There are so many valuable and read-worthy threads on Reddit’s Frugal Living forums about being frugal vs cheap. Well, there is also a thread called Frugal Jerks, and the content there precisely highlights the fact that people are ignorant about the differences between frugal and cheap…but I won’t give you that link, lol!
I want to share a few take-aways from the Frugal Living forum because the following paraphrased comments put into words EXACTLY the differences. (Plus, I’m tired of people calling frugal people, like myself, cheap. Frustrating.)
In a nutshell:
- people are frugal in their day-to-day life so they can spend the money saved on new experiences and traveling
- people are frugal so they can afford the good, quality things in life
- frugal means making the most of each dollar, it does not mean being cheap or miserable in order to save money
- frugal means living within your means, preparing for your future and making sure you get the most value for your money
- being frugal is doing and buying exactly what you want for the best price–being cheap is not doing something because it involves spending money
Brilliant!!!! Out of the mouth of frugal babes!
~Marilyn, TFF
Two Frugal Fairfielders 