One of the negative things that is sometimes associated with living a frugal lifestyle is the idea that frugally-minded people are also tightwads or stingy. That is, if you wash out your ziploc baggies, shop at thrift stores or lower your thermostat in the winter, then you must be a miserable person with no thought for others. Remember Ebenezer Scrooge?
But I think that frugal people are in a unique position to be able to be far more generous than the average person. Frugal people have learned how to save money, stretch those dollars and finds ways to make something out of nothing. As a result, they can often give of time, money and resources to help others.
I mentioned a food bank in a previous post. Why not use those coupon cutting, sales spotting, rebate finding skills to buy an extra bag of groceries each week that can be given to your local food bank or even a neighbor in need? Often you can get lots of free products that you might not need but someone else might.
Are you great at shopping for clothing bargains? Find out what the greatest clothing and other needs are at your local shelter and drop off some gifts. Go ahead and brag that you were able to get five t-shirts for $2 or a large quilt for $3. It makes it even nicer when you know how well those items will be used.
Do you like signing up for freebies? Gather a bunch of them together and make a basket for an ill or depressed friend.
Use your time and skills to teach others about saving money, such as a young mom who would like to stay home with her kids, an elderly neighbor on a fixed income, a family who recently lost a job. Show them how to make things stretch, if they are willing to learn.
The point here is to take advantage of all of your frugality to bless others and give away as much as you can.
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