Hi, My Name is Greg C. and I’m a Frugal Capitalist

I have been reading several Personal Finance ( PF) blogs over the last several months. I found myself spending so much time commenting and arguing with other bloggers that I decided to start a personal finance blog myself.

For the most part personal finance blogs and sites exist on two extremes: 1. Extreme Frugalism ( ” I recycle my toilet paper and launder my paper towels.”) and 2. Get Rich Quick ( “People with jobs are losers. Join my MLM or start flipping houses with me and My Team of fake Rich Dads.” etc)

I am a hard-core pro-market capitalist. However, I am low-key and personally frugal. I don’t drive an expensive car ( or want one). I don’t have a fancy TV or stereo system. I can tell you the last time I bought a pair of shoes and how much they cost.

Honestly, I have become more “frugal” over time. However, I have come to realize this is a crutch and an excuse to be lazy and not push myself to succeed.  Sometimes it’s easier and more comfortable being poor and not having a choice.

My current goal is to maximize my happiness by focusing on the other side of the equation. In other words, I want to MAKE MORE MONEY.

Saving money is great, but if you don’t earn any money you can’t save anything. For example, say you absolutely need to earn $30,000 per year to live and avoid going into debt to make ends meet. If you only earn $20,000 there is almost nothing you can do. You can spend all the time and effort you want cutting your food budget, saving on utilities, and cutting back on other expenses. But it would be more worthwhile ( not easier but WORTH the effort) doing something to increase your earnings. Like learning new skills, going back to school, studying new investment strategies ( though it’s hard to invest when you don’t make any money), getting a new job, asking for a raise, starting a new side business ( blog, affiliate website, eBay) etc.  YES, even if it requires Spending Money or Going into Debt ( If you can take out a $20,000 student loan and double or triple your lifetime income, that beats being allergic to debt and staying poor.) to finance your education or new business venture.

If the same person made $40,000- $50,000 ( Still a modest, yet realistic income for someone who is motivated and educated) he could easily pay all his bills, eat decent food, save for retirement, and take some time to actually enjoy life. This doesn’t mean going out and “blowing money” on “stupid stuff.” Just living an existence that is worth living and isn’t so hopeless and desperate.

Before deciding to start a blog ( that probably no one will read except for myself), I spent a great deal of time reading and commenting on this subject at other blogs. The blog I first read that really got me into all the other blogs was “Get Rich Slick”, specifically the “Forget Frugalism” post. RichSlick had several debates on Frugalism vs. Capitalism and Credit Card use with other bloggers- like Lazy Man and Money and The Prince of Thrift. I ended up reading these blogs ( and other blogs they link to and so on) fairly regularly.

I also found one blog that is my favorite by far, even though I disagree with him on some issues. That is the Get Rich Slowly Blog. I read this one daily as it is updated frequently and encourages discussion and input from readers. I feel this is one the most “balanced” and realistic Personal Finance blogs.

Naturally, I do not agree with any of my favorite bloggers 100% of the time. Since I have my own (strong) opinions, I will share those here ( even if no one else reads them).