Frugality[1]
Noun: fru-gal-i-ty; frü-ˈga-lə-tē
The quality or state of being frugal:
careful management of material
resources and especially money.
What Frugality Is and Is Not
Please note: there is nothing in the dictionary definition given above about deprivation or poverty. Frugality is escaping American consumerism to get what you want and need, instead of what advertisers tell you to want. Frugality is not about desperation or a poverty mind set. For example:
A poor person at the supermarket when their child demands an expensive sugar-bomb cereal, says “No. We can’t afford it.” A frugal person in the same scenario says, “No. I refuse to pay for brightly colored sugar with toxic chemicals added that is way overpriced.” The first response represents an attitude of deprivation and poverty. The second response represents a reasoned decision to avoid toxic, overpriced food.
A recent report by the American Psychological Association states, “… advertisers spend more than $12 billion per year to reach the youth market and that children view more than 40,000 commercials each year.”[2] Not too surprisingly, most adults today believe two incorrect things: (1) that the ads have little effect on them, and (2) they choose their own wants.
Nope. You have been heavily brainwashed since infancy and believe all kinds of nonsense. For instance, most people believe that commercial cleaning products are more convenient and effective than home-brewed concoctions. However, in one scientific study (out of many), home-made cleaners were found to be more effective than commercial products. “Significant improvement in efficiency, degree of whiteness, ecological outcomes, and family health outcomes was observed using the home-made cleansers over the commercial cleansing agents.”[3]
I will inject such cold, hard, scientific truth whenever I can. I hope to arm you with enough information to defend yourself in a multi-billion-dollar propaganda war. I also hope to completely revise your attitude towards spending and your relationship with money. Money should not rule your life, you should rule your money!
Don't Despair!
When you are drowning in debt, and your money is all spent before you’re even paid, it’s stupidly easy to give in to despair.
Don’t give in! Thousands of people have freed themselves from debt and poverty and achieved a comfortable lifestyle. Thousands of people have frugal spending habits and make good financial decisions.
They’re not noticeably smarter than you. They’re not fortresses of inhuman self-control, either. They’re ordinary folks who figured this out and lead abundant, fulfilled, debt-free lives.
If I can do it, so can you. If they can do it, you can, too. This will be a steep learning curve, but not an impossible cliff. You can do this!
[3] Amrita Sinha, Rekha Verma. A Comparative Study on the Efficiency of Home-Made and Commercially Available Floor Cleansing Agent, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), (4:2), Feb 2015. ISSN: 2319-7064, www.ijsr.net.