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| Last Monday |
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| This Monday |
When I logged in on Sunday to read the news an article written by Meredith Haggerty titled The novel frugality on the Vox web site popped up. It's an interesting read about intrinsically frugal people, where saving and looking for the best value and avoiding waste is part of a norm, and extrinsically, where circumstances of means and resources requires being a frugal person. The new frugality doesn't fit either model. I get the impression no one reading this blog is a spend thrift, with no appreciation in normal towns about the negative impacts of rampant consumerism. We all appear to try and do better with our money, resources, and time. Some are stock pilers and some are minimalists, and most of us are well in between. I think the bulk seem to be more on the intrinsic side, with some extrinsic pressure, even if temporarily, that moves the dial o our level of frugality.
With family and friends, I've heard examples of this novel frugality, the eating of sandwiches made with the bread butts as figuratively speaking, and not just by those who have had income hits. Is it that they can't or won't shop multiple stores to get the best deals, so making sure anything they have to buy at cost is used to depletion? Perhaps it's the intent to be able to give more to a charitable organization. Perhaps its fear that while fine today, tomorrow, next week, month, or year may be the challenge, if not for them, then a family member. Most likely no one reason, but a lot of reasons, using myself as my own example. I like to think part of it is the sense of community Meredith proposes in the article. The sense that we are all in this together and now is the time to maximize and appreciate what we have, not contribute to excess, so that those providing essentials have room and space to do so.
For us with regard to frugality, I'd say we build our live to try & save more than we earn. Beyond that, there are certain things we try to optimize for, but other things that our lives don't normally allow us to get the best deal on (e.g. we don't go to four grocery stores/week, use coupons very often, etc). However, we do clean our own house, stay on top of our own yard, maintain the pool, etc, which are things we could choose to outsource & don't. We also look at optimizing those things, and make adjustments as we can.
ReplyDeleteI feel lie with reading your blog, your comments, that we have similar views about money. It's about not wasting resources, but not being frugal to the point that it is over whelming-sort of picking priorities, including time. I love how you say your clean your own house, pool etc., but that task also teaches the kids that part of ownership has a responsibility. Well played!
DeleteI've always washed out plastic ziploc bags and eaten the crust off the bread. It's the way I was brought up (large family and not much money). My parents had to watch the money for obvious reasons. It was brought home to me one time when a friend was laughing at someone who washed out ziplocs and I just looked at her and said "so do I". It's all the more amazing because this friend's father died when she and her twin sister were 13 so her mom had a difficult time financially. Maybe it's a rejection of that relative poverty but she married a Swiss banker and total rejects frugality. She's still a lovely person, don't get me wrong, but she was horrified when I told her what my pension is - they must make about 6 times what I make - and asked how on earth I managed on so little. Each to his/her own I guess.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't ever washed out the sandwich zip locks, but the expensive big ones. Well, I was getting low on sandwich bags during this, and guess what, it takes no time at all to swish them around and they dry over night. I can see someone that became well off after being in hard times wanting to not think about saving now.
DeleteI am in the middle - not a prepper, have minimalist tendencies but not overboard. I had issues when I was a kid with food insecurity and being poor, not my Mom's fault but we were victims of circumstance with a deadbead Dad. I do think this pandemic has made people think of not wasting things, suddenly food has become so much more precious again. Also, picky people be damned, you get what you get when you get to the grocery store and if you don't get that it might not be there tomorrow so people are more accepting of that now. Some people will be forced into frugality unwillingly and only be that way until things get a tiny bit better, it is for those that I worry
ReplyDeleteI remember when my daughter found TP, when we were down to our last two rolls, which, we had found tucked in the back of a closet. IT was like the lottery! Now, I see it back but not in the floor to top shelf, and multiple brands. Brand loyalty is on the wayside-unless an unethical brand, I'm happy to have any.
DeleteI have to say I am frugal becasue I was forced to be, I did not like that my mother and grandmother were frugal, I thought they were cheap. Now I look back and I am so thankful for those skills. I wear frugality with pride.
