Comments on: How Can A Frugal Person Buy Expensive Items? A Deeper Look At Frugality

By: Schwamie

Schwamie — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:39:56 +0000

I think that there is definitely a discrepancy when Trent gave examples of cheap and frugal. I consider myself to be cheap. I will usually (but not always) buy the least expensive item. However, I do take all costs into consideration (to include lifecycle costs and additional consumption costs). That said, I do still have and use my ATARI 2600 from when I was in high school (1980’s) and will buy whatever salad dressing is on sale (with the exception of blue cheese as I cannot stand the taste or smell!).

By: Anielle

Anielle — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:46:54 +0000

The article described me to a “T” and I always felt I was frugal. I think of myself as outsmarting the system. No one could live on what I make but me. I get to work only part time because I put every dollar to good use and take my time to hunt for the best deals at the best prices. I have a dollar amount in my head when buying and I always find it. Yes it might take a while, but I plan ahead and do not do without anything. I never consider myself cheap. Just smart. After all, how many people work three times as much, make only twice as much, and have less than I do , have no money in the bank and are stressed out. Frugal is a choice, but in the near future, it will become a necessity for many spenders. Before I became frugal, I did without a lot. I always justified not getting IT. Now I have all I want and then some. Only a snob would consider Frugal to be cheap. Love to stretch that dollar as far as I can while others are clueless.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:21:47 +0000

How many times have my husband and myself purchased the “cheap” item, only to be disappointed and had to go out and spend MORE money to compensate for it either breaking or its short-comings! There is nothing wrong with spending more money on useful items which will last and be enjoyed for a long while.

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:12:37 +0000

I can’t help but laugh at the person who scolded you–automatically assuming someone paid full retail price for something is NOT the mark of a frugal mindset! Think outside the box, people!

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:54:10 +0000

There was a really good article in Sunday’s Washington Post which had the best description of being frugal / thrifty – A Thrift Idea – http://tinyurl.com/2gztu2

“Historically, thrift didn’t carry its current association of being cheap or stingy. Rather, it meant the wise use of resources. It meant an abhorrence of waste, whether of raw materials, time, energy or money. In short, it meant conservation”.

Perfect!

By: Adventures In Money Making

Adventures In Money Making — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:38:44 +0000

I guess my Schumacher Legend Omega Speedmaster disqualifies me from being frugal!

By: lockheed

lockheed — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:50:56 +0000

Frugal is budgeting for occassional get-togethers with work colleagues.

Cheap is feeling compelled to go more often, but sourly sipping the least expensive drink on the menu and calculating the difference between what you paid for your house salad and what every one else paid for their normal meals.

By: flightgirl78

flightgirl78 — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:31:55 +0000

Hi –

I am the person who sold Trent his KitchenAid mixer. I will not disclose the amount that I sold it for – though Trent is welcome to if he wishes.

My parents gave me the mixer at the same time that they gave my sister and my stepsister identical ones. We are all considered wildly successful. However, I consider myself exceptionally frugal, despite my income/investments. The mixer sat on my counter for four years. I used it once. The bowl didn’t fit in any of the dishwashers that I used during that time (I was in school, then an apartment, then a house) and my hand mixer was much more suited to my single girl situation. I was careful to polish it (it is a shiny cobalt blue) with Windex and looked at it every day when I was making my breakfast toast. I was afraid to sell it because it was a gift (I call them “guilt gifts”). After confessing as much to my mom, she said I should definitely sell it and buy a smaller one or invest the cash. Either way, she just wanted me to be happy.

So I have invested the cash (rather, will invest, but it is in my money market account right now, while I save to invest a large chunk). I now have two square feet of my countertop back, which is far more useful to me than the mixer. My priorities are different.

And I made two wonderful, fancy cakes this weekend quite happily (and guilt free) with my hand mixer.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:17:04 +0000

I enjoyed the post, but I wouldn’t refer to any front-loading washer as reliable.

They are more efficient (most of that efficiency comes only if you use hot water), but are very complex (lots of computerization)

They have not been reliable, at least compared to a direct-drive top-loader.

If I had to buy a new model I’d buy this horizontal-axis, but top-loading washer:

http://www.staber.com/

By: Quinton

Quinton — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:54:49 +0000

buying sunglasses every yr from walmart does not make you frugal, buying one expensive good quality sunglass that is expensive does.

Soham

Sorry Soham,

But that is NOT frugal. If said sunglasses would last 30 years for the $50 and up you would pay for them, yes, that would be frugal.

But the $1 dollar glasses that I have to buy 4 times per year since I have crushed them (and yes I have a sunglass holder on my visor! So the 10 times a year has gone down to 4) or my kids have taken and used them, or the dog somehow ends up with them, that makes a frugal buy!

Frugal is buying a used camper that someone has gone camping with 4 times in its 4 years of life for 1/2 the price. (As long as you will use it more than the price of a hotel when you travel for your payments!)

Frugal is finding a 22 piece set of oak kitchen cabinets for $600 that retails for $10,000 new. The previous owners HAD to redo their kitchen in a new scheme, so you get the benefit!

The cost benefit to you vs the savings benefit should be looked at when you do these comparisons.

