Frugal versus cheapskate
Where do you draw the line between frugal and cheapskate?
I pondered this when I (accidentally, I swear) read most of The Cheap Book: The Official Guide to Embracing Your Inner Cheapskate at a bookstore* the other day.
To me, it's a cost-benefit analysis. Frugal is the conservation of money, time and resources, whereas cheapskates compromise integrity/safety/logic to save a dime.
For example, as Dan Thanh pointed out yesterday, we have perfectly good water coming out of taps in this country and I have a travel mug, so why spend money on bottled water?
But I don't avoid social encounters that involve food or drink for fear of a restaurant markup and a tip at the end. Nor would I skip every other oil change, or unshop consumer goods.
There is no shame in saving yogurt or other containers to bring leftovers for lunch, but I refuse to reuse dental floss. I'll pay a premium for pre-washed, bagged salad greens because money spent on food that spoils before it's eaten is wasted money, and I'm more likely to eat fruit or vegetables that are conveniently packaged like baby carrots, grape tomatoes or bananas.
Sometimes these efforts verge on the impractical. My dad's not the kind of guy who will drive very far on fumes in search of a cheaper station, because he points out you end up using gas to conduct the hunt. But he also never fills up his gas tank completely because he's unwilling to use gas to carry a full tank around.
The cheaper options often turn out to be the greener choice, as well. I turn off the dishwasher before the drying cycle, because why pay for energy to perform a task that will happen on its own, as long as the laws of nature continue to function?
But seriously, washing and reusing resealable plastic bags, plastic wrap or aluminum foil? I'd rather avoid using these items and spend that time figuring out how to arrange all the yogurt containers in my cupboard so I don't perish under an avalanche of reusable cups when I open the door.
What about you, faithful readers ... what are you unwilling to do to avoid spending a buck? What's worth your time in pennies saved?
*I did buy books that day ... but from the clearance rack.
Comments
For me, the number one above all else way to save time, money, fuel, sanity, and other things still is to order EVERYTHING online. Unless it's necessary to have that very second or there's absolutely no sense in buying it online and having it shipped to me, I see little reason not to.
You can almost always find what you want for less money than at a brick/mortar location, you don't have to drive to get it, wait in line, PAY SALES TAX, ...but you have to wait an extra 2-3 days for it. And usually, shipping is discounted on orders over a certain value. As long as you can get into the swing of planning ahead for your purchases, most pre-ordered things like DVDs and such will arrive the day of their release!
This extends to groceries, excluding produce, dairy and meat. Amazon has an awesome grocery section with free shipping on orders over $25, plus you don't pay sales tax or have to deal the aforementioned issues of shopping IRL. I order, say, three pounds of coffee, and reorder when I'm down to my last pound. You can even "subscribe" to products you know you use routinely and save even more.
Some people I know even order their clothing online in huge numbers and just send back the stuff they don't want, but that's kind of where I draw a line - I enjoy seeing if it fits right then and there and not having to deal with sending anything back.
Once the routine of ordering all of these everyday things online sets in, you begin to notice that your weekends are magically free!
Posted by: Evan | March 25, 2008 12:49 PM
I usually consider myself to be pretty frugal (I stayed in a hostel in hawaii), but I also try to consider my impact on the environment (and have since our "conservation assemblies" in elementary school decades ago). I agree with Liz that these things often go hand in hand (using less energy and water saves money) but not all the time.
I'd rather buy local goods whenever possible, which is often more expensive. I also try to buy things with the least amount of packaging, so I'll will buy something that costs more if I have less to throw away. I'm sure there are other things, but none that come to mind immediately.
I have question Liz - I was told that you lose less gas to evaporation if you keep your tank full. But your dad's theory makes sense to me too, sort of.
I just heard that myself! I'll follow up and get back to you -- lfk
Posted by: aeb | March 25, 2008 6:02 PM
liz, i'm still trying to figure out if i save more buying my lunch every day (since it can be expensive) or buying groceries to pack my lunch every day (which can also be expensive since some of my food always spoils because i can't eat it all in time). i need food manufacturers to package stuff for single people.
DD, I don't know ... sometimes manufacturers' attempts to make food for single people leads to scary results . -- lfk
Posted by: dan thanh | March 25, 2008 6:58 PM
I am glad you are promoting reuse as it has substantial environmental, economic and charitable benefits but is often misunderstood and overlooked. If you are interested in an exploration of reuse in all areas please take a look at my book, “Choose to Reuse.” (coauthored with Nikki Goldbeck)
Posted by: David | March 26, 2008 8:34 AM
OMG dan thanh - I have been complaining about the same thing for years - grocery store food seems to keep getting bigger and bigger (family size!) and since I am just buying for myself, it's almost always TOO MUCH FOOD.
Maybe I should start a food-sharing program for singles. :)
DD: oooh, aeb, i would join! i bet others would, too. i hate hate hate letting food go to waste.
Posted by: aeb | March 26, 2008 12:40 PM