what is your definition of:

**Russ** · 11-30-2010, 05:26 PM

A cheap person?
A frugal person?

Is there a difference?

**bonnotsm9** · 11-30-2010, 05:48 PM

A cheap person saves money using dishonest means or at another person's expense. Example: Lies and says that her child is 10 to get the child's ticket to the movies when her child is really 12 but small for her age.

A frugal person makes personal sacrifices to save money by honest methods. Example: Goes to the matinee rather than the evening movie, or waits and rents the movie once it comes out on DVD.

**ladytoysdream** · 11-30-2010, 05:56 PM

You need a bottle of catsup......
the frugal person finds it on sale with a coupon.
The cheap person goes to a fast food place and brings home packets of the stuff......

**MissSeetonFan** · 11-30-2010, 06:07 PM

I agree with bonnotsm9. With the added thing that a cheap person will often think they are getting a deal because it is a $5 pair of sneakers without considering quality. A frugal person is smart enough to check out the quality first and pay a few bucks more, even if it means waiting a bit longer, knowing they will last for 2 years instead of the $5 pair's 1 year.

Who saves more? The frugal person.

**Missy** · 11-30-2010, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by ladytoysdream

You need a bottle of catsup......
the frugal person finds it on sale with a coupon.
The cheap person goes to a fast food place and brings home packets of the stuff......

That's just about what I'd say too.

**Samigirl** · 11-30-2010, 06:28 PM

Bonnotsm9 pretty much nailed it. Being cheap is a negative....it will negatively affect the finances of others because they have to pitch in where I've slacked off. Being frugal is a positive...a personal sacrifice that doesn't greatly affect others, but improves my financial situation.

**jas** · 11-30-2010, 06:53 PM

Everybody has already done a good job of describing the difference. Don't have anything to add.

**lisaflex** · 11-30-2010, 07:16 PM

yep. ditto al above comments! cheap is just plain ol cheap. frugality is a lifestyle...

**Contrary Housewife** · 11-30-2010, 11:19 PM

Cheap is low cost or low quality, simply for the sake of saving a buck or avoiding the effort. Eating off a fast food dollar menu is cheap.

Frugal is about not wasting, being resourceful, and getting the best value out of your time, money, and energies. Cooking dinner at home is frugal.

**Palooka** · 11-30-2010, 11:55 PM

Cheap is when you are on your first date and use a coupon for buy one get one half price dinner.

Frugal is after you've been dating awhile, it's okay to try to save on outings.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-01-2010, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by Palooka

Cheap is when you are on your first date and use a coupon for buy one get one half price dinner.

Frugal is after you've been dating awhile, it's okay to try to save on outings.

Or "forgetting" their wallet, or pulling out the calculator to figure out how much your share of the tab is, or stiffing the wait staff on the tip. All of these means the first date is the last date!

I used to work for tips and nothing ticked me off more then busting my rump for a patron only to be stiffed on a tip. GRRRR

**pollypurebred39** · 12-01-2010, 03:17 AM

Oh, I thought of another one. I used to go out with a group of friends to eat, eons ago. This one guy in the group would always order the most expensive thing on the menu. I'd order something small and in my budget, like if it was Chinese I'd order one egg roll, and a bowl of wonton soup & hot tea (tea was free). Well, when the check came this guy would always grab it and then split the entire check in equal portions, and he'd never leave a tip! Really ticked me off. So whenever I went with this group I'd tell the wait staff I wanted a separate check!

**Greebo** · 12-01-2010, 05:03 AM

I don't think cheap means dishonest - someone can be cheap without lying and negatively affecting others.

I think cheap means judging value by price alone and only getting the cheapest at every opportunity. Cheap is a short term mindset. It puts dollars over value and tries to keep the most dollars.

Frugal means using your resources wisely - getting the best VALUE for your DOLLAR - meaning you might spend a *little* more up front for a life long product rather than a little less up front for something that falls apart.

Example: A cheap person will buy the $10 boots - and have to replace them every few months. A frugal person will buy the $100 boots that last for years and years.

**ladytoysdream** · 12-01-2010, 06:56 AM

I think frugal is getting the best deal for what you have to work with. Being careful with your money and thinking/planning ahead.

I was getting a few groceries yesterday. I had decided on a pizza for lunch. So I am looking at them, and the lowest price was 4.98 for a small one. And then it needs to be baked. It would have been easier to go to the pizza shop and buy one for $ 5 already cooked and it would have been bigger. I stood there with all these thoughts running through my head and then I realized they had fresh pizza dough in a bag. So for .98, I bought that, knowing I had sauce, cheddar cheese, and hamburg at home. Got home, and got the dough ready and made a homemade pizza. Now my thought process to me, was that I am frugal. My hubby thinks I am experimenting again. My ex, would have told me I am being cheap. Translation, if I had the money in my pocket to buy already made, I should have. Not to have gone through the process I did to get lunch on the table.

So my ex is retired, all kinds of money, now with his 3rd wife, and always whining he is broke. He still does not understand what frugal is. And he still thinks I am cheap.