Spraviash se mnogo dobre dori sled tolkova godini!
[That means "You're doing great even after so many years"]

PS My translation wasn’t really meant for you as you don’t really need it – you’re doing great with Bulgarian! Rather, it was out of respect for the other readers who wouldn’t understand

…they don’t even BOTHER…

This is now stuck in my mind

[That means "Thank you very much"]

This really gave me a kick in the butt (like other readers), thank you so much for just writing such a great post that really makes me think hard of how I spend the money I have.

Thank you! ^_^

Bulgaria can be a very tough place to survive, let alone thrive, but I love that you took responsibility for your own happiness and security.

Uspech vi zhelaya!

I know what you mean When I was still in college my then-boyfriend an I rented a cheap apartment. The “bed” was so wobbly and full of badly hammered nails we decided to dissemble it. We put the matresses directly on the floor and slept there

But this was just a phase in our lives, just like your current struggle is a phase in yours – it is not forever.

I could write almost the same story : I am 25, I had to get totally broke to start thinking about my money, and then I came across Get Rich Slowly, I started saving and a few month later I started my own personal finance blog… in French

“What I’ve learned is that there’s a huge difference between “I can’t” and “I don’t want to”.”

I agree wholeheartedly that there is a huge difference in these two statements. I have a friend that frequently says “I can’t”. Sometimes I get tired of hearing all that she can’t do and ask why she places such limitations on herself. Saying “I can’t” eliminates the possibility of doing something. Saying “I don’t want to” is recognition of a choice you are making. A choice you do have control over and can do something about.

P.S. JD, I too would like to see more posts like this one.

ex. It’s very difficult to go out to dinner with a group of your friends who buy appetizers, main courses, desert and share a bottle of wine…and you order just a main course and refrain from sharing any of the other food or wine, because you want to keep under your nightly budget limit of $15 or whatever. It gets…embarrassing.

Other people might have trouble going out with their friends who are all well-dressed and you are wearing a lovely but well-mended dress they have seen you wear many times before.

Or if all your friends send their kids to private/religious school and you send your kids to public school…that can be very hard in some communities, even if the public schools are fine.

I think that’s what people REALLY mean when they say “keeping up with the neighbors”.

I have a couple of friends from Bulgaria and they say that since most people can save very little, they just don’t bother trying – and that there’s a far greater focus on fashion and looking good (for the women at least) and so people will spend their money on those things. I’m not sure if that’s the case or not?

Yes, it’s called a credit card

Americans have a coping mechanism, please do not believe what you see

Maybe it comes from the fact that I’ve rented since I was 18 (a decade now), but I’ve never once thought about how my neighbours live!

I realise that in certain parts of suburbia keeping up with the Joneses is practically a full-time occupation, but I genuinely don’t get it.

I’m not my neighbours – how they live doesn’t affect me (unless they were obviously in desperate need, which I wouldn’t ignore )

You are absolutely right, too often people will use “Bulgaria is not a rich country” as an excuse.

Excuses are all over the world but they don’t really help when you’re broke.

PS – I don’t volunteer for the dance group, I get paid