Frugal Living Does Not Mean Miserly
By Raven1
@Raven1 (577)
Australia
May 23, 2009 2:46am CST
I'm always surprised how many people believe that 'frugal' means living like a pauper and never spending anything. This is NOT being frugal. It's being a miser.
The point of being frugal is considering what you spend your money on and then considering if you can get the same item a bit cheaper somewhere else. If you pay interest on something you buy, then you're paying too much for that item. You worked hard for your money, so you should still get to enjoy it. But if you spend your money on silly things with credit, and then worry about switching off a light bulb to save a few pennies - that's not frugal. That's wasteful.
Think about this: if you spend $100 a month on credit card repayments, but spend your time and energy trying to save 30 cents on food or switching off light bulbs, then that's not frugal. Pay off that credit card and then you have an extra $100 a month to buy proper healthy meals with and still afford to switch on a light.
What about growing fruit and vegetables? If you can pick some items for free, then there's that extra cash left over each week to pay off consumer debts, which increases your cash each month as well.
Do you really need that big expensive gas-guzzling car and the big repayments that go with it? Trade down to a smaller, more economical car. Lower repayments and lower gas costs means more money in your own pocket at the end of the month.
One of my friends has more than 100 pairs of expensive shoes - yet she can't afford groceries. She complains she never has any money left at the end of the month and she's always broke - but she's paying $200 on minimum repayments on just her credit card. Then she has a personal loan and a big mortgage. I'll bet if she sold some of those shoes she NEVER wears, she could pay down some of that debt, reduce her payments and then have money left at the end of the month.
2 people like this
12 responses
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
24 May 09
I couldn't agree about this more. My mother is pretty much the same way with her money. She's always buying a lot of things (junk) that she does not need. Then it just piles up in the house and then we have no room to actually put our stuff. I've gone without buying a lot of clothes, games, and other wants/needs for several years because I just can't afford it. However, she's constantly buying things but whenever it comes to paying bills she always complains that she doesn't have any money and she can't pay any of her bills.
We try to tell her if she'd just watch what she spent and put some money back each week she'd be better off but it's like talking to a brick wall.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
25 May 09
My mom was that way, and my sister(s) somewhat. I have ended up as the final resting place for lots of junk. I have a niece who does not really watch what she spends, but gets rid of clutter frequently. Just to buy more. AAAK! In October we will begin having nearly $600 per month more, which in turn will go to debt.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
23 May 09
I agree. Frugal living is about controlling your money instead of letting your money control you. It's a hard concept for many to grasp, but once you "get it," it seems so simple and it feeds on itself. Once you buy that one thing with cash instead of credit and don't pay interest on it, you have more money to buy the next thing with cash because you haven't paid it all to interest.
Eventually, you'll be getting more out of every penny and living a better life with the same amount of income.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
24 May 09
It takes a while to learn this lesson, but it is certainly a good one.
1 person likes this
@FlaKNMB (831)
• United States
24 May 09
Excellent discussion, Raven1! 
I totally agree with what you have to said. I think another problem spendthrift people have is that they don't know the difference between "need" and "want". I often hear people say they "need" a big screen TV or Manolo Blahnik shoes or a new car (when theirs is still new). Those aren't needs - they're wants. I'm afraid we've become a society of people who feel they're entitled to everything and anything they want, and that they should have it NOW. I'm so thankful my parents taught me how to be frugal!
I totally agree with what you have to said. I think another problem spendthrift people have is that they don't know the difference between "need" and "want". I often hear people say they "need" a big screen TV or Manolo Blahnik shoes or a new car (when theirs is still new). Those aren't needs - they're wants. I'm afraid we've become a society of people who feel they're entitled to everything and anything they want, and that they should have it NOW. I'm so thankful my parents taught me how to be frugal!1 person likes this
@Raven1 (577)
• Australia
25 May 09
I think the biggest problem with people 'needing' all those fancy gadgets and latest fashions is that they've become victims of the banks. Banks make more profit if people stay in debt longer, so they made it seem as though everyone should 'need' all those latest things right now.
