Do your children get embarrassed because you like to save money when you shop?
By gapeach65
@gapeach65 (805)
United States
April 18, 2007 6:42pm CST
My 18 year old son has always been embarrassed by the fact that I like to save money. I used to go to garage sales, although I haven't in a while. I shop at the thrift stores and I love sales. I don't but things on sale just because they're on sale but if I happen to need it, it's a bonus. I have always bought my children clothes from the thrift store or garage sales. I have often found nice (sometimes new) clothes, even big name items too. My 9 year old son loves it when I come home with new clothes, he can't wait to show them off, my daughter occasionally liked it when I brought her clothes, my 18 year old son told me to stop buying him clothes, even they're the names he likes, because they weren't new, he didn't want them. I have told him, if he wants only the expensive clothes and doesn't like it when they are on sale, he can buy them himself. He has started going to the clearance section, buying on sale, and has even said that if I find clothes with certain names at the thrift store, I can get them for him. He's about to be out on his own so I told him that he'll be like this one day too. His sister has been living on her own for a while now, and she has shopped sales for years. I told him, you don't have to buy your clothes at super centers, however you don't really need to spend $65 on a pair of jeans with holes in them either. Do your children get embarrassed because you like to save money when you shop?
4 people like this
10 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
20 Apr 07
My daughter did when she was a teenager but now she is a mom and a WalMart queen she also hits the yard sales, Goodwill etc. It is amazing at how quickly they change when it is their money.
1 person likes this
@dlkuku (1935)
• United States
19 Apr 07
I shop a lot at thrift stores and off the clearance racks, my 16 year old daughter loves to go with me, because she knows she will get a lot more than if we went to buy big name brands in a store.
We often make a day of it, and find all kinds of good deals.
@onecutehoneybear (938)
• United States
19 Apr 07
I hope my daughter will be this way when she is older. I know one of my good friends her kids love resale shops, thrift stores, and yard sales. They would get up and go with us when we would go out looking for yard sales and thrift shops.
1 person likes this
@CollectingMyThoughts (304)
• United States
19 Apr 07
my teen daughter's have a hissy fit whenever I see a garage sale and want to stop. My teen son on the other hand has learned the valuse of a dollar and is always first to tell them too bad we're stopping. Thank God for him and I can't wait till the girls get it. Good luck with yours
1 person likes this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
21 Apr 07
I believe that it is the other way around with us. Although I find ways to save money when I shop, my kids are the ones who are more apt to it. They keep track of notices as to when the malls are offering their sales dates. Then they bring me there and then they are the ones who rummage through items being offered on sale. They just call me so I can on the items that they have selected. Of course, I do some picking, too.
1 person likes this
@tinam13 (839)
• United States
28 May 07
i am the kid, im 15 and my parents are the ones who like to spend, well mainly my dad. my mom likes to save when it comes to food, but other than that they both like to spend. i live with my mom and we rarely have brand name food. at my dads he doesnt even think twice about getting expensive clothes, he gave me money yesterday so i could go shopping and i went to the mall and i got all cheap stuff, i think its a rip off to get 65 dollar jeans when u could get the same kind or style or whatever for like 25-30 dollars.
@lightningMD (5931)
• United States
19 Apr 07
Our youngest is 9 she loves shopping these stores with us.She also loves putting things she has out grown into what she calls the charity box. When its full we take it to goodwill and donate it back. Money is tight for us,if it wasnt for these types of places she woulnt have many clothes.
1 person likes this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
21 Apr 07
You are lucky that you do not have any problem dealing with your child on this. I agree with you that these sales items really make a big difference in our procurement of clothes, in terms of the money we are able to save.
1 person likes this
@happythoughts (4109)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I love to shop thrift as well. My kids are still young but I remember being embarassed when my mother would go through 10 boxes of cereal to find the best price per oz. Now I am much more thrifty than my mother and I hope my kids learn from it. I am not thrifty because I need to but beacuse I want to. And because I am thrifty we have the cash to not need to be thrifty. It is a step by step process and it is working well for us.
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
20 Apr 07
The ability to save money is a skill well-learnt. In today's world it is prudent to skim and save for rainy days. I too try to save money even when I shop at
sales. I don't feel embarassed because every one is doing it too. Why be the hero and pay for it from my own pockets :P
1 person likes this
@onecutehoneybear (938)
• United States
19 Apr 07
Thankfully my daughter isn't old enough to really know better. Right now she's happy to get a new pair of shorts, or a dress no matter where it comes from. This girl has no sense of style either cause she want to pick out the ugliest clothes I have ever seen. (I swear shes my best friends daughter cause my bf used to wear some pretty funky stuff growing up!!)
My hubby used to not like it too much cause growing up all he ever got were hand me downs and yard sale stuff but he's kinda grown out of that now that we find a lot of brand new items at our local thrift shops that still have the tags on them for pennies on the dollar that I would have spent at GAP or Aeropostale. He's cool with it now and will even ask to go with me.
1 person likes this
@wachit14 (3595)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I wouldn't say that they get embarrassed, but they will say things to me like "are we poor?". I explain to them that you don't have to be poor to want to get the most out of your money and the reason why we aren't poor is that we don't spend our money like it's growing on trees out back. I've found some amazing things at rummage sales including designer bags, shirts and jeans. As long as the clothes are in good condition, there's nothing wrong with it.
1 person likes this
