Is frugal the new normal?

lessonlearned

I once had an Interesting talk with my dentist. It has to be said that I have the worlds worst teeth.

People tell me I have nice teeth, I say no unfortunately I don't, but what I do have is a very rich dentist.:rotfl my "pretty teeth" are all down to crowns and bridgework. even with insurance they have cost me a pretty penny over the years.

Anyhoo - at some point I will need some implants. I asked my dentist for a rough quote. He told me how much, I gasped. yes it was that much.......

What he said next made sense. He said "it's all a question of priorities, some will choose a conservatory and false teeth, some will forego the conservatory and chose implants".

The Galapagos Islands are on my bucket list.....as is South America.

My eldest son will be marrying a girl from Venezuela next year, so in a couple of years, all being well, Venezuela here we come, with a detour around South AMerica and the Galapagos.

All I have to do then is get my youngest son to marry a girl from Japan and then I'm sorted.......:rotfl:i

VJsmum

I wasn't aware that any of it was a competition - or that we need to defend our choices.

The original question was "is frugal the new normal", I guess we've proved that for many frugal is normal, but it is our own individual normal.and that we are all frugal for different reasons.......

davidsdesire

we recently purchased a new car. We are moving to an area where there will be a lot of snow and mud and muck and we feel we will need a four wheel drive vehicle with cargo area as we will be moving some of our belongings to our new place slowly. it is a new car and has a hefty payment but we will be paying it in full next summer when our house sells. I don't really approve of car payments but we 'needed' the car before we can save the amount of purchase.

i think frugal is just common sense...why buy something new when what you already have will suffice?

davidsdesire

VJsmum wrote: »

I wasn't aware that any of it was a competition - or that we need to defend our choices.

The original question was "is frugal the new normal", I guess we've proved that for many frugal is normal, but it is our own individual normal.and that we are all frugal for different reasons.......

i think we sometimes feel the need to 'defend' what we think someone might perceive as not being truly frugal.

I would LOVE to be the most frugal person I know but I'm not. All I can do is keep trying.

Goldiegirl

davidsdesire wrote: »

i think we sometimes feel the need to 'defend' what we think someone might perceive as not being truly frugal.

.

I've read on here that very frugal people also feel the need to justify themselves, so it's the other side of the same coin.

VJsmum wrote: »

I wasn't aware that any of it was a competition .

I've missed something here. I haven't noticed any competitativeness - just people sharing their thoughts and experiences, which I've really enjoyed.

Where's the competition come from?

[Deleted User]

In answer to the original question 'is frugal now the new normal?' I can only say yes it is, certainly in our home although it's hardly new here but is certainly normal. It's a way of life that we chose many years ago along with the decision to be as self sufficient as we possibly could. It's a good life, we enjoy it very much, it's keeping us active into older age and we're living comfortably with all we need to keep us warm, fed, entertained and healthy. We couldn't ask for anything more as we're happy just like this!

fuddle

I dont think frugal people feel the need to justify themselves at all. We're debating and using evidence from our own lives to make points.

We don't talk about the things in our lives that aren't frugal or OS because this isn't the place. We come here to share the OS things we do.

GreyQueen

I find being frugal relaxing and rather fun, and am amused to realise that I was using frugal and thrift interchangably, rather than thinking of them as variations on a theme.

I do think my life would be rather bland if I could buy everything I wanted whenever I wanted, instead of having to apply some savvy to getting hold of things. Today, a colleague spotted the home-made lunch in my Lock & Lock, asked what it was and I have printed off the recipe she asked for to take in tomorrow. Simple pleasures like sharing good food and know-how.

I get enormous pleasure and satisfaction out of solving a problem creatively, rather than spending my way out of everything. But there will always be horses-for-courses; I cut my own hair but I hire the skills of a lovely man to mend my teeth when they go wrong.

I do hope never to have to do DIY dentistry with the contents of the toolbox...............:rotfl:

ETA; Well said, fuddle. I try not to remark on things IRL which could be seen as judgemental of other people's decisions. Also, I don't like to be mocked; would some colleagues/ acquaintances still admire my haircut if they knew it was done by me (with Mum running the clippers up the back?) Would they be shocked that I don't flush the loo every time I have a piddle? Or that I eat foraged fruit off wayside trees and bushes? Or darn my socks?

If asked specifics, I won't lie about any of these things. If asked for tips on how to do something, I'll divulge, but in general terms, I old-style it only with a few close and likeminded friends and family.

Caterina

Well it's definitely the new normal for us in our little family now that the children have flown the nest, and it seems that it is quite normal for most people on this board. Unsurprisingly really, given the board subject.

Long it may remain this way, for us. DH has moved from a position of who cares let's spend what we have, life is too short, to really careful and thoughtful. He is happy for me to take care of most of the traditional frugal-related activities as I have done it for longer, but finally I have to say his heart is in it, he isn't just passively dragging his feet behind anymore. And we are much richer in so many ways for it.

Thank you all of you who have kept this debate open, your ideas, opinions and different ways of approaching this issue have really been interesting to read.

Caterina

GreyQueen wrote: »

....

I do hope never to have to do DIY dentistry with the contents of the toolbox...............:rotfl:

I actually know someone, one of us OSers who, not having managed to obtain a prompt dental appointment after having a tooth problem, reconstructed one of their front teeth with a putty kit you can apparently buy at the chemists. Their dentist, eventually, was really impressed by the excellent handiwork.

As you can see, OSers are handy in the most unexpected of ways!