Guest Post by Delores Thompson – Friend of Cheapest Service.
The term penny pinchers left a bad taste in my mouth as a kid. I always heard it used in a negative way as one who was stingy to the extent he/she was a hoarder. There are extremes to every situation but I want to write about those who would give us an example of frugality. To be frugal is one of the wisest things one can say about a penny pincher’s reputation.- You probably know some. I know a few. My Dad was one. We never went without the necessities of life but he for sure made every penny count. He was born before the depression in 1908, and lived through those horrible years of poverty and drought. He came out on this side of those years and lived to the ripe ole age of 102 and ½. In that time he managed to stay out of debt, and died leaving an inheritance to his six children. One of our favorite stories was how he paid for his 150 acre farm in about 3 years. He did not like the idea of owing anyone anything. Leaving that legacy his children are trying desperately to keep in today’s difficult economy.
- When I think of Jack Benny, an actor and comedian, a penny pincher is what comes to mind. Jack’s real name was Benjamin Kubelsky. On his radio and TV shows, he was presented as a penny pincher who was afraid to turn loose of a dollar. He always gave us a laugh when he questioned the cost of something simple. History tells us he was not that way in real life, however only those who knew him best, knew the difference in the actor vs. the man. And as believable as he was in his acting, I came to accept him as being a Penny Pincher more than just frugal. The world and my generation still miss Jack Benny.
- Many people are very well acquainted with Dave Ramsey. If one wasn’t a penny pincher before meeting him via his TV or radio program, we soon become one. His seminars give the bold statement of “if we live like no one else today, then we can live like no one else tomorrow”. Being frugal becomes the passion of those who sit through his seminars. We are made to realize how debt is defeating us and keeping us from having what we need or want. Learning how to live on a budget, and stick by that budget, pay off debt and stay out of debt is one of the most freeing things one can learn. I vote for Dave Ramsey as a Penny Pincher we appreciate. Where was he 30 years ago?
- Abraham Lincoln is one fascinating man. I say that in present tense for the simple reason, he continues to live because of the impact he had on future generations. I had not thought of him as being frugal, however history records that he urged Americans to do just that. Lincoln spoke of making compromises, which can help all in the long run. “Give up the convenience of owning a lawnmower and share one with several neighbors, for example. Use neighbors to your advantage to save money. You can trade services, share tools, etc. United we stand…you know the rest.” On another occasion he said, “Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser – in fees, and expenses and waste of time.”
- We can’t have a list such as this without mentioning Jesus Christ. A man who lived for the sum total of 33 years, taught us about laying up treasures on earth where it can be destroyed by moth and rust or thieves can steal what we have saved. He also urged men to lay up treasures in Heaven, where it will be safe. (Matthew 6:19-21) By example he lived a life of simplicity – having everything he needed but “things” were secondary to the extent of being nonexistent. Things in life that matter are not possessions, but memories, people, and the good we can do for others. It is the internal joys that last forever and make one rich.
- You have used the term often, and for sure your parents used it on you, “A penny saved is a penny earned!” Well if you didn’t know before – I’ll share something with you. That is a direct quote from Benjamin Franklin. A man who was legendary in our history for his inventions as well as the inroads he made in politics. Another of his quotes was this: “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”
So very true how a coke a day bought at the vending machine at $1 each can add up to $365.00 in a years’ time. Or what I wonder about is cigarettes. I have no idea how much a pack is today, but feel sure with the Surgeon General’s warning that it is cancer causing, has helped the price to skyrocket. I did work with a man years ago (even before cigarettes got to the price a pack is today) that stopped smoking. In fact he and his wife both stopped. He reported later they had saved an exorbitant amount of money in six months’ time.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. is known for his passion for integration. We remember his speeches of passion for his race to be free. A few things only history has recorded and some may not be aware of is the fact that he was well aware that money and possessions did not make the man. People own property and things, not the other way around. Knowing who you are and what is important in life makes up a person. King knew this and became famous for his conviction and love of all people. Great people are not necessarily the people who own the most belongings.
- George Washington, our first US president; “Often times, laziness and procrastination are the biggest enemies of frugality,” he is known to have said. Money as we know it today may not have been in abundance in his day; however his attitude toward frugality is one of his strengths in shaping a country. It might pay us to take a page out of his history again to rehearse on how he did it.
- Tyra Banks. (taken from www.walletpop.com) Despite a fortune estimated at $75 million, this 34-year-old is an avowed penny pincher. “I am frugal,” she said in a June 1 ‘New York Times Magazine’ profile. “I’ve always been this way. When I was young, my mom would give me my allowance, and I’d peel off a little each week and have some to spare.” Banks’s culinary tastes runs toward Cheesecake Factory, and is known to stock up on hotel soap.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar (also taken from www.walletpop.com). After soap opera and movie fame, the New York native remains careful about her money. “I take my reusable bag to Whole Foods so I can get a discount”, she told Self Magazine in 2007. “I go to Bloomingdale’s on double reward days and I always print my dry cleaning coupons before I go. The main thing I want to do is make sure I can take care of myself and my mother.” It is reported her father walked out when she was six, leaving her and her mother with difficult days ahead.
What a great list of men and women from America who are making legacies as well as having left us a legacy of frugality. Call it Penny Pinching, stingy, or whatever, it is working, it has worked and would pay the rest of us to catch the spirit of frugality as well.
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(source:cheapestservice.com/blog/10-famous-penny-pinchers-that-teach-frugality/)
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