Are You Taking Frugality Too Far?

[Gregg]

Interesting article today gives a little insight into the difference between being frugal and being cheap (or downright dishonest).

Like one guy in the article we have a friend who routinely stops at hotels for a "free" breakfast on his way to work. DW and I used to own a hotel so always get a little p.o.'ed at that one. Another acquaintance went to see a shuttle launch, but first went to Wal-Mart and bought the most expensive binoculars and digital camera they had. Used both all day then took them back the next morning for credit...after he downloaded his photos to be printed at Wal-Mart!

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/are-you-taking-frugality-too-far.aspx?ec_id=m1078093

[iris lily]

These actions are unethical.

[goldensmom]

The examples you cite are not frugal or even cheap they are just plain wrong.

[Mrs-M]

It's a good article in the fact that it raises attention to and brings to the forefront those who are sly and underhanded. Not SL, frugal, or simple at all.

[Gina]

There's frugal, there's cheap, and there's dishonest.

Frugal is using less in general, but not harming anyone includng yourself.

Being cheap to me is short-changing your own self by selecting the cheapest of everything for yourself, or totally doing without, when the only goal is saving money and there really would be enough without putting yourself or your goals in financial jeopardy.

Doing things that short-change others is simply dishonest - shorting tips, using things with the intent of returning them to stores, ... sadly the list is long.

[loosechickens]

I don't consider those examples either frugal OR cheap. I consider them dishonest.

To me, frugal is seeking the best value (which often does not mean the cheapest price), questioning whether the purchase is necessary, wise or fits with my long term goals, of financial management, care for the environment, etc. It is NEVER at the expense of others.

Cheap is what I would call "cheeseparing", which I define as focusing mostly on price, buying the cheapest brands or version, sometimes sacrificing quality, value, etc., because the focus is so much on "saving money"......(an example comes to mind of an old friend who, when we were meeting for lunch, seemed to think that standing in a newly opened gas station eating a hot dog available for 25 cents and a free drink constituted a social occasion, because "we saved money"). Cheap is sometimes obtained by not being fair to others, such as eating out and stiffing the waitstaff.

But the examples in the OP go far beyond either, and are simply dishonest. There is no difference between that and stealing.....again exemplified by a nameless acquaintance who once bragged to me that she got a "really good deal" because she went to a department store and discovered an $89 pan with an incorrect price tag of $29 and bought it. A few days later, she returned the pan to the store, said she "lost her receipt", and pocketed a return of $89. She seemed clueless when I not only did not think she had "gotten herself a great deal", but told her that if I had a business and she was an employee, I'd never let her anywhere near the cash register, because if she'd steal from that department store, she'd surely steal from me.

Those kind of people give frugal people a bad name.

[Hattie]

But the examples in the OP go far beyond either, and are simply dishonest. There is no difference between that and stealing.....again exemplified by a nameless acquaintance who once bragged to me that she got a "really good deal" because she went to a department store and discovered an $89 pan with an incorrect price tag of $29 and bought it. A few days later, she returned the pan to the store, said she "lost her receipt", and pocketed a return of $89. She seemed clueless when I not only did not think she had "gotten herself a great deal", but told her that if I had a business and she was an employee, I'd never let her anywhere near the cash register, because if she'd steal from that department store, she'd surely steal from me.

Those kind of people give frugal people a bad name.

When people do these kinds of things, we ALL pay! I had "Christian" neighbours who one summer went to Walmart, bought a volleyball set for their backyard, bathing suits for their kids and a cage for their pet hamster. When summer was over, they had the nerve to return the volleyball set AND the bathings suits and GOT THEIR MONEY BACK!!! Oh - and the hamster cage - well when the hamster died a year later, they returned the cage and got the money back on that too! I was so angry when they proudly told me all this. Walmart and other stores don't just eat these costs - they pass them on to the rest of us as consumers. It is stealing - plain and simple!

[Anita]

It's stealing and I find those people just disgusting.Nothing to do with being frugal.
Anita

[Charity]

Someone I work with was taking a family vacation and bought one of those DVD players that goes over the back of a car seat so the kids can watch movies in the back. He kept the packaging and promptly returned it when vacation was over. I agree with all of you. It's theft.

[heydude]

Simple Living, to me, is not about money. The goal of simple living is to figure out what your life is about and what you want out of life. The goal is to figure out your passion. Once you know your passion, your goal is to spend as much time and as much money on that as possible. (Most of the time though, people have found that money spent on something usually does not fulfill them and they have found that their passions are usually not about "buying something" but about doing something or spending time on something or with people). Simple Living is a lot about rejecting the consumerism culture. Stuff and hard work does not equal happiness.

So in the process, this means not spending money and time on things that add nothing to your life and your passion. So you'd try to retire early or lower your hours at work as soon as you can if your work is not what is adding to your life purpose. Or at least to get your work vs. free time to enjoy passion at a better balance.

For example, not spending a lot of money on junk or the fall's new fashion because it has all been marketed to make you think you need it when in fact you like spending time with your dogs. And you want to spend more on dog toys or dog vacations.

Simple Living is about doing what you love in life and spending less and doing less of what you don't. Some would argue all the time spent coupon clipping is not worth the savings because the time could have been spent doing something they love. Of course, some people love coupon clipping. It is all relative. You have to figure out what your goal is for yourself. Simple Living can mean different things to different people depending on what they have figured out their purpose or passions to be.

[Gregg]

It is SO refreshing and SO comforting to be part of a group that really does understand the moral implications of their actions and as a simple matter of course works so hard to stay on the high road. Reading the replies here was not surprising at all, but it still made my day. Thanks y'all.

[Greg44]

I sat and watched a family at Taco Bell load up on the free sauce packets. They all took a huge amount before eating - obviously for later use. As they were finishing and picking up their garbage, they all (including the Dad) all went and got another handful of sauce packets. I bet they left with 25+ packets.

Sure they are out for the taking, but that was stealing. Not being frugal.

[Gina]

A long time ago on a forum far, far away, there was a 'frugal' thread. Someone suggested when eating out to take many extras of sauce/mayo packets, napkins, etc. as a means of saving $$. A few of us gently suggested that was stealing. The person got very defensive...

[kib]

I find it annoying that the article makes sure to lump dishonesty and thrift into one nice neat spectrum called "frugality". Theft is not the far end of the frugality scale, it's something else entirely.

I weaned DH off one habit, The Napkin Grab. Not only are they not there for the taking in double handfuls, we don't even use paper napkins. I don't think he ever saw it as stealing though, it was more like he saw it as a free offering he should take advantage of. I disagree. Do still occasionally find handfuls of napkins in His car, tho. What's that say ... :moon: perhaps. Lol.

[simplelife4me]

I only disagree with the illegal acts. Much of the article is junk to me.