The Frugal Tuesday Tip has retired. Since LinkyTools and WordPress have not been playing well for months, I’ve seen the linky as a burden, and no one is willing to fix the code of either to allow “nice play.” I’m still (barely) alive over at Examiner.com. Not that the topic of frugality has run its course, but it’s a difficult thing to continue sharing.
My husband does not embrace the idea of frugality. He believes it gives people the impression that he lacks the ability to provide, which feeds inferiority, even though he does not lack income. I attempted an interview with him once about a spouse’s perspective on frugality, and it was very clear that he doesn’t love the idea publicly. Admission to him means discomfort and again, the shameful inability to provide. Perhaps frugality is too close to something in his past. I may never know why it’s a difficult topic for him.
He does embrace wholesome food from gardening. He vastly disagrees with his parents about factory farms and understands the definition of organic differently from them as well. My father-in-law stated in the recent past that anything that once grew is organic. As in, it contains carbon and is therefore organic. Which is true on one level, but totally off-base at the time. My husband embraces compost and recycling. He is proud to have a large-ish family and the smallest trash can on the block (and it usually isn’t full except today because we missed last week’s trash pick up, which I blame on Spring Break). He is very DIY and crafty — and I think DIY projects build self-esteem.
I think my frugality idea came to me from my grandfather. Not that my grandpa was lacking income at the time I knew him, but I know he enjoyed sticking it to the man. He loved the idea of Discover card being different in the way it gave you up to 1% back. He loved getting a sales pitch when he felt he’d benefit more than the sales guy. He thought coupons were fun.
At this point, the Frugal Tuesday Tip has ceased being fun.