Sometimes, the most frugal option is to spend money. Don’t fall out of your chair or topple over your standing desk–it’s true! Indeed, it’s rare that I advocate for forking over cash, but there are instances where avoiding the cheapest choice translates into frugality in the long run. And that, my frugal weirdo friends, is strategic frugality–also known as the inherent division between the lofty frugal and the lowly cheapskate. To illustrate my point, enter exhibit A: the Frugalwoods storm door.
The Tragic Tale Of Stormling
Our erstwhile storm door, we’ll call her Stormling, was the quintessential example of the dirt cheapest storm door on the market. Stormling (who was installed by the previous owners of our house) was rickety, thin, and altogether not fit for our excessive northeastern winters, as evidenced this year. She met her demise thanks to a few hearty (by which I mean outrageously gigantic) wind gusts, not to mention the borderline inappropriate amounts of snow and ice we received here in Cambridge this winter.
Continue reading Strategic Frugality and The Tale of Stormzilla at Frugalwoods.