Learning about frugality

Hi Everyone!

I’m Emily, from Troy, Ohio, and I’m so proud and excited to be one of the new AF writing team members!  This blog has been so helpful in keeping the Wasouf family budget low, both through Kelly’s insight and the tips and comments from the readers.  When Kelly invited me to join the team, one of the first thought in my head was, “what is almost frugal?”  So I threw together a little quiz…

1.  The alarm clock just buzzed away your good dreams.  You stumble out of bed, fumble into the shower.  Do you:

1. take a shower so long you run out of hot water, because that’s just how you roll.
2. no dawdling – in, soap, shampoo, rinse, out.
3. “navy shower” – in, wet down, turn off water while you soap up and shampoo, turn on water to rinse, out.

2.  What’s your choice of hair cleansing?

1. Pantene
2. Suave
3. Baking soda wash, apple cider vinegar rinse

3.  You’re all patted dry and powdered up.  How do you keep your underarms smelling inoffensive?

1. Degree or other name-brand
2. Crystal Rock
3. au naturel, as God created.

4.  You’re squeaky clean and ready to be caffeinated.  Do you:

1. leave for work a little early to hit the FourBucks on the way?
2. make yourself a latte with your fancy countertop cappuccino maker?
3. brew an old-fashioned pot of coffee, and take a second dose along in a thermos for the 2pm slump?

5.  Lunchtime!  The coworker is headed out to that trendy new bistro down the street and asks you to join her.  You:

1. grab your purse and head out the door.  It was so nice of her to ask, you may even offer to cover the whole bill!
2. regretfully decline.  You still have half of that $5 Footlong from yesterday’s lunch in the breakroom fridge.
3. smile and invite her to join you eating the delightful lunch you packed before coming to work.  There’s enough hummus and pita bread for both of you!

6.  Finally, another workday is over.  You have to pick up a few things for dinner tonight.  You go:

1. to the nearest Golden Arches.  Cooking takes too long, a Big Mac is much faster.
2. to the grocery store and stand in the Express (ha!) Lane  with all the other tired, hungry people just picking up a few things on their way home.
3. home and think of how you can improvise with items already in your pantry.

7.  Your family has just finished a sumptuous dinner and you’re basking in the glow of a meal well received.  What do you do with those leftovers?

1. Grab a few Rubbermaid containers.
2. Ziploc baggies and plastic wrap – disposable’s good.
3. Old margarine tubs & sour cream containers (bonus points if you take the food in that container to work the next day as lunch).

8.  You eat a vegetarian dinner:

1. Never, I’m 100% carnivore.
2. Weekly.
3. Almost always, meat is expensive, cruel, and riddled with antibiotics and hormones.

9. Your nightly ablutions include:

1. Lancome serums.
2. Good old-fashioned Ivory soap.
3. Homemade brown sugar scrub.

10. Your last act before climbing into bed is:

1. Turning down your cashmere sheets.
2. Turning down your husband. 
3. Turning down all the thermostats in the house.

Now add up all your answers – 1 point for option 1, 2 points for option 2, 48 points for option 3 (just checking if you’re awake, 3 points for 3’s.)  Here’s the breakdown:

• 10-14 – (Cuing in that famous scene from Clueless)  “Squeeel!  Makeover!”
• 15-24 – Congratulations, you’re “Almost Frugal”!  Savvy enough to be saving money, but still open to improvement.
• 25-30 – Why are you reading this and not writing it?

In case you were wondering, I got a 25.  No, the scores weren’t rigged – I still have much to learn.

Dare to share your score?

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