Is a frugality a full time job?
It seems so, in many ways. Between the coupon cutting and menu planning, hanging the laundry out to dry, organizing the childrens’ clothes for the next three years, cooking from scratch and so on, sometimes I feel that, to be frugal, you need to consecrate all your time to doing just that!
I asked the question on Twitter, and here’s what people said:
MoneyEnergyRT @extremejacob @Matt_SF @MattJabs @AlmostFrugal: Is frugality a full time job? –> No, but working to pay for everything is!
mmmeg@almostfrugal On the other hand, one of my most important/helpful “jobs” as a SAHW has been getting/keeping us frugal.
- mmmeg@almostfrugal Not like you can live entirely off of just being frugal, even if you can cut costs equal to someone’s paycheck.
- mmmeg@almostfrugal I agree with @Matt_SF. Frugality is more of a lifestyle choice than a “job”.
- extremejacob@Matt_SF @MattJabs @AlmostFrugal: Is frugality a full time job? –> No, but working to pay for everything is!
Matt_SFRT @MattJabs @AlmostFrugal: Is frugality a full time job? –> I’d prob say it’s a lifestyle choice, but a fulltime gig works well too.
MattJabsI think frugality is a full-time blessing. RT @AlmostFrugal: Is frugality a full time job? Share your thoughts.
What do you think? Is frugality a full time job for you?
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
My take is some mixture of what Matt and Jacob said. I agree with Matt’s point insofar as spending less on things gives you more freedom. Actually, Jacob would agree with this too… whereas working to pay for the things you want is just a way of staying on the hamster wheel. But it’s a full-time job in the sense that you can’t let your frugal habits slip. It’s an everyday thing.
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As mentioned in the twitter comments, I think it’s a lifestyle choice yet I also think one must always be aware in order to make choices that are in line with long-term goals. I know for me personally that if I make one less than frugal decision it’s easy for it to snowball and then I have to make a choice to get back on the band wagon.
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I totally agree with Nancy that Frugality is a lifestyle but it is very easy to get off track then you have to re-evaluate and start again. Sort of re-programming. It is so easy to be lazy and stop bringing your lunch or not prepared properly for the week and end up buying convenience foods or take aways.
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I think it also depends on how you practice frugality. My husband and I live very simply. We don’t spend a lot of extra time doing frugal things — in fact, our frugal lifestyle saves us time because we’re not running around shopping. And we avoid spending a lot of money just by being content homebodies.
That doesn’t mean that we aren’t doing a lot of frugal things, just that they aren’t taking up extra time in most cases. Instead of clipping coupons, we eat simply (lots of whole foods) and go to the farmers’ market now as well as a locally-owned grocery store. We cook stuff at home, but most of our meals only take a few minutes to make, even from scratch. I hang laundry, but indoors on friction hangers, so it saves me time from having to put them in the dryer, take them out, and then hang them.
Most of the time I spend on being frugal is learning about better ways to do things. And that has certainly been rewarding in many ways! I know that by implementing what I’ve learned we’ve cut our spending dramatically and really turned things around. So, while I do a lot of others things at home and with our business, that’s where we’ve seen the biggest help financially so far (though perhaps that also illustrates how bad we were doing before).
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Sometimes, I think it is too time consuming to be frugal. Many suggestions on frugality require minimal time and effort, like making a menu before going to the grocery store, turning off lights when not in use, and planning in advance for large purchases (rather than financing large purchases). However, I find many suggestions too burdensome to be a real benefit for me. For example, going to different garage sales or second hand stores or baking my own bread are generally not good uses of my time. Basically, I am willing to sacrifice convenience for frugality on occasion so I can have time for myself. I know that this is in major part to my occupation, which requires a lot of my time. (My husband’s job also requires much of his time and attention.) So when I have time off- in the evening or on weekends, I would rather spend that time relaxing or spending time with my friends and family, rather than cutting a few dollars from my monthly budget.
There are times when I think so!
I grew up with a frugal mom, so I come by it relatively naturally. Except I like pretty things (clothes/shoes/jewelry) more than my mom. But it’s not too hard (usually) to curb that impulse.
Overall, I think it’s more of a full-time mindset and a part-time job. In that, you do spend time checking for the best deals, whether it’s groceries or a household good.
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