What is the difference between stinginess, greed and frugality?

Thrift, stinginess, greed - what is common and what is the difference between these concepts?

Today, reasonable frugality, as well as the ability to save, are again in fashion. But still, the stereotypes of past generations, like chains, bind people, pushing them towards a wasteful, uncreative life. In this article we will tell you what the difference is between stinginess, greed and frugality, and also analyze each of the concepts separately. You will learn that smart consumption is the path to happiness and new heights.

What is frugality?

What is frugality? When considering the difference between stinginess, greed and frugality, it is worth first understanding how these points differ and why for many years all of these were considered synonymous and had negative connotations.

Thrift is a skill acquired in social circles that implies responsible consumption of goods and services, as well as natural resources. As a result, money and natural resources are consumed measuredly and in the quantities that a given person really needs.

Please note that each person has individual needs, and therefore there simply cannot be a single formula for life and expenses.

At the same time, in our society there is an overabundance of goods and services, and there are also a lot of things whose value is prohibitively inflated. In order for everything to remain in its place, the rich to get rich, and the poor to obediently work for the benefit of the rich, false concepts are artificially introduced that make people uncontrollably desire something new as soon as they achieve something.

People are also taught that a happy life is synonymous with a wasteful life, so that stinginess and frugality are common nouns, and wastefulness and living one day at a time is the dream of millions.

A shining example of frugality

Let's give an example of frugality in the context of everyday life:

• A person takes a shower instead of a bath to save natural resources, as well as his budget. Moreover, if he is frozen on a frosty street, then he will probably be ready to run himself a hot bath to prevent a cold;
• In a store, when choosing kefir, a person chooses a product with a low price, but with conditions: short-term shelf life, freshness of kefir, and packaging in tetra-pack or glass (since he is careful with nature and refuses plastic, even if it is cheaper) ;
• Buys exactly as much clothing as is required to wear. The closet of such a person is not bursting with an overabundance of clothes, since there is no need for this. And even if there is an item in the closet that a person realizes that he does not want to wear (a fashion has passed, he no longer likes it, the size has changed), then instead of a trash can, the item will go for sale or to charity.

A thrifty person respects his money, does not throw it away, but also does not put it at the top of the pyramid.

In offices, thrifty people are the first to abandon paper documentation in favor of digital technologies, as this saves both monetary and environmental resources. At the same time, consumption remains reasonable, and if necessary, a person can easily bear the necessary additional costs, for example, for printing the necessary documentation upon request.

One of the brightest representatives of frugality is Steve Jobs. He spent most of his life wearing the same jeans and turtlenecks, believing that his thrifty attitude towards clothes, time and money freed up space for the discovery of new heights. His home was large, but modestly furnished, exclusively as required for the family.

Greed

According to the dictionary of Ozhegov and Shvedov, the word “greedy” has two meanings:

1. Selfish, greedy.
2. Desiring something with great passion and expressing this desire.

Thus, we also observe two shades of this word. In the first case, it is judgmental. And in the second case, it is important what exactly a person wants. If he strives not for money, but for knowledge, then he deserves not censure, but praise.

So, for example, A.S. Griboyedov in “Woe from Wit” talks about a mind “hungry for knowledge”, about arousing the passion for creative and beautiful arts. However, today the words “greedy” and “greed” are used less and less often in speech. More often they say “greed” and “greedy”.

What is stinginess?

So, we come to the second definition - what is stinginess? Many people do not understand the difference between stinginess, greed and frugality precisely because they do not understand the true meanings of these words.

Stinginess is an excessive desire to save on everything. Many people call stinginess excessive frugality, and this is also a true concept. Stinginess can be considered one of the steps down, thanks to which a person gives up the joys of life and turns into a slave of his own monetary illusions.

A stingy person buys clothes only after the existing items have holes in them. But even in this situation, he does not experience positive emotions from shopping, but, on the contrary, begins to experience stress.

A stingy person rarely goes on vacation, and then only under pressure from family or team. After all, these are “waste expenses,” and instead of the euphoria of a vacation, a stingy person experiences a lot of negativity and sees “evil” everywhere that wants to swindle money out of him.

The arithmetic of stinginess

At the same time, stingy people often suffer from their way of thinking, and even spend more money than thrifty, and possibly wasteful! One of the clearest examples of stinginess is purchasing expired or partially spoiled products. It is not only impossible to get aesthetic pleasure from such products, but you can also get poisoned, which will lead to deterioration of health and, of course, additional costs for treatment.

