Meet a reader: RoInRocketCity.

This is the third in my “Meet a reader” series and as with the first two, I’ve had the chance to meet with Ro in real life.

That happened at the 2016 Financial Blogger Conference in San Diego, where Ro was living at the time. We had a too-brief meetup, and I’m afraid I was a bit distracted because my daughter, who was also attending, was sick. (Those waxing-and-waning symptoms turned out to be sepsis. Yikes.)

Even so, it’s always fun to meet someone who’s been commenting on your stuff – especially since Ro has been a commenter since my MSN Money days. She always had (and has) thoughtful things to say.

Background: Ro, who’s 65, is originally from New York City. A former configuration management specialist for a defense contractor, she retired in 2019 and moved with her husband to Huntsville, Alabama. There they live on a two-acre property alongside a river and cannot see their nearest neighbors.

Because mortgage rates were so low, they put the extra money from the sale of their San Diego home into several rental properties. Ro and her husband chose single-story homes, since they’ll likely downsize to one of them some day.

Sound ritzy? Success hasn’t changed her much, though. She still takes on the occasional mystery shopping gig to bring in a little extra cash, started a Buy Nothing Facebook group, and loves shopping local thrift stores that are full of high-quality items thanks to the “very wealthy” people in a nearby city. Careful money management plus an airline credit card lets Ro indulge her passion for travel. (The photo is of her on a trip to the Bahamas.)

Ro and I had both an email Q&A and a long phone chat. And I was thrilled to hear that the starting point in her frugal journey was my first MSN Money post, “Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year,” followed by my other MSN pieces.

Here’s the result, lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Tell readers a little bit about yourself.

My job was a little bit in danger (during the recession). Then I started reading articles and I thought, “She’s living on $12,000 a year, so I can cut back.” People were losing their houses and I didn’t want to lose my job.

I became convinced being more careful with my spending was a good idea. I started using coupons and saved a lot of money on our monthly bills. Slowly, I started to pay off our debts, pay off our car payment, put more money in savings. Being seriously frugal became a way of life for my family. It was amazing how much we saved using coupons and discount shopping.

Luckily, another manager transferred me within my company. I kept the frugality going with great rewards now that I didn’t have to start looking for work.

Fast forward to the present:  My husband and I are enjoying retirement. We spend our time enjoying our riverfront home. I no longer clip coupons, but I’m not afraid to ask for a senior discount or use rebate sites or apps.

What got you interested in money? 

I grew up in a New York City housing project. Basically, it was just a warehouse for people. Rapes, robberies, getting beat up were common. I got beat up all the time.

Childhood poverty and living in a dangerous neighborhood were a motivation for me to earn and save money. I was motivated to work hard, advance in my career, and leave poverty behind.

When I looked at my old address, the population density was 591 people per acre. We live on two acres right now, so my population density is one person per acre. What a difference!

Describe your money use.

I call it being thrifty. But I like to think I am very intentional in my spending. I never use the phrase “only” when discussing any amount of money. “Only” a dollar? Not in my vocabulary.

Everything I have, I share. If I have something I can’t use, I put it on Buy Nothing. I gave away a rice cooker a couple years ago and realized sometimes I do really like to make rice, and then found another one in pristine condition on Buy Nothing.

It’s just being thrifty. I know the difference between cheap and frugal. I’m not a cheap person.

What is your best frugal win? 

Purchasing the current home on a river front with the land opposite vacant in perpetuity. Our beautiful river view is guaranteed.

We did not pay the asking price and the motivated sellers fixed all issues and sold us their furniture for a low price to offload it. Our current furnishings are much nicer than what we left behind. While not exactly frugal, the purchase price was a lot less than the house we sold, so we were able to beef up our retirement savings.

How do you keep spending on track?

The thing that I learned when I was trying to cut back and was afraid I would lose my job: “You’ve got plenty of clothes in your closet, you’ve got plenty of shoes in your closet. If you want something different, go to the thrift store when it’s 99-cents day.” I still do that.

I rarely pay full price for anything. I am always looking for the sale items in the grocery store, digital coupons, and store incentives. I recently bought a pair of shoes for full price and thought my husband would faint!

I remember your advice to save where you can so you can spend where you want. Since I am retired, I travel as often as possible. Being frugal helps pay my travel expenses. I purchase most clothing items at thrift stores. I buy a lot of items on Ebay. Discount shopping is a way of life for me.

It’s the thrill of the chase. I feel like I’ve won the lottery when I get a really good bargain.

Money mistake you’ll never repeat? 

 I will never lend anyone money without a signed promissory note. When I was just starting out, I lent a gal my whole paycheck. She never paid me back and I never forgot how angry I was that she did that to me. It was a very harsh lesson.

My paycheck was $65 back in the day, and I never saw her again. Sixty-five dollars well spent. 

What thing(s) do you splurge on? 

I splurge on travel. I use my miles from an airline credit card to fly at very low rates so I feel like I can spend the money on the cruise, or the tour, without too much effort.

My splurges besides travel are good food. I grew up very food insecure. I grew up eating USDA surplus food. Once a week I’ll have a nice meal somewhere because my husband and I don’t always like the same foods. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with a friend.

You see a $100 bill on the ground, and…?

I will look around to see if someone obviously dropped it. I will probably pick it up. I know a local family in dire financial straits. I would offer them the cash if they would take it.

Got any frugal tips to share? 

Don’t run out and buy a new car if your old one is still serviceable. My husband drove his 2000 Ford Ranger until the wheels fell off, and we purchased a new vehicle this year. The dealer who bought it is a friend of ours and he’s still using it.

Don’t spend to keep up with your neighbors. I had a cousin I always thought was really well-to-do; they seemed to have a very comfortable life. Come to find out they were completely socked under by debt, horribly.

(Be) careful with all your spending. Look at your credit card bill, look at your phone bill, look at your insurance statements to make sure you’re paying what you expect to pay. If there are errors, get them cleaned up before they go to collections.

Find different income streams. When I was putting my kid through college, I made a lot of money secret shopping. I liked to have meals out, so it was win-win: I got free food, I got paid and it was when I was overextended while my son was in college. That extra $500 a month made a big difference. People need not to be afraid to get a second job and get a little breathing room.

I take the phrase “Pay yourself first” very seriously. Save, save, save, and save some more money for your retirement. You don’t know how long that money will last, so it’s best to save as much as possible. Nobody knows their expiration date.

Thanks, Ro.

(Still adding to my “Meet a Reader” list. If you’d consider being interviewed, leave a note in the comments or drop me a line at SurvivingAndThriving (at) live (dot) com. For the ground rules, see “A chance to meet a reader.”)

Related reading:

• Meet a reader: Cheryl from Florida.
• Meet a reader: FrugalStrong from Texas.