Is there such a thing as being TOO cheap?
By mommyboo
@mommyboo (13174)
United States
July 31, 2011 3:21am CST
I have noticed a number of posts lately that deal with people being extremely cheap and/or frugal. I even posted one concerning groceries lol. HOWEVER... when you turn your nose up at even bare necessities and insist on doing without them or doing it all yourself, are you really doing yourself any favors?
Think about this. Just EXISTING is not LIVING. While there is a certain satisfaction one can receive to 'screwing the system' or getting a great deal there is nothing to be gained by forced deprivation for no reason. One can 'just get by' on very little and they may be PROUD of that, but how much are you actually enjoying your life? You can't take it with you when you die - or when this debt crisis actually becomes a crisis... or when the mayan calendar ends... or when some doomsday movie projects the ocean will flood all the land... so if you are reusing all your plastic bags until they disintegrate, recycling all the water you use from your shower to pour into your toilet bowl, making compost out of all your leftovers and making your neighbors sick, and using dish detergent to wash your dishes your clothes, your dog, and your hair, I think you MIGHT need to look out in the world for a few seconds once in awhile.
I mean, when your preschooler turns the light off on you while you are trying to get something out of the fridge and accuses you of 'wasting electricity', I think you have gone too far, don't you? Especially if she is wearing shoes that fit her two years ago and no longer fit but aren't 'worn out yet'....
1 person likes this
9 responses
@kelly10 (678)
•
31 Jul 11
It's not always a choice to be frugel, but rather something that is dictated by circumstances. Due to the recessions I was made redundant twice in 2 years and I have now been out of work for nearly a year, so I have to be very careful what I spend my money on. I can't just go out and buy what I want when I want as I have bills to pay.
So it's wrong to label all people that are being careful as having gone to far and they are just existing. Have you every been out of work or struggled to pay bills?
2 people like this
@macdingolinger (10385)
• United States
31 Jul 11
As with anything - it can go too far and be extreme. But I think being seriously frugal is a good idea. Not when it leads to the deteriment of children or neighbors though! lol! I have started making my own laundry soap and dishwaser soap and I really enjoy it. It saves me a lot and is better for hte environment as well. I don't think there's anything wrong with that...Adn I am wearing shoes that have huge holes in them! My sister told me they are my "homeless shoes" lol!
But I only wear them because they are comfortable...I really do have other shoes. And probably even those real extreme "savers" spend some sort of money somewhere (like on cable) that we think is a waste!! lol.. to each his own!
But I only wear them because they are comfortable...I really do have other shoes. And probably even those real extreme "savers" spend some sort of money somewhere (like on cable) that we think is a waste!! lol.. to each his own!
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
1 Aug 11
I can't say that I know of or have heard of anyone who lives like that.
I don't have much interest in the faux frugality that has gripped some people. I use coupons, but there is a limit to how much of anything one needs--and there are some things we simply do not need (such as those things that, while free or cheap, will end up costing us a lot of money in the long-run due to their negative effects on our health and/or the health of the environment). I do, however, have a great interest in voluntary simplicity... and that is not about being "deprived."
Our lives have become so cluttered and complicated that paring down seems like a good idea--not just for the environment but also for our own emotional and spiritual well-being. I want for my boyfriend and I to live richer lives by being less "consumers" and more "human." That isn't to say that I don't enjoy new things; in reality, I am a bit of a clothes horse and bibliophile. That is to say, however, that we don't want to just keep accumulating more stuff simply for the sake of having more stuff.
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
3 Aug 11
I do believe in being a good steward of what one has. That includes getting the most use out of one's material endowment. Of course shoes should fit properly, but re other resources we should conserve them as best we can without being ridiculously extreme. Reuse and recycle is common sense, but not to the point of absurdity.
@diala84 (138)
• United States
1 Aug 11
I think there is a lot one can accomplish by being frugal. Certainly there are extremists but if they are able to buy their own home, pay off their debt and save for retirement while working less. That seems a great goal to have. Not all in life requires money to make you happy and those with the most money aren't necessarily happy either.
I think it depends a lot on your personality and your ability to postpone monetary gratification as opposed to always needing short term gratification.I don't know about you but when I decrease my stress level my level of short term gratification decreases as well. Working less may equate to less stress and having more money saved means less stress as well. Maybe these people are better off than you think. =)
@Chicky86 (68)
• United States
1 Aug 11
Of course you can be too cheap! I am 17 and am very frugal. I hate spending large quantities of money when I don not need to. It is good in some sense but bad in others. Like, you will always save money and have back up money, but you may lose out on some opportunities only present from spending money. You also learn a lot from spending all your money and it helps to know it is hard to make the money back. Being too chep is not a good thing in most respects.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
31 Jul 11
The problem is in the definition. What you think is extreme may not be extreme at all by some and what you think is pretty tame frugality may be seen as extreme by others. I think that as long as no one is being physically damaged by it, one should be able to be as frugal as one likes without fear of being criticized.
@sukumar794 (5040)
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
31 Jul 11
A word of caution...nothing in this world is offered free or for a cost much lesser than its original intended worth.The offers in turn are all tricks of the trade .Beware lest you are deceived.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
31 Jul 11
Yes, there is definitely such a thing as being too cheap, I have heard many horror stories about that. I think saving money just becomes like an obsession for some and that's when it becomes a bad thing. That's my impression anyway.
