Is a frugal lifestyle miserable?

tortoise

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No, a frugal lifestyle isn't miserable.* Many frugal people say it's fun, freeing, even bad@$$.

My favorite frugal book on the topic is The Art of Frugal Hedonism

You can also check our these blog posts by Frugalwoods:
The Joy That Comes When Less in Enough
Strategic Luxury: The Difference Between Frugality and Miserliness

*A frugal lifestyle by choice is not miserable. However, a frugal lifestyle by necessity - due to scarcity, or poverty - is a whole difference situation. Read about that in the book Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much
 

tortoise

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Many people who live a frugal lifestyle spend as little as possible in some areas so they can spend more on other things that are more important. Like, we skip the iced coffee, takeout, fast food (or whatever is not so important to us) so we have more money for goats (or whatever is important to us). :gig
 

Trying2keepitReal

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Many people who live a frugal lifestyle spend as little as possible in some areas so they can spend more on other things that are more important. Like, we skip the iced coffee, takeout, fast food (or whatever is not so important to us) so we have more money for goats (or whatever is important to us). :gig
This is us too! Not spending on those non-importsnt things allow me to keep expanding on my chickens and paid cash for a 2017 truck
 

frustratedearthmother

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so we have more money for goats
Whoopie! I vote for more money for more goats!!

I like being frugal. It's kind of like a challenge or a game to live comfortably (everyone has a different idea of what that means) and spend no more than you want to.

I feel very blessed to live in a house that I own. It's warm and dry and we have a full pantry and several full freezers. And - I have two new goats, lol.

Nothing wrong with choosing how you spend your money.
 

tortoise

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I like being frugal. It's kind of like a challenge or a game to live comfortably (everyone has a different idea of what that means) and spend no more than you want to.
I enjoy it as a challenge too. I haven't been playing that game lately, but it's time. Not being frugal is boring. There's no joy of seeking out a great bargain or building a creative solution.

Frugality, gratitude, and minimalism all go together, IMO.
 

baymule

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I haven’t been very frugal lately. Moving will do that. But I paid cash for 25 acres with a double wide mobile home, so maybe that qualifies? LOL

I splurged today and got a Carmel frappechino. I was disappointed, it wasn’t that great. Sigh…. I guess I’ll just stick to my own cold leftover coffee, add sugar, cream and ice.
 

tortoise

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I haven’t been very frugal lately. Moving will do that. But I paid cash for 25 acres with a double wide mobile home, so maybe that qualifies? LOL

I splurged today and got a Carmel frappechino. I was disappointed, it wasn’t that great. Sigh…. I guess I’ll just stick to my own cold leftover coffee, add sugar, cream and ice.
heck yes, paying cash for your home and property is crazy frugal.

I got a McCafé iced mocha for a rare treat last Saturday. :sick never again! I couldn't stomach it. I made a recipe for homemade iced mocha a few years ago (after getting hooked on Frappuccinos). I'll have to find it again. It was a million times better than a Frappuccino or McCafé!
 
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