We believe in being honest...

Being frugal is almost an Olympic Sport for some Mormons.  I'm one of those.  Nothing feels better than not paying full price for something.  I will often tell my husband that he should be happy that I'm so cheap and low-maintenance - which he is, because he's just as cheap.  

Consequently, I have "Liked" a lot of pages at Facebook and followed a lot of blogs that alert me when products and services are on fantastic sales.  I have scored free magazine subscriptions, half-price Christmas gifts, restaurant coupons, etc. at these sites.  I have also joined The Grocery Game and make it my goal to try to come out of the store on Monday morning having saved 50% on my groceries.  The other day, I bragged on Facebook that I had saved 100% on my trip to Albertsons.  Of course, I bought a can of soup that was on sale for a dollar with a coupon from Albertson's good for one dollar off my next visit.  The receipt said, "TOTAL SAVINGS: 100%" and I was THRILLED!  

The benefit of our cheapness is that we are well on track for our retirement savings and college savings for kids.  I always look at families who have lots of fancy toys and expensive clothes and wonder if they have their retirement saved or their kids' college paid for.  They are often selling their future for some expensive stuff today.  We refuse to do that and are always looking for ways to save.  We don't just live WITHIN our means, we live BENEATH our means so we can save money for the future.  

That being said, I think there's a fine line between "frugal" and "dishonest".  The 13th Article of Faith starts out, "We believe in being honest...." and, one of the Temple Recommend questions ask if you are honest in your dealings.  To me, that means we are required to live in total honesty even when it costs us money or time.  There is no excuse for being a "little" dishonest to save money.  

Last week I saw a frugal blog post discount codes for a company.  This company was offering something with a retail value of nearly $30 free for NEW CUSTOMERS.  So, the blog owner recommended you use every email address and computer in your house to get as many of these FREE codes as possible.  Then, she posted a bunch of half-price codes for the same company and suggested the same for those.  Many women were thanking her on the comments section for such GREAT DEALS.  I'll admit, as a business owner, this really made me cranky.  Those codes all clearly stated "ONE PER HOUSEHOLD" and I know that the free product was meant for NEW CUSTOMERS to try out their company with the hopes they would then come back later and pay full price.  How long do you think that company can stay in business if it gives all their products away to people who are "gaming" the system with multiple email addresses?  It crosses the line between frugal and dishonest.

A few years ago, I sat in a Relief Society class about being frugal and listened to someone talk about saving money on groceries.  She said she loved it when a store was out of a product that was on a fantastic sale and she had to get a rain check.  Let's say it was 6 oz. regular Crest Toothpaste that was on sale for a dollar with a normal retail price of $2.49.  She said the store would usually just write, "Crest Toothpaste" and "$1 per tube" on the Raincheck.  Then, she would wait until the sale was over and go back to the store and get the ultra-whitening super large size Crest toothpaste that might be $4.49 a tube instead of the cheaper, smaller size that had been on sale.  She sang the praises of how FRUGAL and smart that was.  But, I sat there wondering if anyone else was as uncomfortable as I was about the dishonesty of that.  She KNEW which toothpaste it was and should have gotten THAT toothpaste. Actually, that same store now writes very detailed info on their rain checks - probably because they figured out that some were being dishonest when they redeemed them.     

So, as I look for good deals to save my family money, I will also consider the honesty of them.  I'm all for getting something free or at a steep discount, but if I have to lie or cheat the system to get more than my share, then I'll stop at one and walk away.  I would hate to stand before God and have to answer as to why I needed to get two of something that cost $30 when one was all the company was really offering me.  I will not sell my integrity for frugality.