being "cheap" vs "frugal"

[LuluLovesDisney]

Wondering about people's opinions between the distinction here. . .

Personally some thing I think are "cheap" are when people are stingy with others but not themselves:

Examples:

My cousins who eat at a buffet restaurant near us often, using lots of dishes, lots of drink refills and NEVER leave a single cent as a tip for the waitress.

They also go to fast food places, make their kids (3 of them) split a value meal and then each order their own separate meals!

This family's name is also in the paper in my town almost every year for not paying their taxes!

They give Christmas presents that we have seen in the 99 cent store when my family spends 15-20 per child!

I also think that making salads out of the toppings bar and not buying a meal where you are "dining" is also cheap.

Now, I have paid off a 6000 dollar debt in the past year so I have learned to pinch a lot of pennies, mostly by not shopping for things I didn't really need, to be honest. I didn't eat out anymore, I brought lunch everyday, brought coffee from home, I've just started saving coupons, etc. When I am in Disney I plan on being budget conscious, too.

Just wondering what you all would/wouldn't do to save money. What do you think is crossing into being "cheap"?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When I stay at hotels and they put out new soap bars daily and also leave the open ones, I will take the unopened ones home for hand soap instead of buying it. I figure that I'm paying for it anyway.

 

[WDWlover]

Well we make the kids put the money they get into the Disney fund...NOW before ya all start in on me....

We keep track of what they put in and we give them that much for spending money at WDW

 

[wide awake]

Cheap and frugal mean the same thing. I'm always happy to admit to being cheap. I hate fast food, but if I have lunch out it is off the $1 menu and I have water with it or a soda I've brought from home...gifts can be a killer...I don't care what other people spend...I do what I can afford, and nobody who isn't IMMEDIATE family gets a gift from me. All of us have areas that we're cheap, frugal, whatever you want to call it...as long as I'm not asked to loan money...would always be a no answer anyway...I don't give a hang how others spend or don't spend their money. Not my issue !!!

 

[jgates]

I guess I classify cheap & frugal as 2 different things - too me frugal is being wise and cheap is being - well, just cheap . The first one I can think of is that the one local fast food place gives free beverages to senior citizens. There are several that get their soda and then right before they go, they refill it and take it home and put it in the fridge so they have another soda for supper without buying it at the grocery store.

My mom also 'dumpster dives' at the grocery store she works at but she gets some really good stuff out of there, LOL!!! And yes, some of it has ended up in my fridge.

I used to take the hotel bars of soap but my husband hates them so we just leave them (except for the extras they gave me at the Swan - I LOVE their soap!!!) We always have to bring our own full-size soap bar for him to use in one of those little plastic cases. I do however take the shampoo with - I'm guilty of that. Never stole any towels though!! I seriously thought about one of those Swan robes ending up in my suitcase, but never would have been able to go through with it.

 

[rockyroad]

Frugal is a good thing. It means making good use of whatever you have.

Cheap, however, is another thing entirely. Stiffing the waiter is stealing the waiter's time and labor. Underfeeding your kids while you stuff your own face is disturbing.

To me, price often has nothing to do with quality. Some things are inexpensive or a good value, but are not cheap.

Well made + inexpensive = good value

Poorly made + inexpensive =cheap

A modest gift chosen with care and love is not a cheap gift.

 

[Renate_do]

Hi,

here some opinions from Germany

Cheap is:

Tupper Breakfast items for lunch at the hotel (here the breakfast is mostly included in the price of the room)

Use a hotel room booked for 3 with 4 people.

Order lot of drinks before the AI ended (mostly 11am) and DONT drink it afterwards.

Ask other people to lent them things they would resist to buy cause they are to expensive (tools) but never buy any to lent them to the others.

coming with a small dessert to a party while others bringing the meat.


Frugal is:
share meals if you know in advance that you could not eat it alone
try to add codes or coupons and look for discounts
buy items that you dont use a lot together with others and share (tools, books)
when party, buy everything do the BBQ and split the bills afterwards.


