5 Cringe-Worthy Times Frugality Went Too Far

Being frugal is a lifestyle choice. And it’s a good one – It means you spend your resources wisely. But it is possible to take it too far.

Extreme frugality can lead to plain old being cheap. This is when you begin sacrificing quality of life to save a buck.

To highlight the difference, explore these fascinating, gross, and hilarious stories. They’ll get you thinking about where you draw the line!

I’ll start with my own story…

1. The Worst Coupon I Ever Used

About 8 years ago, I decided to do Invisalign. I’d never had braces, and I was always slightly self-conscious about my smile.

Then, because I loved a good deal, I was excited to find a $500 coupon for a dentist close by. I knew nothing about him, but I didn’t care. I can’t pass up the deal, I thought.

As it turned out, that dentist was all kinds of shady. I sat there for hours. Then, left my appointment with new gaps between my teeth and gobs of glue all over my mouth.

When I got home, my husband just gave me the “I told you this was a horrible idea” look.

Less than a week later that dentist closed up shop and “retired.” I was forced to spend thousands of dollars MORE to get my teeth fixed and finish out the treatments.

In the end, I was happy with my decision to do Invisalign. But I will NEVER forget the lesson I learned…

Investing in yourself is a good thing.

But if you’re too concerned with saving a buck, it could seriously bite you in the butt (or mouth). Be frugal. Just not cheap. Now I ​know the difference​.

2. Some Things Aren’t Meant to Be Reused

Check out this story from Thriftyguardian

“Mark Pettigro met his girlfriend on a frugal living dating service online. They fell in love instantly, and eventually she wanted him to meet her family. Mark gladly went to their home, and after a dinner, he excused himself to use the restroom. Upon completion of his tasks in the bathroom, he went to find toilet paper, only to realize that where there SHOULD be a roll of paper of varying thickness and softness, instead was simply a towel, of various colors, none of which it started out with.

Horrified, he thought perhaps he was simply overlooking it, and he frantically searched, but to no avail. With a creeping, desperate horror, the realization swept over him; these were people who used cloth instead of toilet paper. His descent into madness was swift and horrible, and he was never heard from again. At least, as far as his girlfriend knows – he still goes to work and stuff, but now has a crushing phobia of running out of TP.”

3. Just Call a Plumber

This story comes from Reddit:

When did I take frugality too far?

“It was probably the time I was standing ankle deep in sewage in my basement trying to work my small, hardware store toilet snake. Sometimes its better to call a plumber. The really sad part? I finally did, and the plumber told me over the phone it was probably backflow due to a blockage in the city sewer and that I should call the city. I did, and the city fixed it for free.”

4. How Much is Your Time Worth?

This story comes from Reddit

“I live in a remote area about 2.5 hours from the closest major city, but you can make it there solely by public transit if you time it correctly. When going to visit my family one Christmas, I decided to save some gas money and go this route to get to the airport. I was carrying one packed suitcase and a carry on, and traveled on 4 buses, a ferry, and a train to make it to the airport. Once I got to the airport, I had three flights and two layovers to look forward to before finally getting to my destination (hey, the price was right.) All in all, it came down to about 24 hours of travelling to get from one side of the US to the other. I saved MAYBE $50 or so. But looking back I’d pay the extra $50 next time to save my precious time. Woof.”

5. Cheap Food Catches Up to You

When did I take frugality too far?

“That time I passed out in a waiting line. It turns out your body can’t live on noodles long-term.”

Note: I came across multiple personal stories about the long-term cost to your body from eating cheap food for too long!

The Vermont Multi-Millionaire

These stories remind me of one I heard a few years ago. It’s the story of a Vermont janitor who secretly amassed 8 million dollars. Even his family was stunned.

At his death, he left most of it to his library and hospital. It’s a beautiful story of generosity. He helped a lot of people with his money.

But I couldn’t help but wonder about the balance between living life now (he held his coat together with safety pins and never spent money unless he had to) and saving.

It’s that gray line between leaving a legacy and living the one life you get. I suppose it’s up to every individual person to decide on that line. What do you think?

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