Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

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HappyDaze
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Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by HappyDaze »

I was giving a lot of thought last night to ways I am frugal and ways I am NOT frugal. Sometimes it's a matter of "being cheap" or NOT "being cheap". Some of the things I am "FRUGAL" with - have an opposite, UNfrugal slant - and visa versa...

For example, I am CHEAP when I keep my heat off at night and when I'm not home. I don't see the point of running it - I sleep WARM with a good set of flannel sheets, a quilt and a comforter. My pipes won't freeze because they are well insulated and I keep my cabinet doors open where the pipes are - to get the heat from my kitchen heater that I CAN'T turn off - it automatically comes on if the temp. in my kitchen falls below 50 degrees. (NOT cheap - I have four complete sets of bedding...CHEAP...because I don't own a dryer...)

Not frugal/cheap - I have switched to only eating all natural peanut butter - no sugar, etc. ONLY - peanuts and salt (you can also get it without salt - but YUCK). This is usually about $4 bucks a jar. Frugal: Of course I'm only going to buy it when it's on sale or I have a coupon, etc. - but I'm NOT going to buy anymore "regular" peanut butter - even when it's one dollar a jar. I want my natural peanut butter! :-)

Frugal Cheap: I walk to work 95% of the time. NOT frugal: I am really bad about using the gas discounts I get from grocery store points because most of the time I can't find my loyalty card (for buying groceries I have my little key chain card but it doesn't work at the gas pumps).

Not frugal/cheap: last year I started paying to have my hair trimmed and colored at a salon, 3 or 4 times a year. (FRUGAL - it's a salon I can walk to and it's in my small town - and a more "not trendy, less popular" salon that mostly caters to older ladies - so about as "reasonably priced" as possible).

Frugal/Cheap: 95+% of my clothing is from the thrift store.

Not frugal/cheap: I pay $35 plus tax each time for someone else to mow my lawn. I pay $30 a month for trash pick up. (Frugal/Cheap - I rarely to never pay for snow removal (ONCE in my whole life and that was this past December). I will either shovel it myself or not even bother and just walk everyplace).

Frugal/Cheap: My entertainment is almost exclusively FREE - free classes, events, concerts, lectures, etc.
Not so Frugal: Once a year I go to a concert with some friends. My ticket for lawn seating is in the $45 range and I buy food at the venue - usually a soft pretzel and a beer - which is about another $14. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

Frugal/Cheap: I refuse to join a gym to pay money to exercise someplace else when I can go on a good old fashioned hike. Speaking of, I have had the same pair of hiking boots for about 15 years. They are men's - women's hiking boots are more expensive for some reason - and I refused to pay more because I'm female.

EDIT: Also in the NOT frugal but totally worth it category: I just paid $1.58 for a dozen eggs to make cookies to send to my daughter. I have recently QUIT consuming eggs again. I gave the remaining 8 eggs to my sister-in-law.

Please add your own frugal/not frugal thoughts - I learn so much from everyone here!
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
ChristmasTrees
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:53 am

Re: Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by ChristmasTrees »

Wow...I am going to think on this a bit!
floridacatlover
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by floridacatlover »

Frugal - Clothing. I rarely buy clothes. (I did just buy 2 pair of shorts the other day.) Most tops are from rummage sales. A few tops are ones I took from mom’s closet. It is amazing the really nice clothes you can find cheap. I do buy shorts and slacks to get petite sizing. Because I’m retired and live in a warm climate, I wear shorts 90% of the time.

Frugal - Home Furnishings/Appliances. Most furniture I’ve had for YEARS. Sofa (which is a sleep sofa) is 36 years old, recovered once. A good brand, Ethan Allen, purchased new. Dining room set, solid maple, was found by mom at a yard sale for $50 and I still love it - but it is small and not conducive to entertaining. Most other furniture purchased used or hand me downs from mom.

Washer/Dryer will be 30 this year. Purchased from Sears scratch and dent. Refrigerator and dishwasher both 11-12 years old when Florida offered rebates on Energy Star appliances. Stove is original to house, 34 years, and works fine except timer goes off on its own. That is next appliance I’ll replace.

Frugal - Car. I don’t drive much (not as little as some on here). Honda Accord purchased new for cash 2012 has only 32k miles. I typically drive 300/month or less (265 last month) even going to mom’s house.

Frugal - Cable. Eliminated it last year.

Frugal - Food. Only because I’m not much of a cook, I buy the same items over and over. Eat chicken and fish and never beef (except sometimes in restaurants).

Semi-Frugal - Electric. I keep my house at a level comfortable to me. 78 in summer/70 in winter.

Not Frugal - Entertainment. I go to dinner with friends once a month and plays several times a year with friends. Amazon Prime. Netflix sometimes. Movies (usually $5) sometimes.

Not Frugal - Travel. Because I was unable to travel for so long, I’m making up for it. I’m willing to pay for convenience (good flights, hotels near public transportation).

Not Frugal - Medical. I chose a Medicare Supplement and Part D instead of a Medicare Advantage plan. My Rx will run about $1,500-$2k this year to protect my eyesight as best I can. I go to an expensive dentist 3x a year.

Not Frugal - My Mom’s House. A luxury I guess but the expenses are reasonable to me and I’m not willing to give it up.

