Frugality isn't only about money

[daledale]

The thing I find frustrating when talking to a lot of people about frugality is the assumption that it's all about money. I personally don't think it is. I thinkig it also has to do with wasting less, choosing to have a quieter lifestyle, finading alternative uses for things and making the most of what you have. What do you think?

[disneysteve]

The thing I find frustrating when talking to a lot of people about frugality is the assumption that it's all about money. I personally don't think it is. I thinkig it also has to do with wasting less, choosing to have a quieter lifestyle, finading alternative uses for things and making the most of what you have. What do you think?

I agree. It's not all about the money. It's about choosing to live a certain lifestyle.

[SandraGenJobs]

Frugal ideas

I think it's about a certain mindset too. You can't just decide to be frugal overnight, you have to develop that way of thinking gradually.

[analogu3]

Frugality style of life

The thing I find frustrating when talking to a lot of people about frugality is the assumption that it's all about money. I personally don't think it is. I thinkig it also has to do with wasting less, choosing to have a quieter lifestyle, finading alternative uses for things and making the most of what you have. What do you think?

Good post.

- have you read Ed Romney's How To Live Well on Practically Nothing (i think is the title, something like that!) his book literally changed my life. No kidding! He was an amazing man- taught more than just "money saving". If you ever see that book, pick it up. I've read and re-read it many times, its entertaining and instructive. I find myself reading it again cover to cover at least every year. In the beginning chapter he states he's not going to waste the readers time with the dumb stuff everybody knows already (turn down the thermostat to save utilities, etc) he gives actual, usable, real life advice. He really changed my way of thinking. They don't' make them like that guy anymore, that's for sure.

Frugality isn't just getting something at a bargain. Its so many things: only purchasing good quality items that last a long time, and/or can be repaired again instead of just throwing them in the trash when they get old.

Getting rid of false pride - shame is pride's cloak. Romney's advice on home buying and where to live ideas is fascinating- he warns against govt. "deals" for easy first time homeowners that convince unwary home shoppers to move into a high tax, high crime/crummy area they will regret. He warns against getting on any type of welfare, it even encourages people to lie and do things they wouldn't ordinarily do (not get married because you'll lose your benefits, etc) how welfare breaks up families, and so on.

His son, without having a "useless liberal arts degree" (Romney despises the progressives- lol) and hardly any money, managed to become a millionaire by collecting old broken pallets and repairing them and now has his own lucrative company.

He preaches a bit but his advice is admirable.

I learned frugality the HARD WAY. Grew up in a home that always had housekeepers, and for a time we even had a cook as well, always were chauffeured around in cabs or drivers, had a private school education overseas, now I'm living in a teeny tiny postage stamp sized place and shop at thrift stores. I've become expert at locating bargain spots I can make a dinner for four out of an "empty" cupboard hee hee. You learn a lot by living with hardly any money for years on end.

Yep frugality is all about lifestyle: eschewing waste, realizing the value of quality over quantity, and holding on to your dignity, among other things.

[daledegagne]

Good post.

- have you read Ed Romney's How To Live Well on Practically Nothing

I'm totally going to go read that book. Sounds like a great read!

I love the "frugal" lifestyle, but you're right...it's not about money. It is about resources. Here's my personal IP on it.

There are multiple forms of currency - namely money, time, knowledge, and energy (physical and mental). All your holdings of these resources are limited.

Being frugal is about trading and combining these wisely in order to find the most efficient way to support the way you want to live.

That may mean trading less time for money so you can play in the park every day with your kids. It may mean combining your time, knowledge and money into self employment so you can have higher levels of autonomy. It may mean purposefully avoiding internet conflict because it saps your time and energy.

Being frugal is then consciously deciding the best way to spend your resources and the right way to combine those resources is different for everyone. So my being frugal will have common attributes to yours (ie not wasting) but our lives may look very different.

P.S. I believe that combining resources has a multiplicative affect on efficiency rather than an additive one.

[rob62521]

I think what many have said is correct, it isn't just about money. It is about a way of thinking and there is a big difference between being frugal and being cheap.

[Tabs]

I think you're in good company, OP. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen this community actually claim that it is only about money, though when talking about certain details, it can seem that way.

[JoeP]

To me, the term "frugal" means:
Reducing consumption
Studying before buying (avoiding impulse purchases)
Embracing DIY for increased satisfaction and knowledge
Enjoying the benefits of all of the above

[Sarah Emma]

Frugality isn't about bargaining lot when shopping. A frugal person cares about quality rather going for quantity.

[Staceyy]

I think what you are referring to is simple living. Frugality is a part of it.

[John Doe]

Great topic.

Being frugal to me means freedom. "The things you own end up owning you."

- Being free from having to acquire, store, and maintain things that don't make you happier and don't make the world a better place
- Being free from the mental distraction, preoccupation, and mental drain of useless things
- Being from the corporations that try to enslave all of us in consumerism to continue their profits
- Being free from the government-backed notion that economic growth and consumer spending are always necessary and good
- Being free from the social culture (the "Joneses") that pressures us into spending on useless things
- Being free from the destructive downward spiral of depleting the Earth's natural resources
- Being free from a consumerist system that leaves some starving while others pamper themselves in luxuries
- Being free from a consumerist system that encourages waste and duplication rather than sharing
- Being free from a system that pressures us into slaving away at jobs we hate to pay for stuff we don't need
- Being free from a system that encourages isolating us from our neighbors
- Being free from a system that encourages greed and self-pleasure rather than giving
- Being free from a system that offers us false choices and false identities at the expense of true creativity and expression

Basically, it means being free from the Big Lie of our world: "shop, shop, shop and all will be well".