Why be frugal???

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Why be frugal???

...
But the truth to the matter is, to argue one is better than the other is like arguing why the right leg is better than the left, or vice versa. The truth is, they're both equally crucial... if you want to walk right that is.

Heh, I have a friend who's one leg is shorter than the other, she is a perfect example of why both slashing/earning do need to be looked at, she doesn't walk right

[lgslgs]

Re: Why be frugal???

I often think how frugality managed to get a bad name..partly due to some oddballs (who hasn't heard of the woman spending hours collecting tons of junk, and refusing to toss an old shirt no matter how many holes it had?), but also partly due to some simple misconceptions. Just because you pass up a treat doesn't mean you are suffering, and in many ways it is good for you health wise. Priorities, even if I had the cash to waste, I would still make many of the choices I do now.

Frugality would get a better name if someone could figure out how to sell it to the masses and line their pockets with proceeds!

Making money requires convincing others to part with theirs - whether it be by paying you a salary, buying your product or service, by training them to be wasteful, or by coaxing them to consume more food, more luxury, more house square footage or whatever.

Nobody who wants your money is going to sing the joys of the frugal lifestyle. They'll tell you that your missing out on Godiva chocolates when you've just made a whole batch of the silkiest chocolate truffles for less than a buck and a half. And they''l keep whipping up the "make more, make more" frenzy so they can grab a bit more when they've got they're hand in your wallet.

Sure - consuming can be all kinds of fun if you can accept giving up your time, energy and independence so that you can join in and play the consuming game. I'd rather have full ownership of my mind, time, and energy and forgo the trinkets, doodads, and "status symbols" of the current moment - as well as the stream of garbage and packaging material waste that comes with them!

Lynda

[LuxLiving]

Re: Why be frugal???

Lynda - you nailed it!

I'll ask again - has anyone else read 'Ishmael' and 'My Ishmael' by Daniel Quinn? Good reads and might help some understand why 'making it' isn't the only game in town.

As an aside - I'll ask 'when was the last time you saw a free water fountain? - outside your local school system?'

Lock up the food and water and we all become worker bees. (I must admit my social bias here - I am of Native American descent on one side of my family and thoughts of living a balanced life, walking lightly upon the earth and living off the land does come dear to my heart.)

Another good read that might help is another one I just mentioned in these forums and addresses why we aren't all alike is 'The Gammage Cup'.

If we were all the same how boring life would be! And thank you OP, this is an interesting thread which I am enjoying very much!

And PrincessP, I'm not a six foot beauty like you, but I'd make a VERY good sweater girl if you know what I mean , except for the fact that I'm so hot natured! As it is, I'll have to sit here in my slightly coolish house and enjoy the next preplanned, pre-saved for, cash only vacation in paradise!

[DivaJen]

Re: Why be frugal???

Making money requires convincing others to part with theirs - whether it be by paying you a salary, buying your product or service, by training them to be wasteful, or by coaxing them to consume more food, more luxury, more house square footage or whatever.

Nobody who wants your money is going to sing the joys of the frugal lifestyle. They'll tell you that your missing out on Godiva chocolates when you've just made a whole batch of the silkiest chocolate truffles for less than a buck and a half. And they''l keep whipping up the "make more, make more" frenzy so they can grab a bit more when they've got they're hand in your wallet.

Sure - consuming can be all kinds of fun if you can accept giving up your time, energy and independence so that you can join in and play the consuming game. I'd rather have full ownership of my mind, time, and energy and forgo the trinkets, doodads, and "status symbols" of the current moment - as well as the stream of garbage and packaging material waste that comes with them!

Lynda

That was an awesome post - loved it.

[threebeansalad]

Re: Why be frugal???

I'll ask again - has anyone else read 'Ishmael' and 'My Ishmael' by Daniel Quinn? Good reads and might help some understand why 'making it' isn't the only game in town.

I have! Great reads! I'd also like at add to a sentiment PrincessPerky touched on: We all have different talents that are compensated at different rates, but (most) all are needed in a productive society. If we were all real estate investors and none of us were SAHMs, day care workers, scientists, lawyers or plumbers, we'd be in trouble!

[ericmedem]

Re: Why be frugal???

BTW, I hope I'm wrong, but did anyone else's spam flag go up when reading parts of this?

Yes I simply came here and typed all of this so that I could simply get you all into my multilevel marketing plan, and soon you will all be my affiliates and then, and only then I will take over the world.

Eric Medemar

[ericmedem]

Re: Why be frugal???

I guess I am understanding a bit more about the frugal lifestyle and perhaps there are some things to be learned from it.

I had never been to this forum before and it uttlerly blew me away at the odd things people do to save money rather than just making a bit more.

Dont get me wrong I think everyones main goal in life should be happiness, if being frugal makes you happy then stay frugal. Thats awesome if you enjoy it.

Here is my way of thinking, I am sure most of you will disagree, but it is my way. I always ask my myself "self, are you willing to pay $90/hr to sit on the couch and watch judge judy", since my work time is worth $90/hr and I am either working or relaxing, taking away from one to put in the other. Putting a price on my time helps keep me doing high value activities when I do work, and when I dont then I try to do things that I would be willing to pay $90/hr for. If you could be making $15/hr working then time spent not working you are essentially paying $15/hr for. If you work at a job making $9/hr and you could be making $20 with a little effort. Then you are essentially paying $6/hr to stay where your at rather than taking another job.

