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Cheap, No; Frugal, Yes

A friend and I recently had a conversation about oatmeal–yes, oatmeal. I love oatmeal (and so do my cholesterol and my waistline). I eat it almost every day for breakfast. I don’t buy it at Starbucks ($3.49), McDonalds ($1.99), or even in the Quaker instant packets (25 cents). No, I buy generic oatmeal in the 50-pound bags (about 5 cents a serving). Some might call me cheap, but a very good friend called me frugal, and he meant it as a compliment. It made me smile.

There are many things on which we choose to spend our money that might have extremely inexpensive alternatives. Determining what your trick is (mine is obviously hot breakfast cereal) will take a little research and effort. Don’t wait until you are on your way home from work and too tired to think before you figure out what your trick is…plan ahead a little.

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