What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly

Give without remembering. Take without forgetting...

Reading the finance news I came across this article... hope you enjoy it. In our

lives we have all been "cheap" at some point probably, but when it is to

the extreme then that can become a very ugly trait.

Thanks to the recent financial crisis, frugality and thrift are increasingly becoming

positive attributes. But if, like many people, you find yourself looking for ways to trim

your spending, you may find yourself flirting with what can be a very fine line.

You know: the one between making smart financial choices and being outright cheap.

In fact, in many cases it's a line between thrift and outright thievery. You know you've

hit it when your savings become someone else's loss - or your own.

Here are a few common examples where thrifty become

downright cheap. How far would you go?

Thrifty: Buying Items That Are on Sale

Cheap: Only Buying Items That Are on Sale

Seeking out sales can be a great way to help make groceries, clothes and virtually any

other items you need fit into a tight budget. At the grocery store, for example, you

might choose the cereal that's on sale, rather than the one that's on your list.

When people cross the line to cheap, however, is when they refuse to buy anything that

isn't on sale. This can often backfire by causing you to buy things that might be of

lower overall value or that you wouldn't have even considered buying otherwise.

You may find yourself spending more than you would have had you just purchased

what you needed. It can also put shoppers out of touch with the value of what

they're getting for their money - and isn't that what thrift is all about?

Thrifty: Tipping According to Service

Cheap: Never Tipping at All

Common etiquette requires that customers provide tips for certain services. As a result,

some of these service providers are actually paid considerably less by their employers,

because they expect that tips will make up the difference. In some states, this may

even be less than minimum wage. If you get rude or indifferent service,

it may be fair to leave nothing, but if you never tip, ask yourself why.

Is it really because you feel your waiter or taxi driver makes plenty

of money, or is it just because you can't bear to part with it?

Thrifty: Putting Money Aside for Savings

Cheap: Saving Everything and Living on Nothing

Living a very Spartan lifestyle can a great way to achieve a big goal, but it's no way to live.

If you're working toward retiring early, buying a house or taking time off work to spend

with family, travel or pursue other goals, digging deep to make this happen just

might be worth it. But if you find yourself saving nearly every penny

and scrounging to make ends meet, it may be time to ask yourself

just what you're saving for. If you don't have an answer,

you've probably gone too far.

Thrifty: Taking Advantage of a Good Deal

Cheap: Taking Advantage.

If you find a great way to stretch a dollar, there's nothing wrong with making
gooduse of it. For example, if you're in a coffee shop that provides free refills,
stick around and enjoy a few cups if you're in the mood. But please, don't
keep the cup and come back later (or every day thereafter) for more.

A couple of extra cups of coffee probably won't put a dent in a business's bottom
line, but if more people follow your lead, it might just quash its free refills.

Thrifty: Cutting Out Internet and Cable

Cheap: Stealing It from Your Neighbors.

If you start cutting costs, you'll soon learn that you can get by with a lot less. But if you want
to be able to brag about your frugal living ways, you have to actually do without. If you
cut out your Internet but then log on through your neighbor's wireless signal, you're
about as enviable as the guy who parks a Prius in his driveway
but keeps a Lexus Convertible in the garage.

The Bottom Line

If you've cut your budget so far that you need to resort to taking advantage of others,
consider yourself cheap. The same is true if your sense of frugality begins to look
more like austerity or self-denial. Budgeting and saving money should be a
measured approach to reach a financial goal or survive tough times, not an
end in and of themselves. While being frugal may be trendy right now,
taking this trend to its extremes may be no better than falling prey
to overspending. After all, neither approach leads to living well,
which is what smart financial planning is all about.

Nothing wrong with wanting the best deal available...who doesn't? However,
it is possible to go too far...and this can definitely be a turn off rather than an asset.

Like the article says there is a fine line between being thrifty and being downright CHEAP!!!

The two most generous people in my life

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by
what we give. If there is one thing I have learnt from my
parents it is to give without expecting anything in return.

In my life my best example will always be my mom and
dad. They live their lives the way many only wish
they could. Simple and always thinking
of others. Sometimes too much.

A a child I remember my dad taking the shirt off his
back only because someone said they liked it and give
it to them. He did the same with his watch. Just because
as he put it, "someone needed it more than I did."

This from a man who grew up dirt poor and who
at the time also did not have much, but as he said he
probably had more than the other person at the time.

The generous man enriches himself by giving; the cheap man hoards himself poor.

A miser grows rich by seeming poor; an extravagant man grows poor by seeming...

~Nadiya~