No, I'm not talking about finding "flaky" people. I'm talking about finding some partners in crime, who share the same view of money as you do: Spend less, save more, and still have fun.

Besides our spouses and the rest of our family, friends are the next biggest influences in our lives. This peer-pressure does not end after high school - Oh no - we're just getting warmed up - because when you get into your 20's and 30's life gets much more expensive and you start shilling out more and more in order to keep up (or stay ahead in some cases) with everyone else you know.

Now when this happens, you have three options:

1. You can ride this train into a destructive financial situation
2. You can battle daily with contentment and pray that you are not influenced by others
3. You can surround yourself with "cheap friends"

Shamefully, I will admit that Michelle and have succumbed to the first option too many times before. I hate it when that happens. What's funny is that you can always tell when you are about to make a bad financial decision because you feel pressured to say "yes" whenever your friends ask you to do something that costs you more money than you are comfortable spending (like going to the movies 2 weekends in a row and spending a total of $34 when we could have waited 6 months and watched the same movies at the "Dollar Theater" for only $6 total... not that we did that... but you know, in theory).

I prefer shooting for a combination of options 2 and 3. It's human nature to want to always compare yourself to others, whether that be in the way you look, the car you drive, or the amount of activities you are able to do. In other words, this will always be a battle. But, if you surround yourself with a few "cheap friends" who share the same view of financial freedom as you do and have similar interests, you will make your life that much easier.

Disclaimers: First of all, "cheap" may not be the right word here, but I used it to grab your attention - "Frugal" may be a better word. Second of all, keep in mind that surrounding yourself with ONLY people who share your same view of money can actually be destructive at times. If you ONLY have cheap friends, then you will never be encouraged to give generously, save for your future, or move forward with your finances (which is what this website is all about). You want to have a good combination of different friends.

PS: I'm sure all of my friends who are reading this are thinking "I wonder which category Griff has put me in." If you really want to know, you'll just have to ask. Don't let it keep you up at night. Michelle and I love you all.

What do you think about this post? Anyone else have experience with friends influencing them for good or bad when it comes to financial issues?