10 Myths About Frugal Living

Frugality is booming and although you may want to get in on the action, you may have no idea where to start. There are some roadblocks many people put up when it comes to living frugal. They think it will require them to give up on things they like and live a bare bones lifestyle. The truth is, going frugal can mean anything you want it to mean and can be as simple as making just a few adjustments to how you live.

Myths about Frugal Living

“People Who Live Frugally Are Poor.”

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about the frugal living lifestyle. Many people who live frugally are not at poverty level. In fact, you would be surprised that many people you think are well off, actually live very well on moderate incomes because they choose the frugal lifestyle. There are all sorts of income levels that choose to live the frugal way.

“Being frugal means being a tightwad.”

In truth, frugal living is not at all like being cheap. Being “cheap” is a negative term and usually entails stepping on other people’s feelings or boundaries to spend less. Being frugal means to spend less, but not do it in a way that causes others to think negatively about how you treat them and others. One example is dining out. A cheap person would have the money for a tip for the wait staff, but not give it to them, despite receiving good service, in order to not spend money. A frugal person would skip having soda or a drink and instead get water with their meal in order to make sure they can tip for good service.

“Being frugal means living a life of no fun, no treats and going without.”

This is definitely not true. The idea behind living frugally for most people is so they can afford the things they really want without breaking the bank. It means really prioritizing spending in order to get that vacation, new handbag, brand new couch or saving for college or retirement. While to some people the frugal lifestyle can seem like you go without, it really means just deciding what is important and what can be bought for less or done a different way.

“Frugal living is too hard.”

It doesn’t have to be. The great thing about living frugally is you can decide what you are willing to change in your lifestyle in order to achieve your financial goals. It can be small changes or big ones. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to choosing a frugal lifestyle.

“Living frugally requires special skills I don’t have.”

When people say this, they are often referring to the fact that many people make some of their own things in order to not spend as much and be more sustainable. While some of the things people do top save money do require some skill, they are often easy to learn such as making your own cleaning supplies and budgeting.

“Living frugally takes too much time.”

This is the only “myth” that is semi-true. Many folks who live frugally make things instead of buying convenience. However, the time it takes is often minimal and less than you would think. For instance, making freezer meals can take just a couple hours a month and making your own cleaning supplies often takes less than 5 minutes.

“I will have to become an extreme couponer.”

This is not true at all because not all frugal people use coupons and even of those that do, not all of them do it in an extreme way. You can certainly save a lot of money couponing, but it is not the only way you can live more frugally.

“Being frugal means I will no longer be able to dress fashionably.”

I almost have to giggle at this myth as it was one I thought before I started living frugally as well. The funny thing about living frugal is, it often means you get to be more fashionable for less money. I spend less on clothes and wear better brands than I did when I was not living frugally now that I am. It just often requires me to hunt further, but to me, this is part of the fun.

“Living the frugal lifestyle will leave me with no entertainment.”

Entertainment does not mean that you automatically have to spend money in order to have fun. As you start to live the frugal lifestyle, you will find you can do almost the same things you do now for entertainment, you just spend less on them. Additionally, you may find that you are able to do more because of how you save in other areas of your life.

“Frugal living means I will now have to buy cheap stuff that will be inferior.”

Living frugal does not mean living without things that are quality. In the same way that you can buy brand names clothing for less by shopping clearance racks, discount department stores and thrift stores, you can also get high quality household items at these places as well. Just because something is not full price does not mean it is inferior. It often just means the store it came from was overstocked or the person who bought it decided they didn’t need it so they brought it as a donation to a thrift store.