F$&*(%&# Frugal

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My Say!

I’ve been doing a lot of reading of pfblogs lately. Catching up on my reading, if you will, since I have been away for so long. One change I’ve noticed over the past couple of years is the increase in the number of frugal blogs out there. Frugal, not financial, seems to be the way to go now.

But, let me say this.

Many of them are SOOOOOO depressing! Frugal this, save that. Don’t spend money on a cup of coffee. Reuse your light blubs as a flower pot. How to make nappies from Grans old wedding dress (ok, maybe that goes too far).

Now, I admit it, I too have commented on the evils of consumerism on a number of occasions, but sometimes I think we go too far. The point of all this isn’t to be the toughest “I don’t need to work because I have no expenses”, rather it should be about having a stable, secure financial present and future. Affluenza is only a problem when you spend your life (pun intended) buying crap you don’t need. Denying yourself a coffee because you want to save $2 is just dumb.

So I say let the counter revolution begin!!

Work is good for you. It makes you appreciate what you have, the time you have have and most people take pride in their jobs. It gets you out of the house, away from your annoying kids and you can spend time with like-minded people. If this isn’t your reality at work – then get a new job.

Finally, frugal is the economy what burning coal is to the environment… BAD.

uhnw

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The Saved Quarter says:

November 18, 2010 at 12:13 pm (UTC 10 )

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Unless…

If you have a million dollar net worth, maybe that $2 isn’t significant and you can have dribs and drabs escape from your budget without it making a dent. But if your income is low, frugality is a really good way to stay within your means, not take on debt, and avoid paying $5 in interest payments on that $2 coffee.

I do skip a $2 coffee that I want just so I can save the $2, and that shift in mindset, in working toward a goal and taking even the small amounts into account, has led to me saving over $5,000 since January on a household income of about $24,000 a year.
1. uhnw says:
  
  November 21, 2010 at 2:07 pm (UTC 10 )
  
  Reply
  
  Very true – everything is relative. $5,000 is a lot in anyones language and its great that you have saved that amount.
First Gen American says:

December 1, 2010 at 12:26 am (UTC 10 )

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I think no matter how poor you are, you don’t have to feel deprived. You just have to adjust your standards lower. My parents were always below poverty level, but we still did stuff that was fun.

I think when things get out of whack is when you live below poverty level and go to beauty salons and shop in malls instead of thrift stores, or try to live in a middle class neighborhood when doing that would use up your entire paycheck. If you’re po then you have to live in the hood and make the most of it. IF you don’t want to live in the hood, then you have to get your butt out there and work two jobs or get educated. It’s that simple.

I think sometimes people spend loads of time on doing these crazy frugal things when the simplest thing would be to just move to a smaller house.
1. uhnw says:
  
  December 1, 2010 at 9:50 am (UTC 10 )
  
  Reply
  
  So true. One of the biggest eye-opening experiences of my life was when I worked in a very upmarket department store during college. You could pick the seriously rich because they paid in wads of cash. The “poor” or more correctly those who were paying more than they could probably afford, used low end credit cards. Frugal doesn’t have to be hard work – just appropriate to your needs.
Ron says:

November 5, 2011 at 2:14 am (UTC 10 )

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It is so true, even today the whole “frugal to the ten millionth degree” stuff continues to fill peoples’ minds. The whole thing can be rather ridiculous, I mean at the end of the day there is only so much money one can save if they are focusing on saving $3 a day instead of earning an extra $3k per month.