Don't Become Frugal Obsessed

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

05 Sep 2008 06:09 AM

When it comes to frugal living, some of us have a dirty little secret. Or perhaps it isn't as secret as we might think. Sometimes people can become so obsessed by living a frugal life style that it completely takes over everything that we do. Sometimes we wind up missing out on life's wonder because we are too stressed out about saving each little penny.

Being good stewards of our money is one thing, but we also have to keep things in perspective. Frugal living, challenging ourselves to get great bargains and save as much money as we can, can be a sort of high. Seeing that grocery bill shrink or finding something special at the curb can be a sort of accomplishment, and that can make it all very addicting.

I admit that I have come pretty close to being obsessed on occasion, such as walking up to stranger in the grocery store and pointing out that the other brand of something will save them 20 cents.

Here are some signs that you or someone you know might be frugal obsessed.

You take unfair advantage of friends, acquaintances or even stores to save money or get a bargain.

You can't enjoy a leisurely Saturday morning breakfast because you are stressed about what you might be missing at yard sales.

You obsessively check free sites, such as freecycle to make sure that you are always the first to respond to anything you might remotely like.

You are constantly reprimanding your family about turning off lights or using too much toilet paper.

You deny yourself or your family a bag of apples because you missed last week's sale.

You are late for work because you've spent ten extra minutes arguing with the convenience store cashier that cream cheese shouldn't cost more than butter on a bagel.

You decide not to be friends with someone you view as a "spendthrift."

You have a closet full of bargains or freebies that you never use.

You miss out on a fun event because the ticket prices have gone up $2 from last year.

Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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