Comments on: The Frugalist Expense Reduction Guide

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:20:09 +0000

living frugally is now more important than ever, but as you point out you need not stop doing everything you want to do, it’s about balance. I think that what your article raises is the opportunity for people to stop and think about how they spend money to see if there are alternative approaches

By: Amber C

Amber C — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:21:35 +0000

We have just started our Debt Reduction Journey and appreciate all the links for the great articles. I think I’ll sit inside by the heater today and read them all.

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:43:54 +0000

@Aya – Giving up expensive hobbies for the time being is not a bad idea, but be sure to replace them with something that you enjoy but cost less.

@Marsadie – Exactly.

By: Marsadie

Marsadie — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:20:31 +0000

These are great tips. Accessing our needs before our wants is one of my biggest frugality tips because so many of us are in the “want it now” mentality. This mentality needs to be broken for the sake of our financial health.

By: Aya

Aya — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:49:31 +0000

I have been reading so many blog entries that suggest giving up hobbies and to stop spending money, period. The fact is, as you say, that would be deprivation and an impossible lifestyle to sustain so I hope more people take up your advice on living frugally instead of crawling in a hole with their money. I think at one point when the economy wasn’t so bad, too many people threw out the frugal mentality and now we’ve forgotten how to practice frugality when we really need to.

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:14:59 +0000

@Dawn — That’s a very nice way of summing it up.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:12:44 +0000

Thanks for the article! More and more I am finding that frugality isn’t about money at all, it is about peace of mind. Having your basic needs cared for (the first tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy) creates peace of mind, buying quality items that will last a long time and not need replacing, living below your means, not having debt hanging over your head – it all about making smart choices so you can let go of worry and stress.

By: Pinyo

Pinyo — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:46:13 +0000

@Poor — You misread my article. I am not talking about “wants versus needs” when I gave those examples. I am talking about “Smart Money Decisions Based On Value”.

By: poor

poor — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:26:11 +0000

A first car is not a need.

And a basic “free” cell phone with a plan is also not a need.

I do not own a car, and my pre-paid cell phone costs 25 cents per minute but I basically use it only for incoming calls and I can usually get all my calls for $5 per month.