I'm a very frugal spender.

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Aka I'm very very very cheap. People might ignorantly catagorize that as me being Asian, or just a cheap ass. But I value efficency. Money is just another tool resource, that's finite. However, the parabel of money growing on trees is such, if invested properly Money does grow, and making efforts (ie helping the poor, or increasing comforts, buying food), more effective. I will never understand big spenders, or spenders. Why not save that money, initially undergo some hardships (such as maturity and disciplen, so the money can grow?)....

I know though that sometimes it's good to spoil your self and slurge. But try to control. Money is a finite resource that heh, buys food.

Big spenders tend to be live in the moment type people. I came to a strange realization one day. I grew up in an upper middle class city where I saw the median home price for a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house rise from $250,000 to $600,000 during the housing boom, and I saw a lot of people taking out sub-prime rate loans to buy those houses, along with other things such as boats, cars, BBQ's and so on. I knew they were using the loans because I had a pretty good idea of how much most of my neighbors made.

I, on the other hand, hand, lived at home and had a meager monthly income of less than $1,000 a month, and it wasn't uncommon that I would find my self in the position of having to get through the second half of the month with $60 to my name. But it occurred to me, I was actually richer than my neighbors because while I had little in the way of cash, I had no debt, whereas most of them were at least $300,000 in debt, and probably more. I didn't stick around to find out how many defaulted on their loans.

It begs the question though, is a higher standard of living worth the debt? I think this depends on the individual.

I'm very cheap too. My husband and my dad call me cheap. I decided to start using it as irony. I am so cheap I decided to use cloth diapers, I am so cheap I decided to breastfeed and am hoping it will work out, I am so cheap I would rather buy a pack of 6 rolls of paper towels at Winco Food for about $3.25 than buying three rolls of paper towels at The Dollar Tree for a dollar each. I am so cheap I have bought used baby items at baby resale stores and baby clothes at thrift stores and resales. I'm so cheap I have an excuse to not buy junk food and sweets and not have dessert. I'm so cheap I would rather spend $5.99 on a pack of three rolls of wrapping paper at Ross that is 5 sq feet of paper while at The Dollar Tree they are about 15 sq feet and only a dollar each. What wrapping paper is cheaper? I'm too cheap to use AC in the summer unless it's a heatwave and I am too cheap to use heat unless it's very cold out like in the 20's. I'm so cheap I refuse to live paycheck to paycheck so I refuse to get a house or add more bills and I sure don't want to struggle with finances so I don't let it happen.

I love being cheap. I don't care if I get insulted. I was never offended when I get called cheap in the first place so even after I learned it's an insult, it still doesn't bother me. Now my husband laughs when I tell him I am cheap for these reasons. I have learned to make fun out of the word and throw it back at them.

But sometimes my money obsession gets in the way because then I act selfish with it because I don't want to help people. I want to but it's the cost that is stopping me and the anxiety. I also end up not buying things I need because I hate the price of it. Sometimes I wish I wasn't obsessed with money but if I wasn't obsessed with it, then I would be going broke and getting things I don't need and maybe end up going paycheck to paycheck because I didn't even think of the costs before signing up for things or buying a new car or a house or moving to a bigger apartment. So it's a double edge sword. It's a good obsession to have and then a bad one to have.

have ya'll read "The Fugual Gazatte" (sp)
it is a book on how to be super dooper cheap. I have 2 editions of it. Great ideas in there

I try to be cheap, but I dont control the budget, mom does...who can be impulsive and a hoarder...urrg.

I'm going to start being cheap. The only things that I'm going to buy from now on, will be groceries and batteries. I plan to do that, until I feel I can trust my bank again. That will last about 6 months to a year.

Honestly being cheap is not a very healthy way to lead your life, this day and age there are a lot of things that you can buy to make your life a lot easier. This makes you have less stress and feel more relaxed, you'll also feel more happy. I'm not saying you should spend more than you can afford but excessive money hoarding will hurt you in the long run.

