The Difference Between Being Frugal and Being Cheap

Just some thoughts I had this morning:


I think there's a difference between being frugal and being cheap. I think that if you are being frugal or thrifty then you are willing to take sacrifices upon yourself (either by doing without or by putting in work to do something yourself instead of buying it or hiring someone to do it) in order to save money.

If you are being cheap, however, you try to get others to spend money for you or on you so that you can save money but you do not have to put in extra work or go without. You cause others to sacrifice so that you personally do not have to sacrifice and you can still save money.

Let's say that you're invited to a pot luck party. A frugal person might bake up cookies or cinnamon rolls to share because it's less expensive than buying cookies or cinnamon rolls at the store (yummier, too, actually.) A more frugal person might instead decide to contact the hostess and see if, instead of bringing food to share, it might be helpful for her to assist with set up before the party or clean up after the party. An even more frugal person might decide not to attend the party because it costs money for gasoline to get there. In each of these cases, the frugal person is willing to make the necessary sacrifice to save money.

But a cheap person, invited to the same party, might decide to just show up with nothing and partake of the food that everyone else brought. Or a cheap person might decide to stop by the store with other party attendees on the way there and manipulate one of them into buying something for the cheap person to bring by whining that they don't have any money to spend or can't afford anything to bring. Often, the cheap person DOES have the money but doesn't want to spend it on anyone but themselves.

I think it's okay for friends to support each other now and then in little things if one of them is strapped. This is different from a cheap person who never intends to be a financial help to someone else in the future. I think it's okay to receive charity if it's needed and you're ethical about obtaining it. Whenever you can, repay the charity with service. When you have the means, give money to charities also. If you can downgrade your lifestyle in order to free up extra money to share, then do that.

I hear stories of cheap people who hide behind the guise of a noble virtue of trying to be wise with money but all they are really doing is causing others to go without so that the cheap person can have what he wants. I think this is a despicable trait.

I think frugality, however, is a responsibility that every person has. Let us not be wasteful and slothful with our money. Let us be wise so that we have enough to share with those in need. There are so many disasters in the world now, let us not be going out to eat every night and then claim we haven't enough money left over to be charitable. These are the rationalizations of the cheap person. The frugal person makes spaghetti or mac and cheese at home a few nights a week so that there is enough to send to those who may only be able to afford to eat once a day, if that. There's no need or wisdom in being vastly extreme. Be wise and moderate and share what you can.


I don't have any person in mind with these thoughts. Just stories I've heard of this or that situation where a person might be called cheap or frugal and I thought I'd let it be known that I think there's a great difference between the two.