To think being frugal is just another form of selfishness?

I don't think throwing good money after bad helps the economy. Allowing myself to be ripped off does not help others who can least afford it.

I'm frugal. I'm a single parent to 2 kids. The thought of not being able to provide for my children terrifies me. If I get ill or lose my job or if the car needs work or the boiler breaks down, I don't have another adult there ready to take up the slack. Being frugal gives us a small (but growing) financial cushion.

by ‘contribute to the economy’ do you mean buying crap that mostly involves plastic and manufacturing and transportation that contributes to the degradation of our planet?

lol not true at all

This is the type of thing I used to try to say to make my overspending a virtue, and not actually a symptom of undiagnosed ADHD!

I think it's selfish to inflict unnecessary frugality on your family or those you are financially responsible for, if actually you can afford a good standard of living and a few indulgences for everyone.

I find the high earner with SAHP and kids threads where he's earning hundreds of thousands and she's selling stuff on eBay to pay for the kids swimming lessons quite sad.

Ive always lived like this.
Im single childfree and live alone.
But i still live frugal.
My money is mine and how i live is my choice.

So when's the official launch for your new Etsy shop, OP?

Absolutely this.
There are loads of threads like this at the minute.
Random AI generated bollocks 😡

I think if people chose not to partake in the retail feast of tat & galore then good on them! it's also better on the environment

I think it can be selfish. As a pp mentioned if they don't contribute to meals/drinks and expect others to cover them, or don't host friends that host them etc.

Anyone remember the thread about the friend who cried poor and the whole friends group suffered through budget holidays to include them, that couple then gave hundreds of thousands to their kids that they'd saved over the years - great. But OP was miffed that they could actually afford decent holidays but lied that they couldn't. It's absolutely fine of course to spend/save as they wished but should have been upfront about it.

Totally agree

Bless your innocence.
Nothing wrong with being frugal - good economic sense. buy what you want/need at the time, no need to buy shit just because you can.
Also, 'hoarding' (aka saving to most people) is one's own business and sensible for those times when everything goes to crap.
Splashing money around unnecessarily is so very common and nouveau-riche

This. The economy is the last thing on my mind, when I am purchasing an item. I am not going to buy an overpriced sandwich, and coffee just to help keep a business going.

Ah yes buying crap i don't need nor want is "not contributing" towards society.

By default almost every human is selfish, actions are selfish. It's pretty basic and has been explored extensively.

However the argument that a person being frugal is selfish because they aren't helping others by contributing to the economy is a bit of a stretch. The average persons spending has minimal benefit to 'others'.
If collectively we all use local businesses over big corporations then there's a benefit to that local area but on the other hand it's potentially removing job opportunities if bigger businesses are absent.

One person choosing to be frugal, rather than it being a necessity, maybe selfish if they choose not to say give to charity or actively take things and deprive someone genuinely in need but is it selfish to simply not spend money needlessly?

The extreme being billionaires of course. I saw something interesting that showed how much money could be taken from billionaires without reducing the number of billionaires and it would be enough to stop world hunger and halt climate change. Not frugal per se but they are hoarding money at a scale that is genuinely selfish.

You don't need to buy unnecessary stuff.

For example my MIL will buy the cheapest possible budget yellow sticker processed meat even though she has millions in the bank.

Whereas I will leave the yellow sticker stuff for people who would really benefit from making that kind of saving.

In covid when everything was rare she was stocking up on essentials, whereas I was buying normal amounts of the more expensive brands/versions so there would still be reasonably priced stuff for other people.

And I definitely don't have millions in the bank.

wtf???

LOL.
What a load of cobblers.

Go and earn your own money and stop envying what others have. It is theirs to hoard, give away, spend on drink, wild parties, Netflix, etc. Mind your own business. Let the government tax to provide the social net for others who don't have.

The reason we pay tax is for that very reason - to contribute to the social pot that is used to help others. The rest of the money we are left with is ours to hide under the bed for the rats, if we so choose.

haha this made me laugh.

Surely people should be able to do what they want with their money whether they spend it or save it? Nothing selfish about that.

Frugal is (to me) not spending money you don't need to spend like meals out, holidays, new car etc. I don't think this means you are hoarding your money. Doesn't hoarding mean there is some kind of mental disorder that means you can't get rid of things like personal possessions?
Are you suggesting the 'rich' should be sharing their wealth with the 'non-rich'?

Helping the economy by buying unnecessary stuff that will add to the destruction of the planet and clutter up my home? When I can instead save for an early and comfortable retirement and hopefully help my kids out with with house deposits? No, thanks.

Besides, money held in banks and investments helps the economy in a different way. It's not like it's under the mattress.

I’m pretty frugal but have no problem spending on things I really want/need. I love holidays so prioritise them but never buy takeaways get my nails or eyelashes done.

For me I feel it’s important to save for retirement and just for general security. I also aim to reduce my consumption generally so try to make things last where I can.

Also I think very few people spend money purely for the purpose of contributing to the economy.

People spend money on things they want/ need. They don't think about the economy.