Do you consider yourself frugal?

Yeah, I'm basically frugal, but I like to forget about money sometimes, like when I'm on vacation.

I must say, though, the impulse not to overspend is strong in me. I'm Dutch to the core.

Frighteningly so....unless we're talking about spending on bikes and I can loosen the purse strings for that.

Yea, so does my wife (most of the time)...

Lets see...4 kids...lots of wants...wife...

Seriously, I usually make my choices pretty carefully and I'm willing to be patient for most things. I am very opportunistic.

I have made some purchases that surprise people (like my kids) at times because the final choice wasn't anywhere close to the cheapest alternative.

Latest struggle was Steelhead vs. Spirit of Racine vs. a cheaper HIM. With a little encouraging from my wife, I signed up for Steelhead. (The difference in race fees would have paid for a sprint/OLY.)

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My wife and I are the typical Costco target shoppers. We happily save money by buying generic paper towels and such but happily purchase luxury goods (wine, good cheese, nice cars, etc.).

Not sure if I'm frugal, but I do try to get good prices on luxury items...

Bill

If you look up "frugal" in the dictionary, you'll find my picture.

to be frugal in america usually means that you are still living in the lap of luxery compared to most of the world. we live on one income, since i'm home with the girls. we need to be as frugal as we can, while at the same time spending money in ways that reflects our values. we probably spend more on food than many people - we don't eat out very much at all, but we tend to buy organic produce and meats. we watch for sales at the co-op, buy in bulk, and buy farmer direct (mostly csa and meat). for clothing, we tend to buy second hand for everything we can. for more technical clothing (for training, racing, camping, etc.) we buy new. if patagonia or rei has a big sale, we're there, but we rarely pay full price. that said, i'd rather spend $80 on a patagonia fleece that will last for many years (or be replaced at no charge in the unlikely change that it falls apart) than $20 on an old navy fleece that will pill up in a week and come apart in a year. same goes for bikes and camping gear. when quality is very important, we buy things new and tend towards middle to high end stuff...but always look for sales first. for a simple pair of khakis, i'll go to savers or goodwill. for the girls, we'll buy nicer boots and shoes since they will be used by both girls (but again, finding things on sale - like a $80 pair of gore-tex elefanten boots that i got on sale for $20). a few things, like down coats, we've paid full price for. we have one car, which i don't drive, so that saves with gas and insurance. i walk, ride the bus, and bike, and bill often bikes as well. we use the library a lot, and rarely buy books unless it is something we've had out from the library several times already, or something that isn't available through the library at all. still, we have three computers and two ipods, 10 bikes, a stash of good wines, internet access, cell phones, and go out to eat a couple times a month. so, we try, but nobody is perfect.

Autumn, you said it very well. We do live in the lap of luxury compared to many other nations. I lived in Spain for two years. Even in Spain, the quality of life is much lower than here in the US. That said, I consider myself frugal for an American. I'm staring down the barrel of 3 years of law school debt (probably at least $50000 in debt coming up, unless I get scholarships). Therefore, my wife and I decided that it is best to save everything that we can now, and later we may start enjoying life a little. Notice I said we may enjoy it. That's code for, when we retire, assuming I'm not in the work til you die program, we may go on our first vacation since our honeymoon!

I am right now because I'm getting ready to buy a house. Saving for that down payment, new furniture, landscaping fund, etc. None of those things I mentioned are frugal, but I must be frugal right now to get what I want.

Frugal? Of course. But I am not cheap. Like I won't go to *$ or McD and take home a bunch of napkins, ketchups, straws, creamer etc because they are out there. And I only take one sample from the Costco demo stations, not two or three (I have seen people doing that). When I go out with bf, I pay, cus' my dad said "girl should pay".

Yes, Autumn, I think even when we are living frugally, we are in much better shape then people in many other countries. And we have more things then we ever will need.


Edited by Denise2003 2006-02-24 9:12 AM

I watch what I buy, but if I spend, if I do buy something, I will get what I want not based (or only slightly) on money.