Gosh, and I thought it’s called minimalism :)
I suppose that many people define being frugal much differently…

No matter how it’s called though, this strategy is spot on – to concentrate on things important to you, cut on all the other, unimportant stuff – in other words – unclutter your life.

Nor is it directed to anyone who made simple and worthwhile suggestions. I *may* find those suggestions mundane (for me, Borders and coffee are, well, boring, I am an active outdoors person) but they represent a constructive approach that works for someone.

my points are:

you can live frugally and it may not matter in the end due to large scale events beyond your control…

living frugally s/be a choice and not a contest.

wishing ill on someone because their choices differ from yours is not kind and tells more about the character of the one making such a comment.

They made difficult choices on savings and expenditures. Worked hard & saved. Then Wall Street wiped it away for most of them and many are of an older age where it will be difficult for their investments to recover. Add job loss to that,and workplace bias against people over 40, and it becomes even more difficult.

In the face of those realities, those skilled in living frugally could have a cushion and adapt better to a more modest lifestyle, so it’s a worthwhile philosophy.

Meanwhile, sometimes we live for the now and sometimes for the later. Balance is the key.
Trying to one-up someone with “how smart and frugal I am” is not.

One of my theatre buff friends used to user at the various summer theatres as a volunteer. Not only would he get to see the plays for free, but he also got passes for his friends and family.

Lots of free options that are not boring.

Yup, living within my means and budgeting money so I can spend it guilt free on things that are important to me and mine and knowing that’s what it’s there for is deadly boring. Though it does let me go for one long and a couple short vacations a year with the family. Then we also go out once or twice a month for a nice dinner, sometimes see a movie or the occasional play or ball game. Of course playing golf or tennis now and then often happens spontaneously, but it’s really all boring and horribly mundane. I never have any fun doing any of these things because I’m not shopping for something I know deep down I’m not likely to wear or use or don’t really need.

So remember, frugality is horribly mundane and boring. Please keep excitement in your life by buying a new car every two years, buying all those new clothes you never wear or wear only once, getting new furniture sets, golf clubs, blenders, coffee makers, electronic gadgets of all kinds, etc. Because you know that we, the frugal and mundane minority, need all those things to keep being purchased new so we can pick them up on craigslist or at thrift shops or garage sales.

I bust my butt at my job and I make as much money as I can in my spare time so I can spend it on the things that bring me joy.

The challenge is to determine what those things really are…

Its not as easy as it sounds.

“Empty” purchases usually do more damage than bring joy

When I was a child, each Christmas my aunt and uncle from Tacoma sent us a box of Almond Roca candy. At that time, you could not buy it where we lived. We all savored that box and thoroughly relished each peice. Now, that I can buy it whenever I want, it wasn’t so special anymore and I did not enjoy it as much. I’ve stopped buying it as often, not just because it was a little more expensive than average candy; but so I could re-invent it as a “special” treat. I buy only a package or two a year and suddenly, it’s a yummy treat again.
This can work with a lot of the things one enjoys, should it be clothes shopping or buying new books or music. Why do you think the very rich buy so much? Because, they are trying to recreate that excitement a new purchase once gave them?

However, I have to poke a little fun at your posting. If you are going to make a big deal about Trent having a typo then you should make sure your posting doesn’t have any…I think you meant to type “else” in your quote by Dave Ramsey, not “lese.” :-)

If you like shopping, you can do it without spending as much money. There are lots of ways to get things that are free or close to free. My 5 year old could care less if a toy came from a tag sale or the store.