Frugalism is a way of spending as little as possible, often by reducing consumption and rethinking shopping. Reasons to become a frugalist include saving money, rejecting consumerism, and being naturally frugal. Frugalists achieve their goals by buying used goods, repairing before replacing, looking for sales and discounts, and promoting trading and bartering. They may also knit, sew, garden, and make food from scratch. In urban areas, frugals may form groups to exchange information, goods, and companionship.
A frugal is someone who tries to spend as little as possible, often focusing on reducing overall consumption and rethinking ways of shopping to do so. Frugalism could be considered a form of anti-consumerism, although technically a frugalist need not necessarily be opposed to consumerism, as their primary focus is frugality.
There are a variety of reasons to become a frugalist, along with an assortment of frugalist types. Many people do it simply to save money, especially during tough economic times when being aware of the need to cut back on spending can help people save money or pay off debt. Some frugals also adopt a frugal lifestyle because they wish to reject a consumerist lifestyle, preferring to focus on keeping their lives simple and orderly. Some people are simply frugal by nature, such as people who have experienced long periods of financial hardship.
Frugalists achieve their goals in several ways. For example, instead of buying new things, frugals scan thrift stores, thrift stores, classifieds, and other sources for used goods, some of which can be in excellent condition and quite cheap. For some, research is part of the shopping experience; anyone can walk into a department store and buy a kitchen table, for example, but a frugal can search a number of thrift stores for the perfect used kitchen table. A frugal will also choose to repair before replacing, getting maximum mileage out of each membership. Some daring frugals might dumpster dive or scavenge through discarded goods looking for perfectly usable free items.
Frugalists also keep an eye out for sales, discounts, and other ways to save money on new items or merchandise that can’t be bought logistically used. A frugal may join a discount club or food co-op in hopes of saving money on staple foods, farm produce, and the like. Cutting coupons and crafty use of postage discounts are often an important aspect of frugalism.
Those who identify as frugal can also promote trading, bartering, and other methods of acquisition that don’t require money. In the process, the frugal may also reap the side benefit of more interaction with community members, networking with like-minded individuals, and building a base of support that might come in handy later. A frugalist might also knit, sew clothing, garden, make as much food as possible from scratch, and use other home-grown skills to save money on consumer goods.
In urban areas, it’s not uncommon for frugals to network and form groups to exchange information, goods, and companionship. Joining such an organization can be beneficial for a new frugal, as it is a great way to get information and tips.
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