What Is Frugality?
Posted on January 28, 2009 by LJ
Wednesdays are simplicity days at SimpleProductivity blog.
It should be no surprise to anyone by now that the economy is in for a rough spot. I heard an economist say today that no one should be leaving a solid job right now without a rock solid place to go. People are getting laid off in droves (as I personally know). So what is to be done?
We need to learn frugality.
I thought I would start out my frugality series by looking at frugality is…and isn’t.
Frugal is…
Dictionary.com defines frugal as “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.”
The most sticking definition of frugal came when Jeff Smith, a.k.a. Frugal Gourmet, was giving a recipe for using duck feet and bills. Because, frugality is wasting nothing.
So in order to be frugal, you need to cut out waste.
Frugal is not…
Frugal is not cheap. It doesn’t mean that you refuse to spend money, or spending as little as absolutely possible. It doesn’t mean not enjoying yourself. It doesn’t mean hoarding items because “they might be useful someday”. It doesn’t mean bleakness, or austerity.
Examples of Frugality
Bringing leftovers for lunch. This eliminates possible waste from meals.
Bringing my own coffee to work. Sure, I get great coffee free at work. But I choose to use the last of the pot from home so I don’t waste it.
Walking outside. We recently considered joining the YMCA. However, I realized I would never bother to drive there to use the equipment. I would much rather walk around the neighborhood, preferably with the dog.
Holding off on impulse purchases. Many times in my life I have made purchases that I didn’t use later. Sure, the grilled sandwich press was cool…and I used it twice. It is much easier to do them in a pan. If I had not made that impulse purchase, I would not have wasted my money on something I sent to the thrift store three months later.
I hope you will find my digression into frugality useful. To me it is a natural offset of trying to live a simpler life.
Photo by TheTruthAbout…
Related posts:
