The Frugality Paradox
These days, it seems like everything is performative. People are loudly outspoken about their political views and quick to judge others for speaking up about their views. Families post videos of themselves doing mundane things like eating jelly beans, visiting a mall food court, or counting the days until Christmas by hiding the Elf on the Shelf at various places in the house. You can bet that for everyone who clobbers their in-person or online audience with displays of having expensive tastes or avoiding the workforce while having expensive tastes, there is someone who puts on an over-the-top display of frugality, regardless of whether the show stopping penny pincher is employed. Frugality as a spectator sport is not just for stay-at-home moms anymore, especially when it is accompanied with complaints about how expensive everything is. If you need help seeing past the noise and the spectacle and taking charge of your debts, contact a Miami debt lawyer.
Coupon Shopping Is Still Shopping
Clipping coupons and then coming home with a haul that cost a lot less than it could have cost is a thrill. It is only the illusion of frugality. Your bank account balance would have been higher if you had stayed home instead of spending the afternoon at Publix. If you are being honest with yourself, you probably could have prepared meals out of the ingredients that were already in your kitchen. You might surprise yourself how good a meal made of the dry goods in your pantry and the vegetables in your freezer tastes when you season it with the spices already in your cupboard. Afterwards, there might be enough room in your freezer that it is worthwhile to go to Sam’s Club, buy chicken in bulk, and keep it in your freezer.
Likewise, paying attention to the per unit price makes sense with nonperishable items. Where people lose a lot of money, though, is when food goes to waste. Yes, the 64-ounce bottle of olive oil costs less per ounce than the 24-ounce one, but if you have a small family, then it makes sense to buy the smaller bottle, because you are sure you will use it all before it expires.
Credit Card Rewards Don’t Cancel Out the Costs of Carrying a Balance
Another popular frugality fallacy is with credit card rewards. The best way to be debt free is to not use your credit cards at all, even if you have them. Some people use their credit card only when doing so will get them a reward, and then they pay off the balance immediately. A far greater number say that they do this, but instead, they reap the reward and then make only the minimum monthly payments. Therefore, the interest charges pile up until they vastly exceed the value of the reward.
Work With a Debt Lawyer About Taking Charge of Your Debt
A South Florida debt lawyer can help you if your debts have piled up one coupon purchase and one credit card reward at a time. Contact Nowack & Olson, PLLC in Miami, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
msn.com/en-us/money/other/5-signs-you-re-not-as-frugal-as-you-claim-to-be/ar-BB1reyPn?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=6b5d0357a7cb444fbc3db6e15f96d98b&ei=48
