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Frugality And Ethics – When Is It Stealing?

Last Updated: July 18, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 137 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Frugality And Ethics - When Is It Stealing?Warning – It’s about to get serious up in here. This post is meant to get a rise in people, and make you think.

I don’t think that there is anything wrong with saving money (of course, this is a personal finance blog), but I do wonder how far people will go to save money – whether it be $1 or $2 or a few hundred dollars.

No one is perfect, and I definitely am not. However, when does frugality or cheapness cross the line and become stealing?

 

Clearing out a hotel room.

Have you ever stayed at a hotel and cleared the room out? Maybe you took the towels, soap, toilet paper, plates, cups, decorations, and so on.

Yes, I have taken ONE disposable item before – one time I stayed at a hotel and they had really “fancy” face wash that I knew was over $50 at the store. This was a smaller size and I already used some of it.

I took the rest of the (very small) bottle and brought it home. I figured it would be tossed anyways so why not just take it with me?

I have told people about this before though, and I sometimes I get looks as though I were an alien and I just told people I just came here from Jupiter. I don’t get what’s so weird about it.

 

Complaining excessively to get what you want.

Would you ever complain so much to get what you want, even if it meant that someone would get fired? I used to work in retail, and I saw this at my job and I also see this when I am out shopping at other places (if at any point you used to work in retail, you start to notice how retail workers at other stores are treated by customers).

Sometimes people will lie, call others names, yell, and just be all around mean.

Yes, yes, I know, you should always treat the customer as though they are right.

But, I have seen this happen multiple times with customers. When I am out and I see this happening, I do my best to defend the employee (if the employee is correct, let’s be honest – the employee isn’t always right either), because I just CANNOT stand it when people lie.

To get back to the topic – A customer will make a complaint so that they can get a discount even if it means that they have to lie and get workers fired.

There were many times when a complaint would come in, and I knew it was completely a lie – the employee that they were talking about didn’t even work the day that the customer was complaining about, or they were talking to me (without knowing it) and claiming that I did something that I knew I did not.

Many times it even came to the point where I have seen employees run away and cry because of how adamant some people are about getting a discount.

Usually these fake complaints were followed with “Don’t I get a discount or get it for FREE?!”

 

Using an item and then returning it.

Have you ever seen the episode of King of Queens where Carrie starts “buying” a lot of high-end designer clothing and has a room full of it? There are thousands of dollars worth of clothing, and she has a system of buying and returning all of them so that she never actually has to pay for the items.

Another example of this is if an item of your breaks, and you buy the exact same item from the store. You then put the broken item in the box and return that one, and in return have a working item again at no cost to you.

I also know of someone who threw their laptop down the stairs to break it, because their warranty was about to be up and they wanted a new laptop. They said that they bought the warranty, so this was not stealing.

 

The movie theater.

Recently, I was talking to a group of people about the high costs of movie theaters. We were talking about whether it was considered stealing if a person brings their own food or drinks into a movie theater.

A few people gasped and said that they would never bring food or drinks into a movie theater because they considered it stealing.

Or, maybe you bought a child or senior ticket before at the movie theater (people do this by buying the tickets online or at one of those kiosks next to the ticket line) and entered that way.

 

Leaving a bad tip because you don’t have enough money.

The other day I was doing research for an article, and I got caught up reading the comments in the article. This happens a lot – many times the comment section of an article is my entertainment for the day. The things that some people say can be entertaining.

The article was about the correct amount of tip to leave for certain services that a person receives. I know that different countries have different tipping rules, but if you are in the U.S. where the service industry relies on tips, then I think that you should be budgeting a tip into the service that you are receiving.

If you cannot afford the tip (lets completely disregard whether the service was great or not, for the sake of simplicity, I am talking about good customer service), then to me that means that you cannot afford the service, and you should budget accordingly and go with a cheaper service or item.

I know someone who constantly leaves a $1 tip (and sometimes less) on everything, regardless if it’s a $20 meal or a $50 night out. It really bothers me, and usually I make up for it by over tipping for this person whenever we are out together. This person has the money, but they choose to be cheap instead.

Anyways, back to the point, the person leaving the comment on the article I was talking about said that they have no problem leaving only a 5% tip each time they go out (even if the service is phenomenal) because that’s all they can afford, and that they still have a right to eat out even if they can’t afford to tip on their bill.

Have you ever done any of the above? What do you think of these situations? What other examples can you think of?

137 Comments
Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: Budget, Frugal

When Being Frugal Isn’t Enough

Last Updated: October 11, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 42 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

When Being Frugal Isn’t EnoughLiving well on less is a popular concept these days. And it makes sense why people try to live more frugally.

Being frugal means you need less; when you need less, you spend less.

When you reduce your expenses, you have more money left over in your own pocket. Getting frugal is the easiest way to free up your income to save for a house, pay off debt, or invest in your retirement.

When you do begin to cut expenses, you’re taking advantage of the first and easiest way to build wealth. If what you spend is less than what you earn, you will have a surplus.

The simplicity of this equation may help to explain why there is so much great information out there on how to be frugal, how to save money on this, that, and the other, and how to pinch pennies without driving yourself (or your family) crazy. All you have to do is reduce your spending, and just like that, you’ve increased your wealth!

But if you’ve started out attempting to maximize your wealth by creating a surplus in your budget, you’ll get to a point where there are no more expenses to cut.

