Interesting article from the Simple Dollar blog on frugality trumping inflation, and boy do I like the sound of that. As most of you know, if you look up the word frugal in any virtual reference media, my picture appears. Try this as an example. I am cheap. I make Gandhi look like The Donald. It's not so much that I like emulating Scrooge, I simply do not wish to feel like a slave to mass marketing and needless expenditure. I much prefer to spend my HEC (hard earned cash) on stuff that fills my sails. Like buying a bike. You get to ride, race, go, see, do. Spend the same amount for an X-Box (360) and you get mindless entertainment, unwanted fat accumulation, diabetes and depression.
The frugal article mentions several important areas where one can scrimp and save. Energy, food, transportation. All good. But the one area that the author(s) skip is the monumental savings possible on HEALTH CARE as a result of, what we call, the frugality of responsibility. As in taking care of yourself instead of allowing others (doctors, hospitals, clinics, big pharma, insurance companies) to charge feeding frenzy fees for the rights to your "health." Be frugal America, ride your bike, walk in the park, run with Fido, go to the beach and swim a little. Eat better. Lose the soda, HFCS and processed crap. Get off the couch and out of the Arby's queue. The linked video is where the title Easter Egg lies, btw.
Being frugal in this regard could mean the greatest long term savings you can create. Be responsible and beat inflation. Exercise is cheap and a good diet economical. Doctors, drugs, rehab centers, daily meds and disease are all expensive. They are tied to oil. Yuk.
Your choice. Go frugal. It won't cost you a dime to go run around the block right now. Or you can call Dominoes get a 1,000 calorie pizza that tastes like play-dough and rent Transformers II. And don't forget the diet soda.
On a final frugal note (!) this is race week. We are heading over the big hill and into Chelan Friday for a weekend of racing fun. The RCVman will be tackling his annual 1/2 IM and Stephanie will be racing her initial sprint tri, a nice little 800 meter swim (!!), followed by a 15 mile bike and a 5K. Should be around 80 degrees and we took the frugal way out and scored a swanky camping site for $25 a night. Sweet. Cheap. Fun. Healthy.
And hopefully fast.
Stay tuned all week as we share the ramp up, taper and race with you. One thing: I refuse to drink cheap beer.
Pic: Wish I could say that I am so frugal that I still have my first bike, but I can't.
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