are you a frugalista?

Philippines
February 14, 2009 11:52am CST
there are many fashionistas all over the globe. we tend to converge when the new season showers us with new lines, and we clap our hands like children whe we see the perfect white blouse or the perfect little black dress. but are you also a frugalista? do you try to shop only during sales as much as possible? do you hunt down cheap fashionable buys? or do you prefer high-end, expensive items? have you ever heard of the word "frugalista" before? :D
5 people like this
15 responses
@Wizzywig (7847)
14 Feb 09
I have heard the word and I guess I would be classed as one except that my cheap buys do not have to be 'fashionable'... in fact, I'd probably prefer that they weren't. I have no problem with buying from charity shops and accepting 'hand-me-downs'. I bought boys shoes for work as they were similar to the style of the womens ones but 25% cheaper (I have to wear flat black shoes)
4 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
being on a budget is rather hard, is it not? but it's a good thing that you've become creative to make ends meet. :D
2 people like this
• United States
20 Feb 09
I have a tendency to agree with Wizzywig on the shoes! I have very small feet and more often than not it pays me to buy little boy's runners compared to little girl's or woman's. As for dress shoes I usually end up with little girl's shoes. The woman's size 5 is usually a tad too big. Considering that pantyhose have to be worn with them your feet generally slide around in them and you get blisters easier. Sometimes I will hit it lucky and find a pair of size 5's that are made smaller. This is so weird because when I was in high school I wore high heels all the time and they were a size 5. Either my feet have shrunk or they're making shoes bigger these days.
• Philippines
20 Feb 09
i have the exact opposite problem! i have really long feet. they're not HUGE; just long. so i need long shoes which are small (in width at least). unfortunately, it's hard to find cheap shoes in my size here in my country as my feet are 1 inch bigger than the biggest size my country carries! lol so i end up buying the expensive, imported shoes, because foreign brands carry bigger sizes. :/
• United States
14 Feb 09
Lorl I guess I'm with these people, I shop walmart clearances sometimes, its nice to get something brand new, but usually I just go to the thrift store :) Clothes for a buck, who can argue?
3 people like this
• United States
22 Feb 09
Or just really mad skilled :P Sewing helps, When I can get gorgeous in fashion things for only a couple bucks because I modded them from the thrift shop, Thats pretty frugal, so does that count as being frugalista?
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
i love the sale season. when everything upscale is on sale, whew! my heat goes a-flutter. then i get to buy clothes worth a thousand bucks for less than half its original price. that's right, today's fashionista has to be practical. today's fashionista has to be a frugalista to stay as a fashionista! =)
2 people like this
• United States
14 Feb 09
Hi! Yes, I am now frugal because of the hard economic times. I was not this frugal before, though. Nowadays, I often go to shops when they are on sale. There are many shops here in the US that sell good quality clothes for less. Besides that, I have now believe that it is not the brand of clothes but the wearer (or the one who carries the clothes) that makes the fashion statement. Why carry Prada when one is a sloppy dresser, anyway? Just my opinion. Happy myLotting!
3 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
oh, perhaps you mean that style is even more important than fashion. which is true in my opinion. :) happy myLotting to you as well! thanks for posting!
2 people like this
• Philippines
14 Feb 09
i am not familiar with the term since we don't use it here in the philippines but based on the answers here, i am now familiar with it;s definition and YES. lol. a big yes to that. i am one of those "frugalistas". though there are times that i don't deprive myself in buying the ones that are expensive/newest display but most of the time, you can find me in surplus shops or boutiques who are in sale. since i am out of school, i've been having part time jobs and it's really hard to earn money most especially when you are overworked and underpaid (bummer). lol but i do buy myself some of the new releases. to reward myself. lol. looking forward to watch Isla Fisher's Confessions of a Shopaholic. =))
3 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
seriously? now that's a trivia. LOL now i am embarrassed. maybe i am not so updated with magazines. i am just able to browse them whenever i'll have a sleepover at my cousin's house.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
actually, i read the word "frugalista" in a top-selling philippine fashion magazine. :D yes, it's rather hard to buy expensive clothes when you're on a budget. i think that's why they came up with the "frugalista" word as an alternative to "fashionista." i love it when certain foreign brands go on sale in the philippines as they go to as low as 70% off. :D
2 people like this
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
15 Feb 09
I have not heard the word but it works. I have to be frugal due to a low income and I imagine a few people are finding out they should have been frugal as they have been laid off work and now find themselves forced to economize. I belong to a frugal board, http://www.frugalshopper.ca/phpbb2/index.php for Canadians. We swap ideas, bargains, etc. back and forth and it works out pretty good. I guess if you have lots of money it is ok to splurge but a lot of people want to look rich when they do not have the income and look on frugality as shameful.
