Frugal Is The New Black

Frugal is the new black

We’ve seen if before. It will be the rage again, but right now, frugal is the new black. For once (perhaps the only time) in my life—I might be described as au couraunt (in fashion).

During the depression we saw people make-do without. A depression-era feedsack quilt graces my bed today. My thrifty ancestors couldn’t bring themselves to use the quilt until the others were totally worn out. Four generations later, it was given to me in brand-new condition and I was too frugal and broke to not use it. It’s been on my bed since college.

During World Ward II we saw reduced consumption and clever recycling. Ladies skipped the hosiery in favor of brush-on tan, and used eyeliner to pencil a “seam” onto their legs for these faux-stockings. They melted lipstick ends and cut them with petroleum jelly to make them last longer and refill tubes. Victory gardens grew in available plots, yards and former-flowerbeds.

Now more Americans are learning (and re-learning) to can and freeze surplus foods.

We’re repairing things (gasp!) and some are even ditching the maid and cleaning their own homes (shock and awe!).

Fashion is also seeing this frugal trend; in the form of more classic and practical pieces. Tartans, furs and durable fabrics are big for fall. Commercially-prepared food trends are also leaning towards frugality.

Blogs, magazines, and advertising are all touting “frugal” lifestyles, but I’m beginning to think many of these are missing the point of frugality.

Frugality means getting only what you need at the very lowest cost possible. Clipping coupons to buy Hamburger Helper isn’t frugal. Utilizing your “treat receipt” from Starbucks is similarly, not frugal. It’s nice, but not frugal.

Frugal is not buying the pot-scrubbers for your dishes and instead using onion bags or those little plastic tabs from bread bags. Frugal is shopping at thrift stores and consignment stores…when they have sales!

I’ve been looking into better frugal finds for certain things I don’t want to buy used (underwear and swimwear for example) and consumable items. I’ve found that liquidation stores like BigLots and Stupid Prices as well as local shops. Prices for their bras (of which they had a wide selection in my pre-teen daughter’s sizes) were about $1.50 to $3.00 each rather than the $16 we previously paid at stores like Wal Mart and Justice. Liquidators and dollar stores are especially good places to find consumable items like bubbles for the kids to play with, coloring books, crayons, school supplies, office supplies and cleaning products. Several times I’ve picked up printer paper for just a couple of dollars a ream because of a scratch or partial opening on the wrapper.

I’m running a month-long series of frugal tips on my blog at PennwiseFamily.blogspot.com to share information from frugal funerals to gleaning and co-ops if you’re interested in reading more on the subject of truly frugal living, not just frugal-fads. Another excellent (albeit rather outdated) resource is a book I just found at the library called “The Complete Tightwad Gazette” which is a collection of newsletters on frugal recipes which include some excellent ideas on saving money around your house, in your business, and in your kitchen. I’m warned though, it is the single-most-frequently stolen book from libraries—so if you can’t find it through your library, try a second-hand bookstore or the “used books” option on Amazon.com. If those don’t work, it’s worth paying full price for—and I seldom say that about a book.