Over at The Reductionist, there is this wonderfully insightful post up called What Frugality Means To Me. No, I am not only mentioning it because she called me a favorite frugal blogger or thinks that my family and I can throw together some pretty nifty things from time to time. I am linking to it because it’s full of some great thoughts about what frugality is.
photo credit: ArbronWhat the post drives home is that it’s all relative and subjective. Simple living, frugal living don’t have specific definitions. There are no rules that you must obey in order to be considered frugal. There are no real guidelines.
Therefore, frugality is what we make it. Simplicity, to me, is a mindset. Frugality is more than the number of dollars spent. I may spend more on something that others may not dream of but then I don’t spend on other things that aren’t important to me.
To me, frugality is about setting up priorities and making meaningful goals. It’s a balancing act and requires being mindful of not only what I consume but what I waste and doing what I can to minimize both. There is nothing more wonderful to me in my life right now than to feel like I am making a simple and beautiful life for my family without spending a lot of money. For me, frugality is just a means to a far off end, but it’s also a beautiful path to be walking along.
I’ve chosen to see a frugal life as a blessing rather than a curse, as full of inspiration and beauty that would’ve otherwise been unknown to me. I don’t always make the most beautiful things with what I have laying around. Many of my projects go awry. Some attempts at repurposing and reusing are laughable. But I enjoy the process. I enjoy creating things that do look nice, do infuse a bit of inspiration into my home and give me a result to be proud of.
The Reductionist says “Frugality is understanding and experiencing first-hand that less is more and feeling liberated by this realization. It is conscious living. It’s a flexibility that comes from a degree of detachment from the stuff that (at least in my case ) so many of us are raised to believe that we need to get by. Frugality is contentment with what one has, and in that sense , it is gratitude in action.” I don’t think it can be said much better than that.
Finding contentment, finding myself, having gratitude, living inspired, embracing simplicity, finding value in life beyond my belongings or bank balances. That is what frugality is to me.
What is frugality to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I was just writing about this myself, so it is on my mind! Because of our moving and this transition, a lot of money is flying out of the window. Trying to sell and house and move isn’t cheap! So, we are working hard at being extremely frugal in the areas that we can cut back. It doesn’t mean our life is any less, it just means we are saving what we have even more.
Happy night,
Melissa
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I share similar beliefs about frugality. Like others, I agree that it’s not about always doing the cheapest thing. Rather, it’s about consciously deciding the best uses of my resources and looking for ways to reduce waste.
A huge part of that is figuring out what is really important to me and distributing my resources accordingly. For example, my health is very important to me, so I am willing to spend more to eat a very healthy diet — though I still look for ways to cut costs there, so long as I don’t cut the health benefits. Other things I like are tasty (but healthy) foods, looking nice (though not necessarily trendy or well-branded), and feeding my internet addiction. Things like movies, cable, and video games are low on my list, though. So, my husband and I cut cable, watch video online, play online games, borrow movies from the library, and only rarely go see something in theaters (about 2-3 times a year at most).
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yay frugality! a great post
warm fuzzies.
neimanmarxist´s last blog post..What Frugality Means To Me
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It is me deciding thoughtfully and on purpose what I will allow to come in … I may end up spending even more on less – because it adds value not because a slick ad enticed me to buy it.
Mary´s last blog post..An easy way to remember to rotate your tires every 5,000 miles
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Frugality to me is just being responsible with what I have. That’s going to look different for everyone. If I’m doing the best I can to make the most use of what I have, then I’m being frugal. Great post.
Nicki at Domestic Cents´s last blog post..TO Knit Or To Purl?
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Beautiful post! And I agree that frugality is about setting goals and priorities. Without goals, often “frugality” is just being cheap.
I love the new look of your site, too! How long have you had the new banner? I don’t get out of my feed reader often!
Lynnae´s last blog post..Ask the M-Network: What to do if you’re deep in debt
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Oh, I love this post! You are so right, that is exactly what frugality is about. Thank you for saying it so eloquently!
Amy´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: Locks of Love
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Frugality is the opposite of frivolity. It’s thinking before you spend, and valuing your dollars whether they are plentiful or not.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..Potty Training… Help!
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“Finding contentment, finding myself, having gratitude, living inspired, embracing simplicity, finding value in life beyond my belongings or bank balances. That is what frugality is to me”
AMEN!
I plan a post on contentment soon…it is the biggest challenge in my current life but something I really need to be.
Frugal Trenches´s last blog post..Oh those No Spending Days
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Very well said. I’ve grown up a lot in the last few years. Fortunately, we have been blessed in recent years and my husband’s work has been steady and strong. Before, when we didn’t have much of a cash flow I seemed to want everything and felt that somehow I was entitled to have to best of everything. Luckily, I got over myself and now I agonize over every purchase and really take my time to think about what is important and what my needs vs. my wants really are.
Alana @ Gray Matters´s last blog post..What’s In Your Apothecary Jars?
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Great post! I think for me, it’s about knowing what my true priorities are and sticking to them. Making room for what’s important by “making do” with things that aren’t. For example, it’s not important to me to drive a car that impresses people–it’s important to me to drive a car that’s paid for!
Julia @ Hooked on Houses´s last blog post..The Color of 2009: Pantone Chooses “Mimosa”
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I love your definitions of frugality. I’ve been (mentally) resistant to the “simple”, frugal or anti-stuff lifestyle – though looking at my purchases and what I actually have, I don’t actually own or buy much at all! I guess some of my mental resistance comes from the harsh, dogmatic attitudes and the utter distain of “stuff” (I hate how that word is thrown around) I hear and read so many times.
Your posts are like a breath of fresh air.
Carla´s last blog post..Green + Chic Produce Review: Golden Earth
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