be your own kind of frudgeter

For many years, my siblings were in transition and had little apartments or houses. Then they put all of their time and effort into buying huge fancy homes in housing estates and decorating them just like everyone else's. Or slightly better, yes that always comes up in their conversations --doing better than the neighbors is important to them. A new car every year or so, the right sort of window treatments created and installed by a professional. This does not mean they are bad or wrong. But they don't seem very happy since there's no rest for those who aim to show others how well off they are.

My frudgety DNA would not allow be to get onto that "Keep up with the Joneses" treadmill. Do my siblings think I'm jealous of them ? Do they think I'm penniless ? No and no -- they've known me long enough to know I would live in a cave on the side of a mountain if I could, or travel endlessly. They call me names like crazy, eccentric & weird and  say that I'm "One of those unfazed people who don't care what anyone thinks of them."  They are not being complimentary, although they do say things like "you're the creative one." - which sounds like a compliment to me, but may not be from their point of view.
 I'm not saying I never thought maybe I should be like them -- I've had my moments -- Their obvious disapproval isn't always easy to shrug off. And how sad for them that their sister ...takes things out of people's trash...  So sad.

I love them just for them, and I love giving them ( brand new of course! )gifts, and also my time, my shoulder to cry on, my friendship, some fun.

Simple things don't excite them.  "Bigger better more"  is their mantra. They never run through sprinklers anymore unless I can get them alone long enough to talk them into it. We can have great fun if we carve out enough time for it. Getting them to go on a backpacking trip would be ... amazing.

Ultimately, they admit that they are comfortable belonging to the world of disposable stuff, of quantity, of payment plans and renting storage units and hiring housekeepers since they don't want to become anything like "Hoarders."  They can't leave their overstuffed world, it makes sense to them. After all, everyone else is doing it. Or so it would seem. There are a few weirdos out there. Like me.