We all have mentors that have guided us in our lives. You probably even have many mentors for different aspects of your lives. The same can be said for your money makers. Different money makers have different mentors. In My Mentor, we will try to highlight all the many mentors that have influenced our lives.
Today’s mentor is Harry Swensen. Harry happens to be my father-in-law and it just so happens that he is the most frugal person I have ever met. Some might even call him cheap (not me of course:). I’ve never seen him splurge on anything brand new, buy the latest and greatest, or even take his wife to a new release movie. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have nice things or take his wife out on dates. He does. He just refuses to pay full price for anything.
My wife is always telling me stories of her dad and how he influenced her while she was growing up. One of her favorite stories to tell is how her dad actually looked forward to getting “toilet papered”. Toilet papering involves kids that throw rolls of toilet paper all over your yard and trees as a prank. Harry actually liked to get toilet papered. He would get out in the morning and gather all the toilet paper and put it into trash bags. He would then bring the bags into the house and instruct his family that they were to use the toilet paper until it was all gone. He liked the fact that he wouldn’t have to use his own money on toilet paper for a few weeks.
I know this is somewhat extreme, but he has had a good influence on my wife and I. It’s nice having a wife that has the mindset of frugal living. This was taught to her by her dad. I don’t have to worry about my wife racking up unnecessary debt. Nor do I need to please her with an extravagant lifestyle. This in turn has helped me to focus on the things that will help our family be successful in the long run. Because of this I have extra money to pursue side projects outside of my regular employment.
As for the art of frugal living, I am not as extreme as Harry. However, learning from Harry I have been able to find areas in my own life that I can cut back on. This in turn has kept me from consumer debt and has laid a solid foundation for regular savings. My mentor, Harry Swensen.
Have your own mentors? Share them with us in the comments section.
