Don’t Be So Cheap

It’s been kind of a dry year, in more ways than one for a lot of people. I’ve tried to switch up a few little things for the sake of being frugal. Last year sometime, I started making my own laundry soap. My sister-in-law had been doing it for quite awhile, and I finally gave it a shot. It’s been a great success. It gets the job done, I don’t have to worry about remembering to put it on the grocery list, and it saves me money. That worked out so well, it made me want to see what else I could do myself. And then, things got a little tighter still, and I crossed the line. Yes, there’s a line, the line between being frugal and just being cheap. I’ve learned that lesson more than once this year, usually in small ways, but enough that when all added up, it made me take notice.

First, I made my husband cut my hair to save on the cost of a haircut. It worked out pretty well. He did a great job. So, the next time I needed a haircut, I convinced him to do it again. He was a little more nervous the second time, but still did well. By the third time, he was even more nervous, and really didn’t want to, but he gave in and did it. He made one snip too much, and lost it. I told him it would be fine, that I would go get it fixed the next day. He told me not to be so cheap the next time. So, I went to get it fixed. The problem is, I went to someone I hadn’t personally been to before, just because it was convenient. I ended up with a much shorter cut than I thought was necessary, but I could deal with it. I let it grow out for a few months, and then cut it again. This time, it was necessary to cut it super short again so that it wasn’t shaped weird when it grew. In other words, I wouldn’t have a mullet. Mullets are not good, never have been and never will be…for anyone.

That was the main example of my crossing the line between frugal and cheap. The next couple weren’t so major, but still enough that I’ll not do it again. I went to buy deodorant, and just went with the plain, cheap scent. It still works fine, because I still bought a decent brand, but now I’m stuck with a smell that I hate. I could replace it, but I’m too cheap. Then, I bought some eye shadow at the dollar store. Sometimes dollar store products work just fine. Eye shadow is not one of those products. Well, not unless you want to put on the eye shadow first, then have to wash the whole rest of your face, because you’re covered in it. I got tired of the extra washing, and finally chunked it.

It could’ve been bad. I could’ve been walking around with a Bieber cut, entire face covered in eye shadow, and arm pits smelling just like cheap soap.

So, the moral of the story: being frugal = good, being cheap = bad.