You’ve nailed it for me. For a while my finances had to be really scrutinized and I wasn’t able to automate much because I simply didn’t make enough to regularly save. But now I don’t think much about day to day decisions. A lot of what I considered frugal then, I do now for different reasons—buying used when possible, for example. That’s partly about saving money but also partly because I like old things that are made well and will last and don’t contribute to waste streams.
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I am someone who looks for bargains on almost everything. We do things in ways to save when we find techniques which work and we’re comfortable: like drinking water at restaurants, or splitting a meal at a more expensive restaurant.
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I think I’d consider it normal? You did consider all the options, you researched and price compared, and you chose something reusable which will enable you to make lunches rather than buy them. But, you did not choose the least expensive option or close to it, and you obviously weighed other preferences into the decision (other than just, can this hold a lunch?), and you spent a relatively high amount per item compared to something like this which is also reusable and works out to $3.12 a container.
I mean I’m not like, the arbiter of frugality, haha. But in a just for fun way that’s my take 
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I lean towards frugal but not cheap- the backup container I think is super smart but I could see that wiping you out if of some people’s idea of frugal.
I was thinking about this last night (pre poll) as I compared the cost of teabags for a few brands I like - pennies difference. Since I used to do that because I was on rice and beans and oats and tea and couldn’t afford not to get the cheapest. Now my overall diet is much richer, so the teabags aren’t the most significant thing on the list. But I still do my sticker comparison and could pivot to eating much more frugally. Right now it’s about frugal and delicious and healthy for everyone- and @allhat as you noticed with your own diet and expensive items it’s still way cheaper than eating out.
Part of our household not being frugal is that 9/10 times if it’s my partner’s turn to make lunch or dinner he makes takeout. We are not 50:50 on cooking, and he’s started making breakfast when it’s his turn to
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I have never been frugal. Used to try separately because i thought it made me a better person + mmm + fire. Now i just try to do the best with out money for a range of requirements, a lot of which could be summarised as comfort but my idea of comfort is not the same as someone else’s.
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i just started to watch a video about buying cheaper groceries.
The guy recommended finding a discount grocery, and his had the same name as my local one… its their other branch! (Thank you google maps for street view.)
ive been using my local branch for years.
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I consider myself frugal because I’m very careful about spending in certain areas of our budget…so I can spend in other areas. It’s a case of setting priorities for us. Also, getting the biggest bang for our dollar. So, I will spend on getting together with family, a reasonable amount. But I am shopping discount and bulk grocers, and growing my own food to afford to do so.
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I struggle with this question because I think other people perceive me as frugal (even cheap!), especially my peers & family, and I know that I judge some of their spending decisions because I feel they could have achieved the same thing for less/they aren’t getting the bang for their buck. (I’m working on being less judgey, but I know I do it reflexively)
But I also know about the places where I have splurges, where I have waste (I used a gift card for Starbucks yesterday, and the disappointment!). I know I could be a lot more frugal than I am. And I’m starting to realize the value judgements I place around the concept of waste in my own life, and how that can intersect with frugality in sub optimal ways.
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Re the waste thing,have you read the Ikea book?
I was looking for something to make with lettuce stalks. Theres a sweet spot when the plants take off and before theyre so nasty bitter…anyway, I found this. Theres an idea or 2 lll use!
A watercalculator
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I think it’s frugal because it can literally be used again and again for decades. So the money/cost is so stretched
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i look at frugality as a tool i sometimes use. i have gone through very frugal years in my life – some out of choice and some not – but right now, i’m not focused on it. i have a setup that ramit would really approve of – automated bills / savings / investments and then do what i want with the rest. but i know the tool is there to use whenever i want or need to. i know i’m going into a more frugal phase when i find myself flipping through the tightwad gazette 
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I think I’ve been very frugal this year in particular because so much has changed in my life and I’m still getting a feel for what a “normal” spend is in new circumstances and with less income.
Also, cleaning out the house to move left me feeling overwhelmed by stuff, as does living with a bunch of cluttery people.
I realized a while back that I actually prefer spending on stuff to make my house nicer rather than on experiences which once you’ve had them you’ve got nothing, and now I’m less interested in the “stuff” part, but probably will recover.
