Showcase: My Money and My Life
Story girl blogs at My Money and My Life. Check out her fresh perspective on distinguishing between cheap and frugal - but don't forget to come back and read her interview!
Why be frugal?
There are so many reasons I don't even know where to start. We're drowning in student loan debt that I really want to be rid of. My husband is a student and I am a teacher, and so our income is a little bit low. None of that, though, would be enough to make us frugal if we hadn't made a decision about the way we wanted to live. I see plenty of grad students spending more than they make and banking on their future incomes to bail them out, and that seems foolish to me. To me, it only makes sense to always do the most you can with what you have and never to count on anything as secure.
Also, there is a strong environmental and social component to my frugality. Even if something cost me nothing, I feel like wasting it would be morally wrong. People take for granted that the things we have in abundance are that way for everyone, and will be forever. I don't think that's true. I think we need to take a broader look at the impact of our decisions and be good stewards of everything we are given.
How does the rest of your family feel about your frugal ideas?
My mother learned from my grandmother how to pinch a penny until it screams. Even though my parents could be featured in The Millionaire Next Door, my mother still calls me gleefully when she finds a $5 purse at Walmart. It's pretty fair to say that I came by my frugality honestly. In fact, if anything, my parents probably think I'm silly and careless for spending as much as I do (which really isn't very much!)
How important is frugality to you? Casual interest, hobby, lifelong habit, or insane fanatical obsessive compulsion?
It comes and goes in cycles. Sometimes I forget that frugality is about prioritizing, about using what you have to the best of its potential so that you have enough left for things that matter to you. Sometimes I deprive myself, and I rebel against myself like a child. I usually come back to a pretty clear level in the end again.
Did it take you a while to "find your voice," or do you feel you've always been the same as a blogger?
Sometimes I think I'm still finding my voice, not just on my blog but in my life. I'm young, I'm still fairly newly married, and I haven't fully decided yet who I want to be. The thing I love most about frugality is that it lets me open my life to whatever comes and make choices that are more fulfilling and meaningful to me.
Thanks for your time, story girl!
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2 Responses to “Showcase: My Money and My Life”
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:15 am
I do so agree with you that frugality is partly about good stewardship of resources — both financial and environmental. If we buy something secondhand at a fete I almost feel that I am ‘borrowing’ it — when we have finished enjoying our new item, it will hopefully go to the secondhand shop, from where it will find a new home.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:46 am
I like the idea of mom being happy with a $5 purse at Walmart!
Years ago, my bil had a Carvel franchise. I don’t know if they exist elsewhere besides New York and Florida, but Carvel Ice Cream is a HUGE company. The founder was the late Tom Carvel. My bil got to meet him. Tom was pawing through coupons in his hand, looking for a mayonnaise coupon. Imagine that…a man worth millions, looking to save a few pennies on mayo? Maybe that is why the rich stay rich…they know where to spend, but more important, where to save!
No need to deprive yourself…it really is a matter of asking if you really, truly want something. And then realizing, if you don’t get it NOW…well, that just means something better might be coming along!
Great interview. Now I’m off to read about the differences between frugal and cheap!
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