I dont want to be place holder in life, a good enuffer. A person who doesnt have it bad enough to want to change, but not good enough to be really satisfied with their lives. I'm not talking just money either. Im talking more about life satisfaction. Looking back on life and saying you know, I did my absolute best and have very few regrets. I enjoyed everything God had in his world. Now if no regret living and you highest level of satisfaction in life can be gained through the frugal lifestyle then awesome. My idea of life satisfaction is time with my family being in the moment, being able to be there for all of my kids activities as he progresses through life (along with my wife), seeing the world through travel, donating money to solid organizations (the more money you make the more you can donate), driving a very comfortable and fun car because I spend 2-3 hours a day in it, the list gos on and on.

I think these are the questions that you need to ask yourself to see if you are doing all that it is to be happy. If you can be happy with your answers then you are living a no regret and happy lifestyle.

If I could be anything in the world with no possibilty of failure what that be?If your not what your answer is, and your not working towards getting to what your answer is then what are you doing?

If I could pick any spouse in the entire world, who would I pick the same one over again? Now give your own spouse a bit of slack, but on a basic level would you pick them all over again if given the chance. If you answer differently than your own then, get to work.

This is just how I think, I could be wrong but I think everybody has the abiltiy to live the life of their dreams eventually, as long as you are building towards that life, even if you never get their then awesome. If frugality is part of living your lifes dream then by all means stick with it.

Eric Medemar

[tinapbeana]

Re: Why be frugal???

eric, i think a lot of folks here use the 'time is money' view you have spelled out, but perhaps a little bit differently than you do.

for instance, i calculate what i make per hour after taxes, insurance, etc. when i'm looking at a purchase, i ask myself if i'm willing to work X hours for that item: is it worth that much of my time? for instance, am i willing to work 3 hours for an expensive dinner? maybe not by myself, but if it involves hours of good coversation with friends and family, perhaps. what about a new pair of shoes? do i want to work 6 hours for a pair of shoes i'm going to wear for one event? no, but i'm more than happy to work 6 hours for a pair of hiking boots i'll use every weekend 9 months out of the year.

we do this with service around the house and repairs, too. DH and i can replace a leaky pipe for $25 in materials and a hour of each of our time. adding in parts and 2 hours of labor (1 for each of us), it'll still cost half of what a plumber would cost so we do the work ourselves. for yard work, chances are we can get a neighborhood kid who'll do the work for a smaller hourly rate than either of ours, so we might consider hiring that out. if it's something we actually enjoy doing, like washing a car, chances are we'll do it ourselves no matter how much 'time money' we might save having someone else do it.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: Why be frugal???

Eric, I think you'll eventually find that you and I are alot alike.

The only thing I want to say is that, contrary to the common cliche, fortune does not favor the bold. It favors the savvy. A high risk tolerance can be just as bad as a low risk tolerance, but more importantly, human intelligence is the true correlate to success, regardless of risk tolerance.

In that, I imply nothing about you or what you are doing. I think Kenny Roger said it best when he sang:

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

[tinapbeana]

Re: Why be frugal???

A high risk tolerance can be just as bad as a low risk tolerance, but more importantly, human intelligence is the true correlate to success, regardless of risk tolerance.

i would say "i wish this were true!", but i suppose this depends on your definition of success. one could argue that it takes intelligence (or at least a slightly different view point) to define success in terms other than who has the highest bank balance.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: Why be frugal???

i would say "i wish this were true!", but i suppose this depends on your definition of success. one could argue that it takes intelligence (or at least a slightly different view point) to define success in terms other than who has the highest bank balance.

That assumes one beats the risk though. Beat the risk, and reap the high gains. Don't beat the risk, and you reap the high loss. However, minimizing the risk is where intelligence comes in.

Oh, and I should add that I didn't mean to imply having a high risk tolerance is a bad thing. I have a high risk tolerance as well... hence the reference about my likeness with eric. Just have to know when that will be an asset, and when that will be a liability. Hence the Kenny Roger reference.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: Why be frugal???

i would say "i wish this were true!", but i suppose this depends on your definition of success. one could argue that it takes intelligence (or at least a slightly different view point) to define success in terms other than who has the highest bank balance.

Oops, I originally misread you, but if you mean that money isn't everything, I can agree with that.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Why be frugal???

back to the balance idea.....that friend with one leg short, she does walk, not 'right' but she does just fine...and asking her to grow her own leg would be as silly as asking me to quit being a SAHM to get a job......

[LuxLiving]

Re: Why be frugal???

My balanced strategy:

offense=income & defense=budget/frugality

[jodi]

Re: Why be frugal???

Very interesting post - thanks for starting this topic, Eric. I think we are all working toward the same goal here - being able to spend our time as we wish in financial comfort - but taking different avenues to get there. Eric has some valid points that obviously work well for him, but may not for other people.
I have a foot in both worlds. With a degree in Sociology/Human Services, my opportunities for financial advancement are quite limited. It is generally a poor paying field that I will not be able to rise above a certain income level in. I think a lot people are in jobs like this and feel they do not have the training, education, or guts to make a change. However, if they are happy in what they are doing, then why change anyway? Stretching the money that they have is a way to get ahead.
I also have a real estate license - strictly small potatoes, though I only do a few transactions a year, mostly for friends and family. I treat the money as a bonus to pay off student loans, primarily. Part of me wants to be like Eric - making money hand over fist in a field with unlimited potential! However, I also have two toddlers at home, and I will never get this time back with them. I know how much time I put into this business to get started, and I am not willing to do that again at this time. Maybe in the future...who knows. But even though I have the means to make more money, I chose rather to conserve what I have at this point in my life in order to spend more time at home.
Of course, there are the enviromental, "simple life" reasons for living as many of us fruggies do too...just a few more thoughts on the conversation.