3 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
oh, why is there shae on trying to live within your means? if those people prefer expensive fashion, that's alright. but if they think that trying to save money is shameful, then that's a different thing altogether. i'm also trying to save on shopping. i've always loved to shop, but i've learned to be wiser as i grow older. i now wait for sales (as the prices go as low as 70% off). i don't buy anything on impulse and try to sleep on my choices before i buy, so as to avoid making purchases that i'll regret later. it's nice that you have a frugal board. perhaps we should have that in our country.
2 people like this
@maezee (42003)
• United States
15 Feb 09
I've never heard of that word before - but I LOVE & I think I'm going to start using it in my everyday speech. "Hi, my name is Lyss.. And I'm a frugalista". :] I LOVE sales. I LOVE thrift stores. Why not, right? You can find some pretty cool & unique things at thrift stores & on clearance racks - so why not?
3 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
when someone askes me what my favorite season is, i usually say "sale season." style doesn't have to be expensive. especially nowadays when money hardly comes by. =)
2 people like this
@Bevsue (251)
• United States
15 Feb 09
No, I haven't heard the word before but it is certainly a good idea, isn't it?
2 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
it's being used everywhere nowadays, but it's a relatively new word. =)
2 people like this
@AnythngArt (3302)
• United States
14 Feb 09
I don't see any reason you can't be both at the same time. Spending money wisely doesn't negate having a good sense of fashion and style. Of course being frugal and buying high-end clothing is not easy, but being stylish has more to do with one's personal statement (what works for you) than buying the hottest item of the season. You can buy the most expensive dress by a designer label and if it looks awful on you, you've just wasted a ton of money. That said, I have also found that sometimes investing in good quality clothing with high price tags can make good sense if you wear the item for years. Timeless doesn't have to mean lacking in style. If you are old enough, you realize that ideas get circulated, vintage becomes hip, and old is new again. The most important thing is not to waste money on trendy clothes (cheap or expensive) that you don't wear, don't look great on you, and end up sitting in a closet somewhere. Fashionistas know how to capitalize on a style that works for them, and Frugalistas know how to get those clothes at a great price. I say, try both!
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
yep, actually, fruglista is a new term for the modern fashionista who knows how to buy fashion on a budget. =) fashionista & frugalista are not opposites; they belong in the same spectrum. and it's true, style outweighs fashion. fashion is evanescent and changes day by day. style is something you carry with you everyday whether your outfit is worth a million bucks or half-off from last season's sale. thanks for a well thought of post! happy myLotting! ;D
2 people like this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
14 Feb 09
i only buy clothes when they are on sale, so i guess i am pretty frugal. i have been known to buy clothes at thrift stores too and seldom hit the mall unless its a sidewalk sale! my daughters tell me that my favourite word is 'sale'!
2 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
that's my favorite word, too! can they blame us? my mind goes blank when i see or hear the word "sale." =)
2 people like this
@Monki883 (54)
• United States
16 Feb 09
lol,,I would have to say I have never heard this word ,but definately would day that I am one,,I am always at the thrift shops & never pass a clearance rack,, I have gotten some very nice clothes & hosehold items this way,,never pass up a bargain!
1 person likes this
• Philippines
16 Feb 09
haha yes, it's nice to spot great finds at bargain stores. other than looking at thrift shops, i also wait for my favorite upscale stores to go on sale. you can't lose that way. :)
@Paula1966 (1102)
• United States
14 Feb 09
I like that term. I'm frugal, but not a frugalista, although I would like to be. I just get frustrated with clothes and shoes and such, so I tend not to shop much at all.
