Active and Passive Tightwaddery are terms about spending coined by Amy Dacyczyn from the Complete Tightwad Gazette. She gives us an idea about differences in spending can still be frugal. How?
Well active tightwaddery is where you do stuff to save money. You might sew clothes, bake bread, do home repairs yourself, etc. Basically it’s doing things you enjoy to save money. It’s basically being a do-it-yourselfer. Sounds great right? I think of myself as an active tightwad, I am always trying to save money.
Then there’s passive tightwaddery where you do nothing. Yep that’s right. You are a tightwad because you DON’T spend money. Instead you really ask yourself do you need that or need to have that experience. You don’t eat out, don’t go on vacation, don’t buy new clothes, etc. This is my DH, he always asks me, do you really need that? Sure it’ll save money (extra freezer, vacuum sealer), but in his eyes it’s still spending money. Thus his frugality is from lack of spending or passive tightwaddery and asking do we really NEED it?
Then I read this blog post, and the author talks about hyperactive tightwaddery. It’s the idea that you run around gathering up tons of coupons and getting food, groceries, any deals for little or no money. The author suggests this weds you to the consumption treadmill because you are constantly loading up on goods even if you don’t need it because you it’s cheap or free. But you are still “spending”. But saving because you are stockpiling. The author questions whether this is truly a savings?
I have to say I agree with the author. Don’t get me wrong, I have a nice little stockpile of toilet paper and paper towels and coke. I even have health and beauty items, but for the most part my passive tightwad husband curbs me from truly building a stockpile. I have to wonder what I would do with all my stuff?
Truth is that I naturally stockpile since I like to shop at Costco. I can’t help it, with two people and Costco size goods? Stockpiles naturally accumulate. But I wonder if the most frugal way really isn’t passive tightwaddery versus active or hyperactive tightwaddery?
Granted using coupons to stockpile is better than just spending money on everything. But do coupons give you a justification to spend more and consume more goods? Do coupons allow you to be a “spendthrift” instead of a true tightwad?
11 responses so far ↓
1 FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com // May 8, 2009 at 10:40 am
On the whole, I am more passive than active in that sense.
With that being said, I become active when it’s stuff that is generally hard to find, and I just stock up on it because I do NOT want to run out..
But 99% passive I think. Less is more, with me.
2 JoeP // May 8, 2009 at 11:22 am
Certain things we keep extra stock of: tp, paper towels, napkins, laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, bath soap. These are items that would make things downright difficult if we were to run out.
There is a whole theory of business related to inventory. In a nutshell, you don’t want to sit on too much inventory because it ties up cash and you incur inventory-related costs. While a household is not quite a business in the literal sense, I think most people would regret having $800 worth of inventory that would normally cost $1200…and then lose their job or require cash for an unexpected reason.
Having said all that, most things house-related I’ll do myself to save money. For food, we get good food as we need it, and get bonus (expensiver) food for a treat now and then. It doesn’t bother me to spend a lot once in a while.
3 Meg from FruWiki // May 8, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I’m definitely more into passive tightwaddery. I like things that are simple and I like having plenty of free time. Even things like hanging my laundry are easy because I just hang things on their hangers inside — it’s just removing the step of putting them all in the dryer first. And I can entertain myself for free just fine here on my computer or, if I do feel like getting out, taking some nature walks.
I’m not a big couponer. I’m not into meal planning. I have some routines, but on the whole I can be very flexible because I keep things simple. I eat one-course meals with few ingredients (often “monomeals”). I don’t stockpile much stuff at all: very basic dry food ingredients (beans, sugar, flour, rice, etc.), toilet paper that we buy at Sam’s, and an extra bottle of shampoo in case the brand I like isn’t in stock when I need it.
Overall, I prefer to have plenty of room than full closets because I have a strong minimalist streak that keeps me from being too much of a stockpiler. At least it keeps me from buying lots of junk I don’t need!
4 LAL // May 8, 2009 at 8:33 pm
I’ve found that most active couponers will tell you the truly awesome savings you get from stockpiling. I like stockpiling like JoeP stuff I better not run out of. If I didn’t have TP, I’d cry.
