For some, frugality is a way of life

By Nadia Lerner

Leonor Chute would make a great poster child for Ben Franklin’s adage, ‘‘A penny saved is a penny earned.” ‘‘Why leave the lights on, why let the water run, why use paper towels when you can use a regular towel,” says the Norwalk, Conn., resident whose prudent ways are ingrained in her daily routine. Peruvian-born Chute says her money-saving strategies allow her to channel funds toward the fun things in life, such as dining out with friends.

‘‘In a Third World country, you don’t have luxuries and disposable things,” she says, recalling a man she encountered years ago in a small Peruvian village where water was scarce.

‘‘This skinny and undernourished man was carrying gallons of water on a pole on his shoulder. I always think of that little man when the water is running.” Thriftiness, once a key component of the Puritan work ethic, has given way to superfluous spending, massive credit-card debt and mounting personal bankruptcies.

While those caught in the net of overspending might consider people like Chute frugal, these economy-minded individuals deem themselves wise spenders and are proud of it.

Arline Morrissey, a senior from Rowayton, Conn., is a frequent New York City opera and playgoer thanks to her keen eye for bargains.

‘‘I just hate to spend money I don’t need to,” says Morrissey, who purchases unsold New York City Opera orchestra and balcony seats discounted for seniors (62 and older) at $15. Easily done, she explains, by stopping off at Lincoln Center’s New York State Theatre box office just before curtain time.

“I have never gone when I wasn’t able to get a ticket,” says Morrissey, who usually attends the Sunday matinee.

And while Metropolitan Opera tickets are more in demand and pricier, Morrissey procures relatively inexpensive limited view box seats near the stage for $40 to $60 each.

Far better, she says, than the approximate $250 cost for an orchestra seat at the same performance.

This year, she and husband Bill enjoyed “Aida,” “Madame Butterfly” and a Wagner opera in limited view seats where everything, except a corner of the stage, was well within sight. ‘‘It’s a way to go to the Met and not spend a fortune,” she says, adding that these seats must be purchased in person. “You can’t always get them, but it’s worth a try.”

Arline Morrissey’s brother, Richard Krois, also has his eye out for buys. By researching cars and prices on the Internet and visiting various dealers, the Riverside, Conn., resident recently purchased a 2004 Toyota Highlander at a good price from a local dealer.

His timing was excellent, since 2005 models were coming out soon.

‘‘I’m cautious whether I’m buying a car or making a small purchase,” says Krois, who attributes his cost consciousness to thrifty parents. ‘‘Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money and my parents would use (grocery discount) coupons.” While many things are beyond our control, he says, wise shopping is within everyone’s reach.

‘‘People like to think they’re getting a deal when they’re making a purchase,” says Julie G. Bandy, assistant managing editor at the personal finance Web site, www.bankrate.com.

‘‘Frugal U,” one of the newsletters published by the site, provides money-saving advice in matters such as pet care, gardening and organic vegetable purchases.

The Web site runs a monthly cost-cutting tips’ contest, attracting 800 to 1,200 submissions. Among the suggestions, Bandy cites video loans from libraries, book swaps with friends, buying in bulk and seeking advice from a pet shop owner when Fido is sick rather than paying the vet.

In Peru, thriftiness came with the territory, says Chute. ‘‘You didn’t think of it; it was just the way it was.”

Before plastic bags became commonplace, shopkeepers wrapped everything in brown or white paper tied with string. Stacks of paper and string were always plentiful in her home. ‘‘Funny part is when I came to the States, I still saved string,” says the part-time secretary. ‘‘When people at the office needed some, they knew where to go.”

When Christmas rolls around, Arline Morrissey has no problem picking out gifts. ‘‘I have a closetful of stuff,” she says. ‘‘I can’t resist a really good bargain. In one place, I bought 50 candles for $4, still in their original cellophane. I figure someone can use them.”

But sometimes frugality borders on downright cheapness. Greenwich, Conn., floral designer Loretta Stagen says while most of her clients are easy to work with, there’s the occasional bride’s mom who requests free leftover flowers to decorate the wedding cake or platters of hors d’oeuvres.

There’s a difference between being thrifty and being cheap, says Stamford, Conn., psychologist Susan Casden. Being thrifty ‘‘may apply to people who have worked hard and are afraid they are going to lose it.

A cheapskate implies that someone has enough and they don’t want to part with it. It’s not frugal or thrifty, it’s cheap—-a very different connotation, I think.”

Cheapness is ‘‘a personality thing,” says New York City etiquette doyenne Charlotte Ford, recalling a friend’s husband who, despite his wealth, hates picking up the check. ‘‘Sometimes it does get annoying,” she says of the man. ‘‘It’s hard to be around somebody who is that way all the time.”