Sometimes in our society, it can be looked down upon to be cheap or frugal. Do you hide your "frugal-Ness", or are you cheap and proud of it?
Hah. This is a funny question. I don't so much "hide" it, I guess, but I'm not boasting about it either. To me, it is a lot like discussing pay checks and benefits. It is okay in some company, but not okay in all company. I actually don't think it is as looked down upon as you suggest. It seems like more and more it is one of those competitions that people have learned to brag about. "How much are you saving/spending on ____?" I don't know. I find it annoying to be around people constantly talking about the deals they find.
There's a fine line between someone being frugal and stingy, and I think it's perfectly fine if you are frugal and you are outwardly expressing how frugal you are. With that said, I wouldn't go around and rub it in everyone's face as to how frugal you are and how you're cutting corners on xyz, but if it comes up in conversation between my friends and I about money and frugal issues I'd definitely give my 2 cents. I'm frugal because I need to pay back my student loans, but I am also aware of the fact that a typical human being cannot cut all the "fun" stuff out of their life. It's a balance, for sure, and a hard one at that sometimes.
I wouldn't say that I hide it, I wouldn't say that I'm screaming of my frugalness on the mountain tops either. I will say that my friends are always surprised when I spend a substantial amount of money on anything though.
Being frugal is fine. Being cheap isn't so great, in my view. I openly try to be frugal, showing people how much money they are wasting in many situations. But being cheap simply reflects a cheap, low quality approach to life. I prefer to avoid that.
No, I don't hide it because it's about being sensible and practical. Having lived through two major recessions, you feel the bad times more and don't wan tot have to do that and know how to survive. Yes, there is a balance to be had, but I think there maybe another recession, so I am bracing myself.
I make it known to everybody that I don't like wasting my money or time. I am not exactly super-frugal, but I do watch my outgoings carefully. I have no problems at all in stating loud and clear when I think that something is overpriced, or when I can't or don't want to pay for something that I view as too expensive.
I don't show it intentionally but I don't hide it either. People who like to judge someone over some trivial matter like that are usually people I wouldn't really get along with to begin with, however, if I have to deal with people I want to keep on my good side, while knowing they are gonna judge my frugality, I probably would hide it a little bit so I don't have to get into a senseless discussion with them.
To me it's just semantics, I see "cheap" and "frugal" as two sides of the same coin. You say tomato, I sat tomatoe. That's why I will hide my frugalness a lot of the time, because to others, it's just viewed as "cheap". I know I am not cheap, because I am very generous with others and I buy good quality items, but to people who do nothing at all to save money, any measures to cut spending can be viewed as cheap. And I do get that, because when I see others cutting spending in a way I wouldn't agree with, then I think they are cheap too! So that's why I like to keep quiet about it.
I don't hide being frugal, unless I'm doing something embarassing. For example, I've mentioned that in shared laundry rooms, other tenants throw out laundry detergent bottles that still have an inch of laundry soap in them, so I pour all those remnants into one bottle and end up with enough detergent for a coupe of loads. That's the type of thing I would keep to myself and not mention to company.
I don't hide it. I believe its normal to actually haggle even when buying veges on the market. I'm a low baller that i sometimes ask half the price when buying as this is what my mother taught to us, she use to bring me along when going to the market to buy meat and fishes and I always see her asking for discounts every now and then lol. There are lots of things you can buy when you save a dime for every purchase.
I try and hide it but not so much due to shame but more just because I believe that being frugal shouldn't be noticeable enough to hinder your activities so much so that your friends and family would notice. I prefer to keep my frugality towards items that I myself solely would have to deal with such as saving up on materials that I would only personally use and the savings I get then can be spent for or around my friends and family.
I am frugal but not cheap. And no, I do not hide it. But I understand what you mean when you say that society may look down upon it. A friend of mine, for example, while I'm not so sure that she looks down on me, she tends to question why I never buy name brands or why I never go shopping every week for new clothes. She also doesn't understand I clip coupons. She is well off so she has the luxury of shopping very often. I don't have much money so I watch what I spend but even if I am well off, I don't really understand why I would have to go shopping every week for new clothes. I've worn to same pair of jeans for about 5 years now and they still fit perfectly and are in good condition, why would I need another pair?
Yes, I'm the same as everybody else; I don't hide it or rub people's faces in it. I totally agree with clairebeautiful, it's like discussing your business and money issues with every Jack and Jill. For me it's slightly tacky.
Luckily for me, I don't care what others think about and never talk about frugality, how much I spend, etc, etc. To be honest, I hate money-talk and will try to change the subject when people suddenly start talking about what they'll do with their savings and so on. Occasionally I might ask someone who I know loves deals to tell me where they buy their 'stuff.' Otherwise, I don't broadcast my frugality.
