December 6, 2005

On Being Frugal...

Four of us were having coffee together recently when the conversation turned to very concept of "frugal." By turns serious and silly, we first brainstormed all the "frugal" words we know...

tight
careful
close
stingy
scrooge-y
penny-pinching
scroungy
skinflint
And then from our more learned members, parsimonious and penurious!

It didn't take long to see that most, if not all, of these words have negative connotations. (Hmmmm.... and we wonder why Americans save so little!) Of course we also noticed that we couldn't think of as many words for "generous."

We finally settled on the idea that "I'm frugal and you're thrifty, but she's stingy!"

So, what's your idea of being frugal? Does it apply only to your money? Or to your time and energies too?

We had gotten together to exchange money-saving Christmas present ideas, and then wondered if the term "frugal Christmas" is in itself an oxymoron! The clash of seasonal generosity with the
post-seasonal need for...prudence. Let's talk about that the next time you stop by. In the meantime, it's a goegeous sunny day here on the coast of Maine. I hope it is where you are, and in your heart! Mary