Comments on: 5 For Friday: How Frugal ARE You?

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:08:43 +0000

Haha… I like that name – “Dollarama” – sounds like a good blog name ;) Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us – forgot I did this post!

By: Jane Levesque

Jane Levesque — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:27:09 +0000

From 1-10. How frugal are you? I’d say a 6. I look for deals but don’t stop myself from buying that special item that cost more, but is really what I want. I figure quality over cheap quantity is where I stand.
Do you ever get made fun of for it? No.. Because I hang around with like-minded people and why would anyone make fun of you if you end up without debt and with money in your bank account? Makes them look pretty stupid I think.
Do you wish you were more or less frugal? No not really I find I found the right balance of saving and then rewarding myself by getting what I really want instead of over spending on everything.
When was the last time you did something frugal? Every day I look for the best deal on all things. Grocery shopping I always look for ways to stretch my dollar.
Is there a difference between being frugal and being cheap? YES…most definitely. I find that there are extremes. Like a family member of mine who hates paying his heating bill that he sets the temperature so low that everyone freezes in he house. There is a happy medium. Especially if you have guests. I would never subject anyone to being that cheap.
Frugal Tip: In Canada, we have the “Dollarama” stores. I say go there for everyday items first. You will find “most” things at a cheaper rate and will save yourself lots of cash when grocery day comes around.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:37:13 +0000

Gotta love that! I much prefer to work with more local biz as well :) Thanks for responding back!

By: Trish @ Finances With Funk

Trish @ Finances With Funk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:34:44 +0000

Haha! Yes as a matter of fact I do live in a nice town in Northern California where everyone is happy! But it also helped that I communicated with a local small business owner my needs told the sales person to keep in contact with me and I would promise the purchase to him when they had what I needed at a great price. ;) As a small business owner myself I would much rather support them.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:10:18 +0000

