FT.com Article - Frugality, it's so unattractive!

[andyp2010]

Another gem

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/24a3931c-bfb4-11e5-846f-79b0e3d20eaf.html

'Dougal, you're unattractive because you're not spending enough' - Why this writer spends more than he used to.

I think he does mix being frugal and cheap up here.

[GrowingTheGreen]

I agree that the author of this needs to clarify their stance on being frugal vs being cheap. I particularly disagree with the snack tray example they provide--I don't really care if you brought in a snack tray that was on sale. Who cares.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I agree that the author of this needs to clarify their stance on being frugal vs being cheap. I particularly disagree with the snack tray example they provide--I don't really care if you brought in a snack tray that was on sale. Who cares.

AT the end, he does talk about how what you should be is "thrifty." In you snack tray example, thrifty would be making the snack tray yourself. Great Value brand dip is cheap; homemade is thrifty.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I agree that the author of this needs to clarify their stance on being frugal vs being cheap. I particularly disagree with the snack tray example they provide--I don't really care if you brought in a snack tray that was on sale. Who cares.

AT the end, he does talk about how what you should be is "thrifty." In you snack tray example, thrifty would be making the snack tray yourself. Great Value brand dip is cheap; homemade is thrifty.

Yet, ironically, the Great Value and similar store brands are manufactured in the exact same facilities that produce the fashionable brands. Most of the time the recipes are identical and only the labels differ. Why should some super-snobby name brand therefore be deemed superior, except to the extent that they've succeeded in conning people into paying more for a label?

[Holyoak]

Yep, and why I will look at the est (USDA establishment) code on meat and dairy products...  GV butter last time I checked, was made by Land-O-Lakes.  Not that the formula will always be the same, but once you know where it is made, you can compare ingredients and see for yourself.  Do the same for ALDI, and it can be very interesting to see where they get some of their off the wall products.

[arebelspy]

Him lumping frugality with cheapness and making the distinction between being thrifty was weird.

Frugality should be lumped with thrifty, and separated from cheapness.

If his article was about cheapness, I'd agree with (most of) it.  But a headline of "Cheapness is so unattractive" is less click-baity when frugality is a popular thing these days, and he can attack it for clicks, but then be fairly noncontroversial in the rest.

Meh.  Not worth linking anyone to.

[Ann]

"Would Richard Branson or Elon Musk order the cheaper snack tray? No. They’d hire Cirque du Soleil and dress them up in snack costumes and have them do trampoline acrobatics."

I'd be really interested in seeing a private performance by Cirque du Soliel. If my work hired them for a Christmas party instead of giving us bonuses, I'd be pissed.  Especially since not everyone would be able to make it to the party.

This article has no content.  In a world of unlimited resources, sure, why not hire acrobats?  We have to prioritize, though.  He doesn't give alternatives or really define things. "Don't be cheap".  Well, I am all for frugality, although I am put off by what I feel is "cheapness".  His solutions seems to be never pick te less expensive alternative.

[Jeremy E.]

I guess I'm the only one that gets turned on by people buying Kirkland brand products

[Kat57]

I note that Dougal does not state that wealth is unattractive, so I am surprised that he hasnot made the connection between financial self restraint and wealth.  Usually people who have money have gotten past the average financial foolishness.

[Trudie]

Yep, and why I will look at the est (USDA establishment) code on meat and dairy products...  GV butter last time I checked, was made by Land-O-Lakes.  Not that the formula will always be the same, but once you know where it is made, you can compare ingredients and see for yourself.  Do the same for ALDI, and it can be very interesting to see where they get some of their off the wall products.

Could you explain these codes and how they work?  Sounds like a gold mine!  I've wondered about doing the same at Aldi for the things in their dairy case.

[libertarian4321]

he best that can come from a cheapskate persona is a low-level clerical job with no prospect of advancement because people want to elevate people who think big or think broadly.

That line right there shows what a ridiculous fool the author is.  Being cheap or frugal or thrifty does not mean a person can't be a well paid professional.  I'm frankly at a loss trying to figure out how the author came up with such a nutty idea.

[J.Milly]

Well that article was a complete waste of time. When you're busy relaxing and enjoying life while you're FIRED lets see what everyone else thinks then!

But being frugal means not being stupid with money. Will the one good snack platter I buy, once every 6 months for an extra 4$ kill me? No, so spend the 4$. Should I buy a BMW just because I can? Also no, doesn't make me cheap, makes me intelligent!