Being married to a frugal-bordering-on-cheap person, I can say that yes, it is definitely possible to be too frugal. Automatically reaching for the least-costly item will sometimes result in having to replace the item too frequently, which would cost more than if you bought a good-quality item in the first place.
And, as far as couponing is concerned, I think it is also possible to be too frugal in that department, as well. If I only bought items that I could get coupons to buy, I wouldn't have as much fresh food in my larder; the kind of food that is best for us to eat doesn't usually come with a name brand or in packaging, and thus, rarely do you see coupons for them. (I'm always, always horrified at those extreme couponing shows where the person has hundreds upon hundreds of processed food items in the "stash." Processed foods have excessive amounts of sugar, fat, and salt, and not much nutrition otherwise.) Better to be slightly less frugal and have a balanced diet than to get dirt-cheap non-nutritive items.
While I mostly agree with this, I have to say it's a little odd to throw out UNread books (unless you truly never intend to read it). I've picked up books cheaply at thrift stores or used bookshops that I do have every intention of reading, but haven't yet been in the mood for the genre or author, or that I haven't made it to in my "books to read" list yet. I would think getting rid of books that you've already read would make more sense ;) (Of course, I keep my accumulation of books pretty low by using the library and not buying too many books in the first place.)
You mentioned rugs, but I didn't see a mention of furniture. A lot of us have those odd pieces of furniture that just get stuck somewhere when we upgrade or re-arrange rooms.
And craft supplies! That time you wanted to take up oil painting and never really got started, the yarn you got for that project you lost interest in. For crafters, there is ALWAYS an excess of supplies ;)
Sounds like the internet version of the Patriot Act. Will teh next version include a visit from a TSA qualified offical to search you for any copyright infringments?
It's definitely possible to be too frugal when the cost/benefit just doesn't add up, or when you live like a miser even though you have hundreds of thousands (or even millions) stashed away...
Great article and I especially like the list of business supporters (that is I like that you included the list!). My teenage son brought SOPA/PIPA to my attention recently -- at first when he referenced online piracy, I thought he was talking about DMCA. When Copyblogger did a piece about the act, though, I understood the difference: basically, "shut down the site, ask questions later" under proposed legislation rather than a real investigation. Its proposal shows how little some people really understand about the Internet, which is sad b/c it is a main driver of commerce and employment (not to mention a great place to share ideas).
My husband and I have been married for ten years, live in a modest house and are raising two young children. After suffering a series of strokes, my father-in-law was sick for years before he passed away 12 years ago. Before he became ill, he took care of all the finances and was the primary bread-winner. Because of his medical bills, poor investments, and my mother-in-law’s lack of understanding in financial matters, all of their life savings vanished and she was in debt by the time he passed away. She is now in her 70’s and has no savings, but does get a check each month from her husband’s pension. My husband’s two sisters bought her a new car 10 years ago, since her old one was no longer reliable and she couldn’t afford to keep it running. A couple years later, my sister and brother-in-law finally convinced her to move onto their property; since she couldn’t afford the high rent she was paying up north and was going further into debt. They bought her a nice big modular home and paid off all her credit card debt, which was over ten thousand dollars. The car they bought her was recently totaled in an auto accident. Luckily no one was hurt, she wasn’t at fault, and the insurance money will help her pay for a new vehicle. However; her old vehicle was 10 years old and was starting to need costly repairs. My husband and I both work, and since we can now afford it, we’d like to help buy her a more reliable car. She is still working from home, and received a small inheritance a few years ago, and in theory, should be able to afford a better vehicle. However; she is very irresponsible with money, mostly because she has never felt the full weight of financial responsibility, since family has always been there to offer financial help. In addition, she spends money as soon as she gets it, is not a “saver”, has nothing saved for retirement, and buys a lot of gifts for other people. She always spends far more on my children than any other relatives during birthdays, holidays, etc., yet she can afford it the least. She also routinely buys gifts for friend’s children and relatives and ships them within the U.S. or overseas. Every time she visits us, there is always one or two things she wants to give me that she bought at a “great price”. She also travels oversees every couple years for 3-4 weeks to visit her family and visits us and other relatives four times a year. Last time she went overseas, she brought her family many gifts and paid for their meals at restaurants since she felt like she could afford it and they were on fixed incomes! As far as the car, she insists that if we help her buy a car that she will pay it back, but my husband and I know she probably won’t and my husband is fine with just giving her the money. I am only okay with it if she curbs her spending habits, and starts saving for her future. I am repeatedly getting upset at how much she spends on our two boys and others when she cannot afford it, and is living off the charity of her children, namely her daughter. My husband’s family has talked to her before about her spending, but since it seems to not have had any effect, and they’ve essentially given up. Both of my husband’s sisters are doing extremely well financially because of their spouses, and while we are doing better than most, we still need to save for our sons’ future and ours.
