One of my favorite bloggers, Get Rich Slowly, had an excellent post today entitled The Basic Law of Frugality that I wanted to direct your attention to.
Frugality is a term that is very much in vogue these days, and one that can conjure a variety of images ranging from stingy to savvy. J.D. suggests frugality can mean saving in areas that don't matter as much to you in order to spend more in areas that do. The caveat is as long as you remain within your financial balance. And if you remember this post from several months ago, you'll recall that I believe true frugality is achieved when ALL your resources are in balance – time, space, and money.
Think about it. If organic produce is important to you, perhaps you could save on shampoo or toothpaste or toilet paper. Frugal? Absolutely in my book. Or maybe you decide to place all the rebates and gift cards you earn throughout the year to buy Christmas gifts. Savvy? I'd say. In his post, J.D. also suggests there is room in frugality for wants. Yes, I agree with that too! I believe the whole process of becoming a frugal process can – and should – be fulfilling and enjoyable.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about 2010 and the direction I want to propel this blog into. And I'm pretty sure frugality is going to be an overarching theme. Yes, I will continue to post all the deals that I do and my store scenarios…but I also want to share with you ways my family is striving to achieve frugality beyond the shopping cart.
What does frugality mean to you? Have you achieved frugality? If not, how will you know when you've "arrived?"
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t have access to most of the stores you post about, but if I did I’m sure I’d miss those deals if you stopped posting them.I’m looking forward to reading about your journey to achieving frugality beyond the shopping cart. I love when bloggers teach rather than merely inform.
Keep up the good work.
My husband and I were small group leaders for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at our church. The main thing I learned is “Never Underestimate What Common Sense Things People Don’t Know”. I’ve shared coupon blog info with the group and several couples were able to cut their food bills by 50%. One couple said they were able to save their $1000 step one using their coupon savings…this is huge considering they have been living paycheck to paycheck with zero savings. Another couple said they used the grocery savings to pay off their lowest credit card bill (that is step 2 in Ramsey’s plan).
Frugality is a skill all of us need to hone, and I love the fact that we can share wisdom and techniques for the benefit of all. It is all about working smarter…not necessarily harder. Thanks for all you do!
Frugal to me isn’t necessarily about being cheap, but rather not wasting. Though, byproduct of not wasting will be saving money. And perhaps more importantly, being friendlier to the environment.
MyMoneyPower – well put!!