conscious frugality

On my usual meanderings through the blogosphere I came across a great post over at The Non-Consumer Advocate.  Like me, she is a mom who joined the Compact and has been reviewing what it means in her life.

“Which brings me to the term conscious frugality. To be mindful with one’s money without being miserly or blowing it on poorly made stuff that’s was never manufactured with longevity in mind.”

I have to say, that could mean a departure from the tenets of the Compact.  So far this year I have been quite happy to shop used for what we have needed.  It has met our needs and I don’t think we have missed out or bought less than comparable quality because of it.  But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider buying something new of great quality, (and for that I mean production quality, not necessarily brand quality or cost) that will last my family for years to come.  Think about it, many of the things we (being me) buy at thrift stores and flea markets are 15-20 years old at least.  If they weren’t quality to begin with, they wouldn’t still be around for me to be the second, third or subsequent owner.  The problem lies in the fact that most things are not made the way they used to be.  Which brings us to the stuff issue.

Reading Ms. Wolk-Stanley’s post reminded me that my desire to join the Compact was not to limit my family to second-hand goods, but to take a year to look at what we buy, what we spend our money on and perhaps save some of that said money.  Conscious frugality.  It has a ring to it.  I like it.