Frugal Ethics: When Frugal Becomes Just
Plain Cheap by Tawra Kellam
There are times when it's tempting to lie,
steal or break one of the other 10
Commandments to get a good deal but, in
living frugally, we all need to stick to
being honest. This is not always easy to do,
but I want to give some examples that may
help you stay honest. Here are some common
tactics that some people use that are
unethical and sometimes illegal:
You
need some pens because you are running short
so you take a handful from a store that is
giving them out. This is stealing. If you
take one, that's fine. Unless they tell you
to take them all, it is tacky to take a
large number of them. They're offering them
simply as a courtesy.
You
buy an item and you use it a few times and
then return it because you're done with it.
Stealing and lying. You probably won't tell
the sales clerk you just needed to use it
for a few times and even if you do, that's
only OK if it is a rental store. If an item
breaks, doesn't work or is not the right
color, it is fine to return it. If you just
needed it "for a few times" (like a dress
for a special occasion) and know you won't
use it again, you're stealing if you return
it.
If
you eat a food item with a guarantee on the
box and it tastes nasty, return it. That's
why they offer a guarantee. If you eat the
entire contents of the box first and return
the mostly-empty box, it probably wasn't
actually nasty.
If
you try to pass off your 14 year old child
as a 12 year old so that you only have to
pay for a child's meal, you are lying and
teaching your child that lying is good when
it benefits you.
If
you find a "great deal" that you can't live
without but you don't have the money in your
checking account, don't write a check. Let
it be the "one that got away" If you
knowingly write a bad check, you are
stealing and lying.
If
you find a "great deal", buy it and then
hide it from your husband, you're lying
(unless it's his birthday present ;-). If
you have to hide it, you know you're doing
something wrong.
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If you charge up
your credit cards with frivolous things like shopping
and eating out and then declare bankruptcy, you are
stealing from the credit card company and from everyone
who does business with that company. Bankruptcy is
intended to help people who end up financially strapped
because of reasons beyond their control, like
catastrophic medical expenses or the death of a spouse.
It is unethical to declare bankruptcy because you went
on a shopping spree, because you bought something you
couldn't afford when you bought it or because you
decided to change careers and no longer want to pay the
student loans for your old career. You signed that piece
of paper when you purchased the item saying you would
pay them back and you didn't. It's up to you to pay them
back any (legal :-) way you can, even if it does mean
feeling "deprived" for a time.
One more thing
about bankruptcy: It is unethical to incur lots of debt
"keeping up with the Joneses" and then go bankrupt
because the debt is so large. Many people look at others
and say to themselves, "Those people are the same age as
me. I work hard. I deserve that too." or "our house is
too small" or "our car is a real clunker so we need to
buy a brand need one to "save" on repair costs ( a huge
myth, by the way!). If you can afford these things, by
all means, buy them. If you can't afford those things,
find a way to make more money or learn to be happy with
what you have.
Frugal living is
about making good financial decisions. There are so many
things you can do to spend your money more wisely, so
when you think you can get a "good deal", but it
requires doing something that hurts someone else, pass
it up.
Whenever you're
in doubt about whether something is ethical, ask
yourself if it would be OK with you if the situation
were reversed and you were the person potentially coming
up short. Be honest. We've all heard "Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you." If you would object to
others doing it to you, you better look for a better way
to save.
About the Author:Tawra
Kellam is the editor of www.LivingOnADime.com. Tawra and her
husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year
income.
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