A friend of ours was paid a pretty high compliment.
I heard things about the finances of a successful community event during a committee meeting a few weeks ago. Specifically, after the accounting was done, it ended up squarely in the black financially.
The person reporting out in the committee meeting credited much of the financial outcome to our friend, because she was “fiendishly frugal.”
What does fiendish frugality look like?
Saying that someone is frugal is a compliment. (Or should be … right?) But saying someone is fiendishly frugal kicks the compliment up to a whole new plane, doesn't it?
Fiendishly frugal people really get it. Frugality means using it up, wearing it out, making it do. Frugality is not cheapness or tackiness.
But above all, frugality is creative. It's clever. And fiendishly frugal is fiendishly clever!
Six spending habits of fiendishly frugal people
- Spending money isn't the first answer. Though a lot of problems can be fixed with money, it's usually not the first place frugal people go. They'll look at what they have, what they can make, or what they can re-purpose to solve the problem. Our friend told me: “I hate spending money!” She'll try lots of things before reaching into her purse.
- Spending money isn't necessarily the last answer, either. Avoiding spending money like the plague can venture into cheapness or tackiness pretty quickly. Have three packages of napkins, but really could use five? Two rolls of toilet papers out of the men's room isn't the answer!
- Spending money comes after asking around. One of the first things our friend did before spending a dime on supplies for the event was to ask around. What she didn't have handy, someone else might. Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing, man!
- Spending money on quantity sometimes makes good sense. She did admit that she bought some paper products (plates and cups), and got a good deal on quantity. These don't go bad, however, and they'll be ready for the next event.
- Spending money out of fairness isn't always necessary. Each one of the children in this event was to get a souvenir ball. When there were more children than expected, they didn't order more balls. The families that had multiple children in the event just didn't get one for each child. (Frankly, some of them had too many and were happy not to get more!)
- Spending money comes after trying the little money-saving things. “Little things add up. Little behaviors add up.” Amy Dacyczyn, also known as The Frugal Zealot, has taught this in many ways for over two decades. Winning the game isn't so much about half-court three-pointers, but about foul shots and lay-ups. This embodies the creativity part of frugality more than anything.
How fiendishly frugal are you?
Love your posts, John! I personally use thrift stores and Freecycle for a lot of what I need or want. The DIY and HGTV websites always have fun ways to recycle or upcycle old stuff into new stuff. Having said that, there’s no substitute for paying for quality, especially when it comes to large purchases, and then taking good care of those items. Like you mentioned, all the little savings throughout the year make it possible to afford those high quality (expensive) things you’ll need to replace every once in a while. Keep on posting.
Thank you, Nancy!
And “upcycle” was a new word for me. (My wife knew exactly what it meant; she told me that I don’t check out the right pages on Pinterest! haha)
Some great tips here. There are simple steps you can take to become this frugal! It’s important to stick to these habits.
I totally agree with the sentence “Spending money isn’t the first answer.” because if it is not necessary you don’t have to spend money. It is about making smart decisions.
You would be surprised at what others might have or have access to, which is why your point about asking around (#3) is so useful. This tends to be really useful when you are organizing a charity event as those with the resources might be willing to donate what they have that you need for the event. It never hurts to ask!
Very true. There were piles of supplies that came in for this event just because word got out about what was needed!