Why did you start to be frugal?

[YourLifeSolution]

My family is fairly well-off despite never making a lot of money. Very inspiring considering most people's current circumstances. Also I am a hardcore minimalist and believe materialism and judging wealth by how much people spend is wrong.

[Frugal]

My family was always pretty good with money, and I had one relative who was a banker who taught me a lot about the value of money, and how best to manage it. Even though my family had money, they got that money because they learned how to manage it, and not let money manage THEM.

I became interested and started my website about saving money, because I wanted to write about ways to save money via coupons, rebates, free samples, etc.

[Frugal]

Also, going through college makes ANYONE frugal by force! Getting by on a budget with food, and learning to save money on grocery bills becomes an absolute necessity during this period! Ha

[Alan_MoneySanity]

I never liked having a lot of things, but the few things I wanted were always something that was expensive for me. So I learned to save up for things by being frugal

[debtfreeme]

Grew up with grand parents from the depression generation and a single parent raising foru kids. I blew it with the credit cards stuff and even though it was under 3% interst, it bothered me that I owed the money. Stopping the spending, bringing lunch, watching my gas consumption and grocery shopping, putting myself on a great budget and allowance system worked for me. I also don't spend money just to spend money.

[dancinmama]

Geez, there are so many reasons why we're frugal; but I guess the most important one has always been the goal of early retirement for DH. In spite of the fact that we planned on him receiving a pension, we also contributed the max to his 401k as soon as he became eligible and continued to do so almost his entire career.

When I became a SAHM it bothered me that I was no longer working and contributing financially to the household. I remembered that my mom used coupons and decided that maybe I couldn't MAKE money, but I certainly could SAVE money. I began to run our household like a business and have done so ever since.

[Banimal]

I went to grad school.

[Frugal]

I started to be frugal when I graduated from college and had a very hard time finding a job. Each time that happens, people tend to become very frugal. I also became frugal back in my college days, when I had to really try hard to come up with money for food and gas, esp. when part-time jobs were hard to come by!

[GREENBACK]

I also became frugal back in my college days, when I had to really try hard to come up with money for food and gas, esp. when part-time jobs were hard to come by!

Ditto that. I was always somewhat frugal due to a frugal upbringing but my college living expenses refined it to a sharp edge.

[elessar78]

In my mid twenties I started to struggle keeping up with the payments to credit cards, car payments, student loans. My credit card debt wasn't astronomical so thankfully I didn't have to hit rock bottom to identify the problem. I went to Barnes and Noble, went to the personal finance section and picked up a book by Michelle Singletary. The book was geared more towards women (maybe particularly african american women, to which I'm neither) but Singletary was the personal finance columnist for the Washington Post and I'd read her columns before and liked the advice she gave.

I liked the advice I read, it made sense. So that was the start.

But it was never one thing. My mother is kind of penny wise but pound foolish, but she was always very economical around the house. My step-father grew up in post WWII Europe so he's particularly frugal despite being wealthy now he still lives in a modest home, sleeps on a worn out old bed, drives an old car which he rarely drives because he walks every where. My father in law is a farmer, which stereotypically doesn't make a lot of money but he runs a good business and had a bit of luck with the Marcellus Shale thing and still lives very modestly.

So for me, it was never one thing but I guess I'm surrounded by people who I look up to who have money to spare but choose to forego the symbols of wealth.

[krantcents]

I was always frugal! I started saving early. It gives me freedom and independence.

[TimMorris]

What's this "frugal" thing you speak of?

Seriously though, I think the gravity of my student loan debt has gone a long way toward tamping down my freespending ways. Thankfully thus far living frugal hasn't been as painful as I was expecting. I suppose that means I could stand to cut back even more.

[Garage Sale Diva]

I started to become frugal because I had too. I was a single mom with two young boys so I was kind of forced to. I learned how to find good deals in all sorts of places and what I could live on and what I couldn't

I amazing what necessity will make you do.