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Don’t Confuse Frugality With Depriving Yourself Print
Friday, 23rd June 2006 (by J.D.)This article is about Frugality
Jonni McCoy’s Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy lists eleven miserly guidelines designed to help families reduce expenses. The first of these is: Don’t confuse frugality with depriving yourself.
This is the most important aspect of being successful at saving money. [...] If any money-saving activity makes you feel cheap or tight, you will eventually abandon your efforts. That is not the price we need to pay to reach our goals.
If you have adopted a lifestyle of thrift or frugality, you are not being cheap when you buy generic food at the grocery store. You are not being cheap when you don’t purchase Zizzer-Zoof Seeds or the latest Thneed. You are not being cheap — you are choosing a different set of values. You are working toward a greater goal. You are not depriving yourself — you have elected to live debt-free, or to follow a spiritual ideal, or to save for a trip around the world.
When you adopt a frugal lifestyle, you change your value system. You acquire less Stuff, but you gain more time, more freedom, more peace-of-mind. Making any lifestyle change — acquiring a frugal mentality, beginning an IRA, starting a diet — requires that you keep your goal in mind constantly. If you lose track of why you are making sacrifices, the sacrifices become a burden.
McCoy recommends that you track your success as you work toward your goal. Make a chart to graph your savings effort. Keep statistics on how much extra money you save by walking to the store instead of driving. Compete with yourself to see how small you can get your grocery bill. McCoy also advises that frugality does not mean deprivation:
When I first started my frugal lifestyle, I feared what it would involve. I believed that frugal people lived undesirable lives: wearing stained or torn clothing or reusing plastic wrap. I refused to participate in any of that. But such a definition of a frugal lifestyle does not have to be yours. There are many degrees of frugal lifestyles. I was determined to maintain a sense of class and still be frugal.
I’ve said this before: Frugality isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. There are different degrees, and it’s important to find what works best for your budget and your situation. Keep your eye on the goal and make conscious choices that make you happy. Don’t bankrupt your future for gratification today, but don’t live so abstemiously that you cannot enjoy life now.
October 11th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
[...] Don’t confuse frugality with depriving yourself. If you know you have a spending weakness, don’t try to squash it. Doing so will only lead to guilt and, most likely, to further spending. Instead, allow yourself a small budget. Make it a game to stay within that budget. I came away from the book sale feeling doubly good: I had a stack of new books, and I’d spent less than I’d planned. [...]
February 9th, 2007 at 5:52 am
[...] The same concept holds true for personal finance. I’ve written before that you shouldn’t confuse frugality with depriving yourself. They’re not the same thing. It’s a good idea to allow yourself a reward now and then, to allow yourself to splurge. [...]
March 25th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
[...] OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY —An eBaying We Shall Go, An eBaying We Shall Go —Thrift in the Household —It’s Springtime — Time to UnStuff —Don’t Confuse Frugality With Depriving Yourself [...]
March 29th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
[...] Don’t confuse frugality with depriving yourself. If pinching pennies makes you feel lousy, then loosen up. Spend a little more. I am not advocating [...]
March 29th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
My husband just forwarded this post to me. Having struggled with spending all my life, I can relate to feeling tight and deprived. While I am taking steps to change my habits there are some things I fundamentally disagree with in todays post. Saving money by purchasing generic food is a recipe for spending more on doctor bills down the road. I prefer to view healthy eating as an investment in wellness. While eating organic fruits and vegetables may cost more initially, it is worth the cost of protecting my body against toxins and time lost from work and enjoying friends and family to deal with sickness. Before swallowing your next spoonful of generic canned peas you might want to research the costs associated with a catastrophic illness. After all, we are what we eat.
April 4th, 2007 at 8:58 am
[...] should remember not to confuse frugality with depriving herself. She should indulge herself from time-to-time. Other than that, she just seems to be experiencing [...]
October 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Actually, after years of frugality I associate it with abundance - because it’s led to me finding out ways to get what I want for my lifestyle at prices I could actually AFFORD.
For example, I am not taking an acting class taught at Santa Monica’s Emeritus College - GRATIS. It’s taught by a wonderful woman who also teaches at a very pricey acting school in town! I had been wanting to take a class for a while, but waited until one came alone that wouldn’t break the bank.
I use similar tactics for other things I “want” - We now finally have a dishwasher because my husband found a great deal on one for less than $75 at a thrift shop! It’s a portable one & those cost MORE than the installed ones! And works just fine, too.