Comments on: How are we not frugal [Personal Account]

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:13:02 +0000

I think prioritizing is very important. Very few people can be 100% frugal all the time and life is to be enjoyed. To be super-duper frugal people would have to consider any relaxation time at all time that could be spent on a second job saving more money. No fun!

Of course it’s important to make sure your budget (in the areas where you don’t splurge!) is as tight as can be

By: carla

carla — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:12:46 +0000

We too eat out up to three times a week. As much as I try to plan for the week, sometimes it really IS easier and less time consuming to order healthy-take out or hit the salad bar at Whole Foods on the way home from work. That doesn�t include our foodie tendencies to eat out at least once during the weekend.

I don�t budget for clothes either as much as I try. With that said, I only shop at sample sale, clearances, eBay, thrift, etc.

We have two NICE cars though I do plan on getting rid of one of them.

When it comes to food (groceries), we spend more than most people do probably but its all about health and well-being. I don�t buy packaged/processed foods, but I cannot eat many �cheap� foods such as gluten, other grains, soy, legumes and really bad processed food (Top Ramen) for health reasons so our food bill does go up.

Sometimes, I really dot get irritated at the many finger pointing frugal /live cheap blogs out there (mostly the tone) though I know its very important in times like these.

Other things we do out of being frugal is also good for the environment.

By: lulugal11

lulugal11 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:46:57 +0000

Your post has been featured in the Frugal Frauds Revealed post. Please come check it out.

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:19:56 +0000

Very good post. We each have own little indulgences, and the fact that you have them as well shouldn’t negate any good advice you provide. And one of the least helpful things I can imagine is someone trying to talk down to another person for not being ‘frugal’ enough. (Not to be confused with helping or challenging someone to be more frugal by providing advice and encourage, of course.)

As for not becoming cheap, I think that’s harder, if only because everyone has a different idea of what it is to be cheap. What you consider a perfectly reasonable way to trim your expenses might strike me as excessively penny-pinching, and vice versa. As long we keep the discussion civil, we can all air our little quirks and personal takes on money and savings.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:33:27 +0000

In regards to eating out, I’ve actually started eating out more on weekdays than on weekends, as many restaurants have good deals on Mondays and Tuesdays in particular! If possible, I go for weekday lunch, too, outside of work centers to save more by ordering lunch specials. You still get variety and save time on cooking, but it’s overall cheaper.

By: Saver Queen

Saver Queen — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:23:53 +0000

I agree that it’s important to have compassion for other people and respect their different lifestyles, and as much as it’s important to be proud of being frugal (it’s easy to go the other way and feel ashamed) it’s important to show understanding towards those who have a hard time learning about or living the frugal life.

By: Slinky

Slinky — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:49:49 +0000

We keep our apartment at 70-72. At that temperature, I typically wear flannel pj pants with a thick sweat shirt, hand knit wool socks and usually have a blanket at my desk and on the couch. My toes and fingers still get cold. It’s more expensive to keep it that warm, but it’s not going to change. I spend all winter long constantly cold, and I refuse to sit around literally shivering in my own home.

By: Grant Baldwin

Grant Baldwin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:43:20 +0000

Great thoughts!

I really liked the last paragraph that sums it up. There is a huge difference between being frugal and being cheap. When my wife and I used to go get fast food, one of us would get a combo meal and the other just get the “entree” (can you call it that?!), so we could share a drink and fries! That may be pushing it!

Thankfully we’re now debt free, so she can have her own drink and fries!

By: Happiness Is Better

Happiness Is Better — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:00:08 +0000

Well, you sound like normal American’s to me except that you try not to eat out at lunch a whole lot.

My biggest splurge is that we have season tickets to University of Texas football games. We have to donate a little money and the tickets are not cheap, but going to games is one of the most exciting parts of the year for us (shocker, people from TX like football ).

My other splurge is that we go to dinner every once in a while with friends. We really enjoy being around friends. We’d like to incorporate more get togethers at our house and friend’s homes, but that doesn’t happen as much as we’d like.

Great article!

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:29:56 +0000

I consider myself pretty frugal, but a few things come to mind where I kind of splurge:

I lease cars and get a new one every 3 or 4 years. I know this is appalling to personal finance experts, but I like driving nice cars, and to me, it’s worth paying more for it rather than buying a Honda or Toyota and keeping it for 10+ years.

I have a Netflix subscription, which costs ~$18/month for all the DVDs I can watch (worth it to me because I use Netflix instead of cable and seeing movies in theaters).

I can’t live without my Diet Dr. Pepper. I probably average at least 2 cans per day. But I buy it only when it’s on sale, and never for more than $.25/can, and I almost never drink alcohol (which is way more expensive than pop, even at full price).

To me, the whole point of frugality is saving money on things that don’t add value to your life so that you have more money for things that do add value (and that includes saving for emergencies and retirement because of the value of financial security).