Cheap.
Growing up, I didn’t know that word was an insult. If someone said, “I like your shoes?” I’d reply, “Thanks, and they were cheap!” Like it was the their best feature. And if you looked interested, I’d probably tell you how much they cost and where you could snag your own deal.
It wasn’t until I became part of Mary Kay that I learned that telling people how much an item cost was not very classy. Not that they wanted us to pay a lot for stuff, just to make it our secret. I’m destined to be unclassy. It’s hard to break a long standing habit, especially when I think I’m really just helping people with good info, lol.
When Extreme Cheapskates called me up to do the show (which you can see on Netflix if you missed it,) I didn’t think much about the name. Then I watched the first episode. Oh My! They really went out of their way to emphasize the extreme, no? They were making fun of us a little. I’ve heard of some of the other people on the show. (The guy on after me was a famous NY Times best selling author.) They made him look a lot weirder than he really is. Shocking to me, there’s a culture out there that looks down on frugal people and values paying lots of money for stuff….go figure.
I think there’s a difference though between cheap and frugal. I didn’t look this up; I’m making this up. Both words mean not spending a lot of money, but in addition they might mean:
Cheap: Poor quality, low class, low value, breaks easily, loose morals, trashy, stingy
Frugal: Hard working, savvy, patient, responsible, DIY, generous, faithful, conservative
Retail industry has a vested interest in making us love spending and judge quality by price. When you think about it, their advertisements run our newspapers, magazines, TV, radio… the media that is shaping our culture. They tell us our clothes are out of style the minute we cut the tags off; our homes should be redone every season; and everything is subject to fad, even our food.
It’s gotten so bad that people are drawing their personal worth from what they drive, where they live, and what they wear. Some even measure other’s peoples love for them by the price of their gifts. Let me tell you something. You are valuable. And worth just as much even dirty, naked and homeless. Simply because you are created in the image of God. He paid a dear price for you and you belong to him. And then, He set you free. If your house is a mess or decorated in some other fashion than blogger style, so what? If you rock mom jeans, no worries. If you have peanut butter on the front windows of your door–it doesn’t change anything. You are priceless. And when you look in the mirror you see a piece of God staring back at you—You are in his image! Don’t tell me THAT isn’t beautiful.
What do you think? Is there a difference between cheap and frugal? Are they both bad, both good? Is your favorite color blue? (Just to see if you’re still reading….)
(FYI if you want that shirt it’s for sale on zazzle. Click the photo to go there. But I’ll have to warn you–it’s not cheap….)
My favorite color is burpleen (blue, purple, green). Thanks for asking. I am a proud frugal cheapskate. I think that cheap can have negative connotations but I am the master or mistress of my financial kingdom and if my cheap means inexpensive then that is what I am. I believe that being frugal is a character trait that I hope to fully possess! Nice article! Keep them coming. Beauty isn’t about wealth. After all, if you buy your clothes at garage sales and thrift stores, you can have a one of a kind wardrobe. 🙂
That’s almost as good as my favorite color is plaid :). I love your frugal character trait and your one of a kind attitude 🙂
My favorite color is camouflage. Just kidding. 🙂 I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite color. I like so many of them. I think that there is a difference in being cheap and being frugal. I think cheap only thinks of the up-front cost, even if it’s not built to last. I think that being frugal is being a good stewart of the resources God has given us. It looks to the quality and longevity of an item as well as the up-front cost. Sometimes it’s better to pay more buy a quality item that will last for years and save money in the long run than it is to pay very little at the beginning and have it break or tear up right away and then need to replace it again. These are lessons learned the hard way. When my husband and I got married we charged an entire living room set from a certain store that is like a “city of value”. 😉 It took 3 or 4 sofas being delivered until we got one where the wooden legs weren’t split. Within 8 months it looked like trash. The foam seats were flat and the fabric was pilled horribly. It was cheap, but it certainly wasn’t frugal. That’s an area where it’s better to spend more and buy quality. Having said that, I’m certainly not opposed to dumpster diving. LOL Two of my favorite end tables and my bedroom set were all destined for the trash until we rescued them. They are excellent quality wood pieces that someone was simply tired of.
“It was cheap but it certainly wasn’t frugal.” I love this statement! Last night Darren found a seam hole in the sleeve of the satin pajamas he bought for me in July. He had purchased them on the clearance rack at Dillards and said, “If I’d paid full price it wouldn’t have had a hole.” I said, “I can sew it up, Dear. If you’d paid full price for these exact pair, you’d still have a hole and just had paid double for the privilege.” Paying more doesn’t always mean getting better, but having an eye for quality helps. Like your end tables and bedroom set. Good job finding those!
There is definitely a difference between cheap and frugal. And I think it was said in one of the other comments – it goes back to character. Your definitions were spot on in my opinion, and it makes me feel better about my 10-year-old clothes! LOL! Thank you for your blog!
Sara, There’s no shame in 10 year old clothes, lol. Sounds like you bought quality stuff for a good price :). My husband can still wear his stuff from High School. They are truly classic quality pieces and he wears them like a badge of honor. Hey, if I could wear my high school stuff, I would too–just because I could.
Let me start off by saving I love your blog! I consider myself a pretty frugal person. My kids are all still young (3kids all under 5), and I’m teaching them to be frugal (use coupons,etc).
I tell my oldest ‘coupons saves momma money!’ Lol. I also tell them ‘daddy works really hard, so we have to treat our clothes, toys, house with respect’.
Also, my oldest gets just as excited going to a thrift store than a ‘regular’ store. 🙂
I like the word frugal better than cheap. Since following Dave Ramsey, you, and a couple of other bloggers, I’m proud to say we are learning to get good deals on good stuff (a new washer and dryer this week thanks to price match and free delivery), which I consider frugal. Delayed gratification and planning ahead are hard lessons but they have paid off. Thank you for your help to my family!!!!
Elizabeth. You are awesome. Yes, price match and free delivery is awesome and planning ahead and waiting until you could pay cash is a job well done. You rock.
You are hilarious! I’ve been saving this post in my inbox so I could eventually comment. I have a lot of favorite colors – I’m sure you don’t care about them but you DO care that I read to the end of the post 😉
I prefer to say I’m frugal about things but I am always talking about good deals I got. Or what a rip off other things are. I do exactly what you mentioned above – when I get a compliment, I am so quick to add the great deal I got. I’ve even thought about it beforehand, told myself I won’t do it, and then do it anyway!!! I get cheap about certain things and cut corners when I can – without being inappropriate!
I love the way you clarified cheap vs. frugal. I’m on the same page as you!! and I love all your great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Kristine, I’m so glad you came back to comment :). It’s nice to be in good company with other frugal mamas. And right now, I’m digging navy blue and plum (plum for fall.)
Purple, red and orange are high on my list of favorite colors this year. 🙂
Shopping at thrift stores and garage sales also reminds me that things aren’t so precious. If you pay $50 for something, it almost becomes a burden to hang on to it, take care of it, etc. But if I buy the same thing for $0.50, certainly I will take care of it, but I am also more willing to get rid of it if I no longer need it or love it. As a person who tends towards clutter, this was a huge revelation to me.
I used to be cheap – buying lots of things on sale with credit cards. Then I had the unhappy problem of an overflowing closet and nothing to wear. Over time, I have bought things at thrift stores and garage sales, but I have a focused plan for what I need. So even though I have less clothes, I have more options for what to wear on any given day. I want to have all aspects of my life be as efficient and frugal as my wardrobe.