Why Be Frugal When You Can Afford More?

Have you ever wondered why you still practice frugal living even when you’re no longer struggling to make ends meet?

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

When I was younger, being frugal wasn’t really optional. We were raising three children on one income, and like most young families, there always seemed to be more places for our money to go than money available to go around.

I clipped coupons, watched grocery sales and bought secondhand. I cooked at home, stretched leftovers, waited for things to go on sale and I learned pretty quickly how to make what we had last just a little bit longer.

Back then, frugality had a very practical purpose. We needed to make our money stretch.

But here’s the funny thing.

More than forty years later, our financial situation looks very different. Our children are grown. We’re retired. We have more financial security than we had during those early years and, truthfully, more money than we’ve ever had before.

And yet, I think I may be more frugal now than I’ve ever been.

Why?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself. And I think the answer is that after all these years, I value a dollar differently.

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Frugality Changes Over Time

When you’re young and money is tight, saving $20 might mean having enough for groceries until payday. Finding clothes on clearance, packing lunches, cooking instead of eating out and saying no to things you couldn’t afford weren’t necessarily lifestyle choices. Sometimes they were simply what you had to do.

But somewhere along the way, something changed. The things I originally did because we needed to save money became things I continued doing because they made sense.

I stopped seeing frugality as something we would eventually outgrow. Instead, it became part of the way we live.

Today, I don’t look for a bargain because we can’t afford to pay full price. I look for a bargain because…why would I pay full price if I don’t have to?

There’s a big difference.

I Value Money More Now

This may sound strange, but I think I value money more now that we have more of it.

When I was younger, there was always the assumption that more money would be coming. Another paycheck. Another year of working. Maybe a raise. There was time to earn more, save more and recover from financial mistakes.

Retirement feels different.

Our monthly income is fairly predictable. I know what is coming in each month, and I try very hard to keep what is going out at or below that number. Not because we’re struggling, but because I like the margin and the peace of mind that comes with it.

I also still believe it’s important to save money every month. That’s why I have money automatically going into different sinking funds, so expenses don’t sneak up on my budget. There will eventually be car repairs, insurance bills, home expenses, gifts, travel and all the other things that are simply part of life.

Most of those things aren’t really emergencies if you know they’re coming.

Planning for them means I don’t have to worry about where the money will come from when they do.

At this stage of life, a dollar represents more than something I can spend. It represents security, choices and freedom. That makes me think twice before giving it away unnecessarily.

Can I Afford It…or Is It Worth It?

This might be one of the biggest changes in the way I think about money.

I used to ask, “Can we afford it?”

Now I’m much more likely to ask, “Is it worth it?”

Those are two very different questions.

There are plenty of things we can afford that I have absolutely no desire to spend money on. I could walk into a department store and buy Michael and me brand-new clothes at full price. Instead, I buy almost all of our clothes secondhand, where I can find good-quality brands for pennies on the dollar.

It’s not because we can’t afford new clothes. I just don’t see a reason to spend that much when I don’t have to.

In fact, one of my favorite sayings has become, “Why pay retail when you don’t have to?”

The same goes for replacing things that still work, paying extra simply for convenience or buying new when secondhand will do just as well…or sometimes better.

Being financially comfortable doesn’t mean every purchase suddenly becomes a good one.

Sometimes I look at a price and think, Yes, I could pay that. Followed immediately by, But there is absolutely no way I’m paying THAT for THAT.

Please tell me I’m not the only one. 😊

More Doesn’t Always Mean Better

One of the nicest things about getting older is realizing how many things you simply don’t need.

There was a time when I thought improving our financial situation would mean upgrading everything. A nicer house, better furniture, more clothes, more expensive vacations and more of all the things we couldn’t afford when we were younger.

But somewhere along the way, I realized that having more doesn’t necessarily make life better. Sometimes it just gives you more to maintain, store, clean and worry about.

I’ve also learned that many of the things I enjoy most don’t cost very much. A quiet morning with my coffee, cooking a meal we both enjoy, spending time with our children and grandchildren, working on a project around the house or sitting outside on a pretty evening…none of those things require a big budget.

Knowing what makes you happy is surprisingly good for your finances.

Frugality Gives Us Choices

This is probably the biggest reason I’m still frugal.

I don’t save money simply for the sake of having more money. I save in places that don’t matter very much to me so we can spend in places that do.

Last summer, Michael and I took a river cruise through Europe. Was it expensive? Absolutely.

Was it worth it?

Every penny.

I had dreamed of going to Germany since I was very young, and finally getting to go was something I’ll never forget. We had such a wonderful time that next spring, we’re going back to Europe for another river cruise, this time on the Danube.

Overlooking the River Rhine in Basel, Switzerland.

That, to me, is what frugality is for.

I’ll happily buy our clothes secondhand, shop sales, use what we already have and think twice about everyday purchases. I’ll also find inexpensive ways to make our home beautiful because, honestly, I enjoy the challenge.

Then I can spend money on something I’ve dreamed about for years and enjoy it without feeling guilty about what it cost.

Being frugal also gives us the freedom to load up the RV and take off when we feel like it. It helps us protect our savings, prepare for whatever the future might bring and hopefully leave something behind for our children someday.

Those things matter to me far more than paying full price just because I can.

Frugal living isn’t about spending as little as humanly possible. It’s about spending less on what doesn’t matter so you have more for what does.

Sometimes Saving Money Is Just Fun

I also have to admit something.

At this point in my life, I actually enjoy the challenge.