I always feel like the bad person, since I repeatedly scold her for spending money she doesn’t have, and she isn’t my mother, she is my mother-in-law, but I feel that someone needs to say it. I think part of the reason I have so much heartburn over this is that my side of the family are the complete opposite. We know what it is like to have financial troubles, with worry over how the bills will be paid, and we wouldn’t take money from other family unless it was an emergency.
it's all in the eye of the beholder. to the frugal one in question, they are not too frugal. to someone else on the outside, it is a matter of opinion.
The vegetables with the lowest kilo price in the winter also includes onions (generally cheaper than leeks when considering the amounts that can be used) and beets.
Excellent breakdown. I'm adamantly opposed to giving government and corporations this amount of power. They've both already proven repeatedly that they act with their best interests in mind, not that of the people, or consumer.
Thank you for taking the time to make this make sense to all of us.
Thanks Will, coming from someone with your immense knowledge of the Internet, that's good feedback indeed. I'm just sorry I had to write about it. Hopefully, my follow-up piece will be about how it got completely scrapped. But there's a long way to go yet.
Those on a budget might wish to check out a company called Pet Assure. It is not traditional insurance but rather a veterinary discount plan that my husband and I have had pretty good luck with. It only costs around $7/month for each of our two Corgis!
So many delicious foods on this list. I'm also in the throws of a sweet potato obsession right now. I've always liked them, but this winter I've taken to baking a few sweet potatoes at once and keeping them in the fridge. The other day I took one out and ate it straight, no butter or anything. It was so good!
I think that part of the problem might just be that women have more options.
Personally, I've had good luck with boots from Frye (I found a pair on Overstock) and Bronx, although my longest-lasting pair of boots came from a vintage store. Right now I'm wearing a pair of Birkenstock clogs that have been my "house shoes" for the last seven years. As for dress shoes, I've had good luck getting a pair of shoes from Aldo reheeled.
I also haven't shopped there much myself, but I know my mom often buys shoes at Bass, and they've lasted her quite some time.
I love this article! Especially your first point, which was the one I related the most to - I've always felt I needed to dedicate huge chunks of time or nothing at all to a project to be productive, but doing what I can in small bits works tremendously! Right now I work at a job where my schedule is different every day, so it's difficult to really get into a routine with projects outside of that - some days I have 2 hours and others 10! Now I'm really trying to embrace this idea of doing what I can, when I can - and I can already see a huge difference. Thanks!
And, I "liked" y'all on Facebook ;)
Being married to a frugal-bordering-on-cheap person, I can say that yes, it is definitely possible to be too frugal. Automatically reaching for the least-costly item will sometimes result in having to replace the item too frequently, which would cost more than if you bought a good-quality item in the first place.
