Frugality

Frugality I prefer not to be called “cheap”, but rather frugal. I grew up with parents who were frugal, having lived through the depression and WWII, they knew that they needed to make do with what they had and not seek out things that they couldn’t afford. When they reached a point in their lives when they could afford things, they relished them more, because of waiting and saving for them. I have too many things. My husband periodically threatens me with “Anything new you bring home goes on your side of the bed!” Yet I still bring things home. My periodic wakeup calls are walking through donation shops like Goodwill, Savers, St Vincent De Paul and the Bethesda Thrift Shops – Pointing out to myself things I have that they are now selling: “I have that crystal and silver plate serving bowl – it was a wedding present. Someone probably paid $25 for it which was considered big money back then, and OH, they want $1.50 for it here!” I probably haven’t used it for over 15 – 20 years, but I have it, just in case I need it in the future. Then there are the families that I help as they downsize to a smaller home, moving in with family members or moving to a senior facility. While I don’t conduct estate sales, I often attend, to ensure that no damage comes to the house during the sale. There I see the many wonderful collections of “collectibles”, kitchen utensils and pots and pans, tools in basements and garages, solid wood furniture that will survive through multiple generations and more. Lovely things that often go to a liquidator, because “no one” is interested in the “old stuff”. Sometimes I buy a small item or two, often something that I remember having (or my parents having), years ago, or that I can see a use for. Occasionally, I find that “Great Deal” – Like an 18’x10’ hand loomed all wool Oriental rug that looks like it was kept in a living room that was never used for $600, that goes perfectly in my family room. My mother used to say that garage sales should be renamed “neighborhood exchanges” as things went from one neighbor’s home into another’s home. The Church Rummage or ABC Sale seems that way to me and every year, I manage to find far more things to bring home then I expect. Yet, I still consider myself to be frugal. My parents taught me to put something aside every time I got paid for my future. When my children were born, we started immediately putting $25 every month into savings bonds for their college education, taking the money out before we got our paychecks, so we never “saw” it leave. My son graduated from college with no student loans as a result of our constantly putting away money, while his fellow students graduated with huge amounts of debt. My mother also taught me that only people who were "comfortable" could afford sales. As she put it, when you can barely make ends meet, you don't have the money to buy a set of sheets to sit on a shelf before your foot goes through the hole in your current set. You must wait until you ABSOLUTELY need that set of sheets to buy it, even if it will cost you much more. It's not a matter of being "cheap" or "frugal" or even "spend thrifty", it's a matter of economics and how best to use the resources I have been given