Being frugal is not the same as being poor.

I though frugal was poor until I tried it. When I got married I saved money because I had to and now I save money because I get to. If I had never learned to save the money in the first place we would never be able to afford the little luxuries in life we have now that we think are worth it. I think frugality has a lot of different blessings that come with it too. We rarely eat out of a box so our food is healthier and better for us. We buy in bulk so if I get to tired to shop I dont have to. When I was pregnant with my kids I eneded up in bed for 6-7 months. We didnt have to shop once durring that time because I had stocked up so much ( My Mom delivered milk to us every other week since my Hubbs couldnt live with out it). I think living frugal is more of a freedom.

I very much agree with you for the mostpart. A lot of people become and maintain being wealthy by being frugal. I also think that we have lost a lot of practical skills we used to have. We used to be able to do everything outselves. Now we just throw everything out when it breaks. This is extremely hard on the environment. We are wasting resources, consuming energy, and contributing to global warming every time we purchase and throw something out. You may not realize this but it sounds like you really help the environment. Well right now I don't have many expenses. I get free room and board where I work right now. 1.I have my car insurance cancelled right now and save money on that. 2.I cancelled my cellphone. I just use the phone in my room and calling cards for long distance. 3.I drew out a strict budget and plan to maintain it. 4.I wash my clothes by hand and hang dry them to save money from the laundrymat. 5.I shut down my debit account and opened a cheaper one. I make large payments to my credit card at once and then use the credit card to purchase things. The credit card also gets my frequent flyer miles.

Being frugal is important in this day and age...to me it's the absolute opposite of being wasteful. There is way too much waste these days. People buy more than they need and throw away the surplus, much of it unused. I've done it myself when I have had more money than what I'm used to. I have bought too much food and then it has gone off before I have had a chance to eat it or make something with it to freeze. Or I have bought clothing because I liked it. Just grabbed my size then come home and found that it looks ridiculous on me so it sits, unworn in my cupboard. I'm now back to having very little and finding it hard to be frugal. Being frugal means needing to economise with money and items. I need to be more careful with my meagre resources and purchases.

I agree that being frugal not only does not mean one is poor it is also very different from being cheap. The way I see it, it is hard work to earn money and a darn shame to waste it. If I had a lot of money I would probably still be careful with it even if it meant donating the excess. I often buy clothing and other items from charity op shops where I can obtain a great bargain while helping others in need.

I am a frugal person but because we do not have alot of money. We do have enough to pay bills and such but not alot left over. We shop at alot of thrift stores here. I do not see a reason why we need all the expensive clothing when second hand can be just as good for less. We also shop at the less expensive stores and buy alot of the store brand products.

Hi Marguicha, I am not known as a frugal person. My reputation is being calculative. I think that is worse than being known for frugality. Whenever someone buys a new dress, I start to ask about the cost, and start to question how long the dress would last. For example, when a colleague buys a new dress for $30. I would ask how many times she intends to wear that dress. 30 times in a year? or 60 times in a year? How many years does she intend the dress to last. Then I will do a mental calculation to arrive at an average cost per wear. I think that is a good approach. But they are heartily sick of me. That is the way I buy most things, including handbags, shoes and other necessities in life. The only exception is food. If the fruits and vegetables are fresh and are organic produces, I will definitely pay more. I think it is better to eat fresh than to eat junk food. The future medical bill will not be that high.

Not frugal enough, but I do like it when I get a good coupon or a good price on something...

It is true what you have to say. When you think about it, it is true that being frugal doesn't necessarily mean that you're poor. It just means that you're trying to save, and that you're trying not to spend a lot of money. It doesn't really have to do with being poor. It has more to do with saving.

I agree with you completely. I like being frugal too, it keeps us creative and clever! Not only saving us money and saving resources for the future. I think each thing we do, has a lot more thought into it that it also give a lot of meaning.

Being frugal does not mean you are poor but for most people, they already thought that being frugal or stingy seems to keep their money clasp too much on their hands. I really don't wish to be stingy or frugal to people who are in need. I don't have any problem to give as long as I really have the money to give. Although if there is really no money, we tend to save what we can and skip the best of available buys in the market. if someone would come and ask for help, we can just offer what we can as long as we don't leave the person zero for coming. I don't need to be seasonal in giving. I still pray to God that He will enable me to have enough so that I can give more.

Yea, I think you are right, poverty is very capitalistic terminology, and not so much humanitarian and demeaning making people think that they cannot help themsleves.

Being frugal especially for those rich people would mean a great sense of value for what they have instead of putting it into waste when the rest of the world is starving. It would also give everyone the benefit of saving and/or investing more for the future having to avoid regret if ever you have not done so.

hi, being frugal is like a stingy person, and thats one of my attitude or personality, there's no wrong with being a frugal or stingy. and this is nice because you can use your saved money in the future.

frugal is nowhere near from being poor. usually, frugal people are thrifty. if they do save money. then they have a lot of it.. :) plus, as what S.W Starus said, "Thrift is not an affair of the pocket, but an affair of character."

I think it's good to be frugal. I don't think it's a sign of being poor, although if you're poor it becomes more important to be frugal. By being frugal as well as trying to increase my income, we've gotten out of debt this past year - but we're going to keep being frugal so that we can be even better off financially. It's also better for the environment if you use things up or reuse things.

I could not agree with you more! I am a frugal person currently out of necessity, but I think I would continue these frugal habits even if money became more plentiful. I don't feel deprived, because by living frugally it allows me to have more of the things I really want. In my case that's primarily time.

I think frugality is a good thing and I agree it is not about being poor, it is about keeping yourself from becoming poor by living wisely and carefully. I cook every meal myself. We rarely go out to eat and when we do we are careful about what we spend or use gift cards that I have earned on line. I also make a lot of my own cleaners that I use at home and I only put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes and then I hang them to finish drying.

The immediate thing that comes to mind for me is that I do a lot of my shopping at Goodwill and also at children's consignment stores (and yard sales during the warmer months of the year). I love doing this because there are a lot of people that buy things brand new and maybe wear them once before discarding of those things. I am a person that likes to let other people take the hit in depreciation. I also like to make my own gifts and I love cooking at home. Just because I don't spend a lot of money definitely does not mean that I am poor.

yes, i truly agree with you that being frugal doesn't mean you are poor. What i can say is that you are just being practical. I myself is a frugal person. I don't buy expensive things if i can buy them of almost the same quality but of cheaper price. For my lunch, i would bring some left-overs from our breakfast or from dinner, which i would place in the fridge, set aside in my lunch container already. That way, i can save so that i can still buy some things i would love to have for myself or for the family. Anyways, what we cook for dinner are the most loved viands hence i would like it to have again for lunch.

I agree with you. I do not feel the need to go out and buy the first pair of clothes you see every new season. Rather I am perfectly fine with buy alot more for the same cost near the end of the season. It is a good way to save on Christmas present and ect.