2 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
i think you are lucky. getting addicted to shoes and bags and clothes (oooh the clothes, the smell and feel of every fabric) is a very expensive vice! ;b
2 people like this
• United States
15 Feb 09
I've heard of the word and I'm definitely a frugalist! I only shop sales (I don't believe in paying full price for anything!) And I do a lot of shopping at second hand shops and yard sales (I say let someone else pay the high prices!) for everything from clothes to household goods.
• United States
17 Feb 09
Even when I go to second hand stores I set a price limit on what I'll pay for an item. I live in the US in NY and we have some really good second hand stores here. Also I am originally from PA and still have family that live there. Definitely some excellent second hand shops there. My mom bargain hunts for me and often picks up name brand clothes for under $1.
• Philippines
16 Feb 09
haha, welcome to the world of the frugalistas! =) i love shopping when everything is on sale. but sometimes, even second hand clothes are actually expensive (at least in my country), where the prices may even be as expensive as higher end regular priced clothes! i think it's because they label the clothes as "vintage" and they charge higher for such finds...
• Philippines
17 Feb 09
good for you guys. here, most second hand shops never offer good clothes. the clothes are about to fall off your back, so they're not even worth a penny. and the used but branded clothes go to expensive "vintage" shops... but it's okay, as clothes go on sale here quite often. and when they're on sale, they're so cheap they might as well give them away! =)
@TLChimes (4822)
• United States
14 Feb 09
Other then food, I hardly ever pay full price for anything. It's how I've lived since I was small because of the childhood I had. It stuck harder when I had a growing family that has medical needs that far out reach my need for a new whatever. The kids even know to look on the sales rack before asking to get something.
2 people like this
• Philippines
15 Feb 09
then you are a frugalista indeed. it's the way to go. money doesn't grow on trees. hey, style doesn't have to be expensive after all. =)
2 people like this
• United States
15 Feb 09
Not me, I'm the opposite. Don't even check for prices.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Feb 09
Ok it looks like we have a lot of frugalista among us! But I wonder to what extent some carry being frugal. For instance..... I wonder how many people grab extra napkins and straws at say McDonald's every time they go in instead of buying them. I know for myself I grab extras and keep them in the car. The kids always seem to need them when we're out and about. Also our McDonald's now gives out ketchup packets instead of using a pump dispenser. If the kids don't use up all the packets I don't throw them away. I take them home and use them when we go on picnics during the summer. It cuts down on what you have to carry with you. Instead of carrying big bottles of condiments I pull out my baggie of packets.
• United States
21 Feb 09
If you stop and think about it those little condiment packages are probably more expensive than we think. First there's the expense of growing the product(s) to put into those pkg (in some form or another energy is being used to produce/ship the products), then there is the shipping to a plant, after that comes the production of the product inside the packet plus the pretty wrappings, then they have to be shipped back out to the store or buyer, and this is not to mention the employees need to be paid for their work too! I know those little packets are small and tossing them for some people is no big deal. Maybe those type of people should stop and think what if everyone in the world just tossed one of those packets. Can you possibly imagine the mountain of packets there would be?
• Philippines
21 Feb 09
exactly. hehe. it would make a big difference if everybody did just one simple thing like save a packet of ketchup instead of throwing it away. hm, perhaps frugalistas are not just a new breed of fashionistas, but also a new breed of environmentalists? ^_^
• Philippines
20 Feb 09
i do the same. at first i wouldn't admit that it's because i'm frugal (hehe) but because it just makes good sense to save the things you won't need for now. it's being friendly to the environment as you don't throw out, say, ketchup sachets. i have a mini collection of extra condiments. but i'd say my best and probably most expensive "collection" is that of artificial sweeteners from coffee shops. mind you, i don't actually ask for 5 sachets then use just one, lol. but i always carry one sachet of sweetener in my bag which i haven't used up completely because it's such a waste to use less than half THEN throw out the rest. artificial sweeteners are so expensive! anyway, i would use the packet of sweetener i'm carrying, then i keep the sachet that automatically comes with my coffee. i save money, and in a little way, i am exercising waste management and even conservation! hehe ^_^