Comments on: Frugality: Normal or Extreme Behavior?

By: Urbanfrugal

Urbanfrugal — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:13:36 +0000

When people see frugality as extreme, there are those who do over the top things to save money. Just as there are those who spend a lot more on accessories than people spend on their household budgets.

I do consider myself frugal, but not extreme. I learned from my grandmother (and parents) that quality is also important, not just saving a dollar or two here and there.

Spending within my means is important and is something that everyone should do. If you make more than others then that means that you have more discretionary spending. That doesn’t mean you have more to waste, just more to act as a steward of properly.

By: owlhaven

owlhaven — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:36:46 +0000

What people often don’t see is the freedom that frugality gives– the choice!

And maybe I’m odd, but to me the purchase of a $500 purse is way more extreme than figuring out where you can buy the cheapest cereal.

By: Monroe on a Budget » ABCs of Frugality

Monroe on a Budget » ABCs of Frugality — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:24:29 +0000

[...] Advice presents Frugality: Normal or Extreme Behavior: “I

By: Frugal For Life » Blog Archive » Festival of Frugality 124

Frugal For Life » Blog Archive » Festival of Frugality 124 — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:05:03 +0000

[...] Saving Advice Blog – Frugality: Normal or Extreme Behavior? [...]

By: Cindy M

Cindy M — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:32:22 +0000

If the “average” family in America today, according to the media, is $8000 in credit card debt, who wants to be average or normal anyway? They can have their debt and I’ll continue to be on the fringe, thanks anyway, ha-ha. I do feel for anyone with medical bills, though, that must be a nightmare.

By: Monika

Monika — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:34:42 +0000

So sad that lots of people nowdays don’t think of tomorrow, and live only for today. Many financial downfalls will be avoided if they only changed their ways. We proudly mention to people that we’re frugal, and that we like to save our money. But we’re often faced with comments such as: You can’t take it with you when you die, or
you should get out more often and live life.
We’re in our mid 40s with a small child, only one of us works, and my house is paid off, it’s probably worth about 500K. We cook from scratch and eat organic at home, and we treat ourselves to nice restaurants about once or
sometimes twice a week. Couple of
times a year we fly to some nice
vacation spots, and also drive on some weekend getaways near by.
We don’t waste our money. We spend it when we need to, the rest we
save for college education,
retirement, and things that are important to us, like travel. We don’t compete with anyone.

By: baselle

baselle — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:58:59 +0000

“somewhere between my grandparents’ time and ours we lost our way.”

Did we ever! But then again, there was a tremendous amount of peer pressure to be frugal. There was a feeling that our lives depended on it. Here’s a link that I can’t resist posting…

http://alternet.org/environment/55925/

By: Debbie Roberts

Debbie Roberts — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:24:18 +0000

I would agree that many times people who are frugal and not to the extreme are made fun of. I know I am at work by a few of the spenders. I have nice things and I buy things, I just don’t spend foolishly. For example, I carry my lunch to work and most of us do because we don’t have a long time for lunch. Instead of putting out the money for bottled water, I bought a stainless steel thermal glass. I fill it with filtered water and take it in my lunch. I figured the $19.99 it cost me was paid for in less than two weeks than if I had purchased bottled water. I take a thermos of coffee I make at home and you would think I was from the dark ages! Why didn’t I stop at the gas station and buy a cup? Hello! I like making my coffee the way I like it — not too strong or too weak, and putting extra milk in it. And it’s a whole lot cheaper than stopping at the gas station or a coffee shop.

By: Antonio De La Vega

Antonio De La Vega — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:39:37 +0000

I completely agree on the excessive focus on consumerism. The difference that I draw between frugality and being cheap is that frugality is about reducing mindless waste, “money bleed” and other places where time and financial resources are lost.
I feel no shame about discussing my financial habits. I take the change out of my pants and that I find and roll it up. I try to get my absolute money’s worth on what I buy. I try to reduce waste, especially when it comes to food. I feel that I’d carry these habits even when I become financially independent. If only more people thought as I do.

By: Andrea Trusty

Andrea Trusty — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:42:25 +0000

I’m proud of being “frugal”. I was reared that way. My husband and I struggled when we purchased our home 29 yrs ago. We wanted a 5-acre tract so we sacrificed the size of our home (1400 sf) so we could afford the land. Most people nowadays live on postage-stamp sized lots in McMansions, and most of them regret it because they’ve lost privacy. By being “frugal”, we paid our house off several years early. We use one credit card which we pay in full every month. Now we and other “frugal” people are paying for the “I want it right now” crowd — lower home values, lower interest rates on savings, etc.