Frugality

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GeorgiaXplant

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
Frugal or just plain cheap?

Frugal is getting the most for your money. Just plain cheap is buying a can of Coke, handing it to your five kids and telling them to share.

I think. LOL

Before I was married, I had a date with a guy who seemed nice enough when I met him through a friend. The friend never mentioned any red flags. Imagine my surprise when we went to a neighborhood tavern and he ordered a draft beer and two glasses. This was back in the day when a draft beer cost $.25.

He wasn't exactly in the 1%, but not poverty-stricken, either. Just cheap.

We should have a forum, maybe a sub-forum of "Home", for folks to post-their money-saving ideas/tips.
 

For the most part I'm sort of frugal. I have my weaknesses though ;)

Yeah I had a few bad dates a years ago with a chiropractor. I decided to pay for the last date myself and when he commented that I had tipped the waiter too much AND IT WAS MY MONEY.. I said sayonara to him.
 
I remember this schmuck who I made the mistake of seeing for awhile. When you're dating you want to have at least the other persons favorite beverage and food available. This clown was so cheap he never bought anything unless it was for him. I'd ask if there were any cookies in the house. Nope I was expected to bring my own.
 

I am very frugal. I make most everything from scratch. My son calls me the casserole queen.We have a large basement so I hang the wash down there and outside in the summer, instead of using the dryer. I clip coupons also. I do have my limits though. With the money saved, we enjoy taking trips. The first day out we always bring our lunch and snacks for the car. No Starbucks for us!!! Now and then we spend a few dollars of it for the casino . So we enjoy the extra that we have saved. I'd say we both are frugal but not misers.
 
fureverywhere said:
I remember this schmuck who I made the mistake of seeing for awhile. When you're dating you want to have at least the other persons favorite beverage and food available. This clown was so cheap he never bought anything unless it was for him. I'd ask if there were any cookies in the house. Nope I was expected to bring my own.
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The guy I was dating before I met the Spousal Equivalent was cheap. We were at an art festival and I was admiring some butterfly pictures (mounted butterflies between glass) that were priced $10-$12. He asked me what my favorite one was and I pointed out a blue one. He said "are you sure?" and I said yes. Then I walked over to buy us some lemonade and saw that he was buying that one. How sweet, I though, he's buying that for me.... Wrong. I walked back, expecting him to hand it to me and he said, "this will look good on my lamp table, don't you think?" Now, I wouldn't have expected him to buy me anything, but it looked that time like he.just.might.be.going.to. Wrong.
 
jujube said:
The guy I was dating before I met the Spousal Equivalent was cheap. We were at an art festival and I was admiring some butterfly pictures (mounted butterflies between glass) that were priced $10-$12. He asked me what my favorite one was and I pointed out a blue one. He said "are you sure?" and I said yes. Then I walked over to buy us some lemonade and saw that he was buying that one. How sweet, I though, he's buying that for me.... Wrong. I walked back, expecting him to hand it to me and he said, "this will look good on my lamp table, don't you think?" Now, I wouldn't have expected him to buy me anything, but it looked that time like he.just.might.be.going.to. Wrong.
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Not only is that cheap, that's just plain sadistic. But, boy you made me LOL! What a prize he was for sure, that would have been the last time we ever went out again.
 
I guess it's how one looks a financial responsibility. I always tried to live below my means. I got laid off from jobs early in my working career so I learned nothing is forever including a bank account. I try to stretch my money more than a yoga instructor.
 
I consider myself to be frugal, some of my spendthrift friends might look at it a different way, but, I refuse to pay full price for most things if there's a chance I can get it for less.
 
I'm frugal only because I have to be. My greatest weakness is gift-buying. I'd go all-out if I could. I've always told myself that if I ever won a big lottery or something, I would be a cautious spender. But that's such a lie. I would definitely get a financial adviser, make it grow, but I would be out buying my kids and grandkids the coolest sh*t ever.
 
I am definitely careful with my money, and do shop around for the best deal on things, but I'm not cheap. I think most people get more careful with money as they get older, because there are not as many options to get more if you run short -- like picking up more overtime or working a second job for a while.
 
