Comments on: Extreme Frugality? Inspiration for Cutting Expenses and Debt.

By: Sondra

Sondra — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:30:22 +0000

Well actually, if everyone were frugal, we would work less, we wouldn’t be making things just for the sake of making more things – we would stop feeding the addiction of unncessary stuff – and strange as it may seem to you now – NOT buying, makes you come to terms with your creative self – something that our current culture has all but destroyed in most – creative people would cease being famous because we’d all be creative – like we used to be. What would happen is that we’d all be participating more in our actual life – less spectating and more participating. Something is very very wrong with our current way – and one way that shows this is that most people are in complete denial about it. Buying less wouldn’t mean that everyone loses their job – we’d start understand what really is important. The Amish aren’t working so hard they don’t enjoy life – they have embraced the true enjoyment of living and working. There is something so much more satisfying in building a barn for your community, or growing your own food, than there is in making duplicates of paperwork for a boss who’s idea you don’t even understand, let alone believe in. But you won’t see it – until you do. And that’s how people keep us all enslaved. And we are enslaved – welcome to the matrix.

By: fnog

fnog — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:38:03 +0000

People often criticize Americans for thinking too much about money. Could you imagine if everyone became frugal? We would think about nothing but money! Every penny. Tonnes of people would lose their jobs cause no one would buy anything, and we would have absolutely nothing to show for it. The world would be a damn boring place. We would all just work a lot harder and spend a lot less. The idea of cheapness is a self defeating principle because people save in order to be wealthy. But the wealth NEVER manifests in any form except cheapness. Cheapness manifests only as poverty.

By: fnog

fnog — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:29:47 +0000

I don’t think Amish people live as they do to save money, they do it as part of their belief system. You can give up electricity if you think your life will be better, or you can pay $75 a month or whatever it costs if you think it’s worth it. There comes a point in cheapness where you just make things more difficult for yourself. Living simpler isn’t necessarily living simpler. The Amish have to work damn hard to preserve what little they have. While most other Americans work hard to preserve the many things they have, so what’s the difference? Unless you have an assload of cash that you can live of off, or some other means of regular income you don’t have to do anything, you’re going to be working hard no matter what. Right now you stress about money… well if you start being super frugal, then instead of worrying about money you’ll just worry about every penny you spend, and on top you won’t even enjoy the things you used to buy, and you will resent the things you do buy. You’re just transferring stress from one level to another. I know… I am obsessive compulsive with money. And you’ll read articles about idiots who live in 100sq mobile homes to save coin….. even though they could live in a regular 700 sq foot mobile home for about the same. And you’ll read about other idiots who research endlessly, find the absolute cheapest town, and move their family across the country just so they can live as cheaply as possible. They dedicate their entire lives to being cheap. But the thing is, they’re willing to have virtually nothing and live uncomfortable just to save money! They’ll live in shit dirty, falling down houses, and have a mind set against entertainment and enjoyment just to save coin. They totally live in a prison of their own mind. They live in squalor just to avoid living in squalor. It’s ridiculous. Hell, I’d rather spend a lot of money and enjoy life than start saving money……. for what exactly? Everyone is going to die!!!!!

If you really want to save money, how about becoming homeless? Then you won’t have to pay for a house or utilities at all. Come on people. There’s a difference between being frugal and just plain giving up EVERYTHING. Take it from someone who knows what it is like to lose everything. Once you start giving up the things you take for granted, then even simple things become an issue…. like where to go to the bathroom or where to change your clothes, or do you have somewhere to sleep that isn’t concrete and extremely uncomfortable? Losing everything isn’t that bad, it really isn’t….. but think about it people. Cause it seems to me that the reason people want to reduce their spending is so they don’t have to worry about things, and about money. If you give up enough things, then you’ll just start worrying about a bunch of other things, like where you’re going to get your basic necessities? Or where are you going to take a shit?

By: Heather

Heather — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 06:30:58 +0000

I know for a fact that some Amish people do have credit cards! I work in a resturant, and quite a few of them pay their bill that way.

By: Amish America

Amish America — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:48:32 +0000

Neat post and good points on the Amish approach to frugality.

If you’re still curious, the Amish do use credit cards–just not all of them.

Running a business in Amish areas, I’ve been paid on many occasions using plastic…Amish are not credit-averse, in fact many if not most purchase their homes, farms or finance construction of shops and barns with the help of a traditional bank mortgage. And when they do take out a debt, they are legendarily reliable in repaying on time, garnering high credit ratings among those that deal with them. On credit cards however, I know of some Amish that carry a balance (ouch). But you’ll never get a bad check from them.

Credit cards depend on the church and its rules–the Amish run the range from highly conservative to progressive, so it’s mostly a local issue, depending on what the ministry and congregation decide. Credit cards are definitely out there in the Lancaster community, (especially with the amount of Amish businesses in that area) but maybe not in every household.