FRUGAL LIVING: PASSION OR PITFALL

I believe being "frugal" is a part of responsible living - after all we are called to be "good stewards of our time, MONEY, and our talents" - HOWEVER, responsible living is also about "BALANCE".

I've written about this before but got to thinking about this again when I read an article from MSN Money called "17 Signs That Frugality Has Gone Too Far". I know, I know - some of you might be saying "Really, it can go too far??" and to that I say "ABSOLUTELY"!

You've heard me say time and time again that my long time frugal living mentor, Anjie, always says "Never, never, never a price for anything" - to which I will concur completely! I have too - it's permanently etched into my brain! BUT - "living for" FREE stuff or pinching pennies - umm, not sure that's healthy.

There is a certain 'rush' of excitement that is generated when you first begin your quest for a more 'frugal' lifestyle - but it evens out as time goes on and you learn what is useful and good for you and your family's lifestyle. If it becomes all you think about and talk about - well...time to reconsider your life choices a little - in my opinion, humble as it may be.

Below are a few things from the article that stood out to me:

1. You spend many, many hours a week on frugality. Been there, done that!! I use to spend most of my Sunday clipping coupons, combing the Internet and Sunday paper for coupons, organizing and coordinating coupons with the current ads. What did I eventually figure out? MOST of the stuff I got I really didn't NEED! It was blatant out of control 'consumerism' at work. Do I still use coupons? You betcha! I have a few questions I ask myself now: 1) Do we need this product? 2) Does this product fall in line with my beliefs on healthy living (i.e. is there a 'fresh' version of this available) and 3) Does this product match up with my belief on packaging of products (i.e. recyclable or little to no packaging). I decided my time was valuable too, so at what cost were these coupons taking on my life? Check out Couponing 101 for more information.
   
2. You hoard items just because you get a good deal on them. This goes hand in hand with my comment above. Just because it's a dollar or less or FREE, if you don't need it or don't have someone in mind that DOES need it (emphasis on NEED) - that is not being frugal - it's poor stewardship. Again, it's about balance. I do plan ahead - I have a 'stock pile' (sorta) of things I have picked up because they were a fabulous deal - BUT, they have a purpose! Birthday gifts, baby shower gifts, toothpaste, shampoo, et al. At one point I had to step back even on that point - just how much toothpaste and shampoo does one person need to stock up on? Seriously! There is the whole issue of having to "manage" the "stuff" you're getting. I'm a pretty organized person and even I had to step back and say "Whoa, Nelly!" If you have to go out and buy bins and boxes and shelving just to manage your "stuff" - you've gone to far! In fact, you could be bordering on hoarding.
3. You have no social life. Even the most frugal among us find a way to invite friends over for movie night–$1 movie from Redbox, potluck dinner to keep things affordable, etc. Frugality should not come before friends or events. If you sit at home and indulge yourself with bad habits (i.e. cable TV movie charges, cigarettes, liquor etc) but say you can't afford to do something with friends - step back and check out your priorities. No judgment here, necessarily, everyone is entitled to their own choices but I'm just sayin'...For example: This last week one of my besties and her husband went with us to a FREE screening of a new movie that just came out. We had a good time and spent $1.09cents! I took snacks from our cupboard and bought a large soda at McDonald's for $1.09cents and put it in my reusable stainless steel bottle to drink in the movie! The theater was minutes from home and we even scored additional FREE movie passes for an upcoming movie while we were there!
   
4. You compromise your safety. The MSN article talks about people who choose to eat 'expired foods' to save money! Not wise! Neither is forgoing the replacement of batteries in your smoke detector or home alarm system simply because you can't find a 'deal' or coupon on the batteries! Complete non-sense! Seek out the best option for purchase and do it...else you may find all those coupons and extras going up in flames!
5. You never treat yourself to something indulgent. After becoming a mom and having to put their needs in front of my own, I think one of the hardest things for me was to remember to spend a little time and money on myself. I have learned to indulge myself frugally though and I do it through deals and rewards programs. I watch, I wait and I pounce when the time is right! Free movie here, Amazon.com gift cards there, free tickets to concerts and events, etc. I enjoy Starbucks on occasion, pedicures, events and more. We eat out at restaurants but we always (well at least 99% of the time) do it frugally. If you're not already signed up for GROUPON or LIVING SOCIAL do it now - that way you can indulge yourself at a discount! You can check out other reward programs HERE for ways to 'indulge' without breaking your budget.
   

Frugal is great! Free is great! Fun is better! Family and Friends are best! My Favorite "F" Words!