Frugal 🛍️

I am a member of one the Facebook Frugal Living Group. It has some many interesting discussions and viewpoints on what is frugal living, and what is worthwhile and not worthwhile to spend money on. Money is after all a means to get things people desire, and the range of priorities varies a lot from human to human – even those who are trying to save money.

Some people are frugal out of necessity – they are poor with limited incomes from their jobs or lack jobs all together. Others are disabled or sick, unable to earn much. Or they live in an area with few good paying jobs. But others choose to be frugal for conservation reasons – producing less garbage and using electricity to save natural resources. Some want more money towards further purchases like owning a home or a homestead.

There is an endless discussions on the merits of being frugal versus cheap. Often it’s not clear what the difference is, though cheap is often seen as taking a short-run view on situation, underinvesting in the future and personal relationships, and taking advantage of others. Still the prudent, frugal person can’t help but look at less expensive ways of doing things, weighting things with a lower initial price, and doing the math out to see if it’s worthwhile to choose that option over the more expensive one in the future.

Myself, frugality comes from a desire to be simple and to conserve. Both so I can save and invest more money towards my future, the homestead and retirement from government work. A dollar saved today and investing, has significant potential to grow in the coming years. But also I don’t like producing a lot of garbage or wasting resources unnecessarily. At the same time, I do like my truck and traveling, and that’s something I’m much more likely to spend money on compared to using much heat and light, home internet, or driving to work whenever I can ride my bike or take a bus, no matter the minor inconveniences.