Comments on: Frugality Examined

By: ScrappyQuilter

ScrappyQuilter — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:17:25 +0000

I’m going to have to (respectfully) disagree with Leah. I used to feel the same way, until I realized the difference between “perceived time” and “actual time”. Using the homemade laundry detergent example, I can make enough detergent to do my family’s laundry for a week (believe it or not, about 30 loads per week) in about 30 minutes…but I do it while watching a movie with my family, so actually there’s no time being wasted at all since I would have put in the family time anyway. This also has the benefit, as many frugal methods do, of being better for the environment (no phosphates; also less suds to rinse out, thereby saving water). Multiplied by all the small, frugal things that I do over the course of a day, week , month or year it saves enough for me to justify staying home with the kids instead of working outside of the home. That totally makes it worth my time.

By: Heather

Heather — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:03:58 +0000

Well there are only two ways to get out of debt or increase savings, spend less or earn more. Sometimes earning more isn’t feasible and the laundry detergent was a simple, concrete example.

By: Leah Ingram

Leah Ingram — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:22:10 +0000

Actually, I don’t buy into this notion of working twice as hard to save a little bit of money. Maybe because I’m a self-employed writer and am always thinking about the return on my investment of time, doing something like making my own detergent to save so little each month just doesn’t seem worth the effort. In fact, I would say that this is a cheapskate mentality more than a frugal mindset.

By: Callie Micks

Callie Micks — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:29:02 +0000

I too tend to just send away any extra that I saved, telling myself that it is found money. The idea of planning to save money and INVEST it is huge for me!!!! Love this post!

By: Bramble

Bramble — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:01:14 +0000

For us it’s jsut an attempt to spend as little as possible without feeling like we’re missing out. Anything extra either goes towards savings or paying down debt.
We also use quicken, it really helps!

By: Connie

Connie — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:38:26 +0000

I’m a very visual person, so the graphs in Quicken keep me on track. Just knowing that I have to record every penny in Quicken prevents me from making some foolish purchases. I mean I was doing okay before I started using Quicken, but after I started using it I was able to see even more spending trends that had a lot of room for improvement. My friends think it’s crazy that I record every penny, including postage stamps and buying a Sunday paper. But being meticulous is what keeps me on track. Every decision matters. Every penny counts.

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:19:05 +0000

This is something I struggle with. I think it is the effort of knowing where your money is going, too many times my husband and I spend till there is none left then rub our heads and be like uhhh, where the heck did all that money go we just got yesterday.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:25:32 +0000

I think frugality is just careful consideration of how your money is spent.

By: Jasi

Jasi — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:06:46 +0000

I love this example. Frugality just makes sense.

By: Awesome Mom

Awesome Mom — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:05:10 +0000

I don’t know. Maybe for some people it is a fake it until you get it kind of thing. I think I was born frugal. I love the comfort of knowing that I have money stashed away for a rainy day.