Diversification is Key Part I : 22 Different Ways to Say "Cheap"

That was a Cheap Shot

Not many people are comfortable with being labeled "cheap" because of the negative connotation attached to this word. Being cheap not only typifies a reluctance to spend money, but it also projects an extreme level of selfishness that transcends financial concern and often alludes to moral, social, and ethical dysfunction.  Not everyone that is reluctant to spend money, however, is cheap. Cheap is a misnomer placed on the frugal and provident, who, more than not wanting to spend money, are most concerned with minimizing waste and excess of any kind. 

What Did You Call Me?

Below are 22 different ways to distinguish, characterize, and explain the divergence amongst the financially cautious. Which best suit you?

1. avaricious (adj). greedy; immoderately desirous of acquiring

2. cadger (n.) someone who tries to get something for free.

3. canny (adj.) shrewd; especially where one's own interests are concerned

       having or showing clever awareness and resourcefulness in practical matters

4. chary (adj.) trying attentively to avoid danger, risk, or error

5. chinchy (adj.) embarrassingly frugal

6. chintzy (adj.) unforgivably ungenerous

7.churl (n) a rude, boorish person; a miserly person; a medieval English peasant

8.costive (adj.) stingy; sluggish; causing constipation

9.economical (adj.) prudent and thrift in management; not wasteful or extravagant

10.frugal (adj) very careful with money

11.mingy (adj.) mean and tight; stingy

12.miserly (adj.) lacking generosity 

13.niggard (n.) a stingy; grasping person; niggardly (adj.) stingy; miserly

14.parsimonious (adj). excessively frugal; too economical

15.penurious (adj.) unwilling to spend money; yielding little

16.provident (adj.) providing carefully for the future; relating to the mindful development and use of resources.fore

17.scrimy (adj). petty and reluctant in giving or spending

18.scrounger (n.) someone who seeks to obtain through begging or borrowing without intention of repaying.

19. shnorrer (n.) someone that takes advantage of the generosity of others

20.skinflint (n.) a selfish person who is unwilling to spend or to give.

21.stingy (adj.) ungenerously or pettily reluctant to spend money

22. thrifty (adj.) careful in the use of material resources

Strike a Balance

In our efforts to secure a solid, plentiful financial future, we must remember to attend to our present selves as well. If you find that saving is ruining or lowering your standard of living, your intimate relationships, or your overall mental and emotional health, it may be important to address the psychological underpinnings of your behavior. If, however, you feel more confident, secure, and well taken care of both in the present and for your future each time you squirrel a little money away... then I say, Save On! Save On!