More Non-Frugal Reasons to be Frugal (plus the Amazon winners!)

The first order of business

The Amazon gift card giveaway is now official over. Congrats to Corrie and Tracy, winners of the two $50 Amazon gift cards. You’ve been emailed!

(Emailing people to tell them they’ve won is one of my favorite things to do. I feel so Oprah-ey.)

The buy three, get one free Suave deal is still available, though, so if you need to restock your Suave supply, head over to Dollar General.

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And the second

Remember when I wrote about Non-Frugal Reason to be Frugal?

It was all about how there are lots of great benefits to frugal practices aside from the money-saving aspect, and about how thinking of it that way can make frugality feel a bit more like a choice than a have-to.

I listed a few of the ways this works in my own life, and then a reader, Millicent, sent me an email with some ways that she applies this in her own life.   I asked if I could share them with you, and she said yes.

Thank you, Millicent!

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Hey, Kristen!

I loved your post about non-frugal reason to be frugal.   Here are a few items I came up with to add to your list.

1) Inexpensive activities can be more interactive and educational than “expensive” ones. Like, for example, going to the park or going to a museum on free day or going to a poetry reading– all of these typically offer more interaction and engagement than a $200 monthly cable bill.

2) Making or re-purposing items also provides more family time and interaction as well. Kids can learn new skills and there is a sense of accomplishment at doing a project together.

3) Throwing money at a situation is sometimes a way to avoid involvement. For example, for a birthday, it takes little emotional investment to order a $1,000 piece of jewelry online but it does take an emotional and physical investment to make a cake or grow flowers or paint an art object for someone.

Also, it’s easy if someone is ill to send a get well card or expensive gift. But visiting them in person or taking over soup, or offering to clean their house while they are convalescing, requires active human involvement.

4) Being frugal builds creativity. Instead of spending $500 on a costume rental, if you have to make a Halloween costume from what you have on hand, you have to be a lot more creative.

5) Expensive things often are abandoned since  no personal investment went into buying them.

(Like the $600 video game console that was played for a weekend   versus the homemade checker set that was built by father and son in the garage.)

6) Bringing homemade items to parties and bake sales saves money, but you can also feel pride in what you’re bringing. Most people buy things and never think twice about it, so when something like home made jam or a pie shows up, it’s a big deal.

Sometimes, frugal practices can make you feel embarrassed, but the opposite happens when you make good homemade food.

7) Memories. I still have skirts from childhood that my grandmother sewed for me. I have a living memory of stitches her hands placed.

8) Individuality. If you refinish or build, you have something no one else has. It’s an original.

9) Charity. For instance, a handmade blanket donated to the neonatal ward at a local hospital comes from the heart and allows you to give something of great value even if you can’t afford a large monetary donation.

10) Self reflection. Making from scratch is a way to give of yourself; giving your time instead of money. For me, it is a meditative process.

-Millicent

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Joshua’s 365 post: Kaleidoscope