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
A friend of mine was possibly the second coming of "The Audio Cheapskate". He was constantly, and I mean constantly like every hour of every day looking for that one "giant killer". I helped him haul more speakers, amps, speaker stands, cable etc. in and out of his house. And all of it was stuff he had bought, and then had to sell later to help fund the next project. One night over a few beers he and I added up all the money he had spent, regained (somewhat) and lost on just speakers alone and we figured he could have bought some speakers in the $6K-$8K range. And he was "frugal" in his expenditures all the time prior to us doing the math. So, does it make more sense to spend a lot wisely the first time around, or nickel and dime one's self and find that you spent more being "penny-wise"?
There was a time when I was quite frugal.  Now, my approach is pretty close to that articulated by @almarg.   I'm not afraid to spend some bucks, but I am very careful and usually do so after a good bit of research and thinking about the purchase for several months.  I hang on to what I purchase for a long time, which results in an acceptable value proposition in my estimation.   I'm not one who chases after every tweak or the latest and greatest new piece.  You can spend a lot of money on stuff that results in little to no improvement if you are not careful.  I caught the bug while I was still in my teens and now, 50 years later, I've got a system that really sings.  Upgrades from where I am now are going to be infrequent, because stuff that is better than what I currently own won't come cheap. 
Frugal is my middle name. But not too cheap. It's important to be able to discriminate between what is excellent and honest and what is designed to rip you off. This goes for everything you buy. I do detest wasting money though.
Ah the mysterious utility function in economics, where just like in audio ( the ear brain interface ) we have the $$$$ / gratification curve.....

guess which are common between the two ??? The brain :-)

no two alike, so no common definition of value either....

value can also be situational...

a guy I love and fish with recycles my used fishing hooks, they are chemically sharpened and dull up and rust after a few days or fish... yet he recycles them anyway...
I don’t fish his tie ups when on his boat...
why ? Lost fish, especially trophy fish....

false economy is no frugality

have fun, enjoy the music
I am one big time. It has allowed me to enjoy this hobby on a beer budget but has enabled  me get the best sound out of both my HT and stereo rigs for thousands less.

Refurbished is what I have taken full  advantage of for years. I love it when I see the word "discontinued" too.

What a pitch!

I also have pursued vintage equipment with the same fevor and it has paid very enjoyable dividens.

I also check out the deep discounts, open box specials, demo, on the popular websites too.

Just yesterday I picked up a pair of Audioquest CV4 cryogenic speaker cables for 40% off retail.

Of course if I had an extra $10 k I would have no qualms paying full retail.

I do the same with music as well.

Best regards in stereo.