I've worked very hard all my life and was frugal up until my husband died, I realized how short life is......I intend to enjoy what time I have left, no more scrimping for me, I do shop around on big items to get the best price, but no more holding back if I see something I really want or need.
 
eBates is another one for saving $$. My daughter does a good bit of shopping online and her quarterly checks from eBates are usually around $50-$75. Savings Catcher from Walmart is good, too, if you shop there. You snap a picture of your register tape and send it, they compare prices for stores in your area and if the product is sold cheaper somewhere else, they credit you with the amount. It's usually only a few cents, but they add up. This past Christmas she used her savings for Christmas gifts she put on layaway...for a year her total was more than $200.

Something I have done for years is buy bath soap a dozen bars at a time and put them away. The older soap is, the longer it lasts, and it definitely makes a difference.

Then there's Woolite. Expensive. You can get the same results using shampoo, something I learned in Home Ec class years ago. I use Suave shampoo from the dollar store.

Save a few pennies here and a few there? Sure. Those pennies add up to dollars that I can fritter away on something I want, not need.
 
GeorgiaXplant said:
Frugal or just plain cheap?

Frugal is getting the most for your money. Just plain cheap is buying a can of Coke, handing it to your five kids and telling them to share.

We should have a forum, maybe a sub-forum of "Home", for folks to post-their money-saving ideas/tips.
Click to expand...

We didn't have that much money growing up, and my parents always made sure we weren't wasteful and spent our money thoughtfully. As an adult, I try to be frugal, I do look at the grocery store ads each week and will go to the ones that have sales on things we need or want. I don't waste money or gamble at all, except for the rare lottery ticket. If I really want something, I buy it, but will shop around for the best price, etc.

You can post in our Home Forum Georgia, just added thrifty tips in the description.

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I am definitely not tight. I did have a tight uncle who would drive 10 miles to save a penny..lol. I could tell some funny tales. I don't care about saving a few cents. I have had my years of coupon clipping, but usually they would expire before I used them so I just cut the really good ones lol. I do think I'm instinctively frugal and to me that means not being wasteful with things.
 
I'm not a big spender and feel that I have everything I want and need. If broccoli has gone up to $4 a head, I'll wait til it goes down again to $2. But on the other hand if I need something like hiking boots I'll go ahead and buy them at regular price if I like them and am in the mood to do so.

What gets me is when people who are very well off (I mean people who have multiple properties and vehicles) are very frugal -- buying cheap crummy boxed wine and going out of their way to buy everything on sale, then turning around and taking a luxury cruise that costs a fortune. These same people see everything in dollar value rather than just appreciating them for their beauty.
 
I've seen too many young or old live life with platitudes like 'spare no expense' or 'if it makes you happy' etc putting themselves under financial stress negating any benefit & satisfaction of spending extra on something. Life goes on 24/7, not on one day, with one item or experience. Daily stress will drag down most more than a single experience or thing will bring them 'up'.
 
My mom was cheap. She'd take her showers at the community pool, lived close to a SAMs club and went there almost daily to eat her lunch and/or dinner, had a Wendy's close by, would buy her 99cent hamburger and ask for her Sr. Discount and she would use her dish soap as shampoo. She had the money, but it was almost painful for her to spend it.
 
I knew someone who was not poor but xeroxed greeting cards and sent them out. Another one would sneak into dances rather than pay $5.00
Another one would take the napkins and stuff from a restaurant home with him.
 
Years ago my daughter had a close friend who came from a well to do family. They were all frugal and one time he mailed her something, I can't recall what or why. Anyway, instead of using a new envelope he used one that had come with his electric bill and he crossed out PG&E and wrote in her name and address. I thought it was pretty tacky and weird.
 
Speaking from the "other side" so to speak, it was a significant step in a relationship when you allowed the girl to share costs, and even more to actually pay for something!

We were engaged before I even accepted half the cab fare from my soon to be wife!

There's a time to be frugal, and a time to invest.
 
Laurie, I guess I'm old fashion but I still think the man should pay. We have been married 51 years and yet, if we are going into a restaurant or store and my husband needs money he should ask for it BEFORE we get out of our vehicle. I told him I don't want anyone thinking I picked him up and now I have to pay for him to feed me or buy a 6 pack of beer! Oh, maybe I'm getting off the thread subject here. :(
 

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