The Psychology of Trying to Be Frugal

     My grandmother, who lived in one of the first condominiums built in Myrtle Beach used to say to me, "I'm very frugal."  In fact that is who I learned the word from.  I did not know it but Grandma was not too bad off, but after she died my dad made some bad investments and as they say lost his shirt, got ripped off more than once, etc. and died in poverty.  Now poverty is sort of a legacy which I hope may one day be broken.
     Have you ever had coupons for stuff you never used, do not need, perhaps do not know what the heck it even is?  Well, I am being a bit extreme, but the psychology is: use these coupons and save money.  You may end up needing these things.  Well I shop with coupons and specials and sales galore, but it can actually be fun if the coupon gives you any leeway, because you may have the option of choosing brands, non specified, which you may think are good quality and perhaps a good price, so all in all I think it could work out to everyone's benefit.  I mean, who wants to run out of toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, cleaning products, pet food or laundry detergent.  That is why it is good to have backup. 
     When I was a young mother with a baby and first grader, my mother would come by and look around.  My husband would usually be working out of town which was hard for me.  He was actually doing construction at an army base.  I actually took the kids to visit him there for a whole week.  We stayed at a motel, but I got to see the base.
     I felt like an army wife, no actually the thought never even occurred to me.  They did not have the show yet, nor the Iraq war, although Desert Storm was coming I think.
    Anyway, my mother would say "you have plenty of laundry detergent", or "you have too much toilet paper."  She might also say, "you need more food," so I would go shopping.
     Life is easy now in comparison.  Sometimes I have wondered how many times in a life time the average person goes to the market, the pharmacy, etc..
     In today's economy, most people have to stretch a dollar and I think Grandma was a good influence, my mother too.