Comments on: Would you still live frugally if you got rich?

By: Lise

Lise — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:32:26 +0000

Welcome to FitF, Dawn, and thanks for following my comment here :) I wish you luck in your fight against foreclosure.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:18:09 +0000

I am in complete agreement about breaking the chains of employment. I like my job currently, but if I wasn’t concerned with benefits and security, there are other things that appeal to me. I would do a lot more volunteering, for example.

By: Lise

Lise — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Thanks, Aimee, for the comment – good to know I’m not alone :)

(And what an adorable therapy pup that is on the front page of your blog!)

By: Aimee

Aimee — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:27:54 +0000

We too prefer to spend a little more on experiences versus stuff. After all, those things are more enjoyable than having a ton of things. Every person is different, but I think most of us in the PF blogging world would still be frugal with a lot of choices we make even if we had a lot of money.

By: Frugal For Life » Blog Archive » Festival of Frugality Week 108: Quotable Edition

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:39:19 +0000

[...] “My joy results not from having stuff, but from fleeting experiences.” ~Frugal in the Fruitlands [...]

By: Lise

Lise — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:04:07 +0000

I think you’ll find that a lot of the wealthiest people out there are ‘frugal’.

Indeed. It’s the old concept of “the millionaire next door” – you can’t tell how well-off they are because they don’t flaunt it.

That’s what I aspire to.

By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:53:29 +0000

“Being frugal does not mean being cheap!
It means being economical and avoiding waste.”
Catherine Pulsifer

As Ms. Pulsifer points out, frugality and wealth are not antithetical. I would argue that a certain measure of wealth actually enables greater frugality. The character of Vimes in Terry Pratchett’s novels (to bring in a more accessible piece of culture) has expressed the notion that a $50 pair of boots will last him a far, far longer amount of time than a $10 pair, but due to the nature of his finances, he finds himself having to continually buy $10 pairs, to the possible long term detriment of his finances. Lather, rinse, repeat. There are many, many cases in our lives where such proves to be true. Good clothes, good cars, good houses, good medical care, good investments, and good government all cost more than their inferior counterparts, but are more ‘frugal’.

Along the old adage ‘You’ve got to spend money to make money’, I think you’ll find that a lot of the wealthiest people out there are ‘frugal’. Maybe not with the day to day luxuries that you are thinking of here, but anyone who has worked to make their money knows the value of it pretty well, and is inclined to make it return profits rather than just go down the drain in waste.