Thats not frugal at all.
Your time is preciousmore precious than moneyand true frugality is about using both your time and money wisely.
For example, lets say youre planning a nice, relaxing two-week vacation.
For example, youll save tons by simply flying at the right time, when travel is cheap.
It seems obvious, but a lot of people dont do it.
It isnt the off-season.
Im not going during monsoon season or blizzards.
This isnt to say you shouldnevertry any other money saving tactics.
Its not to say you shouldonlytry to save on housing, food, and transport, either.
Just dont lose sight of the pounds when youre trying to pinch pennies.
Beyond couponing, you canautomate your frugality in other areas, too.
Or tweak theenergy options on your TV, computer, and other gadgets.
To combat this, establish some rules for your spending decisions.
For example, my friend has a rule for spending more than $100.
Its not to say shell automatically buy anything he sees thats $99thats not quite the point.
Set a limit that works for your own situation.
This is why it usually makes sense tobuy quality over crap: the cheap stuff is too expensive.
Not only that, but also think about the time you spend shopping for new boots every year.
Of course, expensive doesnt equal quality, but your time is still valuable.
You also want to see to it you get a lot of use out of your purchase.
verify you get at least a dollars worth out of every use of an item.
People often confuse frugality with being cheap and wasting time instead of money.
Ultimately, though, frugality is about getting the most out of your resources,includingtime.
True frugality shouldnt be complicated.
Illustration by: Sam Woolley.