Think about it this way, you will spend more money paying for all your health troubles than for the appliances that would prevent them and make you have less stress. For example buying a chair that fits your needs, protects your back and make you feel more comfortable will cost less than doctor's appointments and an expensive surgery you will have to perform later in life because of back pain. There are nothing but benefits about spending money.

I am cheap as they come. I think it is VERY healthy compared to the way most people live.

I think everyone should stop throwing this word "cheap" around. Such a bad connotation. I prefer euphemisms as in we're disciplined with our money. We are parsimonious.

I first read the thread's title as "I'm a very fungal spider."

Being cheap can be a bad thing because if you are too cheap, then you end up spending more money. Like if you buy cheap shoes, they wear out quicker and you have to buy them sooner. If you buy a cheap vacuum, it breaks down easily and you have to get a new one. But if you buy more expensive items, they last you longer. Same as when you go grocery shopping, you save more money when you spend more. Like I spent $3.25 on a pack of paper towels and it was 6 rolls. But if I decided to go to The Dollar Tree and buy paper towels "because it was cheaper" I am basically spending more money because I got three rolls for three bucks where I could have gotten 6 rolls for $3.35 total at the grocery store I shop at.

But if you are too cheap, you can end up spending more on food because food that is inexpensive had less food in it so you are basically spending more money to eat know what I mean?

So you have to be careful when you are frugal like when you are at The Dollar Tree, look at the food and the cereal, look at the food they sell there and how small they are and look at how many freezer bags they sell in a box or trash bags or dish soap, etc and then compare those to the products and food you see at the grocery store or Wal-Mart and decide what is cheaper. Even if it means spending more, you get more food than you would have gotten with a dollar at The Dollar Tree, same as trash bags in a box or freezer bags or regular bags to put sandwiches in. But when you do the math, you see it's more food you got and more stuff in the box when you add up the costs. You would have spent more at The Dollar Tree but you have less food and less trash bags and all when you would have gotten more at the other stores for cheaper price even if it cost more than a dollar.

That's why the poor spend more than the rich. They don't have the money to be frugal so they can't buy in bulk or buy expensive shoes so they last them a year than three months lets say and things that go on sale, by the time they get their paycheck, the sales have ended.

I sometimes tell myself "being cheap isn't always the answer."

I'm absurdly frugal. It's not quite the same as "cheap." I look at unit prices and really do the math. I have coupons for everything. There's a lot of planning involved in saving a lot of money, but over the years, I've got it down to a science. I'm a stay-at-home mom, so my philosophy is that if it's my husband's job to make money, then it's my job is to save money. I'm one of those people who get their grocery bill down to about 1/3 of what most families spend - and we still eat healthy, good foods (most of the time ). I'm not very materialistic anyway, and I have no problem with second-hand clothes. Actually, I prefer to buy things second-hand when possible because not only am I saving money, but it's more environmentally friendly and often the proceeds go to good causes.

So true. I'm able to save more by buying in bulk and taking advantage of sales when they happen. If I didn't have the means to take advantage of these savings opportunities, I would indeed be spending a lot more.

I am not cheap. I am very selective in what I buy so that I don't buy much but what I do buy I save for and then get the best quality I can. I buy very nice shoes for example, so I have a small, but great collection. Same with handbags, gloves and coats. I still save money, by automatically putting it away each month but also by not frittering it away on lots of little things.

I'd rather have an empty room than cheap furniture, or wear the one pair of designer jeans that fit me just right a thousand times than have a bunch of crummy poorly made ones.

edit - I also buy good quality food. I don't think that's a place where one should skimp. Quality, not quantity.

I'm not. If there is something I want/like, usually related to my special interested, I will spend money like there's no tomorrow.

I pinch my pennies until they bleed. i have a house that is paid for and money in the bank and no debts. I can what I want, when I want and answer to no one.

Arrest this man! No more pennies should bleed at the hands of this currency abuser!

Ha! I can imagine little pennies stumbling down the street holding their bandaged heads. It ain't easy being a penny.