I believe being frugal is not all about saving money, while it is a reason for many, I think that is not our main motivation.
Being frugal gives people a sense of pride. You are spending less, you are being less of a burden to yourself or your family, you feel like you are less of a burden for the world to provide.
Sure, those hours I spent walking to the other side of my city to buy cheaper groceries might have been cost inefficient. I could had saved more by working then, I could have been more "productive", but money is not my main goal. I walk because I want to go outside, I get to exercise, I get to look at trees, it is a form of leisure. Some people also enjoy the community in /r/frugal, they enjoy talking about their life styles, posting about what they saved on. If we were to look at being frugal this way, it is like going to church in a sense. Everyone going to church could be using that time to work and provide for the poor. Heck, even donate that entire church as a homeless shelter, but there is a reason that is not the way it is functioned.
To me at least, being frugal means I don't have to work as hard. The money I have last longer, so I relax more, work less. The time I spent being frugal is part of the leisure because of the dopamine rush it gives. Working hard to be frugal is just counter productive.
February 21, 2018 at 11:11AM
