Keeping Up With the New Joneses

A common phrase you may have heard is "Keeping up with the Joneses."  This is where you try to keep up with someone else - it may be your neighbor, a family member, person you work with, and the list could go on and on.  Since everyone has started keeping a tighter hand on their money, I think we may be "keeping up with the Joneses" in a little bit of a different way.  (Please try to follow me here.)

Do you now know someone who tells you that they are on a budget and must try to save money every way they can? Most of us could say yes.  Heck, I am trying to get on a budget and save money myself!! Do you know someone that is doing really well at it though? Well enough that you start to get jealous of them and now want to keep up with their saving money? Yep, I think these might be the New Joneses.  The ones who make it look like saving money, using coupons, shopping at thrift stores, stockpiling and making homemade items look like it is second nature? That it is crazy that everyone else is NOT doing it as good as they are doing at saving? I secretly have a few of these friends.  So jealous of them!! But in the same breath I am so happy for them too.  I secretly want to do what they do to save money - use coupons, have a garden, and find ways to enjoy other friend's company and make it a really nice time.  I wonder how I cannot do as well as they are doing at this.  It takes some effort, I do know that part.

So, now how do you handle being secretly jealous of someone else's ability to save money and make it look so effortless, so easy? How do you turn off those feelings of "I really don't like it that you look so happy on living on less and I really want that for me"? How do you find your own rhythm of saving and being happy with what you have?

Big questions!! Not too good at finding answers yet.  Do you have any suggestions? Do you find yourself in this position? How do you deal with it? Tips and hints would be helpful!!

By the way, I still like these friends I am secretly jealous of.  They do not know I am jealous of them either.  They are really nice people!!

Jenn