There is nothing wrong with learning how to cut corners and save some money in the process. This is especially important for people trying to support a family. There is not much fun or gratitude in having to do without some of the “finer” things in life like a luxury automobile or the latest and greatest electronic gadget, but some families find themselves doing it so they can make ends meet.
Cutting costs is certainly not a new concept, however there are two groups of people that have taken it to a whole new level.
-Frugalism
It has become quite fashionable to be frugal and live a frugal lifestyle. There are websites, books and television shows dedicated to the topic and feature frugal gurus giving tips and relaying personal accounts of how they got to be so frugal. What makes frugality so appealing these days? Initially it may have the difficult economic times. With so many people finding themselves out of work, and therefore out of money to support their families, they were forced to find a cheaper way to live.
Frugalists find a way to cut their spending by:
*Buying items second hand. They frequent yard/garage sales, second hand stores and thrift shops looking for good deals to take home.
*Clipping coupons. Frugalists scour newspapers, magazines and even the internet for coupons for the items they use the most. Sometimes they even find coupons offering a free item or a buy one get one deal. By clipping coupons regularly, they can sometimes cut their shopping, dining and even entertainment bills in half.
*Buying items on sale. This makes sense to most people: look for the sales and stock up on items you use the most. This can go horribly wrong if you buy stuff simply because it is a good sale.
*Dollar stores. Many frugal folks do their shopping at these discount stores and claim they can find everything they need there. The general feeling seems to be that there is no need to shop high end stores for items they can get cheaper at a dollar store.
There are other ways people can be frugal like learning to sew their own clothing, growing some of their own foods and cutting down on luxury items. They try to cut down their monthly expenses like utilities and entertainment.
-Freeganism
There is a group that has taken the frugal lifestyle one step further by living almost completely for free. This is called freeganism. Freeganism is not a new idea or fad sweeping the nation, in fact, certain freeganistic ideas have been around for many decades. Freegans spend as little money as possible because they do not support corporations (sound familiar, a theme started during the counter culture movement of the 1960’s). When they do have to spend money, they prefer second hand shops in order to support recycling and reuse of items.
Freegans support themselves and even their families by:
*Dumpster diving. This may sound atrocious to some readers, however freegans manage to find real treasures among the piles of trash people throw out each day. Things like books, clothing, furniture, toys and even edible food. It might just shock you how many usable items people throw away simply because they want to get something new.
*Attending free markets (flea markets where no money is exchanged).
*No vehicles. Many freegans walk or ride bicycles in order to get around. Some also train hop if they need to go very far from their home area.
*Squatting. This is where they find housing for free by moving into an empty, rundown or abandoned building. Sometimes squatters use these building to form community centers. They believe that human needs are more important than the idea of “Private property”.
In short, the major difference between being frugal and being freegan is one cuts corners and the other opts for free stuff. This is a simplified explanation, but neither are mere fads for the ones that follow these practices, it is a lifestyle.