Who else here is frugal?


If I had to describe myself as an audiophile in one word, I'd like it to be frugal. Iconoclast may also be right, but if I'm different it may be due to being frugal.  There used to be a TV show called The Frugal Gourmet. To paraphrase him, the food he cooked wasn't necessarily cheap, but he'd get as much value as he could out of what he was doing.


Being an iconoclast doesn't hurt either. Listening for yourself and buying what you like, regardless of what reviewers say and how expensive something is also points us towards this.


What about you? Do you feel better saving money than spending it? Then tell us about yourself. :)
erik_squires
What do you call a person who rarely buys things,


Happy?  Satisfied? Content?

"Funny"...well, amusing @ times, but most of the posts seem fairly straightforward & rational to some extent...
What do you call a person who rarely buys..
...Things? First, let us define ’Things’, Friend Eric. ( No, I’m not trying to be snotty...just Serious. *S*

We (spouse & self) have owned 2 homes, currently working on acquiring the 3rd. This is to be placed on a 1/2 ac. we purchased 7ish yrs. ago.
This is Priority 3.

Priority 1:
Some 14 yrs. ago, we purchased a business. Having diligently worked since to turn it into an entity that now has a ’rep’ not only for doing excellent work, but is actually pleasant and nearly fun to work with.

We spend $....$K on lumber, materials, wages, taxes, utilities, rent, all that. New tools when necessary, but I keep eyes peeled for the used (but not abused) items that may not be needed immediately. But, if one wants Growth, the means to do so are worth the investment. Carefully regarded used equipment is one means of keeping the ROI high..

Priority 2 is keeping ourselves healthy and happy while making #1 do more than pay the bills; making #3 a reality is part of that.

All else is Optional.

My audio endeavours is an adjunct to #2, but an extravagance. My approach to my version of it isn’t quite what most would deem ’normal’. I’m reasonably certain that any of you watching me take a nice new speaker and cutting the cone out of it would disturb...

...and what follows That...is what amuses ME.

I’ve owned ’nice things’ audio in the past...Really!  I can ’hear’ most of the characteristics y’all banter about; even now, old, looking in the mirror & annoyed at what I’m seeing....("Good morning...you look like hammered sh*t...oh, well....off into the day..."). ;)

In the mid ’80’s, it became very apparent that ’hi-end audio’ was continuing to head towards the stratosphere. ’ROI’ vs. Obvious Improvement would narrow such that only +$ would entail ’details’ that would require +$ in the environment placed to appreciate such.

So, I quit. Not the hobby, but the pursuit of Perfection.

(kenjit’s forum on the Perfect Speaker comes to mind in this quest...
"What?! Huh?!" *L* He’d really be better off getting a trophy wife to find Nirvana...Speakers? No...)

Of late, I do what I do on a shoestring...because I can, and I know what I want...and I know what I’m trying accomplish.

I’m so used to doing the improbable with next to nothing that it’s entertaining to Me to do so.

I’m actually looking forward to having the opportunity to have a bit of ’hi-end’ linked to my ’lo-rent’, just to see what happens.

If I can startle you enough to drop your jaw....*L* Nirvana Achieved. *S*

It’s good to have goals, I hear...;)