How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

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frugalmom
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:52 pm

How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by frugalmom »

I see a lot of us old timers from the Frugal Living site still here and posting. But how many are still here and not posting but just reading? So how many of our family are still here? It would be interesting to know! I try to get on everyday but sometimes life gets crazy and I don't get a chance,but I miss you all when I don't! It is like home to me! So check in with us and say hi! Let us know if you are going by a different name. Also let us know what is going on in your life since about.com-what new things you have learned since,great tips,new changes in life,hear from anyone else or if they went somewhere else and you see them there,anything else you want to add? Any good frugal living sites,books,blogs or did you start one yourself and how is it going(are you earning money on it yet? Is it hard or easy?),etc. We want to know all about YOU!
frugalmom
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:52 pm

Re: How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by frugalmom »

I guess I should start! Still living in the same place(probably will never leave now that it is paid off esp since dh plans to retire next year early but way past eligible-which is making me a bit nervous since we still have three kids that need medical-it will cover me still but not the kids-that alone will take a big chunk out of pocket!). We did go pass a new housing community called Villagio so we just stopped by to look at it-not that we could afford those homes-lol! They were like 700-800K(think cheapest one was 695k!), BUT OH MY...those houses were gorgeous-like out of a magazine! Since we were not planning to stop anywhere and doing work,we were not dressed great,and the woman was kind of snooty,looking at my Saturn Outlook-she probably figured we would not buy.

We were thinking who can afford these homes!? And this is a good deal in our SF Bay Area for what you get-like SF easily a million for a shack! Anyway,back to my small home...raised 5 kids and did fine-lol!

Hubby doing fine-34 years together(yes FOREVER!)-32 of them married! I don't know if I am getting a bit irritable these days- maybe menopause? And I forgot what I had said but he was saying I think you are getting TIRED of me finally after all these years! And he said it is okay, I understand,it is normal-lol-I kind of felt bad when he said that and the way he said that-kind of felt a twinge in my heart. I feel he is getting more needy as he is getting older-wants all of my attention(doesn't like it when I am busy with tournaments and games and kid's stuff)-hello,you should have thought of that before having 5 kids! Like at home he wants me right next to him,sitting next to him,come to the garden to look at his flowers,going up to sleep when he goes to sleep,and he was not needy like that before-told him I am suffocating,need my personal space to breathe-like he is too dependent on me in some things and I guess I am on some things with him(like no job!). In fact,since I stopped working and maybe it is a coincidence,that is when he has been like that. Before he could care less or maybe we were just too busy-well he did bug me on the weekends I used to work but I was working so I could not pay attention to him anyway! He works long hours,leaving 4 am and comes home 8:30-9 pm depending on traffic and yes it is still bad at that time-very bad these days even on weekends! So weekdays he is usually tired and he calls me on his break two times a day at least to see how I am doing and I told him why call and he said you don't want me to call now?! Maybe I am just grouchy these days or tired. I did feel bad when he said all this and I try to pay attention on the weekend and cook his favorite meals except of course on tournament weekends and luckily there are only a few this year compared to previous years. Is it just me you think or maybe being married too long? I told him I love him still,or I would not have stayed with him for 34 years! But yes,he does drive me crazy sometimes and I have loads of patience but wearing thin lately I guess.

Probably that was not the info lol I was saying for you all to give-lol-too much info-just my mood today-I really should just get off my bum and start working and cleaning! Busy day later on with college fairs,appointments and early release day and vb practice,etc.

Oh but my pain is MUCH better now-I just refilled my muscle relaxants just in case but haven't used it in a long time(although I had spasms but tried not to use it after I read you can go through withdrawals-although not for me bc I would only take one every few months or so like if it was really bad and I could not move). Spasms don't last an hour long or so anymore-shorter and it doesn't ruin my entire day that I cannot move-it has been awhile since it did that. Maybe once a month if I move wrong or turn my neck wrong,or back and it seems to start on my right scapula usually and extend to my neck,arms,shoulders and sometimes my toes contort and are affected or my sciatica. But hey after what I dealt with so long,this is the best I have been-it is not every single day and every moment type of pain I would wake up with before which worried me that would be the case the rest of my life so I am good-just worry not to trigger anything to set anything off!

Kids are doing great-daughter married and bought a house in Oakland. Small but like the old character of the house-built in 1920s-and has steep stairs everywhere which this old 80 plus yo woman used to climb all the time and how she kept so young! Son is a principal and getting master's trying to become superintendent one day-this one is the one I said spends money like water when he was a teen-other than his love of cars-he is a big cheapO now-lol! His gf is also frugal-though she doesn't want to be too cheap on her wedding whereas my son has different ideas and rather just go to the courthouse and have a nice reception(I stay out of that one-they are paying for their own wedding-ok they are planning already but he has not even asked her to be fiance-I am staying out of that one!).

