What’s wrong with being frugal?

The word frugal has so many negative connotations. To be described as frugal is to be miserly, mean, penny pinching. It’s not a word any of us would relish being known as.

We’d much rather be seen as generous, lavish and indulgent. But at its core, frugality is about living without waste and practicing economy. In a world full of such waste surely we should all be honing frugality over wastefulness.

Make Do and Mend

In years gone by society had a “make do and mend” mentality but nowadays we seem to be a throwaway society. Rather than put a stitch in something, we’ll throw it away. Rather than use the items in our fridge we’ll throw them away to make room for more food.

It’s a never ending cycle.

Years ago we’d have to save to make a big purchase. Now we can often get things instantaneously on our credit cards or with a 0% interest loan. Maybe because of the effort and hard work it took to save for items we took care of them as we knew these items had to last us years.

Shift in Thought

In recent years there has been a real push towards sustainability. Whether that’s renewable energy, less plastic usage, recycling, etc. Surely that’s all part of the ethos of frugality?

During the pandemic of 2020, whether it was intentional or not, we embraced the fundamentals of frugality. We became much more mindful of using up the food in our fridge, of growing our own vegetables, of baking, etc. Just take a look at Google Trends to see how the search for Banana Bread recipes went through the roof in 2020!!

Although the word “frugal” is still seen by many as negative, the fact that so many of the frugal traits are now being actively embraced must surely be a good thing. Whether you are embarking on a strict frugal lifestyle or you’re just looking to introduce a couple of things, I’m sure you will find some helpful information and ideas on this website.