06 Jan 09 Frugality Rocks
Why?
I hate wasting money. I kick myself when I spend say $50 on an item, and find I could have got it, or a similar one of comparable quality for $30.
I’ve always been cynical when it comes to advertising. I check everything out. I never impulse buy, even though I am sometimes tempted.
I always remember the maxim “If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is”.
I know that unless I win the lottery (if I ever remember to buy a ticket that is), or unless I am lucky (and I’ll come back to that), I’m not going to make a million in a month with minimal or no effort.
I also am very mindful that the guy on the infomercial that makes fantastic furniture with the home routing and lathe equipment he is trying to persuade me to buy is a master carpenter (or there is one behind the scenes); that the super kitchen gadget is being operated by a professional chef, or at least someone that works in that industry every day; and that if the super ‘can’t lose’ real estate investment plan really did work, the world economy wouldn’t be in the crap pot mess it is right now.
That luck thing?
I don’t believe in it. Not big time. Ok, so you might find a $50 dollar bill on the sidewalk. That’s lucky I guess. Good luck for you; bad luck for whoever dropped it.
I’m of the belief that I’m going to get what I want out of this life by planning, and working at it. That work can take all forms of course. It might be physical labor or it might be buying and selling. It could be writing code, or writing blog posts.
Anyway, I digress. I strongly feel that one of the ways that most of us can easily improve our wealth, and reduce our dependence on credit, is to be frugal.
Now that doesn’t mean buying the cheapest of everything. Spend $20 on something you need to replace each month,against spending $50 on something you replace every six months is definitely not being frugal.
However, somethings are quite easy to achieve, and never forget that pennies make dollars!
For example, turn off lights when not needed – you did invest in CFLs too didn’t you?
Make a list when you go to the grocery store – and stick to it. It might be nice but you don’t need an extra half gallon of ice cream, or the double chocolate cheesecake, and your waist will thank you for it too, as well as your wallet.
Also don’t keep making extra car journeys to get one or two items. Check your food pantry and refrigerator for what you need, and add it to that list before you go.
Look for bargains, but don’t buy stuff simply because it is on offer, if you don’t need it – it’s not a bargain!
There are of course, whole web sites out there dealing with how to lead a more frugal lifestyle such as Frugal Dad
If you’re on Friendfeed (and if you’re not why not, it’s great place to find lots of information, and some great people too) there’s a room set up called Frugal Living. It’s got some great tips in from other users about how they save the pennies, and spend them more wisely.
Tags: bad luck, big time, comparable quality, crap, dependence, dollar bill, fantastic furniture, Finance, good luck, impulse, infomercial, investment plan, kitchen gadget, lathe equipment, lottery, master carpenter, maxim, professional chef, real estate investment, six months, world economy
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Ian, I love this post. Very to the point.
For better or for worse, I really do believe in this, even though I'm sometimes a pain in the butt about it. Oh I do think it's good to reward yourself sometimes too, but you've got to earn the reward first!
Frugality is saving money on the things that aren't important so that you'll have money for the things that are important. I've seen this explanation several different places and absolutely love it, because what's important in my household (no debt, emergency fund, getaways, and coffee!) might not be exactly the same things that are important in yours. It's this flexibility that makes frugality rock!
Very much so. It can be easy to lose sight of that. What you might think is a good use of money, I might think is a complete waste, but for all of us, it's getting what we want out of life, with minimum negative stress that makes frugality rock.
I think it's important therefore for any of us not to condemn each others spending patterns but to helpfully suggest ways in which money can be saved, while each pursuing what we individually want.
Nice article! I also try to be as frugal as possible. My roommate always leaves every light on and it drives me crazy. But, I can be a shopaholic at times. However, if I do “have” to buy something I can usually find it at some website on clearance… oooh!! that reminds me,… I've been wanting a canon xsi for soooo long but couldn't ever dream of affording it.. then thanks to an e-book I read at clearance-portal.com I found it at target on clearance for 75% off! Not only that, it was a display model (in great condition) so I knew (thanks again) that I could get an extra 30% off of that price. It ended up costing about $150. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper. Yes, I didn't need to spend even $150 but knowing I saved so much money sorta justifies it for me.
If nothing else, you are one of the few frugalists around. You just say it how it is. Great site. Keep up the good posts. M
well done to that money…
thanks!
People from all works of life can gather in a room and claim to be frugal. What it shows is that people are conscious on their spending patterns now even to the last cents. Thanks
People from all works of life can gather in a room and claim to be frugal. What it shows is that people are conscious on their spending patterns now even to the last cents. Thanks