I must admit that I am frugal with our finances. We plan our weekly grocery excursion by scrutinizing the flyers for deals. We only buy meat if it is on sale and usually in bulk quantities. Steaks and pork chops are usually sliced off large loins. You know what’s great about being frugal; it makes cents.
Frugal means characterized by or reflecting thrift and efficiency in the use of resources. Being frugal is a state exhibited by people of any income bracket. I had a relative who was financially successful but frugal in certain situations. Once, when picking up gas for his Mercedes at Costco, saw a sign for cheap toilet paper in bulk. He suggested we go and buy some for us to take back home as it was such a good deal. He would even purchase an extra suitcase for us to pack it into so we could fly back with our great deal. Now that is frugal.
Frugal comes from the Latin word frux, meaning fruit of the earth, things of palpable value. Frux referred to field produce, grain, or edible ground crops. Fructus indicated fruit trees. Frumentum meant corn or grain. The root verb of all these words was frui, to enjoy. In an agricultural context, frui was to enjoy the results of crops planted and harvested.
Agricultural produce (fruit of the earth) was tangible wealth and success. Frui morphed into the Latin word frugi, meaning useful or worth something, especially of garnered crops. Over the years the Latin word frugalis was developed to describe not excessive but a reasonable amount of farmed produce.
Frugalis was then used in a figurative way to describe a person who was prudent and sensible about anything. Middle French (1340-1610) used frugal to mean not given to excess. In the late 1500s the English used frugal to describe someone who is cost-conscious, avoids waste, and uses resources carefully, not squandering away the fruits of their labour.
Today, frugal is often connected to a person’s use of their wealth or money. One can be frugal with many things. He designed a frugal plan for the week’s meals to enable them to lose some weight. A frugal person might make sure the lights are turned off in any room that is not currently in use. Fixing a small hole in a sweater instead of throwing it out would be a frugal thing to do for some people. I can be frugal with the words I write to stay within the allotted column space.
A frugal person focuses on value, long-term quality, and making intentional choices. A cheap person focuses on the lowest price, often at the expense of quality. A frugal individual may pay a higher price if an item can last for years. A cheap individual avoids overspending at all costs.
Frugal synonyms include sparing, thrifty, and economical.
Sparing implies abstention and restraint. She knew her work was highly valued when her manager complimented her effort, as the boss was sparing with any praise to employees.
Thrifty means good management and industry. The new government programs indicated thrifty use of nonrenewable resources.
Economical stresses prudent administration, lack of wastefulness, and use of things to their best advantage. The opposition party proposed a more economical health care plan.
Frugal suggests an absence of luxury and simplicity of lifestyle. They ran a very frugal household when they entered the retirement years.
Three lawyers and three accountants stood in line to buy tickets for a train ride to the city. The three accountants bought only one ticket between them, while the three lawyers bought one ticket each. After the they got on the train, one of the lawyers asked one of the accountants, “Why did you only buy one ticket when there’s three of you?” The accountant answered, “We are accountants, and very frugal with our money. Watch and learn.”
As the train’s conductor made his way through the car, all the accountants got up and went into the bathroom. A short while later, the conductor knocked on the door and said, “Tickets please.” The door opened a crack and a hand shot out holding a ticket. The conductor punched the ticket, handed it back and moved on. The lawyers were amazed! One of them said, “That’s a great trick! We’ve got to try that on the way home!”
On the return trip, the accountants and the lawyers met at the ticket window again. The lawyers bought one ticket between them, but the accountants did not buy any. “How can you all ride the train with no ticket at all?”, asked a lawyer. The accountant answered, “We are accountants, and very frugal with our money. Watch and learn.”
As the train’s conductor made his way through the car, all the lawyers got up and went into the bathroom. After the door shut behind them, all the accountants got up and went into the bathroom across the aisle. A few seconds later, one of the accountants emerged, knocked on the door to the bathroom where the lawyers hid, and said, “Tickets please!” That’s frugal.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