Recently, I was looking for a new light fixture for my office. I had looked at dozens online, ranging from around $38 to well over $100. I finally had the $38 one sitting in my cart and was just about ready to order it.

But before I did, I decided to pop into one of my favorite thrift stores.

And there it was.

I liked it immediately, brought it home and gave it a good cleaning. Once I got the dirt off, I realized I hadn’t just found a decent light fixture. I’d found a little diamond in the rough.

Michael installed it, and it looked even better than I had imagined.

The price?

$7.97.

Now tell me…where is the fun in clicking “Buy Now” after a find like that? 😂

One of my best thrift-store finds ever!

That’s another reason I don’t think of frugality as deprivation anymore. There’s satisfaction in finding a better way. I enjoy finding quality secondhand, making something beautiful without spending a fortune and knowing I got something wonderful for a fraction of what I could have spent.

Saving money isn’t always about needing to…Sometimes it’s simply fun to know you did.

Why Be Frugal When You Have Enough?

I heard someone joke recently, “We’re making good money now. We don’t have to be frugal anymore.”

We laughed, but the comment stuck with me because I think a lot of people feel that way.

Frugality is sometimes treated like a temporary condition. Something you do when money is tight, when you’re paying off debt, when you’re raising a family or when you’re trying to get ahead. Then, once you start earning more, you’ve somehow earned the right to stop paying attention.

I understand the temptation. After years of saying no, it feels good to finally be able to say yes.

But I also think that’s one of the easiest ways for our lifestyle to grow right along with our income. The nicer restaurant becomes normal. The occasional splurge becomes routine. Things that once seemed expensive suddenly don’t seem so bad. And before long, the amount of money that once would have felt like more than enough doesn’t feel like quite so much anymore.

That’s why I don’t think earning more is a reason to stop being frugal. If anything, having more choices makes me want to be even more intentional about what we do with our money.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your hard work. We certainly do. But there’s also nothing wrong with making good money and still saying, “That’s too expensive,” “We don’t need that,” or my personal favorite, “I could pay that, but I’m not going to.”

Frugality isn’t something you have to leave behind when your finances improve. Maybe that’s when you finally get to discover what frugality really is…not something you’re forced to do because you don’t have enough, but something you choose because you’ve learned the value of what you have.

I Still Hate Wasting Money

There. I said it.

It doesn’t matter whether something costs $5 or $500. If I feel like I wasted money on it, it bothers me.

Maybe that comes from all those years when every dollar really did matter. Maybe it’s simply part of my personality now. Either way, having more money hasn’t made me enjoy wasting it.

Food waste still bothers me. Paying too much still bothers me. Buying something we already have still bothers me. Paying for something we don’t use definitely bothers me. And throwing away something that could have been repaired, reused or repurposed? You probably already know how I feel about that one.

Once you’ve spent decades learning how much value can be squeezed out of a dollar, it’s hard to suddenly stop caring.

And I don’t want to.

What I’m Really Protecting

The more I think about why I’m still so frugal in retirement, the more I realize I’m not really protecting my money…I’m protecting what the money allows us to do.

I’m protecting our savings and the security it gives us. I’m protecting our ability to travel to places I once only dreamed of seeing and our freedom to take the RV somewhere whenever the mood strikes us.

There’s also our future to think about, because none of us knows exactly what the years ahead will bring. I hope there will be something left for our children someday, too.

But maybe more than anything, I’m protecting the peace that comes from knowing we can live at or below our monthly income and still have a wonderful, fulfilling life.

That’s the part I think gets lost sometimes when we talk about frugal living.

The goal isn’t to die with the biggest bank account. And the goal certainly isn’t to deny yourself every pleasure along the way.

The money is there to serve your life.

For me, frugality simply helps make sure we’re spending it on the life we actually want.

Living frugally gives us the freedom to hitch up the RV and take off whenever the mood strikes us.

You Don’t Graduate From Frugal Living

I think I once assumed there would be a point when we wouldn’t need to be frugal anymore. Maybe when the kids were grown, the house was paid for or maybe when we had enough saved. Or maybe when we retired.

But I don’t think that way anymore.

The goal was never to reach a point where I could finally spend without thinking. The goal was to reach a point where money didn’t control our decisions.

Ironically, many of the habits that helped us get here are the same habits I want to keep.

I still shop sales, compare prices, cook at home and use what we have. I still love secondhand and get ridiculously excited over a great thrift-store find.

And yes, I will still drive home feeling victorious because I saved $3 on something I could easily have paid full price for.

Some things never change.

Frugality Is About Enough

Maybe this is what more than forty years of frugal living has taught me.

There’s a difference between having money and feeling like you have enough.

You can always find something newer, bigger or nicer. You can always find something someone else has that you don’t. If that becomes the standard, no amount of money will ever feel like enough.

Frugality has helped me appreciate what we already have. It has taught me to wait, to be resourceful, to recognize value and to enjoy simple things.

And maybe most importantly, it has taught me that a good life doesn’t have to be an expensive one.

Why I Still Choose Frugality

We’re no longer that young family trying to stretch one paycheck as far as it will possibly go. Our circumstances have changed tremendously.

But the funny thing is, I’m more convinced of the value of frugal living now than I was back then.

Not because we’re broke. Not because we’re afraid to spend money. And not because I believe the person who spends the least wins.

I’m frugal because I know what those dollars represent…security, freedom, choices, generosity and peace of mind.

Having more money didn’t make frugality irrelevant.

It made it optional.

And I still choose it.

What about you? Has the way you think about frugal living changed as you’ve gotten older or as your financial situation has changed? Are there things you still do to save money even though you no longer have to?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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