And, as far as couponing is concerned, I think it is also possible to be too frugal in that department, as well. If I only bought items that I could get coupons to buy, I wouldn't have as much fresh food in my larder; the kind of food that is best for us to eat doesn't usually come with a name brand or in packaging, and thus, rarely do you see coupons for them. (I'm always, always horrified at those extreme couponing shows where the person has hundreds upon hundreds of processed food items in the "stash." Processed foods have excessive amounts of sugar, fat, and salt, and not much nutrition otherwise.) Better to be slightly less frugal and have a balanced diet than to get dirt-cheap non-nutritive items.
Put the info for the paint (brand, color name, formula if you know it) on the back of a wall switch plate. Throw the paint out.
While I mostly agree with this, I have to say it's a little odd to throw out UNread books (unless you truly never intend to read it). I've picked up books cheaply at thrift stores or used bookshops that I do have every intention of reading, but haven't yet been in the mood for the genre or author, or that I haven't made it to in my "books to read" list yet. I would think getting rid of books that you've already read would make more sense ;) (Of course, I keep my accumulation of books pretty low by using the library and not buying too many books in the first place.)
You mentioned rugs, but I didn't see a mention of furniture. A lot of us have those odd pieces of furniture that just get stuck somewhere when we upgrade or re-arrange rooms.
And craft supplies! That time you wanted to take up oil painting and never really got started, the yarn you got for that project you lost interest in. For crafters, there is ALWAYS an excess of supplies ;)
Sounds like the internet version of the Patriot Act. Will teh next version include a visit from a TSA qualified offical to search you for any copyright infringments?
Tweeted for my third entry: https://twitter.com/#!/grigorylukin/status/159748472449400832
Thanks for doing these giveaways, guys - you're awesome! :^D
"Liked" your Facebook page. :)
It's definitely possible to be too frugal when the cost/benefit just doesn't add up, or when you live like a miser even though you have hundreds of thousands (or even millions) stashed away...
Thanks! Avocados are one of my favorite foods and I agree - I love how versatile they are.
Great article and I especially like the list of business supporters (that is I like that you included the list!). My teenage son brought SOPA/PIPA to my attention recently -- at first when he referenced online piracy, I thought he was talking about DMCA. When Copyblogger did a piece about the act, though, I understood the difference: basically, "shut down the site, ask questions later" under proposed legislation rather than a real investigation. Its proposal shows how little some people really understand about the Internet, which is sad b/c it is a main driver of commerce and employment (not to mention a great place to share ideas).
My husband and I have been married for ten years, live in a modest house and are raising two young children. After suffering a series of strokes, my father-in-law was sick for years before he passed away 12 years ago. Before he became ill, he took care of all the finances and was the primary bread-winner. Because of his medical bills, poor investments, and my mother-in-law’s lack of understanding in financial matters, all of their life savings vanished and she was in debt by the time he passed away. She is now in her 70’s and has no savings, but does get a check each month from her husband’s pension. My husband’s two sisters bought her a new car 10 years ago, since her old one was no longer reliable and she couldn’t afford to keep it running. A couple years later, my sister and brother-in-law finally convinced her to move onto their property; since she couldn’t afford the high rent she was paying up north and was going further into debt. They bought her a nice big modular home and paid off all her credit card debt, which was over ten thousand dollars. The car they bought her was recently totaled in an auto accident. Luckily no one was hurt, she wasn’t at fault, and the insurance money will help her pay for a new vehicle. However; her old vehicle was 10 years old and was starting to need costly repairs. My husband and I both work, and since we can now afford it, we’d like to help buy her a more reliable car. She is still working from home, and received a small inheritance a few years ago, and in theory, should be able to afford a better vehicle. However; she is very irresponsible with money, mostly because she has never felt the full weight of financial responsibility, since family has always been there to offer financial help. In addition, she spends money as soon as she gets it, is not a “saver”, has nothing saved for retirement, and buys a lot of gifts for other people. She always spends far more on my children than any other relatives during birthdays, holidays, etc., yet she can afford it the least. She also routinely buys gifts for friend’s children and relatives and ships them within the U.S. or overseas. Every time she visits us, there is always one or two things she wants to give me that she bought at a “great price”. She also travels oversees every couple years for 3-4 weeks to visit her family and visits us and other relatives four times a year. Last time she went overseas, she brought her family many gifts and paid for their meals at restaurants since she felt like she could afford it and they were on fixed incomes! As far as the car, she insists that if we help her buy a car that she will pay it back, but my husband and I know she probably won’t and my husband is fine with just giving her the money. I am only okay with it if she curbs her spending habits, and starts saving for her future. I am repeatedly getting upset at how much she spends on our two boys and others when she cannot afford it, and is living off the charity of her children, namely her daughter. My husband’s family has talked to her before about her spending, but since it seems to not have had any effect, and they’ve essentially given up. Both of my husband’s sisters are doing extremely well financially because of their spouses, and while we are doing better than most, we still need to save for our sons’ future and ours.