@happythoughts (4109)
• United States
24 May 09
So often people think that when you are a frugal person you are some sort of weirdo. I save money and clip coupons but that does not mean that we go without things. We work hard to make our money go as far as it can but I dont think we are so different then the average person.
1 person likes this
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
24 May 09
When talking about unwise spending is amazes me the number of people who wear designer clothing coming into the foodbank to get EVERY MONTH
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Their clothing is always the newest and latest fashions but they cannot afford food?
I watched certain family members get an increase in their fixed income and start ordering expensive take out food every day of the week,sometimes two and even three means a day then complain they could not pay their insurance bill.
The other day while standing at the bus stop I watched cars go by and noticed there was one person in every car. Now I know you cannot force people to carpool and people are going to do what they want but the reality in my opinion is that our economic crisis is really an overspending/overconsumption crisis. We all can do something to ease our own financial burdens and true frugal living is very doable and can even be fun.
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Their clothing is always the newest and latest fashions but they cannot afford food?
I watched certain family members get an increase in their fixed income and start ordering expensive take out food every day of the week,sometimes two and even three means a day then complain they could not pay their insurance bill.
The other day while standing at the bus stop I watched cars go by and noticed there was one person in every car. Now I know you cannot force people to carpool and people are going to do what they want but the reality in my opinion is that our economic crisis is really an overspending/overconsumption crisis. We all can do something to ease our own financial burdens and true frugal living is very doable and can even be fun. 1 person likes this
@harryt123 (327)
• United States
24 May 09
This actually brings up a really good discussion. We should at this point in time when the economy is not doing so well be living frugal and making sure that we are spending our money wisely. Questions that we want to ask ourselves is that do we need the item for our everyday lives or do we want to spend two hundred dollars on a pair of shoes. After all payments have been made and all bills have been paid it will be only then that we can indulge a little bit on ourselves and buy things that we want. In this situation, we have to practice making sure our money lasts through all of our payments and expenses and also spending smart and settings ourselves with a budget is actually a great idea.
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
24 May 09
Better yet, stop buying new shoes as well. I know what you mean, and I got into a debt trap that is hard to get out of, but we are doing it. Being frugal is also thinking before going out to eat. Asking yourself 1. Is the food as good as mine? 2. Will it really save time if I have to get dressed, drive to the restaurant, wait to order, wait for the meal? Is it not better to put together even a simple meal at home? 3. What hunger or need am I trying to fill besides my stomach by eating out? 4. Do I want to spend a full hour, or two hour's wage for something that goes in my mouth and then eventually out the toilet? I know that may be crude, but it is the truth. Most of the time the food we personally get at fast food or restaurants is not nearly so satisfying or not seasoned and cooked as well as we do it at home. I would rather eat at home, and spend my money on candles and flowers or whatever, if I want them.
1 person likes this
@hartnsoul (558)
• Philippines
30 Jun 09
Hi Raven, I'm glad to read your post. I have friends who complain about not having enough to pay the bills yet they have expensive clothes, shoes, etc.
Being frugal is indeed being a wise spender. Behavior is the key. Understanding the difference between needs and wants do help a lot. Your income cannot change for a year, but if you change everyday your behavior when it comes to spending then just maybe you will have enough.
My small family and I used to live in the city, its tough having credit card bills to pay every month sure exhausted our finances. Now that we are living in the burbs, saving isn't quite tough anymore. But we had to adjust our behavior when it comes to spending. Even if the cost of living is cheaper, we still need to come in terms with what really matters to us and let go of some things that we just want.
We now have a small vegetable plot at the back of our rented house and it saves us a lot. My daughter gets healthy too. We don't have credit card bills to pay anymore so we have enough money and avoid living from paycheck to paycheck. No coupons though to get us discounts but when we do the grocery we are able to get almost everything on the list. Unlike before the cart gets filled with 'not on the list' items.
