frugal or tightwad?

[$tevie]

Wailer wrote:
[quote=kap]
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

I disagree. Buying just on price is cheap. Buying based on value is frugal. Buying a shirt for $1 at a thrift shop that is junk, is not good value in my opinion.
How about buying a $450 DKNY jacket at a thrift shop for $6.50? Don't be so fast to dismiss thrift shops.

[kap]

Wailer wrote:
[quote=kap]
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

I disagree. Buying just on price is cheap. Buying based on value is frugal. Buying a shirt for $1 at a thrift shop that is junk, is not good value in my opinion.
Yes, there are junk at thrift shops. However, in my experience, the majority of clothes, perhaps out of style, there are made of better quality than the new ones found in department stores.

[graylocks]

kap wrote:
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

actually,Clark also shops at thrift stores.

[Doc]

kap wrote:
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

I have a friend who only shops for clothes at thrift shops. He's never bought a pair of new shoes or jeans in his adult life. He patches his clothes with glue, paper and cardboard and he paints his clothes when they get worn.

...and he owns 5 homes in 4 countries with millions in the bank.

[Rick-o]

Doc wrote:
[quote=kap]
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

I have a friend who only shops for clothes at thrift shops. He's never bought a pair of new shoes or jeans in his adult life. He patches his clothes with glue, paper and cardboard and he paints his clothes when they get worn.

...and he owns 5 homes in 4 countries with millions in the bank.
Oh, come ON now! Do you really expect us to believe that? You have friends? Ha! (

[Wailer]

I'm not implying that thrift shops are not good deals. I just don't think that shopping at a thrift shop makes one inherently frugal. My friend's whose house is wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling with "thrift store finds". She constantly buy stuff she don't need just because it's inexpensive. She'd probably buy that $6.95 jacket even if it wouldn't fit anyone she knew. It'll sit around and clutter her house, her mind and her life; she can never find anything she needs because stuff is often in garage or her storage locker. She often misses deadlines for bills and taxes because she spends so much time "looking" for deals.

If you need it and it's a good price, then you should buy it. I don't think trying to run to 5 different stores to get the absolute lowest price is always the most sensible thing to do. Never undervalue the ability to return something if you don't like it or if something goes wrong; one can't do that with used private party or thrift stores.

I waste time trying to shave nickels off stuff and spend way too much time browsing craigslist. I somewhat enjoy it but I don't think it's the best use of my time. That's when I've admittedly crossed the frugal-cheap line.

[Go To Top]

http://clarkhoward.com/topics/free_and_cheap.html

Free and cheap stuff. Yeah.

[Go To Top]

http://www.revbilly.com/

Just stop shopping.

[Seacrest]

kap wrote:
Buying clothes at Costco is not neither frugal nor cheap;buying second hand clothes at thrift shops is.

A pox on both your houses.
I walk around town buck nekkid.
That's cheap and frugal.

[jdc]

Just cause something is free doesnt mean its a good deal.