Guess there are a lot more examples.

Greets Renate

 

[drakethib]

Well we make the kids put the money they get into the Disney fund...NOW before ya all start in on me....

We keep track of what they put in and we give them that much for spending money at WDW

There is not a thing worng with that. My parents did the same thing to me.

You are teaching them to earn their rewards. They will thank you later on in their adult life when they know everything in life isn't handed to them.

A+ to you for parenting skills !!!!!

 

[drakethib]

Wondering about people's opinions between the distinction here. . .

Personally some thing I think are "cheap" are when people are stingy with others but not themselves:

Examples:

My cousins who eat at a buffet restaurant near us often, using lots of dishes, lots of drink refills and NEVER leave a single cent as a tip for the waitress.

They also go to fast food places, make their kids (3 of them) split a value meal and then each order their own separate meals!

This family's name is also in the paper in my town almost every year for not paying their taxes!

They give Christmas presents that we have seen in the 99 cent store when my family spends 15-20 per child!

I also think that making salads out of the toppings bar and not buying a meal where you are "dining" is also cheap.

Now, I have paid off a 6000 dollar debt in the past year so I have learned to pinch a lot of pennies, mostly by not shopping for things I didn't really need, to be honest. I didn't eat out anymore, I brought lunch everyday, brought coffee from home, I've just started saving coupons, etc. When I am in Disney I plan on being budget conscious, too.

Just wondering what you all would/wouldn't do to save money. What do you think is crossing into being "cheap"?

There is frugal, cheap, then there is theft and being unethical.

I think your cousins are the latter.

Me. I am pretty frugal but I believe is enjoying life and paying for good customer service.

A 20% tip is the min I will leave for good service. I am also guilty of leaving a standard tip (15%) even though the service was not what it should have been unless the waiter was just rude. Everyone has a bad day.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

Cheap = splitting the 2 ply toilet paper into 2 one ply rolls - ewwwww

Frugal = sorry, for us it may be booking a room for 3 and staying with 4 or 5. I think the additional adult rate is just wrong (just my opinion, no flaming please)

Frugal = being able to purchase a great gift for under $5

Cheap = buying a gift at the 99 cents store and it looks like it is a gift from the 99 cents store. Although, we receive cheap gifts all the time, what can you do. They either go to good will or the garbage pail (sometimes the kids really like them though)

 

[twinklebug]

I'm battling the frugal vs. cheap question here as I'm planning our trip and insisting that we eat almost all breakfasts and many lunches in-room. Having family in the food service industry has taught me to always tip 15-20% according to service rendered. I have, shamefully, been known to leave a penny at the bottom of a water glass when the service was horrible beyond belief (a different story not to be told here) when I should have left 10% and spoken with a manager instead. That was many years ago & I've been eduated since.

My mom also 'dumpster dives' at the grocery store she works at but she gets some really good stuff out of there, LOL!!! And yes, some of it has ended up in my fridge.

LMFAO I'm SO afraid to ask, but what could have wound up in your fridge?

 

[floridagirrl2]

To me, being frugal is not spending money on things that are unimportant to me, in order to have money for the things that are important to me. That's very different from being cheap. Examples:

Frugal: I bring my lunch to work. I drive a 7-year-old van. I live in a house that cost considerably less than the mortgage DH and I could have qualified for. I do this so I can "splurge" on things that are important to me: saving for retirement, fixing up the house, paying off bills, being able to work part-time eventually, going away on a mini-vacation one weekend per month.

Cheap, to me, is doing things like not tipping servers as other posters have mentioned. Or buying stuff you don't like (e.g., food) because it's cheaper than stuff you like. There have been times in the past when I was broke enough that friends took pity on me and gave me silverware (yeah, I had 2 forks, 2 knives, 2 spoons back when I was working my way through school! ) but I always bought good food and I always tipped servers appropriately. I also have always given money to causes in which I believe, no matter how broke I am.

I think what is considered cheap vs. frugal will vary from person to person since everybody has different things they value.