You’ll become such an amazing budgeter that the only things you spend money on are things that are truly important and meaningful to you. Being frugal and mindful about how much money you spend won’t be enough to create the kind of significant wealth that allows for financial independence. So what’s a smart, sensible, and frugal individual to do when you’ve squeezed every last “extra” dollar from your budget? [Read more…]

42 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Extra Income Tagged With: Budget, Extra Money, Frugal

Frugal, Space Saving Hobbies

Last Updated: March 15, 2017 BY Jordann - 25 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Frugal, Space Saving HobbiesEnjoy this post about frugal, space saving hobbies from my amazing staff writer, Jordann. As many of you may know, I’ve spent the last two years paying off over $38,000 in debt. In order to do that, I saved money on rent by moving into a 400 sq. ft. house and becoming a minimalist.

Now that I’m living the minimalist life, I’ve had to find ways to keep my possessions in check. I do this mainly by learning to live with less.

I have fewer clothes, a smaller number of cooking utensils, and less furniture. I pair down, declutter, and eliminate unnecessary possessions on a daily basis. No area of my life has been left untouched – including my hobbies.

I’ve had to give up a few of my more space intensive hobbies, in favour of activities that don’t take up so much precious square footage in my tiny home. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see that I’m also saving a bit of cash by indulging in hobbies that take up a little less space.

Here’s some of them:

 

Photography

I love taking photos. I love capturing special moments and family events. Fortunately for me, photography doesn’t cost much. I use an eight year old DSLR that was given to me after my parents had upgraded their model, and some photo editing software that a friend had lying around.

Sure I’d love to invest a little more money and space into it – I could upgrade my camera, try out some new lenses, and maybe even get a tripod, but for now, my second-hand equipment suits me just fine, and doesn’t take up much space.

[Read more…]

25 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Minimalist Tagged With: Budget, Frugal, Minimalist

Is Working from Home Cheaper?

Last Updated: August 20, 2018 BY Jordann - 46 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Is Working from Home Cheaper?Enjoy this post by my staff writer Jordann.

Michelle isn’t the only one who’s making the switch to working from home, I recently accepted a job that is 100% remote, and as of this Monday, I’m working remotely – from home.

This isn’t the first time I’ve worked from home, I actually have done it in two other jobs, so while I know what to expect – it’s still an adjustment. One of the biggest things to change – besides talking to coworkers exclusively through a screen, is my budget. Working from home changes my expenses in ways that I didn’t initially anticipate, and it’s not all savings.

Here are some of the ways working from home is good, and bad, for my wallet.

 

Save On Gas

For one thing, I don’t spend as much money on gas, because I’m not commuting anymore. I wake up, do some housework, make my breakfast, and sit down on the couch to get started with work.

If I chose, I don’t even have to leave the house! This is my first month of working remotely, but I wouldn’t be surprised to come in under budget for gas costs this month. I’m also really looking forward to what the decreased mileage is going to do to the maintenance costs for my vehicle – hello less frequent oil changes! [Read more…]

46 Comments
Filed Under: Career, Extra Income Tagged With: Career, Extra Money, Frugal, Self-employment

Fun, Frugal, and Free Activities

Last Updated: March 6, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 68 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I’ve never been a super outdoorsy person, until recently. Having fun does not automatically have to mean spending a lot of money and in fact there are many free activities out there. And sadly enough, this is something that I have just recently come to terms with.

My life has changed so much in the past year, and with it comes the activities that I used to enjoy, versus the activities that I enjoy now. Before, I feel like all I did was shop. Ah, I have no idea how I found that fun to do every single day.

Having fun by doing things frugally does not mean that you have to hate your life. Lets please not confuse frugal with cheap. I will not just stay inside and look at a blank wall 24 hours a day just to save money. There are so many things that you can do out there that don’t require much money.

Today’s post will be all about the many frugal and low-cost activities that you can do, including some free summer activities for your family, children, and friends as well. Below are several fun, frugal, and free activities for you to try out. I also have a post dedicated to the many fun and frugal things to do in St. Louis for you to check out if interested.

[Read more…]

68 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Fitness Tagged With: Budget, Frugal, Healthy Living

Cheap Ways to Stay Healthy

Last Updated: November 5, 2020 BY Jordann - 44 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Cheap Ways to Stay HealthyI think we can all agree that being financially responsible is important, but is it the only thing we should be concerned about?

Myself, I don’t think so. I’m big on being keeping my financial house in order, but I think that’s second only to staying healthy. Without my health, no amount of money in the world will make me feel good. There are plenty of cheap ways to stay healthy.

That said, I don’t think that the two are mutually exclusive. Some people complain that they can’t get enough exercise without going to the gym, or that vegetables and healthy eating is too expensive, so it’s hard to be healthy on a budget.

To that I say, bull.

I’ve been living on only 45% of my income for the past year, and I can say that with the exception of extreme case (there are always exceptions) it’s entirely possible to be both healthy and frugal. Here are a few ways I manage to stay healthy on a budget.

[Read more…]

44 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Fitness Tagged With: Budget, Frugal, Healthy Living

How I Stay Motivated When Being Frugal

Last Updated: June 22, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 51 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How I Stay Motivated When Being FrugalHey everyone! If you are stopping by from GRS, thank you. 🙂 My name is Michelle and I’ve been blogging since August of 2011. You can read all about my life on my About Me page. My extra income posts seem to be popular, so be sure to read those. Last month I made almost $8K in side hustle income. Hopefully it’ll just keep increasing!

Today, I have an awesome post from Natalie at Debt and the Girl. Enjoy! 

I have to say that ever since I started this journey to rid myself of debt, it has sometimes been a struggle to stay motivated. We all have experienced burnout when we put our all into something and its only natural. No matter how much determination you have for something, it is normal to lose motivation especially when it is one of the things you think about most of all. Blogging in the PF community has been an immense help in staying determined with this, but what else can you do to stay motivated? [Read more…]

51 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, Debt Tagged With: Budget, Debt, Frugal

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My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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