Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Monday, February 1, 2016

What Defines Frugal from Poor

People born during the depression era are easy to spot, at least for those of us living with one.  Bob was born in 1932 and has a very sad depression era story.  He was forever marked by it.  He wears his clothes and shoes until they have holes.  Money is the first thing that comes to his mind on everything, how much is it going to cost?  Rather than pay a credit card off he would prefer to pay the minimum because he wants to hold back as much money as he can in case there is an emergency (not I say).  On and on it goes living with this depression era baby.

I read a delightful blog post I'd like you to read called Life is Measured by the Hole in the Shoe. I'm not a depression era baby but my mother was far more frugal than I am today.  When I was pregnant with my first child she took some of my gathered skirts, took off the waist band, and cut them up to make my maternity clothes.  Remember those plastic bowl covers that came in a variety of sizes with elastic around the edge?  They looked like shower caps.  I never cover a bowl with some kind of plastic wrap that I don't think of those.  I drug the heels off my shoes as a kid and my father took them to a shoe repair store and had metal plates added to stop that.  I sounded like a tap dancer when I walked but it saved those shoes.

Today there appears to be quite a movement of people working at living a frugal life.  I applaud them. Personally, I've been there, done that, and bought the tee-shirt on that one. I did not find it to be a lot of fun back in the day when I had no choice. I am retired now with a bit of disposable income and I do not dwell on being frugal.

I hope you will read Life is Measured by the Hole in the Shoe.  It is delightful and has a good message for our living today.

9 comments:

  1. This post certainly hits home with me. I often ponder whether the family I was born into was poor or frugal. I like some of the frugal measures my mother taught me (Cut the buttons off a worn blouse or shirt before throwing it away. Better yet, cut up the shirt or blouse to use for cleaning rags.) But others (Cut the elastic band off a pair of tights to reuse the elastic.) go a bit too far! I like to be economical rather than wasteful. I like leaving as small a footprint as possible. I'm off to read the post you recommended....

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    1. I have a large container of used buttons my mother cut off of worn out garments.

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  2. We are all shaped (the good, the bad, and the ugly) by the circumstances of our birth and childhood existence. Sometimes we cannot grow out of the child we were then. There are many situations that define 'poor' that bleed into 'frugal' by the nature and necessity of the beast.

    I have known people who were born into a poor family that stayed in the 'poor' mindset for the rest of their lives, not trying to rise above it. Some became tenacious savers, to never be in that spot again, depriving themselves of a few luxuries in life. There are others, who can't let a dollar stay in their pocket long enough to grow into more. I've heard some become wealthy people from those poor beginnings. More power to them! We are told to be good stewards with what we are given in life, no matter what.

    'Frugal' is all relative, depending on what you have and how you feel about having it. To be wasteful is foolish and to pinch any extra penny is also foolish. You can't take it with you.

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    1. Bob had two siblings the family was never successful in helping them break the poverty mindset. Very sad.

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  3. I had read that post by Manzi before. She hit many a nail head with that one. My brother is three years older than I am and is VERY frugal. I came in at the end of the depression and am not so much. I could do better.

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  4. I think most people our age have lived our whole lives being frugal to some extent. I'm not extravagant but I'm weary of the word frugal.

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  5. My mother was born in 1921, and having lived through the Depression era, she was very frugal. It was a shock to us to discover that when she dies she left us, her children, a sizable estate. Did we frugally salt it away? No. I still have some of mine, but most of us spent most of it in just a few years.

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  6. I suspect we won't see another generation in our lifetime as frugal as our parents.

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  7. I grew up poor and I tend to be more frugal than some but not nearly as much as others! Louis Dean was a school teacher as was his wife and they served in extremely poor rural communities. They barely scraped by. At 80, he tends to buy what he wants as often as not but he still saves money so he can invest it! He has had so much fun managing his retirement fund and making sure I will be taken care of! He watches the stock market every day and he and his financial advisor talk often. I still find this financial prowess amazing when it's a rule around here that you can't tell him over three things to do or remember at one time! I do love being married to him! He is totally entertaining and surprising!

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