With frugality, we must be careful, not to take the practice so far that we start to lose our integrity!

What do I mean by this?  Well a year ago I went to Wal-Mart to replace my kid’s electric ride-on car battery.  I paid my $50, and brought it home, opened the package, and low and behold… someone’s old used battery in the box.  I was very upset!

Of course, I returned it… and Wal-Mart took it back, but I was still very upset!  Being the frugal guy that I am I thought what happened to would be so easy to do!  Buy the new battery with cash, and return it!  But I won’t stoop to that level.

So what else would be considered dark practices of frugality?  How about buying clothes wearing them for a month then returning them?  I know of people that do this.

Most of the people I know justify their actions by trying to put a false face on the businesses that they end up taking advantage of.  It’s almost like they brainwashing themselves into believing the stories that they make up, or just don’t care.  The funny thing is I never see a hint of remorse or doubt about their actions.

Then you also have the people that steal from the goodwill dropoff points.  They’ll go to drop off their junk, but then take something else that’s worth value.

The exchange of the battery is criminal since it’s stealing, but the exchange of the clothes is a gray area.  As for the exchange of items at goodwill dropoffs… hmmm, I would think it would be stealing, but very hard to prove?

– MR