But- at $40.00 a piece at Wal-mart, I couldn't justify spending it for a cup-o-joe. 

Enter in the yardsale. 

 Here is a pic of my $40-coffee-maker-I-got-for-$5!  So I had to wait a few months for it....it was worth it!

How about the time I wanted a yogurt maker.  I could get them on Ebay for a decent price, but I still didn't want to pay $10.00. 

So one day I go to a thrift store...just because.

  And what do you suppose I found?  Take a look...

Yep, and I only waited a week and it only cost $3.00!  Can't beat that!

So, by waiting a bit, I got what I wanted/needed at a fraction of what it costs new.

Which brings me to my point today....some think frugality(ie. shopping at yard sales, thrift stores...buying in bulk, etc.) is for cheapskates. 

Granted, I know many who love a bargain as much as I do (thanks to the internet!)  but there are still those few who smirk at the idea of reusing ziplock baggies, or packing away jeans for your son that are still 3 sizes too big.(Can you really pass up 50 cents a pair-with NO HOLES?)

I remember several months ago at our church we did a study on Prov. 31.  I got to teach a lesson on frugality...how fun! 

We studied basic Bible principles on saving money...how the Prov. 31 woman did this.  T

hen I also applied it to everyday living like scraping out the peanut butter jar to get a few extra sandwiches out of it(Do you realize that if you go through just 2 jars of peanut butter a month, and you scrape out the sides and are able to get 2 more sandwiches out of it before throwing it away, after a mere 5 years, you would have made 240 sandwiches that would have otherwise been trashed!  Amazing!)

Anyway, imagine my surprise when people said things like-Oh, I could never do that.  It wouldn't fit into my lifestyle. 

Isn't that the point?  If we are behind on our bills, need extra money, whatever the financial difficulty is, we MUST change our lifestyle.  If I can't afford to eat out every week because I have credit card debt, then that part of my lifestyle has to change. 

I sympathize with those in financial hardships.  We have been there as well.  I, however, DON'T have sympathy for those who are in financial hardships that refuse to change their lifestyle. There are no quick fixes.  You must be willing to sacrifice to see a change in your budget!

Ya can't have your cake and eat it too....
Anyway, I digress....(and I'm going to hide in the corner and wait for the comments to fly!)