Do you think that being too frugal makes you one of those crazy for discounts people?

A lot of people have a disjointed view of what it truly means to be frugal. After all, there is a big difference between making sure you are careful with how you spend your money and obsessing over every dollar and penny you spend. And unfortunately, more and more people started to think of people who are frugal and conscious of their finances as people who are obsessed with not spending money.

Like with most things in life, there will be rumors and misconceptions about certain things, but that is why we are here! To make sure that just because you know of someone who is frugal or even if you are frugal yourself, people will not fall for these lies and instead understand what frugality is all about!

Here are some of the common misconceptions associated with frugal people debunked!

Have you heard of other ones that you would like to see explained in our article? Tell us about them in the comments!

No.1: They must be in denial and take self-sacrificing too far.

Think about it another way: if it were that bad, then people would no longer try to be frugal. A lot of people who find it hard to be more moderate with their spending have made up this idea that frugal people must be denying any small pleasures in life and even go as far as to suppress their wants, all in the name of being able to save some dollars.

It is not really about suppressing what you want and denying yourself something you want, but rather being more realistic about your finances and not going off on impulse purchases and ideas. For most frugal folks, there has been a change in thinking, and they prefer to not deny the fact that they do need to be more careful with their finances, so they do not end up living beyond their means.

And if you have been thinking about this lifestyle being all about cheap living and ignoring everything that would be considered expensive, then you have not truly understood what it is all about! The simple reply is that no, being frugal doesn’t mean you are in denial.

No.2: There’s no such thing as being frugal.

It may seem like this is true, but it all depends on how you think about the whole concept and how you relate to it yourself. In a way, for some, it may look like there is no way you can be frugal these days, but for others, it is all about how you can end up saving in an age where we are all pushed towards consuming more and more things.

When you think about it, it is indeed more difficult to be prudent than it was a few decades ago. After all, most people have left their communities, and more and more people have moved away from their extended family, which means that fewer people could be helping you with expenses and less relying on being self-sufficient and living the rural lifestyle.

On the other hand, capitalism has made it so the whole nation has a ton of options to choose from; it all depends on what you want to choose and how inventive you are with your purchases. After all, no one is making you buy something overpriced and maybe not as qualitative. You make that decision, so it is not that it is impossible to be frugal, but rather that people have gotten used to not looking at all the options and have lost the motivation to try.

If you struggle to keep track of your spending, we suggest you invest in a budget planner to make things easier! Here is our recommendation for the best budget planner!

No.3: You might as well call them “cheap” or “tightwad”.

This one is all about perception and how you relate these three words to one another. You could have people who are tightwads who are indeed cheap, and generally speaking, the same tightwads are frugal, but not everyone who considers themselves prudent with their money is cheap or even a tightwad. It gets pretty hard to follow even when you write it down, but the line in the sand is drawn at what you understand by all these words.

The words cheap and tightwad are generally used to describe people in a bad light and land on the side of disparagement. When you use them to describe a person, you may as well be saying that there’s something wrong with their personality and that they take things too far: they hate to spend their money, and even when they do that, they only get the cheapest options, even when it would be detrimental to their health.

Frugal people are not the same as that. They do try to get the most bang for their buck (and who doesn’t like that, let’s be honest!), but the difference is that they are seeking quality at the best price possible. It is also about the way in which people prioritize what is important to them. A frugal person could choose to bring lunch from home to work so that they can save more money and pay their mortgage faster, or just because they are saving for a bigger expense.

It is all about being conscious of your choices and being rational and strategic with the way you spend money. Once you cross that line and are looking at every penny, then that’s where you’ve crossed the line between being frugal and being a tightwad!

No.4: They’re crazy for any penny and never miss a coupon.

You have to realize that there is a spectrum of how people approach frugality and do things. After all, not everyone is on the extreme end of the spectrum, and most people who are frugal like to be moderate. This means that you won’t be seeing these people giggling about a 30 cent difference, that they missed the opportunity to use a coupon, and even go down the rabbit hole of reusing tin foil because it would be a waste otherwise!

They all approach frugality differently, and this means that while some may be into coupons, others prefer to take advantage of the BOGO deals on the essentials. Since we are all different and our personalities are also different, it also means that everyone who is frugal does this differently. So do not think about “extreme cheap stakes” when someone is frugal!

No.5: It’s not a choice!

The sad truth is that some people are frugal because their living circumstances are such that they cannot afford not to be (and with how things have been going recently when we look at inflation, not many can choose not to be careful with their money). However, to generalize and say that it is not a choice for everyone would be doing the idea of frugality a disservice. For some folks, they have made the choice to be frugal because they relate to the way of life it implies.

People equate being frugal with the connection between labor, money, time, and physical things. They see that every purchase has been or will be the time that is being sold. The conviction everyone has behind choosing to be frugal and the reasons are all different, so you cannot say that the choice is not there.

Sometimes it is as simple as knowing what to buy and where to buy it! In order to make sure you get the best nutritious foods at great prices, we have brought you the best deals from Costco! Believe us you don’t want to miss out on these!