You may never believe this…but I don’t want to be frugalfish. I want to be philanthropicfish. Stretching dollars was not something I chose to do, it was something I was forced to do.

My husband lost his job 3 months before our wedding. He didn’t want me to work at all. I was working as a nanny, and the plan was, until our wedding.

The plan failed.

We married in the middle of a recession and there were no jobs in our small town. He didn’t want to move. We took odd jobs and sold what we could. Between the two of us we had 10 sources of income: nanny, piano lessons, cleaning, mowing lawns, and other odd jobs.

We were frugal because we liked to eat.

You may never believe this…but I didn’t want to retire when I was 46. I know this sounds like a dream come true to most people, but I loved my job. The people I worked with were extended family. I had worked there for 24 years and hated stepping down because of my health.

I still wake up on the 10th of the month thinking, “The Gold Sheet” (A Financial Report) is due today. I haven’t filled out a “Gold Sheet” since 2007.

The children of my coworkers are frozen in time. I’m shocked when I run into them and they are no longer three…they are tweens and teens.

I planned on working until my death and I will…just not at that job.

You may never believe this…but I don’t color my hair. I always said they didn’t put this shade of mousey brown in a bottle. Since I am not in the sun much, it never lightens and is the same shade from root to tips.

I am lucky to have good genes. You should see my mother! People are shocked when she tells them her age. She looks 10 years younger!

Speaking of mom, on my 35th birthday she told me, “This is where we stop.” Yep, I caught up with Mom!

I admit there is some tinsel, but if I stay out of the sun, it doesn’t glitter.

You may never believe this…but I don’t mind staying in the house for days at a time. I have never had a problem with cabin fever. My record is 104 days straight when I was at my worst.

I don’t even take a big breath when I step outside. After all it is full of pollen. All of my favorite hobbies are indoor activities. I don’t need to go outside.

But I’m grateful for the internet…I have everything at the tip of my fingers.