Positive/negative frugal characters in the media?

Will · 01-03-2008, 01:37 AM

Environmentalism is all the rage these days. Harrison Ford drives a Prius to award shows, Leo produces his own documentary about the environment. But there is less emphasis on putting a "sexy" spin on frugality. This is how frugality is usually portrayed:

Ebenezer Scrooge and Scrooge McDuck
Mr. Roper (Three's Company)
Fred & Ethel (I Love Lucy)

The only semi-positive character I can recall is Roseanne (one of my favorite shows). Can you think of any positive/negative frugal characters? I'll bet you come up with more negative than positive ones.

More importantly, how do we change this trend?

soupkitchen96 · 01-03-2008, 05:22 AM

Didn't Roseanne's family win the lottery? In the end, the message of that show is: being rich is better.

boba1212 · 01-16-2008, 05:06 PM

The first character that popped into my mind was Mr. Bean! But he is definitely a negative portrayal of someone who is frugal bordering on stingy.

The Tim Allen show "Home Improvement" portrays frugality in a semi-positive light. Though most of his projects go horribly awry, Tim does support a DIY attitude in terms of building and, yes, home improvement. Also, the rest of "his family" (on the show) seem pretty down-to-earth, live in a modest house, have normal lives/jobs.

alex · 01-16-2008, 06:23 PM

Tom Leykis is quite the frugal man on dates.

Generally, women find him a negative character, while men believe the opposite.

rstlne · 01-16-2008, 06:32 PM

On Seinfeld, George Costanza's father Frank is supposedly frugal. In one episode, it was revealed that he invented the holiday Festivus to counter the commercialism of Christmas. In another episode, he was able to buy a house in Florida from savings because he hardly ever spent money. However, I don't think the portrayal is very positive because of his tendency to bicker.

Megan · 01-16-2008, 06:36 PM

My first thought was the main character in the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella. In the series, Becky has an out of control spending problem. She has amazing credit card debt, and most amusingly, she writes for a frugal publication.

Her antics are absolutely ridiculous, but the stories are still fun to read.

Xin Lu · 01-17-2008, 12:26 AM

Adrian Monk is pretty darn frugal too, and I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing because he has therapy all the time too.

Will · 01-17-2008, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Tim does support a DIY attitude in terms of building and, yes, home improvement.

Wooo... that's a GREAT one. Despite the accidents, Tim was a great spokesperson for DIY and lifehacking.

Quote:

Tom Leykis is quite the frugal man on dates.

Tom has very um, unique views, about women and dating.

Quote:

Adrian Monk is pretty darn frugal too

Well, he has to be in order to afford all those anti-bacterial wipes.

Gootsy · 01-17-2008, 08:00 AM

On the show, "In Living Color" one of the WAynes Bros played a character of someone who was always negotiating deals to pay for things cheaper.

"Hey so how much is this stick up gum."
"It's 50 cents sir."
"FIFTY CENTS@!?!?!?! How bout I give you a nickel, and shine your shoes."

Stuff like that. Was pretty funny. I think it was that show, maybe SNL... old shows.

Mr. Burns is pretty frugal with his money. There's an ep where he receives a phone call from Homer;.

"Greetings friend, are you looking for eternal happiness? Well if so send 1 dollar to #### EVergreen terrace, and you shall! Don't delay, eternal happiness is just a dollar away."

*Mr. Burns pulls out a dollar from his pocket, looks at it, and says*

"Eternal happiness for 1 dollar eh? Hmmmmmm I'd be happier with the dollar."

Also, Carlton from Fresh Prince had his moments IIRC.

The Dad on that Chris Rock show (where he's a kid), apparently is very frugal. I haven't really watched the show, but that's the impression I get when I saw the previews for it.

01-03-2008, 01:37 AM	#1
Will Administrator Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 343 Reputation: (19)	Positive/negative frugal characters in the media? Environmentalism is all the rage these days. Harrison Ford drives a Prius to award shows, Leo produces his own documentary about the environment. But there is less emphasis on putting a "sexy" spin on frugality. This is how frugality is usually portrayed: Ebenezer Scrooge and Scrooge McDuck Mr. Roper (Three's Company) Fred & Ethel (I Love Lucy) The only semi-positive character I can recall is Roseanne (one of my favorite shows). Can you think of any positive/negative frugal characters? I'll bet you come up with more negative than positive ones. More importantly, how do we change this trend?

01-16-2008, 06:36 PM	#6
Megan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 308 Reputation: (63)	My first thought was the main character in the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella. In the series, Becky has an out of control spending problem. She has amazing credit card debt, and most amusingly, she writes for a frugal publication. Her antics are absolutely ridiculous, but the stories are still fun to read. __________________ Counting My Pennies

01-17-2008, 12:26 AM	#7
Xin Lu Wise Bread Blogger Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 238 Reputation: (40)	Adrian Monk is pretty darn frugal too, and I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing because he has therapy all the time too. __________________ Blogs I Write: The Baglady @ http://baglady.dreamhosters.com Wise Bread @ http://wisebread.com/xin-lu

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01-03-2008, 05:22 AM	#2
soupkitchen96 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 51 Reputation: (11)	Didn't Roseanne's family win the lottery? In the end, the message of that show is: being rich is better.

01-16-2008, 05:06 PM	#3
boba1212 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 75 Reputation: (10)	The first character that popped into my mind was Mr. Bean! But he is definitely a negative portrayal of someone who is frugal bordering on stingy. The Tim Allen show "Home Improvement" portrays frugality in a semi-positive light. Though most of his projects go horribly awry, Tim does support a DIY attitude in terms of building and, yes, home improvement. Also, the rest of "his family" (on the show) seem pretty down-to-earth, live in a modest house, have normal lives/jobs.

01-16-2008, 06:23 PM	#4
alex Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wilson's basement Posts: 100 Reputation: (59)	Tom Leykis is quite the frugal man on dates. Generally, women find him a negative character, while men believe the opposite.

01-16-2008, 06:32 PM	#5
rstlne Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 364 Reputation: (115)	On Seinfeld, George Costanza's father Frank is supposedly frugal. In one episode, it was revealed that he invented the holiday Festivus to counter the commercialism of Christmas. In another episode, he was able to buy a house in Florida from savings because he hardly ever spent money. However, I don't think the portrayal is very positive because of his tendency to bicker.

01-17-2008, 08:00 AM	#9
Gootsy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 252 Reputation: (24)	On the show, "In Living Color" one of the WAynes Bros played a character of someone who was always negotiating deals to pay for things cheaper. "Hey so how much is this stick up gum." "It's 50 cents sir." "FIFTY CENTS@!?!?!?! How bout I give you a nickel, and shine your shoes." Stuff like that. Was pretty funny. I think it was that show, maybe SNL... old shows. Mr. Burns is pretty frugal with his money. There's an ep where he receives a phone call from Homer;. "Greetings friend, are you looking for eternal happiness? Well if so send 1 dollar to #### EVergreen terrace, and you shall! Don't delay, eternal happiness is just a dollar away." Mr. Burns pulls out a dollar from his pocket, looks at it, and says "Eternal happiness for 1 dollar eh? Hmmmmmm I'd be happier with the dollar." Also, Carlton from Fresh Prince had his moments IIRC. The Dad on that Chris Rock show (where he's a kid), apparently is very frugal. I haven't really watched the show, but that's the impression I get when I saw the previews for it.