I was recently accused of being a Frugal Fraud because of some of the things I do.  A Frugal Fraud is someone who talks about ways to save money but then is not implementing those changes in his or her own life.

I noticed that a few other bloggers were also revealing the less than frugal things they did in their daily lives and this gave me the idea for a roundup.

Now we all talk about being frugal and finding ways to save money but as personal finance bloggers we are not the die hard frugalists who make their own soap and cut dryer sheets into 4 pieces to save money.

Here are some of the ‘Frugal Frauds‘ I have found lately. Now I use this term in a joking way so I hope no one gets offended.

Clever Dude dry cleans his clothes because he hates to iron. He believes that there is a benefit to getting someone to take care of that job so that he does not have to and the benefit outweighs the cost.

drycleaner(image from gonewport.squarespace.com)

I hate to vacuum so I can understand trying to get around a task you hate. I bribe bless my friends with food so they will vacuum for me so I don’t have to do it.

Frugal Fraud…… or not?

GLBL won’t give up Starbucks coffee. Dude!!! You are contributing to the Latte Factor that is making the economy go bad. No but seriously, if you love something I think you can splurge sometimes.

Frugal Fraud…… or not?

Kim at Blogging For Change is Going Broke On Groceries. She makes many ‘small’ trips to the grocery store, sometimes going every day for the week and only spends a small amount, until she realizes that the small amounts are adding up. I used to make several trips to WallyWorld like this and saw that I was spending way too much in addition to the gas cost. I have cut my WalMart trips down to Wednesday and Sunday and everything has to wait until those shopping days.

pantry

I just got started with Kashi cereal which is expensive but I don’t eat it every day so I can make the sacrifice there. I recently bought three boxes at over $3 a box just so I could have it because the WalMart in my town does not sell it. I am going to buy some every time I go out of town so that I do not run out.

Frugal Fraud….or not?

My Dollar Plan Will Not Bring A Bagged Lunch To Work because it is worth it to get away from the desk and relax with friends. Hmmm. Now this one goes against one of the cardinal rules of saving money…which is to always bring your own lunch.

paperbag(image from www.redfieldplugins.com)

I bring my lunch to work in my adorable lunch bag that I got for FREE from my LASIK company….but sometimes I understand the need to get away from the desk.

Frugal Fraud…….. or not?

J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy (yes they are) once Spent $40 on a bottle of water. I don’t even know what to say to this one. Frugal Fraud!!!! On a serious note….I do understand that some things are worth the price..but bottled water? Really. Sorry J. I am laughing here……

bling-bubblybolla-6-series-001(image from www.blingh2o.com)

$40 on a bottle of water? Must be from the fountain of youth.

Frugal Fraud…… or not?

I call Frugal Fraud on you for this one buddy!

Kristy at Master Your Card comes up with Six Ways She Does Not Set An Example. No need to beat yourself up about the reusable green bags. I got a cat as well (Dinero waves his paw) and I am scooping up cat poop ALL the time. I love the WalMart shopping bags because they are an easy way to dispose of the litter.

Frugal Fraud…… or not?

The Happy Rock writes “although I am out of debt – here is a post on my rationalization for buying a $400 stroller.”

It seems the pebble does not fall far from the boulder because here is a post from DD who writes for The Happy Rock who recently caught a lot of slack for spending $140 on Pearl jam Fan Club memberships.

Frugal Fraud…… or not?

 

Are we Frugal Frauds for talking about ways to save money and then going out and spending money on the things we slurge on or are we just normal people who manage budgets so we can enjoy things in life?