By: astroboy

astroboy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:11:15 +0000

Great post! Important distinction between the two, as I wouldn’t consider myself cheap. I just spend money on what is important to me, and look for the best value for my money. If I can get something I want for cheaper than I will, it just makes sense. I hate it when people I know say “you make $XXX, so you shouldn’t care so much about what it costs”. Saving money is saving money, but it doesn’t mean I’ll get the cheapest things on the market.

By: N'Awlins Kat

N'Awlins Kat — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:04:18 +0000

In the same frugal family tradition, my sister and I each use our (respectively) grandmother’s and great-grandmothers wedding bands. My husband did buy me a set of my own, but with the understanding that the other would be worn with it. We figured any ring worn in happiness for 50 years probably had a LOT of great karma attached to it! ;)

By: N'Awlins Kat

N'Awlins Kat — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:00:02 +0000

My dad always explained frugal as “the best value for the money spent.” Example: when my folks married, they got a Hamilton Beach stand mixer (couldn’t afford the Kitchen Aid). I’m 42, the mixer is two years older than me, and I’m still using it regularly. (That probably qualifies me as cheap!) :) As much as I drool over the Kitchen Aid models, my old workhorse is still running fine. So’s my manual meat grinder that attaches to the kitchen table, and my mother’s old canning kettle, and my grandmother’s 1950s era pink-handled meat tenderizer and manual hand mixer (which does GREAT for mixing scrambled eggs or pancake batter). AND all her old kitchen knives. I can’t conceive of getting rid of any of them.

My grandfather, who died several years ago at age 90, had a favorite camel suit he always wore. It had a timeless cut, he wore it all the time and it never wore out. I once had to replace the button on it and noticed all the buttons were secured by hand, with button twist thread. When I looked at it more closely, I realized it was cashmere, and had been handmade in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was posted in the late 1960s and early 70s. That suit at least 30 years old when he died, and still looked new in spite of all the use it saw. He did take meticulous care of things. I’m sure, being cashmere and custom, it cost a pretty penny even in 1970, but the thing was an investment. In the same vein, my mother still wears HER mother’s sheared muskrat coat, which was made for my grandmother in 1967. Still looks beautiful, too.

Whenever I think of the definition of frugal, I picture my Mom’s 40-year-old Kirby vacuum, the 44-year-old stand mixer, the coat and Grandpa’s beautiful suit. Would that we could get that quality and longevity today, at ANY price!

By: Cheap Like Me

Cheap Like Me — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 17:28:53 +0000

Wow, you guys are so serious about the semantics! The title of my blog, Cheap Like Me, is a little bit tongue in cheek about saving money while living a good life. I didn’t feel the need to buy a $1200 washer when I got both the washer and dryer for $200 by scouring the sales (and yes, it’s a high-efficiency front-loader, because ecology is another focus of my life and blog). So here’s my effort to take back the word “cheap” — because I know people would say to my face, “you’re so frugal,” but behind my back they might say, “she shops at the thrift store because she’s so cheap.”

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:24:37 +0000

I like these definitions, especially your statement that being cheap is often more expensive.

By: julie

julie — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:12:11 +0000

Hi,
Don’t know the quality of kichen aide mixers now bought mine in 1980 still going strong only had to have fixed once, kid’s got spoon caught and had to fix a gear. It cost about 300 dollars at the time and has saved us thousands in the cost of grocerys,compare the price of artisian breads, double batches of healthy oatmeal cookies verse what it cost in the store.

By: xshanex

xshanex — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 06:23:44 +0000

I’m a recovering cheap person who is trying to be much more frugal and know many in the same boat. Your definition of cheap and frugal is right on. I’ve bought a lot of cheap stuff in the past that had to be replaced because it wouldn’t last that long because of poor quality or low enjoyment from it. Cars, clothes, and elctronics were a few of my weaknesses. Now I research higher quality things that will last a long time and pick where I’ll spend spend my money instead of getting a lot of cheap things I’ll get a few higher quality items on sale for certain areas of my life where its important to me. I don’t mind spending a fair amount of money on high-use items that are of good quality and moderate price. I rent a lot of movies, watch TV, and play video games a lot so a well-researched $1k HDTV on sale and using a discount coupon makes sense to me because of how much use and enjoyment I’ll get out of it on a cost/hour basis.

I would much rather have much fewer things of higher quality that I truly enjoy owning and don’t mind paying for rather than a ton of cheap things which I don’t use that often and don’t enjoy much

By: Michiko

Michiko — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:55:35 +0000

I agree that being cheap and being frugal are two very different concepts, but can be easily confused since they start with the idea of spending less. You’re not being careful with your money if you buy something that constantly requires replacement. So someone who only shops at dollar stores and Wal Mart does not mean they’re careful with their finances.

I will always cost and compare prices of any items I buy. And yes, if in the end buying new means it’s going to save me more than that’s the road I’ll go down.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:38:55 +0000

Another question with the frugal/cheap dilemma is “how likely is it that I’ll break or lose this item?” For example, I have a bad track record with sunglasses, whether cheap or expensive. I’ve actually stopped buying them because there’s no point. They’ll get twisted. I did get a pair once from a lost-and-found, because they were free…and they ended up twisted.

I guess what I’m saying is that when something in a perilous situation, the best way to be frugal is to be cheap. I think that’s in harmony with what you’re saying, but it’s a different aspect.

By: !wanda

!wanda — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:09:49 +0000

I’m frugal, you’re cheap, and he’s stingy.