We have had a relative visiting this week. When this person has came in the past, we have dug out the credit cards and enjoyed ourselves. We live in an area that has many attractions and it can really get expensive. This time we still visited many places, but kept it down compared to the past. I can proudly say I didn't use my credit card once. We still had a nice time, but this person could definitly tell the difference from the past visits. I commented that my dh had just had surgery and money was tight and I have a goal of being debt free before my son goes to college so I am working hard on getting things paid off. She looked at me strange and said, "That's very unrealistic. I have always had debt. As long as you can pay it off it's not a problem. It is a good thing. Aren't you worried about your credit score." Now this was one of those comments where I wanted to call her an idiot, but knew that wasn't possible. As far as credit score, I own my own home and that is the only thing I would be willing to go into debt to buy. If I have enough money, I don't need credit. I can just pay cash. So I tried to explain my position best I could without insulting. I explained how much money we could be saving for emergencies and retirement if it weren't for interest charges. How more secure I would personally feel, knowing I wasn't living paycheck to paycheck. She went into to all the purchases she has made on credit and paid off and how much better her life is because of them. Normally I would just blow off the conversation and think someday that person will see the light. But the problem is this person is a close relative and closing in on retirement age. Who will she turn to when those emergencies happen? I am scared it will be us. What is weird about this conversation is that she isn't the first person to tell me this. It seems I am weird and unrealistic in many people eyes. We have a running joke in our family that no matter what happens we will have good teeth and clean hair because of all the stockpiling of toothpaste and shampoo. As crazy as that sounds, it is sort of reassuring.

This is my first time blogging. I tend to be a message board and blog lurker, and I rarely post. I normally like to talk or debate things face to face.

Money is the exception. I was raised to not talk about money. It is a subject that makes me feel uncomfortable. Most people really don't care how much you save, they are more interested in what you are buying. Hopefully this blog will allow me the opportunity to vent, discuss, and celebrate my penny pinching ways with like minded individuals.

I also love reading blogs describing people's successes. Hopefully I will be able to post my successes and give someone hope.