To think being frugal is just another form of selfishness?

[BoldPoster]

People love to brag about being frugal but isn’t it just hoarding money instead of contributing to the economy and helping others?

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.

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

I’m thinking more about when extreme frugality leads to people avoiding spending even when they easily could - whether that’s tipping, donating, or contributing to things that benefit others. At what point does ‘being careful with money’ turn into hoarding wealth? And yes, should those with more feel some obligation to share it?

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.

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

Totally agree

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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!

lol not true at all

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?

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.

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.

We have a system that relies on overconsumption even of finite resources. We need to create more consumers continually for the system to function. And we used to shame people for not having children/not having enough children for looking poor etc etc (of course some people still do) but people are still waking up.

So many threads like this at the moment, it always seems like there's someone who thinks their in laws should help them buy a house or that people shouldn't be allowed to have more money than other people or that it's unfair that some people inherit and they're not going to.

I think the issue is that people are so entitled, everyone thinks someone else should be paying for them. There was someone earlier asking if they should go on benefits because they didn't like their job much.

What's selfish IMO, is all the people expecting someone else to fund their lifestyle

Well any extreme behaviour is probably damaging to the person doing it and possibly to Society in general - a hoarder damages their own property, mental health suffers and neighbours affected by rats, fire hazard etc

On the other end of the scale a person who is reckless with their money is likely to need Government support so other people are paying for it.

But a person hoarding wealth ultimately loses it all - on their death other people inherit it or the Government gets the lot if no-one else can.

That’s not being frugal. That’s just standard leeching off others.

Frugal is being careful with your own money while still paying for the things you need/being careful and sensible.

I disagree. People are either frugal because they have little money or they worry about having little money in the future. My mum is frugal because she grew up in dreadful poverty but she's kind and generous of heart,

Or it could be interpreted that people realise life is stacked against them and is unfair and they just do not want to play the game. They are less willing to silently tolerate it. Of course I don't agree with guilting people to give you things but there are other changes we can make - being frugal not having children to be on the bottom rung of society which will and is affecting society already. The birth rate is going down in multiple countries.

This is also my experience

YABU. The mindless consumption fuelled by Social Media is so repulsive.