The word frugal appears to mean many things for many people. It is often assumed to mean you are tight with your money. From there comments like "he still has the first dollar he ever earned", "the moths must have come out of your wallet" etc are used.

I see someone who is frugal, is one who appreciates the effort in earning money and therefore likes to see value when they hand over that hard earned cash.

When looking up frugal in the dictionary the following meanings were given:

• Very careful not to waste anything.
• Practising economy.
• Not costly.
• Sparing or economical.
• Sparing used or supplied, meagre costing little.

And when looking up the Thesaurus, these words are listed:

• Careful
• Economical,
• Meagre
• Penny-Wise
• Prudent
• Saving
• Thrifty

Tightwad wasn't even mentioned!

Being frugal isn't about being cheap, making do or being a skinflint. It is about getting the maximum benefit from earning the money in the first place.

Frugality is balance. Nothing is wasted or left unused. In a way if you are a frugal type you are helping the environment. You consume less than others.

So from now on if you consider yourself the frugal type or want to head down that path and in the past the word frugal had some negative signs, think again. Being frugal is valuing your effort in obtaining the income in the first place and not wasting the money.