Dr. James Snyder
Every so often, something happens reminding me of my father, who passed away over 16 years ago. Thinking back, he was the epitome of frugality. If I were to look up in the dictionary the meaning of frugality, I would not be surprised to find my father’s name.
His favorite saying was, “Just pinch a nickel until the buffalo screams.”
When I first heard him say that, I did not understand what he meant.
I try to be frugal and not spend money I do not need to. I got that from good old dad.
Thinking of my father and his frugal attitude, I remembered when he generously picked up the lunch tab, then left a nickel tip for the waitress.
At first, I could not believe it. I thought maybe it was a joke, and I was waiting for the punch line. Unfortunately, it never came. He actually tipped the waitress a nickel. I was tempted to ask him about that, but I figured it was none of my business.
I do not need to have the latest gadget on the market. I do not have to update my cell phone every year to have the latest model. I’ve had my truck for 20 years and I’m not planning to trade it in for a newer model anytime soon. If that old truck gets me to where I need to go, that is all I really need.
Years ago, I had a friend who traded in his car every two years for a brand-new one. I do not know whether he paid the car off before trading it in. He had to have a new car, which made him feel like a big man.
Some relatives of mine, whom I will not name, are very obsessed with having the latest gadget. They like to flaunt it all the time.
I do not interfere in their business. If they do not want to be frugal with their money, that’s their business, not mine. However, I think it is very important for me to be frugal with my spending. After all, I am retired and live on a limited budget.
I’m never going to win that $10 billion lotto because I’m too frugal. I cannot tell you how many phone calls I received claiming I had won $10 million in some lottery. All I have to do is pay $ 1,500 in processing fees.
If my anti-frugal friends are willing to pay a $ 1,500 processing fee out of pocket, that is none of my business. To get that out of my pocket would be more impossible than anything I can think of at the time.
I do not live an extravagant lifestyle by any means. Fortunately, for me, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage does not live an extravagant lifestyle either. We are not in it for the money, but for the time we can spend together.
If you walk by me sometime and hear a buffalo scream, you will know what I’m doing: pinching a nickel.
Another area where I try to be frugal is with my time. I want to feel in control of my days and use my time meaningfully, avoiding wasting my time, and focus on what truly matters.
As a teenager, I knew how to waste time as well as anybody else. It took me a long time to realize I needed to be frugal with my time and make the most of it.
My parents were snowbirds and spent the winter in Florida. The last time they were in Florida, my father was really in a serious health situation. He had been in a coma for a week or so. Then one day, he woke up as though he had never been sick in his life.
I am so glad I was there when he woke up. When he saw me, he actually got out of bed and sat with me in the living room. The first thing he said was: “Son, I want to go back home to Pennsylvania as soon as possible. Do you think we can do it in the next couple of days?”
I agreed with him, and one of Dad’s friends was there, took me out to the garage and said, “Don’t you know your father is sick and may not live much longer?”
Looking at him, I said, “Friend, I know my father has maybe two days left to live. I do not want the last of my time with him arguing about going back to Pennsylvania. I want to have a good conversation with him because I know this is the last one I’ll have with him.”
The next day, my father passed away, I was so grateful I spent the time I had with him before he passed, and that time was not spent arguing about anything.
I want to be frugal with every aspect of my life, not just my money.
Jesus addressed this subject in Luke 14:28-30.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”
I have learned that being frugal enables me to finish what I start, which is so satisfying.
Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website www.jamessnyderministries.com.
