Aug 08 2008
Fighting an Uphill Battle Against the Anti-Frugal
Some days it seems that I am fighting a never ending battle against the people around me who can’t seem to grasp the concept of frugal living.
By my own admission I tend to want to try new things and experiment, but I have always been that way. I may use powdered milk when I am making something because I have it on hand and it is more cost effective than buying a quart of milk for one recipe when I know I wont drink the rest of it anyway. I may even try to reuse an item in a new and interesting way just to see how comfortably that use fits into my lifestyle.
I realize I am viewed as an extremist and that’s perfectly fine with me. What I cannot understand are the people who will toss a “$5.00 off a purchase of $30.00 or more” coupon from the supermarket, turn around and spend $38.50 at the same supermarket later that day. I am of course, speaking of my partner.
To his credit he has improved tremendously over the past few weeks, and now hands such coupons off for me to deal with. He also points out articles in the news that he thinks may be relevant to a topic I may want to write on.
The recycling saga continues here at mi casa. We went from having an empty recycling bin when I moved in and a trash can that was overflowing twice each week to a recycling bin that doesn’t get used once it gets close to being full. For example, Wednesday morning’s recycling was packed down and included several cardboard boxes. Thursday morning’s garbage pick up included a single bag of trash.
How do I deal with living in a home where my partner is seemingly incapable of understanding the purpose of such a lifestyle?
The answer is simple, really. I do what I can. I answer questions when the are posed and I continue to buy store brand oatmeal and shop with coupons every chance I get.
When I see something being thrown away that should be recycled, I retrieve it and place it where it should be.
And I keep on living my life.
Some people are far less fortunate than I, and my partner has been making more comments recently, wondering how people can live on x dollars a month when he spends that much in a week (or less). He doesn’t feel guilty - nor should he - he has worked quite hard to get where he is in life and deserves whatever he wants out of it.
The uphill battle of the frugal versus the wasteful wages on. I take the small victories along with the deafening defeats and I keep fighting.
Giving up is the only way to lose a battle.
Familiar stories! I’ve lived with a lot of different people over the years, and these kinds of issues have often come up: no recycling or only recycling when it’s convenient; running the heating 24/7 through a not-particularly harsh winter; buying groceries at a low-price outlet, but buying so much stuff that some gets thrown out; and my personal pet peeve, leaving lights, computers, and other appliances on, or on standby, which is almost as wasteful. I don’t make a fight out of any of them, but I do try to correct the mistakes in a gentle way.
I’m not claiming perfection for myself, but I do my best. My biggest failing is groceries: I also sometimes have to throw things away because they’ve gone past their prime. I’m working on that though.
It was hardest to deal with when I lived with my partner, because that was also a period when we were earning very little. The flat-mates I have now do really well by comparison, and want to live frugally, so it’s a lot easier on the nerves!