You heard it here first-- the New Frugality is a fad.  Yes, cutting back is cool and trendy, but temporary (Frugality tends to be Green-- another hip trend).  There is currently an explosion of frugal living tips on TV, the radio, in magazines, and the web.  However, many of the new "converts" are trend and fashion followers (How Do You Know If You Are Frugal?).

I am a firm believer in The 80/20 Rule.  I am also, a bit of a cynic.  I believe 80% of the new "frugals" will return to their old free-wheeling and wasteful ways as soon as the smoke clears.  Let's be realistic . . . cheetahs can't change their spots.  Easy and convenient is the American way.  Let's not forget, as a whole, the United States is a nation of consumers (My Recent Visit to a Cathedral of Consumerism and Affluenza: What is It and Have You Been Inoculated?). 

Frugality is about being smart and selective about spending or not spending money, not about being cheap (Frugality Defined and More Thoughts on Frugality . . . ).  One of the ways frugal people save money is by putting in some personal effort.  That translates to work and as many of us are aware, "work" is thought of as a four-letter word by many of our friends, neighbors, and associates.  Yes, I value time over money, but the premiums put on buying back time are very steep these days.

So we win over the 20% of the newly frugal and I still invite the rest of you (the other 80%) to stay with the frugal crowd and beat the cycle of financial slavery by making financial freedom and independence your goal.

One the things I find most amusing is the sudden rush to learn basic skills by the newly frugal.  You know many of these attempts will be abandoned as soon as possible.  The thing is "know-how" needs to be preserved, but over the last 2-3 generations, these skills (DIY, auto maintenance, and veggie gardening are just a few examples) have been squandered. 

I understand the sudden move to frugality-- a shock to your system will do that.  I was always "pretty" frugal.  For example, I have mentioned I have always known where to find cheap gasoline-- I was laughed at for that knowledge 20 years ago.  Now, I am a resource.  However, my sudden shock was divorce eight years ago.  Divorce sent me into overdrive on frugality.  Suddenly, my income took a major hit as I supported two households (Divorce is Not Frugal).

My message is this:  Don't make your foray into frugality a temporary excursion.  Learn from it and embrace it.  You may still discover the path to financial freedom and independence . . .

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Related posts:
My Frugality Quiz
My Affluenza Quiz 
Views on Consumerism Revisited 
When Did Going Out to Dinner Go From Being a Special Event to Being a Way of Life?
A Different Way to Look at Life and Stuff
The New "Necessities" of Modern Life
Bottled Water and Extreme Wastefulness
Are You Un-American?
Keepin' Up With the Jones' . . . Hell No!
Frugality and Changing Our Vocabulary . . .
Let's Learn Something From the Europeans . . .
Staying Healthy is Frugal-- Some Tips
Frugality: How Far Would You Go?