Do you think there's a difference between being "frugal" and being "cheap"?

there's a whole lot of difference between the word frugal and cheap, thyst. of course, there's the spelling and the way we view it. but being frugal literally means you practice wise spending, you only buy what is necessary and look for the best price for the item. being cheap, on the other hand, literally means you go for cheap items. that's your primary consideration in buying just about anything, least price.

Like you I have to shave money where i can find it. We will go out of our way to buy food further away from our home in order to get the food for the cheepst price. In this world you do what you have to do even though it sounds stupid. But, I do what I can to try and make my money streach.

yup, i agree that frugality is different from being cheap. being frugal means being smart with your spending while being cheap is spending money on things you do not need. Being frugal is about quality , making right decisions but still maintain it's practicality and being cheap means one is not wise in spending, buying stuff or spending on lower quality items that they would end up buying it again and again. We only spend on stuff that needs to be spent on and refrain from spending more than we should, collecting stuff we do not need.

Cheap is wanting stuff without having to pay. Frugal is learning to do without the stuff. I'm pretty price concious, even to where the 5p difference on a can of beans from one store to another is noted in my head - I stock up on the cheaper ones when I go to that store. The beans are either 25p a tin or 20p a tin and if you look at it as saving a _percentage_ of 20% off then it looks far more interesting. If we saw a sticker that said 20% off we'd understand the bargain better. If I can repeat that across most of the grocery bill, then 20% off the annual grocery bill sounds fantastic. Pinching the pennies really works. We have more opportunities to employ the small frugal strategies every day so they add up over the months.

There is definitely a difference between cheap and frugal. Frugal is when you do things to save money and spend wisely. Cheap is when you have the money but do without because you can't bare to part with that rusty money in your pocket. Cheap is when you have the money to go out to eat but don't leave an appropriate tip. Frugal is taking the money you would have spent in that restaurant and going to the grocery store and buying enough for several meals. We all do what we have to do, I don't think you are being cheap, I think you are being conservative and spending your money wisely.

hi there i do understand where you are coming from since i am also unemployed at the moment. With regards to your question on drawing the line between being cheap and frugal.For me there is a lot of difference. Being frugal means knowing and choosing something that costs less but still does what you need it to do.Branded products usually contain ingredients/materials that you can find on other less known brands and the only reason that they cost a lot is because of the marketing and endorsements for the product. Wherein being cheap for me is not buying something that you really need for yourself just so you can save up.Believe me it will only cause trouble for you afterwards. I havent done anything cheap yet nor did i experience being called cheap.I guess its because of the fact that most of my friends are also unemployed and conscious of the way they spend :)

I guess we would be considered cheap. I dont think you can be too frugal as long as your needs are being met - food, shelter, etc. Regarding your laundry, there isnt a thing wrong with wearing your clothes until they are dirty. I have stopped giving rides unless it is an emergency. I have always been very generous, I am the one when you go out to lunch, I always want to pick up the bill. Now, I offer to bring homemade lunch! You should check out the frugal discussions on this site, very helpful. Good luck on your frugal living!

Frugal is going to the supermarket,using coupons and buying own brand products rather than more exprnsive branded Items..Cheap is going out to a Restaurant and saving money by not tipping!

Frugal is when you are conservative with yourself. Cheap is when you are conservative with others.Soap isn't the thing to be conservative with. People who aren't clean rarely smell themselves.Only wash full loads. Use a clothesline on sunny days.Search everywhere for there is always some company giving away free samples of soap.

re-wearing underwear is a bit nasty, and smelly. So I'll pass on that. But waring jeans 4 times a week? I do that all the time. What is considered "being cheap" depends greatly on how much money you have at the time. For example, when I was broke, I never bought people presents for Christmas. That's not being cheap because I was broke. Now, I have over $2,000 in the bank. So if I were to do the same today, that would be being cheap. Never go out to eat. Never buy pre-made meals. No candy, no presents. Whatever I need to do to save money. That's how it works. But you need clean smelling clothes to go to an interview. So I am always going for clean underwear.

when it comes to money crisis there are only a few things that would seem to be cheap, being frugal and cheap are two totally different things.. wearing a jeans for 4 to 5 days isn't anything unusual i mean i guess most people do wear them for that long and besides some people are frugal minded despite having sufficient money.. being cheap can be related to being too selfish and silly..

I think you draw the line, with what you can or cannot afford, if you and your husband are right now unemployment, this is the time to save as much money as you can, but if you guys would be doing those things while having both really nice jobs, then you guys would be consider cheap, I am also frugal, I don't go to the mall just to shop as an sport, I go to the mall if I need to buy something, for me the key is make a budget of what you can afford and what you can't.

It's largely a matter of perspective, but "cheap" has bad connotations. If you're frugal the implication is that you need to save and be careful with your money, while being cheap is just being greedy and miserly and optiong out of paying for things you could well afford. It's a criticism likely to be levelled at someone by another individual who feels they are losing out as a result of the first person being careful with money - for example, if they don't buy gifts at holidays then someone expecting to receive one may throw the "cheap" criticism around in a bitter manner.

there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. it's not bad to save a bit of money. specially when both of you dont have a work.. just be your self.

I think in your case you are doing what you have to do. Cheap is when you have the means but extreme refusal to spend the money. Frugal is not just being a lil cheap but being green and being concious of your expenses and or work on a small budget. Cheap is my Aunt who takes the sugar packets from restaurants to save up in gallon jugs of milk. Or refusing to pay for the script if the Dr will give her all the samples she wants when she can afford to pay CASH for a spanky new car ^& I don't mean the $1500 junker on the corner lot either.

I agree with you that it is good to wear pants more than one day. I change my pants every three days. Also, I do not keep the lights on unless I need them. I also do laundry once a week (I have tried to cut back to doing it every other week, but it does not work). I am sorry that you and your husband are both out of work right now. I know money is tight for a lot of people. My husband works parttime and the stress is getting to him so badly that it is affecting his health. I hope I can find something soon so he can quit. Lately, his blood sugar has been sky high and last night he threw up blood. It is so scary. I wish you the best of luck.

Hi, Seriously, I can't think of anything off the top of my head.Honesty, probably I never really thought about it, or care for that matter.I just do what I do, so should you. I think what you are doing is not cheap, its called doing what you have to do right now, That's all that matters.