Today I purchased an offset smoker – my first big-ish purchase in a long time. I am absolutely stoked to get it up and running, but a part of me feels bad for dropping money on it. Even though it is a hobby of mine. I guess that’s just the frugal part of me thinking. So how about you? Are you a frugal person?
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Yes I am frugal with my expenses. Not a miser, because I sometimes donate to charities, but I don’t need much to feel content. I’m not into dressing up or collecting items. Most money is spent on food and bills, I also offer small gifts to immediate family members or close friends, on occasion.
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I buy a lot of clothing secondhand. I tend to poach kitchen appliances from thrift shops. My “new” laptop I just got is a Dell Precision I found at the recycling depot that has a broken screen/lid. $115 to replace - unit worth over $1,500 refurbished. I buy vehicles off-lease so that the first owner eats most of the depreciation.
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Same here. I mean, I have a lot of clothes (mostly t-shirts) but that’s just because I have amassed so many over the years and never throw clothes away. I keep them until they don’t fit, or have holes in them.
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I have a question regarding your frugal purchasing behavior. Would you also agree that more of your time is used up searching for second hand clothing that fits. Taking the time to repair a Dell Precision laptop. The search to buy a used vehicle that suits your needs and is of good operational & aesthetic condition?
I do like a good bargain but every once in a while I’m happy to pay a little more for what I’d like.
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I like that point of view @anon25873142. Maybe I shouldn’t feel too bad for paying a little more for something I enjoy
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I wish I did more of this. I tend to be the donor to thrift shops, not the consumer. Aside from the obvious money savings, it seems wasteful to me to buy new when there are perfectly good used items available. By wasteful, I mean wasting resources such as energy, raw materials, etc.
The only thing I currently buy used are vintage folk art items and coins on Ebay or Etsy. 
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I just gave a bunch of shirts to the DAV.
As far as purchases go. I don’t buy much, except for the last 5 months I have developed a bit of an addiction to buying guitar related stuff. Some of this is probably out of boredom to be honest. 50% of my guitars are used though. Collectable ones from Ebay or elsewhere.
I do buy quite a bit on Christmas though.
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I’m living off my disability without any help from family or anyone. So yeah, I’m frugal fanny.
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First, Happy cake day!
Second, I’m pretty frugal but not frugal enough. I shop mostly sales and discounts but I will also drop money on things that will last a long time like a pair of good winter boots and coat. I also drop a lot of money on food😬
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Well I’m having to get free food from the Salvation Army and Food Bank. I do have a little money, and spent $31.83 cash at Walmart to pay for what food I could afford to buy. All my money is going to necessities, but I’m grateful that I have a place to live. I was homeless in 2008, so I know what a blessing it is just to have a place to live.
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Good point @anon54988740. I’m very thankful to have a roof over my head, and to be able to live comfortably. I live with my folks, so they help out a ton. Not sure where I’d be without them
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Im not too frugal. Ill spend money on things i value.
I used to never check the price on anything when i had my business lol. Which was bad.
Once i went to buy jeans and it rang through and it was 110 bucks. I was like “hmmm too lazy to return” lol. Facepalm.
I typically try to buy ike 40 or 50 dollar jeans at most.
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I think so. I buy second hand clothes and look for bargains in shops. I’m a bit of a minimalist too. Got very few clothes - 3 skirts 3 dresses and 3 blouses, a few scarves, undercaps, 3 big veils, 4 pairs shoes etc
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No. The thrift shop is immediately next to a grocer I frequent. I check it every few days when I pick up items I need. The thrift shop is well organized and it’s not difficult to find my size. If it doesn’t fit I can exchange it. So much easier than fighting for parking and dealing with crowds at the mall. Both shops are within walking distance of my home.
It will take me all of half an hour when the parts arrive. The rest of it works.
Being an insurance broker means that I know who all of the big leasing companies are and they will deal with me. Much less hassle than buying new and haggling with a moron salesman.
Regarding the first two, keep in mind that I am careful about what I purchase and discard. I feel strongly about trying to preserve the environment. I prefer to see things that things are re-used instead of just discarded in favour of something new that isn’t that much better.
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It boggles the mind what people discard. Most of the good computer parts that I scavenge get shuffled into working systems. I drop them at the local school division office so they can give them to kids from families in need. Probably 2/3 of what I scoop isn’t broken, it’s just not new enough to play the new games and it was tossed. Still works great for students.
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I’m very frugal. I used to be just cheap, due to finances, but I shifted over to being frugal. There is a big difference.
For instance, cheap - you buy whatever you need at the lowest cost, no matter the brand or quality. You need it, you get it.
Frugal- you buy what you need based on cost AND quality. Buying something tgat is more expensive but works better for lo ger is much cheaper than constantly rwplacing cheap items.
In that vein, I am choosy about my detergents, dishwashing liquids, and personal care products. For the last,I don’t but boutique, but I do buy better brands, such as Dove or Olay. Good shampoo you use less and get cleaner,same with bodywash.
Vehicles I always buy used. We have a great, honest dealer near us. Made a mistake by not going to them the van before this one. Blew 7k on a van that lasted exactly 2 years.
Clothing, when it isn’t gifted to me is whatever is on sale new OR brand name thrifted. Same with accessories. I really like purses and tend to switch up a lot. However, I just found a $100+ Fossil bag for $1.50, so will stick with it a long time.
Appliances- depends. The things I have now we bought new 6 years ago. I could use new drawers for my fridge. Cleaning the coils properly should have it last another 5 or more years. Stove? Not sure.
Small Appliances- new if on a good sale and usually thrifted up until all the local thrift stores closed. There is only 1 left very close to me. I found a serger yesterday for $1.50.
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Yeah, I’m pretty frugal. Last year I was buying lots of clothes but that’s really slowed down recently.
When it comes to clothes I tend to buy a lot at the thrift shops and whatever I outgrow I donate to a local thrift store that caters to the Hispanic/immigrant communities. And if the shopper at said thrift shop can’t afford the item they just let them take it anyways.
When it comes to things like jackets I prefer to splurge a tad on working brands that will last me a while like Dickies or Carhartt.
The Dickies jacket I bought recently was about 50$ but I would rather spend 50$ on a quality jacket that will last me years than spend 30$ on an off brand that will barely make it threw the year.
When it comes to food I typically buy everything generic. The only exception is taco sauce.
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I really not sure if I 'm being cheap or not. About five months ago I got a $289 Samsung phone that I’m happy with. The cable company let me have it on credit for $10.24 a month. The Miracle Whip was too expensive at the grocery store so I bought store brand. I also got an off-brand bologna instead of Oscar Mayer. I only had $40 to spend for just me, no family. But I did just get some Wrangler jeans on sale. There’s a lot I want but don’t have the money for and live without.
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