The change did us great coz we communicate better and live just enough. No miseries. :)
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
23 May 09
Frugal living to me is not living way above your means. It doesn't necessarily mean you buy NOTHING that you don't need, if you have 'room to move' you still can, but what you do is make sure that even if you lost part of your current income, you could still pay all your bills. I have credit but in the last few months I've only used it for an emergency, and I need to pay it off before the end of the month lol.
For instance, just because you could buy something else, why? We have no vehicle payments, and it's really nice. I have friends with THREE vehicle payments. That means three full coverage insurance because while you're paying on something that you don't own fully, you have to do that. The registrations are more expensive on new cars and trucks. It just goes on and on. If you get a small ding, it's also more expensive to fix!
Another thing that I always use in terms of buying something, especially something big. Are we going to use it and how often are we going to use it. If it's something that we'll all use and use often and it does make our lives better - and we can afford to just buy it, yeah, we'll buy it. For smaller things, if I don't have the money at the time, I'll take note of what it is, where I saw it, and after a week if all I've done is think about it, and I still want it? I'll go back after that week and get it. Nine times out of ten, I barely remember what it is or have decided I didn't really need or want it that badly. At that point I have to take time out of my day and go drive back over wherever it was, and sometimes that doesn't appeal to me. I tell my kids the same thing. It's not depriving yourself, it's making sure that you didn't make a heat of the moment purchase that you'll literally forget about in the next week.
1 person likes this
@Raven1 (577)
• Australia
25 May 09
It took me a whole year to save up enough money to buy my new car. I traded in my old car and paid the rest in cash, so they gave me a discount on the price anyway. This meant I didn't pay any interest on the purchase, so that money wasn't wasted.
THanks for responding.
@psychotaz206 (2086)
• United States
26 May 09
before we spend any of our money on things we want we make sure our monthly bills are paid and food in the house and some put away , i always had trouble spending money on myself i will hold on to things until they cant be used any more i do what i can to save money , i had to stop working about a year or so ago maybe longer because i have a bone problem and cant sit or stand long so i am on disablity but before that i had to stop working full time because of it so while i was fighting ssi my credit went down hill because the only income we had was my husbands so we learned how to live frugle so now we make sure everything for the month is paid and some put away before we buy things we want and like i said i really dont buy myself much i maybe get my nails done every once in awhile but thats about it .
1 person likes this
@betsyhu (207)
• China
25 May 09
Frugal and miserly are different concept in my mind.
Miserly is that you care about only money, not others. you live for money merely.
Frugal is that you spend your money on suitable materials or things you think it's worthing. Once you get something worthed by youself, you use it totally not wast.
It's a effective usefulness indeed.
I think, frugal let me feel sureness fully all my life. including not wast your life time when you're living.
1 person likes this
@friskimage (170)
• United States
23 May 09
I have been embracing the idea of frugality for a while. My motivation is not merely financial. I do it because I think that it is the right thing to do. I believe that we consume way too much as a society. The earth has limited resources.
I have a greenhouse on my property. I am growing organic vegetables and herbs. Any excess that I cannot consume immediately will be canned for future use.
I have 7 acres in Tennessee, U.S. A few years ago when the real estate market was at its peak, I took a substantial amount of my equity in a Florida property and put it on the Tennessee property. I not longer have the Florida property and my mortgage payment in Tennessee is only $155 a month.
So I do agree, if one can try to look at the big picture, consume less, produce more and take a real good look at what on needs, we can improve our lives and our society as a whole.
@Raven1 (577)
• Australia
25 May 09
I agree about the consumerism, but my basis for being frugal is a little different. You see, I earn plenty of money. I have several investment properties. I have shares and I own a business. But I don't own a credit card and I saved up the cash to buy my car. It took me a year.
My logic is simple - if I spend what I earn on toys, gadgets and consumer items, then that money is gone and I have to keep working.
But if I invest my money wisely and live within my means, then my investments pay me an income so I no longer have to work so hard.
Thanks for responding :)