ReplyDeleteWe were poorer than I really knew or understood until I was an older teen.We didn't lack for important things, but I know both were so stressed. I learned good and bad habits-like guilt about buying things for myself, as my mom would hide purchases from my dad.
DeleteI am very much not minimalist I suppose although i am not a "keeper" when it comes to family items and so on. I could be more frugal, but these days I aim for my frugality to also be sustaiable. I dont generally wash ziploc bags as such. I do use cloth instead of paper on most every front, avoid food waste and in general buy meat and stuff on sale (although as someone who refuses to go into stores right now and relies on delivery I will take what I can get price wise for food), and I believe the best way to save is to simply buy real food rather than packages-said of course, after my Schwan's order. My motto is to never spend full price and to use what I have first, I'm in pain now because I will have purchased 250 in clothes this month. But they were all NEEDED (albeit clothing I like) and will keep me quite awhile so my only other needed summer purchases is a pair of SAS Sandals. I do think that people are learning to be more frugal as well as sustainable. My seasonal sewing business this year is planned to be almost all cloth substitutes for disposable products with some other fun stuff thrown in. Off topic but I also hope that this pandemic has shown that EVERYONE should do the small things to make their homes places they are happy to be for awhile, and that everyone realizes we should all have hobbies, entertainments and such that are home based. That doesnt mean being crafty, My home is an escape, not a prison, ya know. and I have no doubt that we will be back in our homes this fall/winter.
ReplyDeleteBarb,
DeleteI so agree with what you said about doing small things to make your home a place to be happy. My home is my favorite place to be.
The concept of frugality isn't novel to me. Oh, sure, I balked as a teenager at my parents' habits, but in time, learned to see the lifestyle as a reflection of their values. I am not as frugal as they were, not by a long shot. But, I always knew that how we spend our resources, (money/time) reflects our values. As a recent college graduate, when I came to terms with what I really valued, the frugality followed easily.
I too enjoy my home-would like a lot of things improved, but that's part of living year after year and normal wear and tear and things get dated. As many of my hobbies though are social things-not necessarily expensive things, like trivia, and watching community plays and concerts. That has been toughest on me, not the home part.
DeleteI just read the virus has mutated and it is worse!
ReplyDeleteI think there was a bit of fear headlines today, but we know that all virus do mutate, and I'n sure that has been factored into the research, Still, we will be at this for a while.
DeleteI think I am frugal because it was just the way I was raised, not to be wasteful, to try and save for a rainy day. We did grow up poor which is why I just like to have plenty of food in my pantry, I know what its like to not have enough food as a kid and it just is something that never leaves I think. DH grew up middle class, has never gone without but his parents were not wealthy at all. I've accepted that I'll probably always worry about having 'enough' (food, savings, security) while he just never worries about it at all. I love getting a good bargain - if I lived in the US I'd be one of those extreme couponers even if I was wealthy :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have similar back grounds to you-I grew up, at least until my teen years, relativity low income, and he has always been middle income, on the high side of middle. Perhaps not when he was very young, so probably saw a lot of thrift, that helped his parents get where they eventually got. He's odd about money-very quick to get money tucked away, and very much wants to retire comfortably. I get a little irritated though that it seems like I make the sacrifices, and make the money stretch.
DeleteSince I live on the Canadian prairies winters can be harsh. So I am not a total prepper, but do stockpile items so that I don't have to go out in a blizzard. I try and save for those things which will bring enjoyment to my life, not just for the sake of saving.
ReplyDeleteIs it so much that it is a new frugality or just that people new to living a frugal life are trying to find their way?
Some of this could be because of empty shelves and hard to find ingredients in the stores.
God bless.
I am an emotional spender
ReplyDeleteIn the last two years I retired early and moved with my husband to Australia from the UK. I love Australia- but my husband left me and I felt unable to enjoy the adventure on my own
I am back in the family home in London, which has sold but delayed due to Covid, am awaiting my Decree Absolute/ my ex husband is remarrying and remaining in Australia.
We have no children- my health is poor, and I am spending thousands and still feel alone and pointless
Matu