A Frugal Life

Licet enim sine luxuria agere festum diem.
                         - Seneca, Epistles XVIII.4

"For one may celebrate a festival without extravagance."


Our modern consumerist culture clearly regards frugality as a negative quality. There is a tendency, for example, to view a frugal person as a cheapskate. Websites on the internet that promote "frugal living" usually focus on penny-pinching and can sometimes promote the most miserly of activities.

But when a Stoic says that one should lead a frugal life, it is not merely an admonition to be thrifty. The Latin word frugalis comes from the adjective frugi, which meant "useful" or "worthy", and was itself derived from the dative of the noun frux (plural fruges), which meant "fruit" or "produce".

The frugal life encouraged here is therefore not a life of stinginess, but a fruitful and productive life. The ancients had the perception that a productive life was not just one that created abundance, but which also avoided waste and extravagance. The same ancient wisdom is to be found in the Hebrew texts, which warn the wise man not to associate with drunkards and gluttons (Proverbs 23:19-21).

It is only the perversity of our modern consumer-driven culture, which places profit before everything and encourages us to spend money that we do not have on things that we do not need, that regards frugality as stinginess. The Latin word frugalitas meant not just "thrift" but also "temperance", and it is in this sense that the word "frugal" is used in this blog.

Living frugally does not mean being stingy or pinching pennies. It involves being conscious at all times of your activities, and avoiding waste and extravagance. Our basic needs are simple, and easily fulfilled. They include healthy food and drink, simple clothing and shelter from the environment, including warmth if we live in a temperate climate. These needs can be easily met, and do not cost a fortune.

At the same time, there is no need to wear T-shirts full of holes, as some websites on "frugal living" suggest, or to turn off the heating in the winter. One should not have to emulate Diogenes, the Cynic philosopher who lived in a barrel, in order to be frugal.

Frugality can be achieved quite simply, by doing the following:

• Eating frugally
• Conserving energy at home
• Recycling
• Avoiding extravagance