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Frugal Definition - What Does It Mean To Live Frugally
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What does it mean to be frugal?
Here’s a definition by Merriam Webster Online:
Frugal - characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources
(…from Latin frugalis virtuous…)
For me being frugal and living frugally is all about the choices I make. It isn’t just saving as much as I can on every little item and never spending money on anything I want.
It’s spending smartly and saving where I can so I then have plenty of cash leftover for the things that are important to me.
Anyone can save money by not spending it. Misers and scrooges pinch their pennies and have a perfectly miserable life to show for it. The frugal life, however, is not just about saving money. It is about making choices to enhance your life.
There are always ways to spend your money – no matter how much you have. You can buy your lunch at work or you can buy groceries to make your lunch to take to work. The frugal person will make her lunch and then save the rest of the money for something else (a vacation, paying off the mortgage early, a spa day as a treat, or a new pre-owned car).
Income tax checks are a great chance to be frugal. You could use the money to put a down payment on a new car or to buy that surround sound system you always wanted. A frugal person will save a portion, pay off any outstanding debts with a portion, and use the rest for a treat that they have desired for a while (maybe a professional hairstylist or a new outfit for business meetings). The money will be used or spent, but it will go towards things that have lasting value. Splurges are allowed, but they are controlled.
Being frugal is about spending money the best way it can be spent. You learn to compare items and opportunities and decide which one is the best choice for you. It requires a willingness to do some research, a boldness to ask questions, and the ability to walk away until another day (or for good).
It takes a special mindset to live a frugal life. You have to understand the bigger picture and be willing to sacrifice a little now in order to gain a lot tomorrow. The trick is that you may not be able to see the gain for some time. It’s a walk of faith that in the end it will be better.
A great way to start on the frugal path is to meet some truly frugal people. They will be the happy people who have no hefty bills weighing them down because they have paid them off. Talk to them about their walk and see if they will help you along your own journey.
Learning to be frugal will help you to save money, but it is not just about the money. A frugal person learns to make the best choice in financial situations so that he can enjoy his life to the fullest.
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4 Responses to “Frugal Definition - What Does It Mean To Live Frugally”
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September 23rd, 2009 at 10:15 am
[...] Frugal Definition - What Does It Mean To Live Frugally [...]
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:41 pm
As a comment, I would advise against getting any kind of tax refund. What you’re doing is giving the government an interest free loan with YOUR money. Wouldn’t you rather have that money working for you during the year? I always owe just a little bit at the end of the year, maybe $200.
Say you get back $1200 in a refund (that isn’t unusual for a lot of people). You could have had that money working for you, or it could have been added to a car payment, house payment, credit card payment, et cetera, instead of sitting as a lump in the government’s coffers. Say you have no payments like those listed. Even in a CD paying 1% interest, that’s still making money (even if it is only twelve bucks). That extra hundred bucks a month could be applied to the principal of your mortgage. That could pay your mortgage off years earlier!
September 25th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Well said, Bill. That is absolutely right. The frugal person would want to be the one to decide what to do with that money, since it’s their money.
January 21st, 2010 at 6:27 pm
I love the spirit of this post. You summed up perfectly what “frugal” means. Some people may not feel that the purchase of a grain mill that I made 6 years ago was a frugal purchase (I bought new but waited for a good sale). However, in the past 6 years I have almost exclusively baked my own wheat bread which is less expensive and much more healthy than store-bought bread. A large up-front expense that has yielded constant dividends and has undoubtedly paid for itself. That’s the essence of what you wrote here. Thanks for your words!