Do you consider yourself frugal?

[sunshine]

If yes, is it by choice or cirumstances?

Are you extreme about it?

[homesteadmamma]

Yes I'm frugal, to a point. There are a few things I won't be frugal for.

Right now it's out of circumstances because we are paying off our van. Once that is finished, it will then be by choice.

Extreme - in some areas, in other areas no.

[AmyBoz]

Frugal by circumstance, but when the circumstance is over, frugal by choice. It's become a way of life over here.

I don't think I'm really extreme in any area compared to the ladies here at the village. However, compared to the people I know, I am. Many of them would consider hanging laundry to be extreme, or packing lunch in bread bags, etc.

[cheapgeek]

I'm frugal and it's by choice. I'm definitely not extreme about it. If it causes me any frustration or resentment, I'm not doing it.

[tbs727]

I'm frugal. Basically its by choice because I choose to work part time.

I don't think I'm extreme. I do enjoy pampering myself, but we are very careful.

[Mom23boys]

I am frugal to a certain point too. There are just some things I am not going to do.

Right now we are frugal by circumstances. We are trying to pay off all debt and save up for DS#1's college tuition. We started late in the game at saving for it. He will begin college in the fall. DS#2 also needs braces so we are frugal by circumstances.

Once we are out of debt, we will still be frugal by choice. I can't see "throwing" my money away when I know I can save it for retirement.

[guest7]

Frugal by choice. I realized I threw my money away.. If you saw me coming- you knew you'd have an easy sale, or a large charitable contribution, or, just plain free money. It was crazy!
I can well afford to continue being a spendthrift- but what fun would that be? Watching other people enjoy MY money!
I'm frugal to a point. Meaning- I am not extreme. I will buy the best cuts of meat from my butcher (rather than the local grocer) and pay double for it. There are some things DH and I won't budge on and that's one of them. The way I look at it- if the meat is going to be 100% eaten because it's delicious- then it was worth every penny. Occasionally, I sneak in a great buy on chicken roasters to make chicken soup and pot pies.. seems no one is the wiser. Ditto on stew beef (it gets slow cooked for so long--- it's got to be tasty.

[Darlene]

Choice. We chose to have me be a sahm and also both like to sleep well each night(not worying about bills) so we live below our means.

[Pepper]

I am frugal by choice. I do not go to extremes. There are a few more areas I would and need to work on though!

[tlenad]

I'm kind of frugal. There are things that I'm very frugal on and the others not so much so.

Now as for choice or circumstance. I am much more frugal now than I used to be in order to pay off some debt and get some savings built up but I was always frugal in ways. And now that I have started down this path, it is so easy and I see what it does for me so I'm here to stay.

I should have listened to my Mother, she is much more frugal than I am. But finally we are getting to the point that we are about the same with it.

[missmollymayhem]

I'm frugal by choice- I'm tired of not having anything left to show for my money, and living paycheck to paycheck. I do allow myself some nice things, like candles, but I will only buy them if I can get an amazing deal.

[ironmaiden]

By choice. And I constantly choose what I choose to spend money on and what I don't. We go to the library plus my kids have zillions of books in the house. We spend money on taking the kids places - out to lunch once a week (they are out of school by 11:30am - preschool and kindergarten). We take them on adventures - to the RV show last week. They have very good quality winter coats and boots and hats and mitts. I'm always cold and hate seeing kids freezing in thin acrylic mitts.

By the Jones standards of where we live, I would be considered frugal. We don't owe much on our house by Massachusetts standards, and that's the only debt we have and we do contribute to my husband's 401K and save on top of that.

But by the standards of many on this board, I wouldn't be considered frugal. We live beneath our means, but we have sufficient means and will have more when I eventually go back to work part-time (another choice).

[Mojjo]

I found frugality by circumstance, I'm sticking with it by choice. We are frugal for our area/friends/family. By this board...well, we are probably average.

[HOOAH2003]

I am frugal to a point but its by choice...
We live really well since my husnand is in the military but I choose to save a lot so we don't have to work into our 60s.

[pkellyc]

Yes and no. I am frugal in some ways but not so frugal in other ways. When my kids were small I was very frugal but it was not by choice.