Why did you adopt a frugal lifestyle? One Reddit user was curious about why people started being frugal. He says he started his frugal journey so that he could retire early, and sometimes, it was a necessity to push him through tough times.
Other Reddit members commented on this thread, highlighting their reasons for adopting the frugal lifestyle. Here are some of the best responses from this conversation.
For the Love of Money
Simply put, “I like money. I don’t like work. It’s All about maximizing money and minimizing work.”
To Buy Quality Stuff at a Good Price
One user wants the best, but at a low cost, “Frugalness actually started for me when I realized good money was being spent on disposable things. A lot of things are a “use once and chuck it” I didn’t stop buying those things, but it made me more aware of the cost. To try to bring the cost down without sacrificing quality.”
To Avoid Wastage
In keeping up with the family tradition of non-wastage, “My grandmother once said “Wasting food is a sin.” Mind you, this is an atheist family, but it stuck with me. Since then, I’ve come to look at all waste the same. I want to leave the place better than I found it.”
Forced To Be Frugal
Some had no other option, “Once I had my first child, I stayed out of the workforce for about ten years. We had some tight times, but we did it, and I have never regretted it! I am incredibly thankful for my relationships with my adult children! I was forced to learn frugality, but it stuck, and for the most part, it just seems to be a better way to live.”
To Caution Against Tough Times
One user who had been through tough times wouldn’t want to be there again, “Because I’ve been through some tough times. And during those tough times, I would have worried less if I had a bit more saved up.”
It Gives Some Pleasure
Some just love to make deals, “Some people get internal pleasure by spending. I get internal pleasure by saving or finding a good deal. For example, I bought a new Galaxy 23 for $200 yesterday. I have the option to resell for $700 and may or may not choose to do so.”
Help to Transition to Part Time Work
Another wants to have more time to themselves, “Frugal for me is the means which hopefully allows me to transition to part-time work so I can at least have 4 days off and 3 days working. Currently doing 5 days work a week, and it takes the entire weekend just to get over that week.”
To Find Hacks of Living Well for Little Input
We all want that, don’t we? “Alternative reason beyond the obvious ones, I enjoy the aspect of finding functional hacks of living well for little input. I almost look at it in an adult way as problem-solving, and when I do hit that mark, I love it.”
To Retire and Enjoy Experiences
This elderly couple wants to retire and explore the world, “We are fortunate to have no mortgage and no car payments, but we must be frugal so he can retire someday, so we can pay medical bills, so we can see concerts or plays (very rarely) and have a simple vacation now and then.”
To Rectify Earlier Mistakes
Some people make mistakes, and they have to be frugal so that they can rectify these mistakes, “Foolishness in earlier life led to debts to pay off; job changes led to reduced income and then stagnant income; and now inflation has absolutely wiped out my low key efforts at mitigating the above. It’s not through choice, although I was never someone who wasted food. But I was a happy spender on things I loved.”
Not To Be Poor in Old Age
Being poor in old age sucks, “I am getting old, and I don’t want to be old and poor. I’ve always been frugal, though, but life choices haven’t led us to have good retirement savings, unfortunately. I will probably work until I die.”
It Is a Rainy-Day Fund
It will come in handy one day, “I consider being frugal like a rainy day fund. We have a surplus of perishables, non-perishables, and finances. Anything can happen. I’ve seen and have been in a situation where you run out of road due to a terrible event that can cause loss of job/health. You do NOT want to be in that situation, ever.”
It Is a Force of Habit
“So why the frugal…..force of habit now, been doing it for fifty years. Raised four boys, paid off my house early, had a comfortable home and garden, and entered retirement early, so it did work out in the long run. Now I teach about those frugal luxuries that make everything just a little nicer in daily life,” adds another user
This Is How They Were Raised
It is hard to deviate from how one was raised, “I was raised by elderly people who lived through the great depression and taught me how to garden and clearance shop. Rip grandpa and grandma.”
To Live Simply
Sometimes less is more, as this user illustrates, “I quit a well-paying job so I could live simply. In order to do that, I had to drastically change how I spent my (now) much smaller income. I wanted less in my life; less stress, less “things,” less of everything.”
Trauma From Growing Up in Poverty
This user would never want to go back to being poor again, “Trauma from growing up in poverty. I just never want to need as badly as I did as a child. It makes me anxious to overspend, and I feel despair when I’m broke, so I avoid those things like the plague.”
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This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
