I was thinking the other day about why we make the choices that we do. More specifically, what motivates people to be frugal. It seems that people are frugal for a variety of reasons.
For some, it's ideological or philosophical. One doesn't like waste or being frugal is part of a simpler approach to life. Sometimes this is derived from a person's younger years. Growing up in a period where there was a great deal of lack often leads a person to be diligent about waste, even after years of having abundance. I think of my grandparents who struggled to put food on the table during the Great Depression. This influenced not only how they lived out their lives, but also how may own parents parented us kids. Wasting food wasn't allowed, even though child-raising times were much more affluent for my parents than for my grandparents. As well, a desire for simplicity could also be a reaction to a consumer climate that seems excessive. Parents may want their children to experience simpler activities and play, while themselves opting to leave a lighter footprint on this world. With either scenario, it seems like a person's basic philosophy influences many frugal choices.
It may also be a matter of self-sufficiency that goes beyond one's philosophical approach to life. For example, not trusting that the future supplies of necessities will always be available, or not knowing if one's income will remain steady in the coming year. Here's an example: Our family is careful with water use. We collect rain water in rain barrels for some of our garden watering. We also save water from washing garden vegetables in a container on the deck to use later to water the garden. We reclaim the water from the shower warming up to flush toilets. I reuse the water used in incubating yogurt to do a load of clothes washing. It isn't that our water supplies are imminently threatened. But as more people move into our area, the burden on our current supply of water is stretched. At some point, there may not be enough municipal water for everyone to use as we always have. Water shortages are a thing in many parts of the country. They could even come to places where you think it does nothing but rain.
Our family also likes to keep a vegetable garden, orchard, and berry patch, in part because growing our own produce ensures we will always have plenty of healthy food to eat, regardless of what happens in America's farmland or with transportation issues getting foods to local markets. The pipeline crisis just last week was a hint at what could possibly happen in the future, affecting transportation of all goods. There's also the ever-present risk of contaminated produce. Having a large garden means we control the safety of much of our own food.
For others, frugality is a necessity -- bills are simply greater than one's income. I think most adults have experienced this, especially in the early years of supporting oneself or while a student in college. We can all recall how poor we felt at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, these periods of greater bills than income can also come at later periods of our lives, as in unplanned unemployment, fixed incomes, major health crisis (and accompanying bills), and even joyous surprises, such as multiple babies in a pregnancy when you only anticipated one. It isn't always easy, but frugality allows folks to pay their bills and stay or get out of debt.
For still other's, it's a matter of choices to afford what's most meaningful. For example, the thinking "I can have this, if I give up that" such as spending less so one can stay home with their young children, or curtailing spending on new clothing, so you can travel, or being frugal now, so you can retire when you want.
My own family has lived out all of the above motivations toward a frugal life. We've lived through periods of actual lack, as well as the choice to spend in some areas instead of others. We've also liked the way we feel when we don't waste. It makes us feel good to know that we are leaving plenty for others. We can also see that supplies and incomes can change on a dime. Who would have ever guessed that toilet paper, yeast, bread, and canned soup would ever be in short supply in America? Obviously, about 300 million of us never anticipated any of the shortages we saw last year.
These were just thoughts that were rolling around in my mind. What else did I miss? Do you think about the motivations behind your own frugal choices?
