"Give it a try; if you find yourself miserable you can always go back to living above your means"
Alexandra Fleksher’s piece on “Orthonomics” — the vague economic system that seems to come along with the frum lifestyle — has drawn significant feedback. Below is a sampling
Kudos to Ms. Fleksher for taking the thoughts that many of us have in our minds and speaking them out loud. I constantly say the same thing — how do frum families do it?
I personally have worked full time since before I was married, got a degree because my parents were able to put me through college, and by literally scrimping was able to support my husband in kollel for over six years. We did not receive any support, lived in a small basement until we grew out of there, bought an old car to get us around, didn’t buy expensive food or meat, didn’t travel much (if we did it was on a very low budget), and we made it through.
Now, with two tuitions to pay and more expenses as the kids grow, we are able to put aside and save, but only because of our frugal budget — hand-me-downs or cheap clothes, cheap car, and baruch Hashem my well-paying job. Yes, if my husband had been working right away, our budget would have been higher, but not enough to live on the high road.
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