Frugal, to me, means having enough money to live decently on...and then trimming the fat here and there in order to continue thriving, even unto death. You have what you need, you can handle sudden emergencies, you have enough to eat, you can splurge once in a while but you don't very often...you have enough.
Poor means that you don't have enough. You struggle daily, unforseen expenses can devastate you and you have no cash buffer.
You can be Frugal and still be Poor, or Poor but not Frugal (in which case Tighten Up!) or Frugal and not Poor at all. Sam Walton of Wal-mart fame (infamy?) was both Wealthy and Frugal-he kept vehicles until they were worn out, wore his clothes out and overall lived a life without much luxury, yet he was worth Billions. I traded my three bedroom two bath house for cash and an RV (which cut my power use in the bargain) sold my TV and use an inexpensive laptop and basic Internet for News, entertainment and research, kept my 9 year-old Motorola and basic phone plan and hold on to my 1993 Ford Festiva with a death grip. I also work a part-time job because no one wants to pay mandatory Health Insurance, and can't work an extra job because all employers are selfish and won't coordinate with other employers, and i'm paying off a Student Loan that has done NOTHING AT ALL but waste my money and Overqualify me for most jobs (at least in a potential Employer's eyes-i'll work what I can get). In other words, I both Frugal and Poor....but without my Frugal side I would not have survived being this Poor for this long.
Just my Two Cents-and it's just a
loan.
(puts pennies back in pocket)
