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What in the
heck does “frugal living” mean? Does
it mean shopping at thrift stores?
Cutting or scanning coupons?
Eating leftovers? Never going
out to eat? Never buying anything new?
Saving everything for reuse? Living
like our parents or grandparents?
Answers: maybe,
maybe, maybe, no, no, not exactly and no.
First, let’s
look at the definition of frugal:
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adjective
1. economical in use or expenditure;
prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: Synonyms: thrifty, chary, provident, careful, prudent, penny-wise,
scrimping; miserly, Scotch, penny-pinching. Antonyms:
wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, prodigal, profligate.
2. entailing little expense; requiring
few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal. Synonyms: scant, slim, sparing, skimpy. Antonyms:
luxurious, lavish, profuse.
synonym Study
Economical, thrifty, frugal imply careful and saving use of resources. Economical implies prudent planning in the disposition of resources so as to avoid unnecessary waste or expense: economical in budgeting household expenditures. Thrifty is a stronger word than economical, and adds to it the idea of industry and successful management: a thrifty shopper looking for bargains. Frugal emphasizes being saving, sometimes excessively saving, especially in such matters as food or dress: frugal almost to the point of being stingy.
Economical, thrifty, frugal imply careful and saving use of resources. Economical implies prudent planning in the disposition of resources so as to avoid unnecessary waste or expense: economical in budgeting household expenditures. Thrifty is a stronger word than economical, and adds to it the idea of industry and successful management: a thrifty shopper looking for bargains. Frugal emphasizes being saving, sometimes excessively saving, especially in such matters as food or dress: frugal almost to the point of being stingy.
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For
me, when I think of frugal or frugal living, I think primarily of the first
definition:
1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing;
not wasteful.
Yes,
I am here to tell you in today’s blog that being economical in use or
expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful are virtuous qualities
and therefore, by default, being frugal – or frugal living – is a virtuous way
of being.
Let’s
go back to this question of what in the heck does it mean to live
frugally? (I’ll bet you’re asking “What
exactly do I have to give up?” To which
I say: absolutely nothing…it’s
what you gain.)
Let’s
break this down:
·
Economical
in use and expenditure:
This comes down
to wise choices about purchasing. Think
before you buy. Do I need to buy
this? (yes, yes, yes – I may want to buy
this, but the question really should be Do
I Need This??). If you really need
that item, the next thing to do is to look at the cost – but don’t compromise
the quality. In fact I would argue that
you are better off buying the best quality and paying more up front, first
buying a piece of garbage that breaks down the moment you get it home. If you can borrow, purchase second hand or
buy collectively, consider that option as well.
·
Prudent
saving or sparing:
In general,
Americans are quite poor at prudent saving.
Don’t take it from me…take it from…
…my two minute
Google search. This is really, really
problematic. But more problematic is
that people are not being taught how to save; it’s not considered to be
honorable or virtuous or “American”
·
Not
wasteful:
We talk a lot
about not being wasteful…but the fact of the matter is that Americans are
considered (by many) to be perhaps the most wasteful people on the planet. Being wasteful…that is wasting things…throwing
things away with perfectly good value…by making things with inherently little
to no value (get a cheap plastic bag for
one item at the store and…most people just throw it away) we are
inadvertently (or perhaps overtly) disrespecting our planet.
I
want to come back to the purpose of my blog “Living on a Golden Shoestring”. People who know me, who know us, know that we
manage to do a lot with a little. The
other thing people would say about us is that we live frugally. We buy what we need, we generally buy
sparingly. We buy used, we repair things,
and we often donate usable items that we don’t need any longer to others who
may find them useful.
Is
our life of any lesser quality than the “average American”? Not in the least. In fact, I would argue that our lives are of
greater quality than the “average American”.
How so?
·
We
live within our means (believe it or not,
this is incredibly freeing)
·
We
have no consumer debt (and this…this is exceptionally freeing)
·
Material
things don’t control us; we control them (think
about this one…)
·
We
are innovative and creative; we find solutions to potential financial problems.
·
We
plan and think and budget and are patient.
Lest
you think we are an anomaly, well – yes we are different, but there are
multitudes of people who aspire to do more with less. There is an interesting read; I have not read
this book, just the freebie peek on Amazon, but I wanted to provide the link to
demonstrate the desire of many people to live frugally. For them, as for us, it is liberating. I encourage you to try living frugally; you
just might like it and never want to go back…
Radical Frugality: Living in America on
$8,000 a Year
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It's time for a
disclaimer:
I’m not a financial
planner, nor am I a business guru. What I am is a very practical person with
(as my mother always said) “a good head on her shoulders”. I have good common
sense and am old enough to trust my inner core and follow my instincts.
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