Little kids lose everything, so I go with the thrift store option on that.
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Score! I was thinking, again, that I need to fertilize the garden 3 or more times a year if I want decent crops… I bought the last 2 organic dry veggie garden fertilizers I use from a store. That will get me through this year, probably, except for the blueberries. We buy fertilizer for those from a fruit orchard where we bought the last 4 plants in the blueberry hedge…
It occurred to me to ask my neighbor with the farm if they were still willing to give me a load of cow poop? Yes! Cost? $0!!! How could I forget that? So, the plan is to finish moving the mulch up to the bulb bed and get a load of cow poop.
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This has always been my disconnect with a lot of FI blogger types who are more experiential! I find travel super stressful and I would rather make my home more comfortable & interesting.
Which also ties into frugality for me, because I consider thoughtfully shopping and purchasing something I will keep for a long time frugal, but my wife’s sense of frugality is very different. She is very much “make do until you absolutely can’t do without” which is probably the more “traditional” frugality definition.
I also consider myself a minimalist but it’s definitely in the thoughtful/spark joy sense and not the aesthetic sense! I don’t like to keep around items that aren’t serving a purpose, but decorative items whose purpose is to bring a smile are totally fine as long as they have a place to live (either permanently or fit into seasonal decoration container which fits into storage space appropriately). I get a lot of practice minimizing at work as part of my job is weeding library collections and you have to really pay attention to your container space to make sure the library looks its best!
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Haha that’s a fair assessment. I do think there’s a distinction between being cheap (by choice or necessity) and being frugal. Thinking about it today, the “frugal” choice in my mind would be to identify the best long term option, a reasonable good value for that option and then make do with the free workaround (takeout containers) until we could procure the other.
I don’t necessarily think that buying a stack of plastic containers is the most frugal, even though it’s the cheapest because they inevitably get cracked or warped in the dishwasher and overtime they lose the value or have to be replaced. With a higher quality item getting daily use I should be able to use it longer. Assuming it doesn’t get lots at preschool when we’re done using it I can resell to other parents and get back some of the cost.
Thanks for indulging discuss on this topic…it is extremely subjective.
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for the lettuce, would one of Tamar Adler’s cooked lettuce recipes work? (e.g. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/recipe-julie-van-rosendaal-lettuc-soup-honey-flummery-1.4776288 or Tamar Adler on Reviving Food from a Bygone Era - BLARB or The One-Pot Meal Lifted By an Unexpected (& Underestimated!) Green)
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It might. Thanks!
Very subjective for sure!
Before we lived in New England, we lived an hour from MouseWorld. We got a LOT of visitors…
One was my sister, who after a day of walking almost all around the world showcase complained as we were leaving that we had to come back, she’d missed Belgium or some such. DH and I just looked at each other. For one thing, we’d been to the park like 4 times that year because of going with guests and for another, it wasn’t a checklist for us or any of the other guests. You spent the day, saw what you did and could enjoy. That visit, because of that, and other things is the reason I won’t travel with my sister or have her as a guest.
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Yesterday we walked to a store 3km away to save $12 on 6 bricks of butter. We went not even knowing if they would have any in stock. Then we walked down to the lake and picked up a beef brisket at 50% off because that location often seems to have discount meat. (saved $14)
This might seem like a mismatch between effort and reward. But if instead you think about optimizing against a goal of 8km walked per day, this just gave a specific location to aim for on our walk, and incidentally we saved money. We also saw a bunny, people practicing with rainbow streamers, and teens playing volleyball by the sugar ship.
Meal plan
Friday: roast veggies (from the 2G2G grab bag) and slow roasted brisket
Saturday: brisket tacos with lettuce & peppers (from 2G2G), pickled red onions, sour cream
Sunday: broccoli & peppered cheddar quiche (broccoli and cheddar from separate 2G2G bags)
Monday: brisket, roast veggies, glass noodles, lime peanut sauce, cilantro
Tuesday: zucchini fritters
Wednesday: shakshuka
Thursday: okonomiyaki
It seems like a lot of brisket, so I’m planning to put 4 servings into the freezer.
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