Gotta love that word 'continuum'. Looks wrong, don't it? =)
At any rate, the more I work on my own budget and (ack!)
What is frugal to one is abhorrently wasteful to another, and sheer miserly insanity to a third.
For instance: I do not wash zip top bags and reuse them. I have no dishwasher, and the thoughts of washing them by hand makes my head hurt. Does this make me a bad Frugie? No, just a different one. Maybe I am white with black spots and grey swirls... I do, however, use washable containers for all of my fridge and freezer needs. Sometimes I even use butcher paper and/or aluminum foil, both of which are recyclable in my area.
On the other hand: when I eat a steak and don't finish it, I cut it into strips and add it to my 'steak strip' bag in the freezer. I use these to make stirfry and occasionally chili. This weirds some people out (I guess b/c the fork that touched my mouth touched the steak which I then put in in the freezer).
Are either of these more frugal than the other? Perhaps. I like to think, though, that the great cosmic Frugal Continuum applies to all aspects of one's life, and just because you are abhorrently wasteful in one area doesn't mean you can't partake of some sheer miserly insanity in another
It's all about balance, you know.
October 11th, 2006 at 02:41 pm 1160577706
By many people's standards I'm far from frugal. Actually I don't claim to be frugal at all really. I like being in control of my money. On splurging on those things what I want to and, to balance that, to be very frugal (almost miserly) on other things.
We all need to figure out what works for us
October 11th, 2006 at 05:01 pm 1160586061
I like the idea of a continuum with all the shades and gradations of thrift. There's also a mosaic quality as well. I'm painfully thrifty in some areas of my life and self-indulgent in others. It comes down to personal values and goals.
That's a useful thing to remember when judging the frugality of others.
October 11th, 2006 at 05:07 pm 1160586472
Glad to hear I'm not the only one that's self-indulgent sometimes! That's why I like to think of a continuum, so I don't feel (as!) bad about my indulgences: they're just a different level of frugalness.