Example 1:
Cheap: He would rather 1 ply toilet paper.
Frugal: He doesn't complain when I buy the good stuff.
Example 2:
Cheap: He drives a vehicle that has no air conditioning and the windows don't roll down.
Frugal: He drives my old van because he bought me a
Example 3:
Cheap: He never lets me buy any big purchase.
Frugal: He shops around until he finds it cheaper (although sometimes he can't find one, and once he agrees to the purchase, the item/sale is gone!)
Example 4:
Cheap: We bought a 5000 sq ft house 6 years ago, and have only finished remodeling 3 of the 4 bathrooms (actually one was a half bath and we only changed the floor and the commode).
Frugal: We bought the house as an investment and have already increased the value by $60,000!
Example 5:
Cheap: He always wants to know how much I have paid for things
Frugal: He never complains or makes me return the purchases- he just likes to know that I looked at the price. I used to be a pretty bad shopper and would spend $300-500 in a day, and not really even know what I bought.
I think, in the end, maybe he really is cheap, but he has taught me to be frugal, and since I am the one who does 99% of the shopping for the family, maybe, just maybe, his cheapness is a good thing! We've never been able to do the classic budget cuts since those things usually weren't options to begin with- Prince Charming makes most of the repairs on our home (he's very handy), I don't get my hair colored (no grays yet!), we don't spend a lot on clothes- buying on sale and off season), we eat at home 6 nights a week, etc.