 

[Muushka]

I believe that being frugal only affects me.

I believe that being cheap affects others.

 

[Third times a charm]

I believe that being frugal only affects me.

I believe that being cheap affects others.

Very Well Said!!!

 

[mking624]

Well, being frugal doesn't only affect oneself...not if you have a family. That would affect others. But I don't consider it being cheap.

I consider frugal as being economical. Knowing how to get your money's worth. You can be economical and still be generous (i.e. giving someone a decent tip for good service).

I consider benig cheap along the same lines of being stingy or miserly. It can be borderline greedy, even if the person has little money. The intent is to be able to hoard their money even if it means getting things they absolutely do not like so that they don't have to spend effort getting things they DO like on special deals or the like. In other words, Scrooge.

 

[RichNKatHolly]

I believe that being frugal only affects me.

I believe that being cheap affects others.

WOW, good one - I'm in awe!!

 

[Janice B]

I dont think their is anything wrong with what you are doing. We went to disney last year and we are going again this summer. We have a 13yr old son and we make him save for his spending money. We are from Canada and we also make him figure out the exchange rate when he is saving. We also keep track of his spending and make him due it as well. We feel this is a great way for him to figure out how expensive stuff really is and to think about what he is buying and weather it's a good deal or not.

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

This is hard. I somewhat agree that "cheap" has a negative connotation but then what about that magazine....."cheapskates monthly", or something like that. They just want to be frugal.

What the OP is describing, to me, is beyond cheap. It's rude, discourteous and some of it, illegal.

My friends came back from WDW and didn't spend one dime on food/snacks/souveniers in the parks............I used to say, I could never be that cheap while on vacation. NOW, I've cut my food budget way back and I don't view it as cheap anymore but frugal. (never say never, right? )

So my attitude (it's subjective, you know) has changed over the years. I don't mind being viewed as cheap/frugal, whatever, but I would never want to be rude or discourteous and I definately obey the rules, even if I don't agree with them..........ex. having to buy an adult AP for my 10 year old..........that's hard to swallow for me, but I'll do it.

 

[mist_e_rose2002]

Cheap = splitting the 2 ply toilet paper into 2 one ply rolls - ewwwww

Frugal = sorry, for us it may be booking a room for 3 and staying with 4 or 5. I think the additional adult rate is just wrong (just my opinion, no flaming please)

Frugal = being able to purchase a great gift for under $5

Cheap = buying a gift at the 99 cents store and it looks like it is a gift from the 99 cents store. Although, we receive cheap gifts all the time, what can you do. They either go to good will or the garbage pail (sometimes the kids really like them though)

I have several neices and nephews who tear up their christmas toys as little as a week after christmas, so I am very guilty of going to the dollar store and buying thier gifts.

They love the gifts, at least until they kill it. This way, they get more t han one or two gifts and I dont go broke trying to buy for 6 nieices and nephews.

As for my family, I can only get my brother and sis-in-laws stuff on e-bay. He is a denver broncos fan, she is a raiders fan (GO RAIDERS) and we live in Kansas City (home to the chiefs) we can hardly get any other team merchandise here.

I suppose it is a "to each his own suitation", but so far being cheap on b-day and christmas gifts has worked for our family. Of course, now that the "kids" are 13, 14, and 16, being cheap may no longer be an option..

 

[Chicago526]

Frugal was my parents waiting for the deal of a lifetime before taking my brothers and I to WDW in '83.

Cheap was my parents refusing to buy us a SINGLE souvineer or take a single picture of us during said trip (they didn't even own a camera). Not a single snapshot or a pair of Mickey ears! And since we didn't get an allowance, we couldn't even save our own money to spend!

We had a fantastic time, and I wouldn't trade that trip for anything in the world, but I'd really like to have at least ONE picture from that trip to look at!

At any rate, being frugal is making sure to get value for your money and spending wisely.

Being cheap is spending as little as humanly possible, period. Often buying inferiour (sp?) products or doing without things that you can afford and should have.