I recently read a research paper around tightwads and spendthrifts, tightwads being those who only save money because it pains them to spend, and spendthrifts irresponsibly spending their money. This research paper talked about the difference between spenders and savers and the emotions that drive these behaviors. Do these behaviors relate to the pain or the pleasure in spending money? I resonated with this because of my own behaviors in spending money. Because of my experiences in life growing up with a big family, I find myself in the boat of tightwad behavior. My entire life, I've been called cheap. The definition of cheap is someone who doesn't like to spend money, especially in situations when they can and should. What then is the difference between being cheap and being frugal? To me, being frugal means making better use of my resources and, in turn, making me feel good about how I spend my money. So, instead of calling me cheap, shouldn't you call me frugal? Or better yet, Frugal Dougall? Where do you feel you lie on the spectrum of cheap vs. frugal?