My house is small and property taxes are low. I don’t do a lot of little things that many do and feel are worthwhile for them but unless they appeal to me I don’t do them.
Quilter51
Posts: 2815
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:04 pm

Re: Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by Quilter51 »

It's easier for me to specify categories. I never skimp on my personal physical comfort issues or things that lessen my pain. This means my heat is at 73 day and 67 night and that in bad snowstorms I pay for shoveling and take advantage of grocery delivery and pickup regularly.

I also am never cheap with my health. I pay for swcent low carb food, some organic and fork out the money twice a week at the rec center.

I dont buy cheap crafting materials though I will buy on sale and used.

I care about clothes and accessories although I buy used. On the other hand I pay for 100 SAS shoes.

I love entertainment but I go to the five dollar movies and free events so I can go see Hamilton and such once a year.

Truthfully I'm really not cheap about much. I just eliminate stuff I dont care about and find cheaper way to do the rest.
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MackerelCat
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Re: Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by MackerelCat »

Cheap is when one's pennypinching impacts others negatively, and I don't think anything we do does that.

Since I haven't been able to find work, we have been kicking the frugal up to black belt level. Cut pet expenses and grocery costs by one third each, been using up goods on hand to make gifts, cook meals, and do repairs, and cutting out several subscriptions that individually were inexpensive but together added up. We haven't reached Tightwad Gazette levels of frugality, but it's coming soon.

It's kind of funny, but there are so many consumer surveys on Inboxdollars that I don't qualify for because we're not consumers! :-D.
Mackie
littlemiss63
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

Re: Ramdom Frugal Thoughts and Frugal with this - Not Frugal with that

Post by littlemiss63 »

Some things are just a matter of principle and what I consider getting the most bang for my bucks is my goal. I spend whatever it takes to keep myself healthy and comfortable.

Frugal - I posted about how I cut the ends off the tubes of make-up, hand creams and dig out the last drop of lipsticks in a tube. I know that some would think that is cheap, but I don't think so. The products are there, they are mine, I paid good money for them. I want them. I am now several weeks into using them out of the ziplock bag and it hasn't bothered me at all. I will open a new tube when I need it.

Not Frugal - yet it really is: I pay someone $80.00 a week to cut my yard. At my age I didn't have any business cutting it and when I fell and broke my arm to the tune of a $85,000 surgery to my insurance, weeks of rehab and not being able to drive, I gave in. I spent more on rehab (I have to pay 20% of the bill) than a couple years of grass cutting would have cost me. Nothing can pay for the pain that I experienced.

Not Frugal - My insurance will pay for twice a year cleanings on my teeth, but my dentist (whom I dearly love doesn't take my insurance) and I'm not changing dentist. She is pricey but she is the best dentist I've ever had in my life and that falls under my comfort.

Not Frugal - Bought a brand new car 3 years ago in September and it had 29 miles on it when I drove it off the lot. 3 years later it only has 27,000 so this car should last me the rest of my life. Yet, I feel it's frugal to not be having repair bills on one that is used and when I get in it to drive somewhere with all the safety features I am totally at ease. It's the most wonderful car to drive and it's got all the bells and whistle's on it that I could want. It has never set out in the elements a single day and it is looks brand new. Still smells new.

Frugal - I buy 99% of my clothes and handbags at one of the thrift stores in town. I live in a pretty high income area and the things that people get rid of are like new. If you don't tell anyone they don't know that you buy things at Goodwill or an assignment store. I paid $15.00 for a Coach Purse last week and there isn't a wear mark on it anywhere. I could go to the outlet store down the street and pay $200.00 or more for one that wouldn't look a bit better.

Frugal - I buy used appliances for all my rentals when they need replacing and the washer and dryer that are in my old utility room was $300.00 for the set and they are 25 years old. We bought those when DH was alive and could fix them if something broke. I can't do that anymore so if anything breaks down now I will replace with new. I bought a new set washer/dryer from Lowe's when I did the remodel because I wanted them to look nice with no dents or scratches and I didn't want to repair them. I will probably never have to replace them again. Both my refrigerator and dishwasher are 30 years old and one of those will probably be the next thing. I will buy a used refrigerator, but a new dishwasher. I have a great guy who sells second hand and he checks everything out that he buys before he puts on his sales floor. Very reasonable. I will look for a sale when I replace. I have never seen a built-in dishwasher in his store because I don't imagine many people replace them until they are un-repairable. I love my KitchenAid and if this one goes out I will replace with that brand.

Not Frugal - I could probably save more on groceries than I do, but I buy what I want these days and my grocery bill isn't very high. It made a difference on my grocery bill when I started measuring my portions of vegetables and weighing my meat. I was consuming way more than my body needed. My diet has changed where I need more red meat and I buy it whether it's on sale or not. I had gotten use to not eating much red meat so had to force myself to eat it again. I had almost become a vegetarian until my kidney's failed me. It's taken me 6 months to get my BUN level in line with where I should be, so finally I am better about having 2 servings a day. I do cook from scratch on everything and that alone cuts down on cost of groceries.

I am blessed that I have enough income that I don't have to scrimp on anything that I need or want. I was raised in a very very poor family growing up so I never got use to luxuries. Being frugal was a habit that will be with me always, I just can't stand waste. Whether it's paying too much for an item or not using the foods that I purchased.
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