Dictionary.com defines FRUGAL as “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful; entailing little expense.”
A frugal turnoff?
In many ways being frugal is just second nature for me. I love making my dollar stretch as far as it can, but I also love the prudent aspect of that definition. I realize that time is money. So if I’m saving a few dollars on an item that I have to drive an extra 10 miles to get to, my frugal Spidey senses scream at me that the few dollars are not worth the effort. Keeping this in mind, I was a bit surprised when an online community indicated that trying to pitch something as “frugal” may be a turnoff to many people.
How could something that I think of as a positive be a negative to so many? This thought sent me searching to many different sources on the internet. And let me tell you, I found that there are some interesting characters in this world parading themselves as frugal. Seeing them put a new spin on why FRUGAL has been viewed by many as a negative.
Distinguishing Frugal from Cheap
What I found is that many people equate FRUGAL with CHEAP. And there are huge, distinct differences!! Being cheap is about spending less even if it’s at the expense of your time or quality; being frugal is about prioritizing your spending. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you spend less.
As an example: Cheap would be people who wash out their Ziploc baggies repeatedly to reuse them even if they were dirty. Frugal people would buy the most affordable baggies that would do a good job. Frugal people would throw them away when they were done with them. Most frugal people also realize time is money and would be more likely to throw the used baggies away knowing that they’d rather use their time doing other things than saving a few pennies. (Please have grace and realize this conversation is not meant to be an environmental discussion!)
Don’t wash out my mouth with soap just yet
So is FRUGAL now held to the same standards as those who have a gently used aluminum foil collection or recycle their poop for their garden fertilizer? Is it a new F-word with negative connotations that cause mouth-washing-outs? I sure hope not!
If you look at frugality through the lense of someone who spends prudently, isn’t wasteful with their resources, and is economical, you can get a bit more of a glimpse of who I am. What frugality means to me and those who hold the practice a bit on the sacred side.
Frugality has gotten me to a place that I’ve been able to build a huge portion of my emergency fund and at the point that I’m typing this post, I’m contributing enough monthly to my Roth IRA that I’ll max it out this year. I’m also meeting my company’s 10% Match for our retirement savings plan. I couldn’t be doing any of this if not for frugal decisions that I make consistently every week of the year, year after year!
So what are some things that I do that I consider being intentionally frugal?
I shop at Aldi for almost all of my groceries.
I try to cook from scratch as much as I can. Despite common myths, frugal doesn’t mean it’s crap.
We buy new or nearly new clothes from garage sales, Goodwill, and resale shops. This is something I’ve done since my babies were born. My kids overall prefer to find unique clothes this way over shopping at stores. Heck, I found 3 hoodies at Goodwill this week for my son. One Nike and two Under Armor. One still with tags on and all 3 for about $25!
Shoes, socks, undies, and my work uniforms are bought new. Some things are made to be one-person use, and I’m more than okay paying for these items. I grow some of my own produce but realize it’s not worth my time, energy, and water bill to keep a big garden anymore. Half a dozen tomato plants grown in buckets are fine with me. I also fix my own toilets. Paint my own walls. Shampoo my own carpets. Mow my own grass (when my dad doesn’t insist on doing it for me!). But I pay the professionals when I need to and when I know my time is not worth the crappy results I would give to the project.
Saving conversations for the future…
I could probably talk most of the night away about things that I do or have done to cut back or save money over the years. I’ll probably do a series of posts in the future on ways to cut expenses or use your money more wisely. But for tonight, I’m keeping my list short to make the point that frugality doesn’t have to be a negative thing. I’m not cleaning my baggies or saving my foil. I’m also not living a deprived life in any way, shape, or form.
Frugal can = quality, longevity
Keep in mind, frugal doesn’t always mean that I go for the cheaper product. I learned from a favorite, 70-something year old, white-haired nursing instructor named Teresa Vann who always wore quality patent-leather nursing shoes, that my back and knees are important assets in this field and in this life! She told me this on the drive back to school after spending the day at a psych ward that I should never skimp on work shoes. I took her wisdom to heart, and I never have!
My wide feet make for quality shoes that are neither easy to find nor inexpensive. I only buy new work shoes every year or two, but you can bet I buy quality and have them custom fit at a local running shoe shop. I’ve learned quality lasts longer too so is cheaper in the end anyway. This is true for shoes, car tires, cars, roof shingles, flooring, and so much more! You just need to do your research and realize some things in life are worth paying less for and some things are worth paying a bit more for longevity and quality!
Frugal isn’t a bad f-word!
What have you found isn’t worth skimping on? What FRUGAL habits have you picked up over the years that have saved you money? Why do you think that being FRUGAL has gotten a bad rap?
Despite its negative reputation in some circles, I will continue to live my frugal ways. And if FRUGAL is the new F-word, let me shout this F-word from the rooftops. Being frugal has opened so many doors for me in life. It has allowed me to be able to save for retirement, afford to travel, and build my emergency fund. The F-word has never been so liberating to say! 💛