@suzanne – Oh man, crazy about your sister and your friend! Sad too :( Maybe they’ll be following your habits now? I’m glad you figured it all out :)
@Niki – “I use my frugality for good. Cheap is when you use your frugality for evil. ” haha… never heard that one before ;)
@Erin – Haha, you and your energy drinks! I love them too though – but usually only buy them w/ vodka ;) Coffee and Diet Coke do me fine on non alcohol days.
@Sarah Fowler – Love that you’re debt-free!! That’s quite the ammunition when people are hating. As soon as we get rid of our mortgage we’ll be the same ;) Congrats! (Though I’m pretty sure I’ve told you that over and over again, haha…)
@Jeffrey Trull – Nice work on the biking! I always admire people who do that. I always get too sweaty and can’t keep my hair up due to bicycle helmet and all, but I always wanted to do it ;) Though now, I just walk downstairs and I’m at work, haha… (glad you liked the video too — did you see it at FINCON during his speech?)
@Uncle El – I like the Target one! I dont know $hit about diapers, but I’m a huge fan of Target so I’ll have to make a mental note of that once the Lord above blesses us ;)
@Alexa – I love it! I used to hoard sodas and snacks all the time until I needed them :) Def. a good idea if your work does that.
@Melissa – I like your answer for cheap vs. frugal ;) And I have a feeling waiters/waitresses get stiffed a LOT more than they do tipped, even just normally.
@Brian – I really dig that tip man, a lot. There used to be this blogger who counted everything he found, and would then blog about it and update his totals, and it was always cool to see how much of an impact it would have once it crossed into the hundreds of dollars :) I don’t think he gave it all to charity, but either way it’s a great concept. Thanks for telling us about it, bro.
@Jeff @ Sustainable life blog – You make your own deodorant??? Crazy!! And I’d also like to try it one day, haha… though I find myself to be super picky w/ stuff like that. I bet I could get used to it though if I liked the smell :)
@BT – Huh. I guess it would depend on where you live, and where exactly your money is going. $3,000 a month for us would be incredibly frugal!
@Sarah – Yes!!! You 100% have to take into accountability the time vs. money saved for sure. That’s one thing I’ve been learning a lot too about myself. Already working 16 hours a day on average, I’d gladly pay more for certain things than to swap MY time for it when it could be used doing something better. So yeah, great one! (and I’m glad you like these 5 For Fridays :))
@Sarah L – Good idea w/ writing that stuff down — I don’t think many people even *know* what they categorize as “necessary” – I don’t even know if I know! haha… well, I probably do, but I think I need to write it down anyways just to make sure ;)
@Carol in Mpls – Thank you for being so honest!! For whatever reason it really shines through here. Really like your tip too in buying coffee for friends — it’s such a small way to tell someone you care about that, and it really makes everyone happy :) Just the other day a random stranger actually bought me a free coffee at our conference, and it totally set the mood for the rest of the day! Even when we had free regular coffee there, haha… she hooked me up with Starbucks, and said everytime we run into each other at conferences we’ll be coffee friends – I loved that :)
@Jennifer Lissette – Congrats on losing so much weight!! That is awesome!!! And almost as awesome as saving 70% of your income! Haha…. wow. You’re like double rainbows up in here ;)
@jesse.anne.o – Oh man, the worst is when you go shopping while HUNGRY too!! My wife hates it when I do that cuz I just buy everything my eyes want!! haha… so hard to resist ;) (And also? I freakin’ LOVE your outfits on your blog! I’m in awe of some of you fashion-like bloggers — so creative!)
@Ashley @ Money Talks – Awww, yes – that is a good distinction there: “I think it’s cheap when you hurt someone else with your frugality. Like take advantage of a situation or not pay your fair share.” – that’s a no no for sure.
@LG – Well it’s true, isn’t it? ;)
@Trish @ Finances With Funk – Wow, good work on that cooktop! I can’t believe they called you?? Haha… do you live in a nice town where everyone’s happy? I dream of those sometimes ;) Not like that much in the DC area, haha…
@Stephanie – Yeah budget spreadsheets!!! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
@TeacHer – Yes! Craigslist is dope for getting huge deals on the stuff you already want to buy. I was on there 5 hours ago looking for furniture oddly enough ;) A lot of our stuff came from there, as well as yard sales. I even sold (and bought!) my car off CL. Crazy deals there.
@Crystal – Lovely meeting you too, finally! Really admire your hustle – keep killin’ it my friend! (Also, I, too, drank way too much at FINCON, haha… a perk of having non-drinker friends ;))
@Slackerjo – Oh that’s for sure. Everything always looked more rosier X years back ;) We always push through and keep doing the best we can! Hopefully building on all those experiences so far in life. And I literally just finished a Diet Crack! Haha…
@Donna Freedman – I still want to try Freecycle!! But from what I recall the last time I went on there I had to follow all these rules and it just got super annoying and I flaked out. I bet if they made it easier for those of us with A.D.D. they’d get more lovers ;) And I’m pretty sure you qualify as a “10” my friend, which is pretty impressive.
@Elle@Odd Cents – Baking soda? Really? I’m kinda sorta tempted to try that one night :) Though that would require me to go out and buy some, haha… good work on the taking lunch to work route – I was never to good at that.

By: Elle@Odd Cents

Elle@Odd Cents — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:08:37 +0000

On a scale from 1-10 (with 10 being extreme), how frugal are you? I would say that I’m a 7. (There are some things that will NOT get my money, but it’s usually because they’re over-priced and I’m inwardly protesting)

Do you ever get made fun of for it? Do you care? Yes, but I know that I have a few goals that I’m working towards, and one of this days I will be able to breathe a little easier.

Do you wish you were more or less frugal? Both! If I was proficient at a lot more things, I would be more frugal. But I’m not, so I have to pay for things that I can’t do myself.

When was the last time you did something considered frugal? I take lunch to work everyday :)

What’s your opinion on being “frugal” vs. “cheap”? IS there a difference? I think both of them mean the same thing. Frugal just makes it sond nicer and cool. lol

*EXTRA CREDIT* If you could share 1 frugal tip with us today, what would it be? Use baking soda to give your teeth a frugal dentist clean ( I try to do this every week).

By: Donna Freedman

Donna Freedman — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:19:57 +0000

1. On a scale from 1-10 (with 10 being extreme), how frugal are you?
I’d say “10” except that I don’t make my own laundry soap. (I buy it just as cheaply with sales and coupons.)

2. Do you ever get made fun of for it? Do you care?
MSN Money readers sometimes poke fun. No, I don’t care. Super-intentional spending has made it possible for me to travel a lot (home only about five months total since January 2010), not have to take a day job, help a couple of relatives who are struggling, donate to emergency pantries and give money to various causes.

3. Do you wish you were more or less frugal?
What I’m doing now works for me.

4. When was the last time you did something considered frugal?
Every morning, when I’m awakened by my 99-cent clock radio (St. Vincent de Paul, baby!). This morning I get extra credit because the sheets currently on my bed were free at a yard sale (the folks holding it started just giving everything away in late afternoon).

