Hey all! Tomorrow night my husband and I are going to visit some friends of ours for dinner. The reason for the dinner is 1.) Fun! and 2.) To give them tips on how to save money. This get-together came about after my friend confided in me that she and her husband are swimming in debt. I told her that I would be willing to give them some advice if they ever wanted it and she accepted my offer. They make around $160,000 a year combined and yet still have student loans (which are probably pretty high because he is a lawyer) a home loan, leases on two cars and now are also in credit-card debt because they can't pay all of their bills some months. We live in a low cost-of-living area.
How do I introduce them to frugality without scaring them off? They are open but sure do enjoy the finer things in life. Vacations, expensive food and drink, the latest electronics...you name it, they buy it. What should I lead with? The MMM home page, LOL?!
Anyone had some experience with this? My friend is so stressed from all this debt, I really want to help her the best I can. Have you every converted anyone? How did you do it? I am afraid their outlook will be "That might work for some people, but we really NEED X, Y, and Z...."
I know if they aren't ready it is moot, but any advice is appreciated if you think it could increase my chances of getting through to them! They are dear friends and I want to see them happy, but I don't want to seem preachy or chiding!