Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
ajkesslerblog.com
Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
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Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#2The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#3On one hand I kind of agree with this, there certainly is something to be said for buying nice stuff now and then, especially when it is stuff you love doing.
For play, I use a ratio I call the Fun Factor. Essentially, that's the $/hr of fun I get out of something. So if you go see a movie and it is $10, and it is the rare money that is actually fun to watch, then the fun factor is roughly $5.
So then you apply it to other things. Sure, $2,000 is a lot to spend a mountain bike, but divided out by the number of hours I've had on it, I'm way below $5 these days, so I consider it a fair deal.
A smartphone and laptop I love is always worth it in fun factor dollars.
That said, I do take issue on the 'lasting forever' bit, because wow, stuff just isn't made to last forever anymore and nor would you want to. I think it is a clever trick that we play on ourselves, oh, "This will be the last [blank] I ever have to buy", but how often is that really the case?
I can think of a few things I have that qualify, but they are few. I bought a $100 chef knife about a decade ago, still use it daily, still love it. I don't see my Ortlieb messenger bag ever breaking down, so maybe that's another. A few hand tools, but most hand tools last forever regardless of quality.
What are yours, what have you bought that you think you might keep forever?
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#4The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
I'm not at American, but what I see about your country is that it's huge and varied. Given this, it's hard to think of things as American qualities.
I generally disagree with the post. I think fountain pens and fancy notebooks are are a waste of time, though I've been through phases with both. For me - cheap pencils, cheap graph-paper, cheap folders, and a system to keep order.
There are often ways to be smart that don't involve spending money. There's an idea of people who have more money than sense who go with an expensive option because they're hoping that this increases their chance of getting the thing they will want/need.
I have a digital watch. It has a lap timer in it, and shows the full date, cost less than USD100 and far more reliable than the swiss watch I have.
But there is some truth in the article - if you're just frugal all the time out of principle it sends bad signals.
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#5The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
> The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans.
I also find strange the stigma attached to being a "loser".
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#6[deleted]
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#7The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
I'm not at American, but what I see about your country is that it's huge and varied. Given this, it's hard to think of things as American qualities. I generally disagree with the post. I think fountain pens and fancy notebooks are are a waste of time, though I've been through phases with both. For me - cheap pencils, cheap graph-paper, cheap folders, and a system to keep order. There are often ways to be smart that d…
I think the moral of the story with this post is, "buy nice things for stuff that matters." I don't think $100 pens are important to most people who post here, but $2,000 mac laptops or cinema displays are. I spent $100 on a Timbuk2 bag because I use it nearly every day when I go to work and don't want to buy a $40 Swatch laptop bag from Target that will last me 6 months to a year before it breaks while going through security at Seatac. It's just not worth it.
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#8On one hand I kind of agree with this, there certainly is something to be said for buying nice stuff now and then, especially when it is stuff you love doing. For play, I use a ratio I call the Fun Factor. Essentially, that's the $/hr of fun I get out of something. So if you go see a movie and it is $10, and it is the rare money that is actually fun to watch, then the fun factor is roughly $5. So then you apply it to…
My 2001 Z06 Corvette that I bought new in 2000. Hand tools only last forever if you don't use them; I beat the heck out of mine. I buy craftsman tools at sears, at least the basic hand tools. They replace them free when they break/wear out, no questions asked. For more complex tools (torque wrenches and the like), I spend the money and buy Snap-On (or equivalent).
Other things I've spent money on (that I'm happy with): heated slate floors for my bathroom - nothing like 85deg toasty floors when you get up in the morning; Benchmade knives; our latex foam mattress. Probably more things I can't think of at the moment.
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#9The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
"Frugal", almost by definition, cannot be used as a pejorative. When it's taken to excess, like the author is complaining about, the noun is "cheapskate" or "miser" and the adjective is "cheap" or "penny-pinching".
Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser
#10The strange hate for people who are "cheap" is one of the more bizarre about Americans. I don't think I've ever heard of frugality used as a pejorative anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
You're missing the point. The author has nothing against saving money or being frugal. He is just pointing out that for a variety of reasons, people who can afford better alternatives that would make them substantially happier/healthier/more productive choose cheaper alternatives for cheapness' sake.