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?

A very good point

It depends.

Some people are definitely miserly to the point it is unpleasant or selfish for those around them.

But equally it's fine to be prudently frugal

As tax percentages go up the more you earn, those with more money are obligated to share more of it.

@BoldPoster
Maybe those that are frugal are saving for retirement and care home fees. Meanwhile those who spend freely will rely on the state in other words other people to pay for them.
Who is being more socially conscious to you think?

YABU.

I am fairly frugal, and my ex hated it. He was always trying to make me buy a new car when my existing car was perfectly reliable. When I lost a fence panel in a storm he decided I needed a whole new fence - £2000 - and couldn't understand why I said no.

Stupid man cared more about how things looked and what the neighbours thought than our financial security.

Then I was made redundant during covid and, as a single mum, was able to carry on as normal, paying 7 months bill, providing for my ds, without claiming benefits or getting into debt.

For me, frugal means I can always provide for my child.

hold on, why would you give access to people who DON"T contribute, but refuse to those who do... how on earth would that be fair 😂

What a ridiculous concept.

Easy. I am frugal with things like unnecessary new cars, Michelin starred meals, absurd performance weddings, excessive shoes, stupidly expensive frippery, makeup or toiletries etc.

My money is spent freely on things that have real value and matter long term, such as my ds' education, his experiences of the world, our health, good quality food, more spacious accommodation.

To do otherwise would be stingy. That's the difference.

What @BoldPoster is describing in her original post isn't frugality, it's miserliness. Stinginess. Not at all the same thing as frugality. Living within ones means is a healthy way to live. Making wise decisions is a form of self care.

I agree but I think the government should be offering tax breaks etc to encourage people to go private wherever possible. Same with private schools. Get as many wealthy people as possible to fund themselves for expensive services and this would relieve some of the strain on public finances. Even if you believe resources are constrained to the point where this wouldn't necessarily mean more people can be treated, it would free up a hell of a lot more money to plough into training and medical equipment etc. This could have a huge impact on the medium to long term.

Labour are playing it all wrong because they would rather we all had crap services rather than have a better overall service for everyone but with potentially a bit more inequality built into it. If I was bottom of a waiting list for a life saving procedure I wouldn't care at all that Mavis down the road paid to be seen first as long as the list moves quicker for me and I can get my treatment sooner. I would not be happy to die (quite literally) on the misguided hill of health equality.

Depends.

I know several people who are frugal because they have to be and I also know some very wealthy people who are tight as a ducks arse and are frugal as a way of life - they don't need to be, they seem to do it for fun!!

But if I handed all my money over then it would be gone wouldn't it? Then I'd be on benefits

By being frugal I can support myself indefinitely

Yes, I can see that - surprised there are so many YABU’s!

Take eating out for example. It’s crazy money at the moment, but if everyone stops doing it altogether, all the restaurants will close and that will be really shit. We do have a kind of responsibility to support the economy I think, up to a point - if we want to keep the nice things we enjoy doing from time to time!

Charles Dickens got it right - frugal people are people who live within their means (whatever those means may be) and ideally put something away for a rainy day. "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery" I would consider myself maybe not frugal but definitely a considered consumer - I'd rather buy one good well made item than 3 or 4 which cost less but won't last. I also give to charity, tip where appropriate and pay my staff near the top of the going rate as they deserve it and (selfishly) I don't want to lose them. I also like buying clothes from ebay/Vinted or charity shops because I think that the fast fashion industry is a disaster for the planet. If something doesn't fit properly I'll take it to a local tailor and get it altered.

When I was younger DH and I did decide to live frugally for five years. It was because we were sick of commuting and the cost of a season ticket was then about the cost of a flat. So we bought the flat and lived on one salary so we could save the other and pay the mortgage off when it came out of its 4 year fix. It was tight but doable but I can't say the experience of counting every penny was pleasant. Even then though we'd still buy our round/give to charity.

OP I think you are confusing frugality with miserliness - again Dicken got that right - think of Scrooge not paying his nephew properly and not giving to charity etc and hoarding his cash.

IMO frugality is a good thing as over consumption is ruining the planet - that is the true selfishness.

Everyone would see wealthy as ten pounds richer than they are and a lot of wealth is in houses and pension savings and so not accessible

Yep - you got me, I choose to eat veggie 3 x a week, line dry clothes, user bar soap, take packed lunches out etc... because I'm tight, and definitely not because I'd have -£480 left if my account at the end of the month...

But this is why we need a middle wealth wise

The middle has been squeezed out but they are traditionally the ones that have spare cash for dinners out or home improvement - and a million middle class poeple eating out once a month is doing more for the economy than one billionaire eating out every night

Are we talking about Elon Musk and his ilk, or someone on a fairly average income with typical outgoings choosing to save something for a rainy day? Perhaps Elon and co. don't brag about their frugality, but they've certainly got a heck of a lot of wealth hoarded away.

Though, come to think of it, perhaps a lot of billionaire money is invested in various means of production... so perhaps 'hoarded away' isn't an entirely fair description for how this extremely unequally distributed wealth is maintained.

There have been a few of this kind of post lately.....either trolls or sociology students or sociology student trolls

The selfish ones are those who live from pay cheque to pay cheque, run up massive debts, are constantly overdrawn and then expect the state to prop them up in old age. Those who have lived a more frugal life, keeping within the income and maybe saving some will then be expected to fund themselves to leave money to fund the wastrels.

I buy what I like when I like. I don’t think about the economy or if I should be frugal. We’re a long time dead.

Do you mean the money to pay for treatments outright, or to buy in to medical insurance? Because if everybody who technically could afford medical insurance opted in, it would no longer be 'affordable'.

Also, healthcare is a fundamental human right imo and the average folk should not be paying for it. Your contribution comes through NI payments and tax. If we are talking about the richest, I can imagine they go private for everything.

It's less selfish than spending all of it then having to rely on other people to bail you out!

Depends.

Frugal as in lives a simple lifestyle and doesn't spend a lot, fine. It's not anyone's job to sustain capitalism.

Frugal as in disappears when it's their round in the pub, invoices you for £1.33 for petrol because they gave you a lift somewhere they were going anyway, inconveniences everyone else because they are avoiding letting the moths out of their wallet, not fine.

I doubt she had millions from birth.

She's grown up.being frugal and now she dosent need too, she finds it hard to change her ways.