I always feel like the bad person, since I repeatedly scold her for spending money she doesn’t have, and she isn’t my mother, she is my mother-in-law, but I feel that someone needs to say it. I think part of the reason I have so much heartburn over this is that my side of the family are the complete opposite. We know what it is like to have financial troubles, with worry over how the bills will be paid, and we wouldn’t take money from other family unless it was an emergency.
it's all in the eye of the beholder. to the frugal one in question, they are not too frugal. to someone else on the outside, it is a matter of opinion.
The vegetables with the lowest kilo price in the winter also includes onions (generally cheaper than leeks when considering the amounts that can be used) and beets.
Great article in a time when so many people are struggling financially and unfortunately health care is often sacrificed.
Excellent breakdown. I'm adamantly opposed to giving government and corporations this amount of power. They've both already proven repeatedly that they act with their best interests in mind, not that of the people, or consumer.
Thank you for taking the time to make this make sense to all of us.
A great way to save money on shaving is having the complete inability to grow facial hair (as per my personal experience). Works for me!
Lots of great (and healthy!) things here. My favorite winter staple is probably the avocado - cheap when it's chilly out and so very versatile.
Thanks Will, coming from someone with your immense knowledge of the Internet, that's good feedback indeed. I'm just sorry I had to write about it. Hopefully, my follow-up piece will be about how it got completely scrapped. But there's a long way to go yet.
Those on a budget might wish to check out a company called Pet Assure. It is not traditional insurance but rather a veterinary discount plan that my husband and I have had pretty good luck with. It only costs around $7/month for each of our two Corgis!
Yes, some people do gross or dangerous things in their attempts so save a few cents.
Great breakdown of the issues Paul. This issue hasn't been covered enough in the media. Thanks for bringing it to the attention of our readers.
So many delicious foods on this list. I'm also in the throws of a sweet potato obsession right now. I've always liked them, but this winter I've taken to baking a few sweet potatoes at once and keeping them in the fridge. The other day I took one out and ate it straight, no butter or anything. It was so good!
I think that part of the problem might just be that women have more options.
Personally, I've had good luck with boots from Frye (I found a pair on Overstock) and Bronx, although my longest-lasting pair of boots came from a vintage store. Right now I'm wearing a pair of Birkenstock clogs that have been my "house shoes" for the last seven years. As for dress shoes, I've had good luck getting a pair of shoes from Aldo reheeled.
I also haven't shopped there much myself, but I know my mom often buys shoes at Bass, and they've lasted her quite some time.
Anybody have other suggestions?
Cauliflower is delicious when oven-roasted with a little olive oil and a lot of rosemary (preferably fresh rosemary, but even dried will do)
I love this article! Especially your first point, which was the one I related the most to - I've always felt I needed to dedicate huge chunks of time or nothing at all to a project to be productive, but doing what I can in small bits works tremendously! Right now I work at a job where my schedule is different every day, so it's difficult to really get into a routine with projects outside of that - some days I have 2 hours and others 10! Now I'm really trying to embrace this idea of doing what I can, when I can - and I can already see a huge difference. Thanks!