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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Personal Finances
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Written by Tawra Kellam
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When Frugal Becomes Just Plain Cheap
There are times when it's tempting to lie, steal or break one of the other 10 Commandments to get a good deal but, in living frugally, we all need to stick to being honest. This is not always easy to do, but I want to give some examples that may help you stay honest. Here are some common tactics that some people use that are unethical and sometimes illegal:
You need some pens because you are running short so you take a handful from a store that is giving them out. This is stealing. If you take one, that's fine. Unless they tell you to take them all, it is tacky to take a large number of them. They're offering them simply as a courtesy.
You buy an item and you use it a few times and then return it because you're done with it. Stealing and lying. You probably won't tell the sales clerk you just needed to use it for a few times and even if you do, that's only OK if it is a rental store. If an item breaks, doesn't work or is not the right color, it is fine to return it. If you just needed it "for a few times" (like a dress for a special occasion) and know you won't use it again, you're stealing if you return it.
If you eat a food item with a guarantee on the box and it tastes nasty, return it. That's why they offer a guarantee. If you eat the entire contents of the box first and return the mostly-empty box, it probably wasn't actually nasty.
If you try to pass off your 14 year old child as a 12 year old so that
you only have to pay for a child's meal, you are lying and teaching
your child that lying is good when it benefits you.
If you find a "great deal" that you can't live without but you don't
have the money in your checking account, don't write a check. Let it be
the "one that got away" If you knowingly write a bad check, you are
stealing and lying.
If you find a "great deal", buy it and then hide it from your husband,
you're lying (unless it's his birthday present ;-). If you have to hide
it, you know you're doing something wrong.
If you charge up your credit cards with frivolous things like shopping
and eating out and then declare bankruptcy, you are stealing from the
credit card company and from everyone who does business with that
company. Bankruptcy is intended to help people who end up financially
strapped because of reasons beyond their control, like catastrophic
medical expenses or the death of a spouse. It is unethical to declare
bankruptcy because you went on a shopping spree, because you bought
something you couldn't afford when you bought it or because you decided
to change careers and no longer want to pay the student loans for your
old career. You signed that piece of paper when you purchased the item
saying you would pay them back and you didn't. It's up to you to pay
them back any (legal :-) way you can, even if it does mean feeling
"deprived" for a time.
One more thing about bankruptcy: It is unethical to incur lots of debt
"keeping up with the Joneses" and then go bankrupt because the debt is
so large. Many people look at others and say to themselves, "Those
people are the same age as me. I work hard. I deserve that too." or
"our house is too small" or "our car is a real clunker so we need to
buy a brand need one to "save" on repair costs (a huge myth, by the
way!). If you can afford these things, by all means, buy them. If you
can't afford those things, find a way to make more money or learn to be
happy with what you have. Frugal living is about making good financial
decisions.
There are so many things you can do to spend your money more wisely, so
when you think you can get a "good deal", but it requires doing
something that hurts someone else, pass it up. Whenever you're in doubt
about whether something is ethical, ask yourself if it would be OK with
you if the situation were reversed and you were the person potentially
coming up short. Be honest. We've all heard "Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you." If you would object to others doing it to
you, you better look for a better way to save.
Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the editors
of http://www.LivingOnADime.com and authors of Dining On A Dime Cookbook. As a
single mother of two, Jill Cooper started her own business without any
capital and paid off $35,000 debt in 5 years on $1,000 a month income.
Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a
year income.
See all of the ebooks at http://www.LivingOnADime.com
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