Daughter #2 in college taking health admin-almost done(I hope) and she is paying for everything herself to help us prepare for #3 dd's college. DD3 is a teacher assistant in PE and like teaching, so she may go into that at first so they pay off her college.

#3 DD wants to be a pediatrician (it was anesthesiologist at first) but some kind of doctor going to the medical high school and volunteering at a hospital solidified her passion for this(but you never know, I always say...). But hopefully one of my kids become a doctor(so they can support ME lol one day!) though! She is the one I was pregnant with when I first came to about.com's fl forum! Time flies! She plays varsity volleyball,sweet and good girl,self described "nerd" holding 4.6 GPA and top 9% of her class! I just worry when college comes how am I going to figure out how to pay for college(others I did without loans but now that I am not working Idk-and we make a couple of thousand over the supposed cut off for financial aid). I would hate to say I cannot afford your college(and she will work and do everything to help out and putting her own savings in-it is the room and board down in LA area if she makes it there that will kill us.

Then Preston is a 6th grader-got him into a better school district(we have to reapply every year and no guarantees which is the bad part) where he knew nobody-but has quickly made friends luckily through basketball-they think he is the best bb player so want him on their teams even the older kids. Holding his own in school,straight As,despite he really lost a year in 5th grade where the teacher did not really teach him anything(if anyone did not "feel" the lesson,he threw his notebook to the side and tell them to get out a book and read that instead and the rowdy kids of course never felt the lesson so basically let the kids run the class!). Teacher left the district! He played basketball tournaments and got into the gold division but lost once there-took 3rd place in gold. That was a nightmare trip-our old motorhome blew out two tires an hour apart in the Mojave desert(my biggest fear came true-never want to go back there again-why do they make kids play in the hottest place for bb-sheesh during the summer!?). I told the kids this year we need a break from tournaments-traveling,costs,crazy schedules,etc-we haven't taken a family trip in all these years with the last two kids except for camping at the same lake and tournaments(Reno and one time in Las Vegas-no time to really look around either-just basketball or volleyball games).They are bummed,but in saving as much as possible mode for college.
BeckyO
Posts: 926
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:32 am

Re: How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by BeckyO »

Maryellen, Thanks for the run down on your DC. You talk about them but not all in one post. That helped me to get them straight

I'm here from the original About Forum. There were two forums for awhile. One was About.. I've forgotten the other.
BeckyO
nbeaver
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:49 pm

Re: How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by nbeaver »

I'm here from the old days! I read most days but rarely post but have posted several times in the last week. Still teaching at my community college (25 years), still married to DH (29 years), still have 4 kids but now have 2 DDin-laws and 1 DSinlaw (2 added just this summer!). Still frugalling.
colonialgirl
Posts: 1835
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 2:01 am
Location: Central Illinois

Re: How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by colonialgirl »

Gosh - Ellen Marie - I cannot believe Preston is in the 6th grade. I remember when you were on the forum agonizing about whether or not to get pregnant with him. I remember your hubs said you had enough children but that you really wanted one more and what a big deal it was. Time flies.

I have been here since almost the beginning. I lurked for a long time at the about forum (right after it changed from the mining company to About). Not many of those folks left. I remember many who posted there but cannot bring their names to mind now - but I could describe them with stories. Like the lady who lived in Joplin and then they had that big tornado and we never heard from her again. I wonder if she was one of the casualties. I remember Roxie who was raising her grandchildren and Michelle the cook with her crazy stories and wild exaggerations. Orange wasabi, one of my absolute favorite posters and Cookasita, another of my favorite people whose daughter got married and who was a big gardener and always dieting and had a heart of gold.

I remember all of the brouhahas when Pat was the guide and the dressing down you would get if you disagreed with one of her favorites. I remember our good friend Sue who died of cancer and was a fount of wisdom and knowledge and crazy Rossco with the "free food" and conspiracy fantasies. I remember and value so much the efforts that Jackie and Erin made to keep us together as a band of frugal brothers and am so grateful for that.

Many years here and much good advice received. Became debt free on this forum and paid off my house on this forum and retired on this forum. It is a home to many of us - who are now internet friends. What a lovely place we have here.
nbeaver
Posts: 128
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:49 pm

Re: How many of US from About.com's original frugal living forum are still here?

Post by nbeaver »

CG, I was here when it was mining company, before About, too, although I almost always just lurked in those days. I remember Rossco and Sue and Michelle and Pat. I might be the person you are remembering from Joplin and the tornado, though. We live near Joplin and the tornado went over our farm, but the devastation in Joplin was unbelievable.
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