How Do You Frugal?
February 17, 2009 by: Dave Ozment
There’s a lot of talk of being frugal these days, which in the best of times is wise but is becoming a requirement for some as the economy experiences a harsh downturn in its typically cyclical path. As I’ve explored this topic I’ve come to realize that frugality, as a way of life, might best be compared to vegetarianism – and I’ve identified 4 categorical analogies:
- 1. Spendthrifts and Meatballs – this crowd is either blissfully ignorant with their spending/eating habits or they are fantastically wealthy, and correspondently, apathetic towards their heath and appearance. For purposes of this article, this group is a nonstarter.
- 2. Attentive and Healthy – Moderation characterizes this grouping. Spending is done according to a planned budget with coupons being clipped, sale prices being monitored, and frivolous spending at a minimum. Eaters here are mindful of their diets and eat meat in moderation, including plenty of fish and chicken rather than purely pork and beef.
- 3. Restrictive and Meat-free – Spending restrictions are put into play that may cause some eyebrows to raise (no cable!) but the practices in large part do not complicate one’s life. What I’d consider basic vegetarianism (no meat) is exercised and once the habit is in place it is not complicated to maintain.
- 4. Extreme and Vegan – This group takes either or both ideal to its extreme and thereby introduces a series of personal requirements that complicate their lives and/or their ability to operate smoothly with society’s median – they have to congregate amongst themselves to mitigate a steady stream of barriers inorder to maintain an allusion of normalcy. Hey, you may be a great person but living in your car and militantly eschewing all animal related products would seriously complicate a weekend getaway with a random sampling of people.
Now the correlations are not lockstep. A vegan can be an attentive spender just as a meat eater can practice moderate or extreme frugal practices. And as full disclosure I’m a 2 on both counts but I’m not mad at any of the other groups though I’ll admit a lack of understanding of both sets of extremes.
As a Group 2 frugal household we follow a budget, limit our eating out, maintain vegetable and herb gardens, use a reel lawn mower, clip coupons, buy some products in bulk, watch for sales, and drive a get-out-of-debt car. We’ll splurge at times but we generally pay pretty close attention.
So how would you rate your level of frugality and what are some of the practices you engage to demonstrate this level? Do you make your own cleaning supplies, raise your own chickens, reuse coffee filters, or dumpster dive?? Comment below and share your persuasions with the rest of us.
Photo By: AlainaB.
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This article has been featured in the Blog Carnival - Festival of Frugality. Hosted by I’ve Paid For This Already…
The article has been featured in the Blog Carnical – Carnival of Pecuniaries Delights #3. Hosted by Miss Thrifty…
Am I the only one who noticed the error in the photo?
Not your fault, just worthy of a chuckle…
I have to admit, you forced me to take another look just now. I guess I see 2 errors… Cheaper than Cheaper isn’t proper English and perhaps an intended joke. At least that’s my take.
The second error I caught was the misplaced quotations on the second line… but that’s not really funny
Hey, thanks for noticing and taking the time to comment…. I appreciate you checking us out today and I hope you’re enjoying it!
Dave
Interesting article! We would be a 2. We’re not serious coupon clippers, but do use coupons, shop food sales, group our errands to save on gas – even though the price has gone down.
We’ve cut back on eating out and cook at home most of the time, eat chicken & fish regularly and limit red meat. We’re big on salads & fresh veggies. Gotta confess to eating meatballs, as my bf is a great Italian cook!
We don’t do a major garden, but like you I grow tomatoes & peppers in the summer. Last summer I did eggplant also, which turned out great. We grow sweet basil year-round for the tomato sauce.
We have a budget and I’ve paid off my car and credit cards, but do still have a mortgage. Also have a decent emergency fund going, which I’m adding to regularly. We’ve gradually switched over most of our light bulbs to CFLs, which has made a difference in the electric bill.
I’d say we pay pretty close attention, without totally restricting our lifestyle.
Thanks Diane! You and your bf sound like my wife and I – except I’m no Italian cook though my wife does pretty good in that area! Congrats on being debt free but the house… we’re very close!
I think that’s a very good analogy.
I would guesstimate I’m around a 3.5. I don’t quite live in my car, but I do have 6 grown adults in my 1000 sf, single bathroom house (1 husband, 4 renters, and myself). Sometimes that feels like it might be worse (jk)
Being “mostly”-Vegan isn’t as ostracizing as it might seem. I cook vegan at home (which is 95% of the time) and order meat-free in restaurants. My friends that know me well usually cook something meat-free, and with those that don’t I can usually minimize the impact (side dishes rarely have meat, and salad is a no-brainer.) Folks just think I eat healthy, rather than thinking I’m some sort of freak.
My personal policy on both of these is I want to be as “extreme” as possible (I think of it more as “healthy” or “ethical”), but I’m not willing to sacrifice personal relationships to do it. If that means cooking steak for my father-in-law, so be it.
Hey Des, thanks for sharing… I personally appreciate your insights into a mostly vegan lifestyle I also appreciate and respect your acceptance of those not following your path. I think – purely my opinion and your comments lend support to the idea – that vegans get a worse rap than they deserve. You can probably tell my bias that way in my article. I’d have to say I’d have an easier time giving up meat than living in such close quarters! You are certainly skewed towards the extremes but those are cool decisions too!
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I hope you’ll visit and participate again!
Dave
I think I’m somewhere firmly in 2. I am a coupon clipping fool and I have a found an awesome Korean grocer that has great prices on fruits and veg. It’s getting easier to cut the junk food when you realize just how expensive when compared pound-for-pound. I’ve gotten creative in tricking my family in eating better because I’ve found it cheaper.
I’ve taken it to another level with learning how to grow potatoes indoors. My bf thinks I’m crazy but he has no idea how much debt I’ve been eliminating with small changes. It just makes you want to do more.
Sandy’s last blog post..The Snowflake
I’m intrigued on the indoor potato growing… I like to grow tomatos and peppers in the summer but I haven’t tried potatos… interesting.
I love you enthusiasm. Not everyone can do it, but if you have a stretch goal and treat it as a game then it becomes more and more motivating. Please check back and keep us posted…. and GOOD LUCK!
Dave, I really like your writing. I’m somewhere between a 1 and 2. I don’t clip coupons but I do keep my eye on the overall picture. Does that make me a high 2 or a low 2? LOL
What percentage of the U.S population do you think are in each category?
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..Tip of the Day #7
Thanks Stephen, I know I sound like a broken record with some of my responses but I do appreciate the positive feedback… not as an ego trip but I didn’t know what to expect when I started this!
Hey, that’s a fantastic question on where folks are relative to these categories. Purely my conjecture…I’d have to image the herd is shifting up the scale… 1’s are becoming 2s, and 2s are moving towards 3. I think 4 is it’s own subculture due to its unique barriers of entry. I can coupon cut and cancel cable and stop eating out as temporary decisions. I’ve even recent cut way back on my consumption of red meat but may have a meatball sub for lunch tomorrow. In this way 1-3 are on the same continum. Moving to 4 requires a complete continum jump that relatively few are willing to make.