (I make no promises about the hundreds of other issue that will arise)

My Grandmother hangs her tea bags up to dry to use them again.

My ex Thai wife used to do that in England, when I was on a six figure salary (in GBP), and I used to bring hands full of tea bags home free from my executive office kitchen to pander to her 'frugal mania'.

to refreeze the ICE in the freezer costs more than 3 baht.......she is a fox!

A bag of ice is 3 Baht! Besides, better spend the 3 Baht keeping the food cold then having the food spoil or go off and losing a few hundred. To make things worse, she always stuffs those half melted bags into the freezer, where they harden into solid lumps that take a lot of work to get ice cubes out of. Penny wise and pound foolish things like this wear me down. I

I think you need to make the picture a little clearer here. My dear mum told me to NEVER re-freeze meat of anykind, I live by that, and with each new maid in my house have to train her to understand the kitchen rules.

A trip to a microbiology lab might solve the problem, might cost a bit, might take some time, BUT might just avoid this one point bening challenged again... (I make no promises about the hundreds of other issue that will arise)

Please don't get me started on food safety, there be dragons there.

Bit of background on the frugality. When my wife was very young her family (Mom, Dad, brother) were dirt poor and living in tin shacks while the folks worked construction. At some point Daddy got into contracting and their situation improved to the point that they put both kids through college. Great in-laws, and fortunately I see none of the poor habits and traits that we hear of so often on this forum. I therefore understand why my wife is frugal to a fault. I just wish she could see sometimes that it is a waste of time and effort to worry over 3 Baht that might not even be a savings due to the cost of refreezing, food going bad without ice, etc. & etc.

I ask no pity, and know that that there are far worse things in marriage and in the world in general to bitch about.