do you think frugal people have

[Sara Noel]

common personality traits or qualities? Meaning are they more creative? Or patient? Or happy? Or controlling? Or visionary types that forecast or micromanage? What common traits do you think many frugal people have?

[Nemeweh]

I think...

most of us are visionary types that forecast and have control issues!

I also think that most of us have reached the point in each of our lives where we are either 1) tired of struggling or 2) tired of the whole rat race

so we make a choice to try and save as many of our hard earned pennies as we can so that we may enrich our future lives.

that's my take on "it", I've been known to be wrong though...

[Grainlady]

There aren't any personality types that are right or wrong, when I took training on the subject, tested people, and used the 16 personality types for various organizations and work situations I was involved in. But from that information, I'd say there would be certain personality types that may find it easier (more natural) to be frugal.

All personality types can be frugal, it's just not as easy, or comes second nature, for some as it would for others. I take my clues from personality testing I used for Character & Temperament Types.

Just as one might be a naturally untidy person, but if your job requires things to be organized, you CAN be organized, it's just not as natural/comfortable/easy as it is for someone else with a different personality type.

http://www.keirsey.com/handler.aspx?...b=1&c=overview

Or check out the book, Please Understand Me Character & Temperament Types - by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates.

Someone who isn't good at conflict resolution may not approach the life of frugality very well because they may be inclined to wait for things to resolve themselves (while going farther into debt), while another personality type who IS good at conflict resolution would take the "bull by the horns", so to speak.

An intuitive person might tend to think about several things at once on the subject, have any number of great ideas, but fail to ACT on any of them. While a thinker will stay cool, calm, and objective in situations, will take all the things an intutitive person has been thinking about, will distill the options and make a decision and ACT.

These are some key words that describe the personality traits...

Extroverts:
-sociability
-interaction
-external
-breadth
-extensive
-multiplicity of relationships
-expenditure of energies
-interest in external events

Introverts:
-territoriality
-concentration
-internal
-depth
-intensive
-limited relationships
-conservation of energies
-interest in internal reaction

Judgers:
-resolved
-decided
-fixed
-control
-closure
-planned
-structured
-definite
-scheduled
-deadline

Perceivers:
-pending
-wait and see
-flexible
-adapt
-openness
-open-ended
-flow
-tentative
-spontaneous
-what deadline

Thinkers:
-objective
-firm-minded
-laws
-firmness
-just
-clarity
-analytical
-policy
-detached

Feelers:
-subjective
-tenderhearted
-circumstances
-persuasion
-humane
-harmony
-appreciative
-social values
-involved

Sensors:
-direct
-present
-realistic
-perspiration
-actual
-down-to-earth
-fact
-practicality
-specific

Intuitives:
-random
-future
-conceptual
-inspiration
-theoretical
-head-in-clouds
-fantasy
-ingenuity
-general

So from those traits you can see how one might adapt to being frugal better than the other.

[MaryCarney]

HMMM...
I would say the most common personality trait is contentment.
"Godliness with contentment is great gain"

[mamamia]

Well not sure about common traits, but will say that the opposite of what some might percieve of us is as common traits is not true, and that is that we're cheap. I find just the opposite. Look at how generous we are when it comes time for donating and sharing. I know my restaurant, etc tips are "over generous" too. When we're on line at the supermkt, or we come across somebody buying something we might have a coupon for, we'll not only offer it, but we're pretty excited to do so. This just happened with me during KMart doubles. The lady was thrilled....so was I

Just a thought!

Theresa

come to think of it, i guess i unknowingly listed a common trait while typing all that. generosity....lol

[shortstack]

I would say frugal people are:
-Planners and willing to think ahead
-Thinkers, constantly asking why and how can I do it better
-Willing to think outside the box and also willing to go against the grain

[frugalwarrior]

I think that frugal people have the ability to plan,implement plans, and are usually good organizers,have a good ability to recognize future needs, and most of us are adaptable and have a willingnes to learn new things. I also think we understand resources are finite and should not be wasted.

I don't think I am a control freak because I like order. Mostly because I am flexible.
Most days I don't hate people and don't think anarchy is around the corner. I just want a cheaper price on Charmin so I'll have money later to buy something else.

That is a stitch short stack apparently we were typing almost the same thing at the same time. (Great minds and ALL)

[rowdy35]

i would say that frugalites are more patient, calmer and more even keeled than the vast majority of spendaholics.

