Difference: Cheap & Thrifty
What is the Difference between Cheap & Thrifty?
In my opinion a thrifty person is someone who gets the most out of money, they know how to spend money and they usually can get great quality stuff without paying thousands. A cheap person is someone who shops only based on price. I found this interesting list of the difference between the two. The word they use is frugal which is a synonym of thrifty.
QUOTE |
Frugal- Going to a buffet and eating enough to get full and satisfied. Cheap - Getting full and satisfied, then filling your pockets and bags before leaving. Frugal - In a group, a person with 10 dollars would order at a restaurant taking in consideration of tip and tax. Cheap - In a group, a person with 10 dollars would order 10 dollars worth of food and intentionally leave the tip and tax for others to pay. Frugal - Satisfied with only spending a dollar on a kids meal for your child. Cheap - Ordering an extra kids meal for your self to avoid the regular price. Frugal - Deciding not to go out to eat because you don't have enough for the food + tips, instead you go to buy something to make at home. Cheap - Intentionally going out to eat when knowing you don't have enough to tip. |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 1089 100%
To me, Thrifty and Cheap are like horses and donkeys. One's pretty and probably helpful, the other is rough, grouchy, and will only move if in a good mood. Confusing isn't it? A Southern man would barely understand that. Anyways, Thrifty is a horse. Helpful, pinching that dollar to buy GreatValue instead of Aquafina, is good. Makes you seem smarter and richer. I'd rather spend 1. 45 on a no-name brand than 2. 50 cents on Dasani or Pepsi. Besides with that one dollar and fifteen cents you might save up enough to buy that Miata and make that obnoxious neighbor with the Sony TV and Ford Fiesta gaze in agony and envy as you stroll out of your middle-class home in Old Navy jeans and Aeropostale hoody with a pair of Nike Shox shoes and Dockers sunglasses. The big secret! It all cost under 75 dollars! Except the Miata which was the biggest splurge since 2003. The donkey is cheap, has a loud bray and a big head and is called a jackass for a reason. Spending 1.20 on a bucket which you fill in a water fountain at work or school, dressing up in ragged clothing and getting clothes donated. Using your local synagogue or churches food drive to get your weeks meal. Me, I would be ashamed to lower myself to a saddening cheapness. Like stealing cans from trashcans to get money. That's sad to me. But saving your cans and cleaning up the highway for that money, that's not only helpful for the environment, but can be a bonding experience with your family. As long as the kids are under 14. So in summary, those who take saving money to an extreme=cheap. Those who smart shop with coupons and sales=Thrifty.
If you're cheap then you do not care about value either for yourself or others. It means that you CAN afford to do better but you won't for the sake of spending less. If you're thrifty then it means you have limited money and cannot afford to spend more than a certain amount. People who stay within budget are thrifty. Being thrifty is not a bad thing but marketers hate the word because they want you to spend your money even if you can't afford it. Therefore they've (businesses) done a good job of getting the general public to believe there is something wrong with being thrifty because it means you're cheap - a lie
International Level: New Activist / Political Participation: 11 1.1%