5. What’s your opinion on being “frugal” vs. “cheap”? IS there a difference?
Frugal behavior is something I take on myself, e.g., shopping at a thrift store. Cheap would be if I bought thrift-store clothes that were less than pristine and forced my kid to wear them to school. When money-saving behavior has a negative impact on someone else (or on you), you’re being cheap.

6. *EXTRA CREDIT* If you could share 1 frugal tip with us today, what would it be?
Every time you need something, ask yourself these questions: Do I really need it? Do I already own something that would work just/almost as well? If I really do need this item, how can I get it cheaply or even free (e.g., thrift stores, Freecycle)?

By: Slackerjo

Slackerjo — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:15:21 +0000

1. I am a 7.5. I am still trying to cut my addiction to Diet Crack and I spend way too much money on it.

2. The comments are usually thinly veiled comments motivated by jealousy. I don’t care because the people who make the comments are debt riddled idiots. I have offered to help the financially challenged by showing them the envelope system. I always say “just try it for 2 weeks and if you don’t like it, you can go back to your old way.” In 10 years, nobody has accepted my offer. I admit it, I smirk to myself as I watch my bank account grow and their debt rise.

3.Sometimes I find it hard to spend even though I can afford to buy a lot of things.

4. I made a nice chicken and vegetable stew yesterday. It made 3 servings and cost probably $3 per serving.

5. I am still working out the frugal vs. cheap question. I tend to stray into cheap and regret it.

Extra Credit: Learn from the past. Even when times are tough now, they are still pretty good. Think back to life 80, 100, 150 years ago and you will realize you really have nothing to complain about.

By: Crystal

Crystal — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:11:57 +0000

On a scale from 1-10 (with 10 being extreme), how frugal are you?
I am probably around a 6…I used to be an 8…

Do you ever get made fun of for it? Do you care?
My friends and family tease me, but not too bad and I am proud of my money-watching ways. :-)

Do you wish you were more or less frugal?
I think I am just the right amount of frugal, lol.

When was the last time you did something considered frugal?
I only drank at The Financial Blogger Conference when I had drink tickets for free drinks (which meant I drank alot Saturday night) and I shared a cab back to the airport to save $15 even though it made me an hour earlier than originally planned.

What’s your opinion on being “frugal” vs. “cheap”? IS there a difference?
There is a difference – frugal means looking for good values for your money usage. Cheap means concentrating on the amount of cash and that’s it. Cheap usually led to me buying crappy stuff that wore out and frugal has led me to find the brands of things I like that also last.

*EXTRA CREDIT* If you could share 1 frugal tip with us today, what would it be?
Google for coupon codes or great deals when you are planning to buy something specific, especially for big purchases where you can save some major cash with a 2 minute search.

It was great to meet you at FINCON!

By: TeacHer

TeacHer — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:31:08 +0000

1. I’d say I’m about a 5. I’m mindful of my spending, but I definitely don’t push myself to be as frugal as I possibly could be.
2. No one really makes fun of me for the frugal things I do, but I don’t really talk about them much.
3. Yes I do wish I was more frugal. Even more, I wish that I got joy out of being frugal the way that other PF bloggers do. I definitely like paying off debt, but I don’t get any real pleasure out of the sacrifices that have to be made to get there.
4. I brought my own water in a reusable bottle to school instead of buying bottled. That’s a habit though, not really a big deal…I can’t think of any novel frugal things I’ve done recently….this is why I’m only a 5.
5. Yes, there is definitely a line between frugal and cheap. Frugal is spending carefully, cheap is stubbornly refusing to spend on anything. I’m cheap a lot, but only to myself. Like, right now I have a cold, and my cold meds are all expired. But I really don’t want to spend $10 on new cold meds when I’ll probably feel better by Monday. So I’m suffering through my congestion and sore throat. That’s pretty freakin’ cheap. But if someone else needed cold meds, I’d never say no to going out and buying them. I’d never even THINK about saying no. So, I cheap out on myself. Not sure if that makes my cheapness any better….?
BONUS – Check Craig’s List for the stuff you want before you buy new. I really wanted this new coffee table from West Elm and I found it on CL for about one-third of what it would have cost me to buy it new. The. Exact. Table. In perfect condition. Of course, this doesn’t always work out, but try! You’d be surprised at how much is out there.