5 Joy // May 10, 2009 at 6:37 am
I’ve been a passive tightwad all my life but never knew it had a name until now! I’ve recently started checking out the coupon, frugal and saving blogs. After reading some of them, I think there is something to what was termed “hyperactive tightwaddery.”
I wonder if some of the posters I’ve read don’t have a bit of a stockpile/coupon disorder for lack of a better term. One lady post what she does daily to save money. In a recent post she had a photo of the 83 bars of soap (this didn’t include the body wash and liquid soap) she had on hand for her and her husband. I believe in stockpiling but I think she’s good to the end times.
I can be a bit…well more than a bit….compulsive so I can see how couponing could become addictive. I don’t eat peanut butter so why did I just buy six jars? Because they were 49 cents a jar after coupons and sales. But I spent $2.94 on something I won’t use. That is $2.94 I don’t have to spend on something I do need and will use. So my local food pantry gets six jars of peanut butter and I try to control my compulsive behavior.
6 Patience // May 10, 2009 at 11:13 am
In general, coupons encourage more spending. If they didn’t, retailers would not issue them. On the other hand, if you’re really organized and have good self-control, you can make coupons work for you.
7 Angie // May 10, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I confess that I enjoy spending money and shopping and all of the other frugal no-no’s. Trying to simply curb all of my consumption just stresses me out and frustrates me, leaving me more likely to binge on some piece of junk that I really don’t need. Self control is something I’m working on though! I am definitely an active tightwad, and probably border on hyperactive. For me it is much easier than passive, and becomes a game – how much can I get for how little. I do stockpile, and frequently buy things I don’t need/want because they are free (or under 10 cents). Since becoming a coupon clipper my grocery bill has gone way down, but I am still able to send a couple bags of food to the food bank each month. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me!
8 Kristy @ Master Your Card // May 10, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I’m definitely an active tightwad with passive tendencies to some degree. I don’t mind spending money on most things, especially if I will use it and it will save me money in the long run. However, there are times when I question whether or not I need certain items, thus the passive tendencies.
I’m definitely not a stockpiler, though. I go to the store once a week for essentials, so I never run out of what I need to have in the house. But, as one individual living alone, I haven’t found much need to stockpile anything, and I frankly find it a waste of assets – in my situation – to do so.
Interesting post, LAL! I have never really heard of these terms before and it was thought provoking to consider which category I fell into!
9 LAL // May 20, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Joy, I don’t know but maybe if you had a large family you might run through 83 bars of soap. I’m trying to believe that at least.
Patience, excellent point about coupons making the company money. Usually we just look at it as saving us money.
But as Angie pointed out, she buys things for less than 10 cents. Wow! Impressive. I haven’t really been able to do that.
Kristy, thanks for the compliment. I like to stockpile some stuff, mostly non-perishables. And stuff like TP? I need at least 2 packages or I will die! It’s imperative I have some.
10 Elle // Oct 30, 2009 at 10:26 am
If its something I know I use consistently and is on a particularly good sale then I’ll buy some extra of it but I won’t go overboard or out of my way. The only thing I go out of my way to stockpile is the hair dye I use, its particularly cheap at an out-of-the-way shop, stockpiling ensures I keep the color consistent.
As for couponing, every once in a while I’ll try to find coupons to match things I’m already planning to buy… and what I’ve realized is rarely are their coupons for things I actually really want/need… coupons are a way for companies to introduce their product and get people hooked.
The only particularly hyperactive thing I do is shop for groceries at a couple locations, I pick up my bulk beans and grains every couple months at a co-op near work, pick up my vegetables when I bike home through chinatown and I have two grocery stores equidistant from my house (dependant on the train stop) so I’ll go to their websites to see if there are any particular deals on things I want from either of them and hit whichever is overall cheaper that day on my way home.
11 LAL // Nov 3, 2009 at 11:32 am
Coupons can work for things you always use. Why would anyone pass up a coupon for diapers, toilet paper, paper towels if they used them? Or shampoo, hair dye, deodorant?
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