There are a few "know it alls" thrown in amongst us and a few control freaks (myself being one of the latter) but basically it's a hodge podge of people.

I work with alot of spenders and they tend to panic and overreact more than I do. They are also not as creative and not able to think outside the box as much but maybe that has nothing to do with being frugal, I'm not sure.

[AmyBoz]

I think that to be frugal, and here I mean truly frugal, not just looking for sales but willing to do things others wouldn't do in the name of saving money, one has to be creative. Finding new uses for old items, a willingness to try new things, taking a near empty pantry and creating a meal with what you find are all creative ways to deal with frugality.

Also, take a look around the village. No one here is "just" frugal. Everyone here seems to have a creative hobby as well, whether it is sewing or crocheting or writing or photography. It lends credence to the fact that frugality requires creativity, and therefore the most frugal of us are creative as well.

[spyzvixxen]

I would say discipline - conscious or unconscious, I think we all bear this quality.

[pollypurebred39]

I think it's possible that people who are frugal have a deeper understanding of money then those who are not frugal. I think that life experiences forge the frugal path. We just come by this knowledge on different paths, be it that you were born poor and don't want to live in need anymore, or born into a frugal family, or you live this way or starve and be homeless, or you desire to be a good stewart of what God has blessed you with, or you racked up a zillon dollars on credit and now your paying the piper, or countless other reasons. Frugal people seem to grasp moneys true worth and what it represents.

[frugalfranny]

I would say discipline - conscious or unconscious, I think we all bear this quality.

For sure on the discipline..and again, on the creative,....but I would like to toss in tenaciousness, and maybe even a little stubborn....as in "I'm not paying that price for that!" In the broader sense of the meaning for both words. I will do without if I don't like the price....for the most part....again, depending on a need or a want.

[strezzed]

I would say I'm not all that creative, but I do have control issues so I definitely agree with the control aspect.

[peanut]

...But from that information, I'd say there would be certain personality types that may find it easier (more natural) to be frugal.

All personality types can be frugal, it's just not as easy, or comes second nature, for some as it would for others. ...

Thanks Grainlady! As a feeling, perceiving, intuitive individual let me tell you frugality did not come easy. But if I built in rewards and a long list of things I could be frugally spontaneous about (like my frugal luxuries) then I was able to meet my financial goals.

HMMM...
I would say the most common personality trait is contentment.
"Godliness with contentment is great gain"

Contentment is a big issue for me. After all…do I really want to maintain and store another thing in my home or on my property?

Well not sure about common traits, but will say that the opposite of what some might percieve of us is as common traits is not true, and that is that we're cheap. I find just the opposite. Look at how generous we are when it comes time for donating and sharing.

I find this is a major motivator for me to be frugal. It frees up my resources so I can be generous with them to other people.

I would say discipline - conscious or unconscious, I think we all bear this quality.

Thank-you spyzvixxen! My extended family would die laughing if the word discipline and my name were mentioned in the same sentence…especially if it was me having discipline. As long as I don’t have discipline in their eyes I am deficient somehow, but if I show discipline I am labeled “cheap”. So I gave up trying to please them on that front and have little to do with them. But yes, I think frugality requires a certain degree of discipline that non-frugalites don’t have. It’s about taking that step back and being able to think before the hand reaches out to grab and buy.

I would definitely say frugal people are creative. Not necessarily as in artist creative, though some are. But more creative in how we problem solve in different situations. We are good at making do, thinking about various options, repurposing…that sort of thing.

And we aren’t afraid to try new skills or ideas if we think they’ll help us in our frugal journey. In a way we’re an adventurous lot.

[monkeywrangler71]

Of myself and the truly frugal people I know IRL (people who are naturally frugal, not turned frugal later in life), none of us are creative, resourceful yes, but not creative; none of us are good at conflict management, quite the opposite, we're all conflict avoiders; I'm controlling, but I get that from my unfrugal mother, the rest of them are very laid back.

The traits we have in common are:
1. a complete disinterest in owning something just because it's in style. Others may call this discipline or contentment, I don't think I'm disciplined or content, I call it being oblivious to the world around me. I don't have to resist buying something, because it would never occur to me to buy it in the first place.
2. we are all very passive, which could be related to point 1
3. we are all stubborn

And we aren’t afraid to try new skills or ideas if we think they’ll help us in our frugal journey. In a way we’re an adventurous lot.

This too. Actually this is a big common trait with every frugal person I know. Decide something needs to be done, figure out how to do it, then do it.