Frugal or tight: Where's the line?

Frugal is when you use creativity, inspiration and passion to create wealth for self and others.  For example, the gardener lovingly tending his herbs and fresh tomatoes, the home cook who saves her family from salt, fat and atrocious quality, the gifted seamstress who can remake anything from drab to wow and extend the life of the ancient but well-made article, the person who always knows ten odd ways to make a quick honest buck in the hard times and tells others too.

Tight is, the person who steals the condiments in the restaurant and stiffs the waiter while paying 200% of what the meal would cost to make, the person who neglects their teeth and loses them, the person who cheaps out on car maintainance and drives a deathmobile.

We've all been both and it pays to watch out for reoccuring sins.

Both my wife and I grew up well below the poverty level, so we know how to be BF's or down right cheap, but through a little luck, a lot of hard work (we started at 16) and education (I have 3 MS degrees) we are now middle class millionaires.   We no longer need to live cheap, or even particularly frugal, and we don't.  We drive very nice cars, live in a nice home, eat out a couple of times a week. 

 

Yes, we still spend less than we earn, (the first rule for becoming rich), but we enjoy the fruits of our labors.  I did not work hard to get where I am to live like I was still poor.

"Take only what you need and leave the rest." Of course, that depends on what you view as needs vs. wants. I've lived in lean and plenty times - plenty is more fun!!! Just don't be a PIG.

Haha! I love the thing about the TV... I'm the same way! I want a flat screen and my fiance is DYING (or at least thinks he is!) for one but I refuse to get one while ours is working. We thought the sound was going on it and we were so excited, but it was just a glitch LOL. We don't have the money for one anyway...

 

I notice that people who have to be frugal now that weren't before seem to have cheap and frugal mixed up. I went grocery shopping with a friend (which shows a change in the economy - we used to go clothes shopping for fun LOL). She mentioned that she never understood how I could be so "cheap" all the time but now she was doing the same thing. So I asked her what I did that was cheap and she said comparing prices before buying instead of just getting name brands and clipping coupons... I couldn't believe that was her definition of cheap!

 

I will admit that I did something pretty cheap this last month. I was in a wedding and because I just had a baby I didn't get my bridesmaid dress until a week before the wedding. It was a pretty casual wedding so it was a cocktail dress from JC Penney. I carefully removed the tags while leaving the plastic string on it and then put the tags back on after the wedding and returned it... I only wore it for like 3 hours! It was only $25 because it was half off but we are BROKE so I couldn't help it! I consider that cheap because I feel like I cheated the system or ripped off the store.   

When I talk about this it is the difference between frugal and cheep.  Frugal is getting what you need at the best price.  Cheep is paying the lowest price no matter what.  I purchased a 60" DLP TV new (store return) for $600.  It was a quality set and cost half of the original price.  I paid an extra $100 for an extended warranty.  I got a quality name brand TV for less than most bottom of the line new 40" LCD's.  Even in this case it could have been costly because of the light but I checked and the light has a 2000 hour life, is designed to be replaced by the owner and costs less than $100.  I also found out that with a DLP when you replace the bulb it is like new where 50% of the LCD's quality is gone within 7 years.  That was frugal.  I got quality at an excellent price.  Cheep is keeping an outdated set and having to pay for a converter, antenna, etc. to keep it going.  In the short run it doesn't cost as much but in the long run it isn't worth the effort.

 

Just like skimping on maintenance for a car.  In the short run it is less costly but you will need to replace the car more often.  The last two cars I have purchased lasted 12 years each with regular maintenance.  Now, I could have purchased new cars every 3 or 4 years with less maintenance but  I didn't have a car payment for most of those 12 years and I didn't need to carry full coverage insurance.  I wonder which would save me more.   That's frugal.