Frugalism.com http://www.frugalism.com A traditional lifestyle Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:13:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Frugalism http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/frugalism/ http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/frugalism/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:26:09 +0000 admin http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/frugalism/ Frugalism or frugality is also known as thriftiness-a term often confused with a sense of cheapness, miserliness.

It is, in fact, a traditional lifestyle, value system or belief system in which an individual practices both the restraint in acquiring and the use of economic goods and services in order to achieve more fulfilling and lasting goals.

In a monetary society, Frugalism emphasizes the economic use of money in meeting personal, familial and communal desires. Frugalism is also associated with the avoidance of waste.

See also

]]> http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/frugalism/feed/ Strategies for Frugalism http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/strategies-for-frugalism/ http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/strategies-for-frugalism/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:25:53 +0000 admin http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/strategies-for-frugalism/ There are several strategies used to employ frugality in one’s life.

The first is the reduction of waste, such as garbage, old clothing and unused food.

The second involves changing costly spending habits and suppressing instant gratification by means of financial self-restraint, even if it just means thinking before you take out your Mozo card in an expensive department store.
A frugal person seeks the utmost of efficiency, avoids financial traps and defies expensive social norms, embracing instead any free options, bartering and staying informed about local circumstances and both market and product or service realities.

The philosophy of Frugalism surrounds the idea of being wary of “expert” knowledge, which often comes from commercial markets or corporate cultures-sources that claim to know what is best for the people in the world.

There are many spiritual communities that consider frugalism as a virtue or as some sort of spiritual discipline. Two of those are the Religious Society of Friends and the Puritans. Their basic premise is that their members (and people in general) should share money so there is more available for others. There are also environmentalists who claim that frugalism is a virtue as it brings humans closer to the hunter-gatherer roots, carrying little with them and needing little out of the world.

]]> http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/strategies-for-frugalism/feed/ The History of Simple Living http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/the-history-of-simple-living/ http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/the-history-of-simple-living/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 13:25:19 +0000 admin http://www.frugalism.com/2007/10/15/the-history-of-simple-living/ Frugalism has its roots in the second millennium BC.
At this time certain Hindu groups in the Eastern world established what they called a voluntary simplified spiritual lifestyle. The practice extended into the Middle East and to people like Abraham, Moses, Gautama Buddha, Jesus and Buddha.

They all practiced a simple form of frugalism and many of their teachings advise others do likewise. Many other religious leaders have followed this premise, including St. Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi.

Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism, pointed out that the troubles of maintaining an extravagant lifestyle far outweighed the pleasures of partaking in it. He lived around the fourth century BC. Similarly the Shakers, Mennonites, Amish and some Quakers have practiced lifestyles in which some forms of wealth or technology are excluded for religious or philosophical reasons.

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