Being Frugal Isn’t a Bad Thing And We’ll Tell You Why Not

There is a huge stigma attached to the word “frugal” in the eyes of many; myself included. There is something about it that screams “Cheap” and not ‘conscious,’ and that’s not correct. Being frugal and being cheap are two very different things, and knowing that might make the idea of being frugal a bit less intimidating for you. I understand that it is so easy to assume that being frugal means you cannot have fun, that you are one of those people who hold up the line with a million coupons and that you are someone the rest of the world looks down upon. It’s simply not true. We are here to ease your fears and explain to you that being frugal is not being cheap; and it’s not a bad thing.

It’s too much work

Being frugal doesn’t mean you have to work harder. It only means you have to work smarter, and it will get easier over time. For instance, it merely means thinking about a meal plan for the week so that you can make a list, go to the store you were going to anyway, and actually getting all that you need for the week. It not only saves you additional trips to the store all week long, it also saves impromptu trips out that you might not want to bother with. It’s working smarter; not harder.

You don’t have to give up all the fun in life

You love to travel, you love to shop and you love to go do certain things. No one is asking you to quit. Being cheap means you no longer do those things at all. Being frugal means you go through the Groupon offers and LivingSocial offers and you look for coupons and deals to go to the zoo rather than paying full price. It means you spend a bit more time finding a good deal than just booking the first flight available. That’s all.

I can never have the good stuff again

I remember when I said this to a girlfriend of mine. She and her husband own a multimillion dollar company and she’s as frugal as it gets. You will not find one name brand grocery in her 10,000-square foot home. I remember telling her I cannot understand how she can eat off brand food and she said, “because it tastes just the same,” and then she made her point. However, you can still buy your favorite things at the store if you use coupons, buy when they are on sale or buy when they are BOGO.

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