Is your frugality putting you in danger? Is the pursuit of frugality worth your life? This is what the topic of dangerous frugality is all about. We love being frugal, but should you be frugal when it comes to safety?
What Is Dangerous Frugality?
Being frugal is good, but sometimes frugal behavior can be dangerous. Is saving money worth your health and safety?
A person recently went on to Reddit and said, “I’m all from being savvy on my shopping cart and not spend money where I don’t need to, but I’m seeing so many shopping pics that lack basics like vegetables and fruit and are loaded on processed foods. It’s great you can save some pennies on that, but it will come back at you through a bigger health bill. Be wealthy but not at the expense of being unhealthy. It’s a balance.”
Teetering on Danger
Many people agreed and chimed in on the frugal behaviors they felt were teetering towards dangerous frugality. These frugal living tips are more dangerous than money-saving! An interesting discussion ensued about the careful balance you need when living frugally and staying healthy.
Couponing
“That’s why I stopped couponing so much; you just end up getting a bunch of processed c*** because those are the companies that put out the coupons,” wrote one person.
Relying solely on coupons to plan your meals and your shopping list can lead you to eat too many processed foods and not have a healthy diet. Better to buy healthy food when they’re on sale or use cashback apps to save some money.
Fast Food
“I had to learn this when trying to going to fast food too much. It’s fast, convenient and you can find some deals.A s I saw my cholesterol go up, I started making changes. That money won’t matter if my health goes down.”
Fast food might be easy and cheap, but healthy food is worth every penny!
Eating Rice and Hot Dogs
One person shared an extreme example. “I have a couple of friends and a brother-in-law who are cheap, not frugal. Literally spent years trying to convince them that subsisting on rice and $1 hot dogs is going to make them sick.
One needs surgery now to repair the damage he did to his kidneys. The other grew a garden, and has fixed a lot of his bad habits. Considering the state of American healthcare, I do wonder if my one friend regrets his choices or still thinks he came out ahead.”
Wow! That’s not very smart! Why save money if you won’t even be around to appreciate it?
Taking Care of Yourself
Someone added, “Exactly. Taking care of yourself is an essential part of being frugal. Eating healthy is cheaper than paying for medications and doctor visits (or much worse) for the rest of your life!! Also, you’ll simply feel better and have more energy! And energy = money! The times I keep seeing McDonald’s on here is making me mcsad.”
Misunderstanding Frugality
“Agree,” said one person, “There’s a huge misunderstanding of frugality on here, sadly. Think about the “I collect ‘free’ condiments” crowd. There’s hardly anything as bad as adding extra sugars and salts to already uber-processed sugary, salty foods, but people are on here regularly delighting in their ability to do so freely.”
Being Judgmental?
Other people disagreed with the original sentiment.
One person wrote, “Some people are doing the best they can. Not everyone has access to a decent store or limited knowledge or supplies for cooking. Eating healthy is ideal, but some eat so they don’t feel hungry. We could all nitpick others’ choices, but we can offer suggestions.”
That is a great point! Not everyone has the same access or even the ability to choose!
Another person added, “There are also a lot of us who are frugal, not by choice, and your comment comes across as quite judgy. Maybe scale it back a bit there.”
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A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.