In the frugality section, we looked at the example of kefir. So, a stingy person is ready to buy the cheapest kefir in the store, and it doesn’t matter that the taste and composition of such a product will lag, and the plastic bag will not benefit nature. Here the desire to spend less drowns out all other thoughts and feelings.

One of the brightest representatives of stinginess is Michelangelo. The situation is simply odious - the sculptor lived in a cheap apartment, dressed poorly and often wore dirty clothes, because he claimed that he did not have money for a laundress. Worse, he was negatively inclined towards building a marriage and did not see the point in acquiring heirs, since he said that he simply had nothing to feed his family.

Even during Michelangelo's lifetime, there were rumors that something was wrong in matters of finance, since he received recognition during his lifetime and received huge fees for his work. Michelangelo's numerous relatives lived poorly, and often crossed the line of beggary, turning to a talented and successful relative with a request for financial help, but he said that he himself could barely survive in the realities of life. Moreover, after the death of the great creator, old moldy chests were opened, and what a shock the heirs had, since they were filled to the top not with paints or plaster, but with gold! With this money it was possible to purchase a palace and maintain it for many decades (certainly enough for Michelangelo’s life).

Please note that Michelangelo refused to spend money, saved on resources, but earned money through honest work, and never crossed the line of irrevocability and did not harm society with his behavior. Therefore, it can be classified specifically in the category of stinginess.

Signs of a stingy person

There is no clear definition of stinginess. This quality can begin to develop in childhood and continue its further active development in adulthood.

At first, a child may be thrifty, avoiding spending his own resources and sharing them with others. Subsequently, he acquires a desire to accumulate, becomes self-interested, and looks at everything from the position of obtaining possible profit. Have you read what greed is?

One of the hallmarks of a stingy person is his deliberate deprivation of material goods: he can walk in rags, eat scraps, and store gold and jewelry in closets that he does not want to share with anyone. It is important that such a person does not use them himself. He can be called a miser, over whom material values ​​have prevailed; they guide his entire life. Stingy people can be very wealthy, but often this is not noticeable. Their wealth does not benefit them or others.

Acquisitiveness

Stinginess is often associated with stupidity, because such people do not understand the full extent of their situation. The tactics they have chosen are a road to nowhere. They are rich in fact, but poor in soul. They often remain single for the rest of their lives because they have not realized that the principle “the more you give, the more you gain” is always relevant. These people are selfish people who think only about themselves. A stingy person rarely finds happiness, and his wealth often becomes a burden to him or eventually turns into decay.

What is greed?

What is greed? In considering the question of what the difference is between stinginess, greed and frugality, the category of greed acts as the “cherry on the cake.” This is an indicator of how low a person can fall without the help of society, and possibly proper treatment from specialists. After all, a person’s consciousness, on the one hand, cannot be touched, and, accordingly, it is impossible to quickly understand that a person is sick, and on the other hand, it is very difficult to correct and treat. It is much easier to cure a broken bone than impaired consciousness.

Greed is an extreme degree of scrupulous fear of wasting money, time, and resources. At the same time, a person is so intoxicated by the desire to save (and note that this can be not only money, but the essence comes down to enrichment) that he is ready to commit crimes, both before relatives and before humanity. The sole goal of such a person’s life is to accumulate money.

A greedy person is ready not only to rarely take a bath, not to part with old clothes and furniture, but everything is much worse - a greedy person is ready to commit a crime in order to take possession of additional funds.

As an example of greed in a family - being sick yourself, or looking at sick relatives, having funds for treatment and refusing to spend, knowing that without treatment there can be complications and even death! Greed is refusing to support your own children, or keeping them below the poverty line. Do not pay for their development and education, while saving money for future use.

Greed at work is “pissing on” a colleague, only in order to take away his income, even with a huge chunk of work. A greedy business owner will pay meager wages, not update production technologies, turn a blind eye to the lack of security, and at the same time, in order not to pay fines, he will not only break the law, but also step onto the path of crime, just not to part with his money.

One of the brightest representatives of greed is the “Witch of Wall Street,” according to the documents of Henrietta Howland Green. Her lifestyle was not only a household name, but also horrifies the public today. Little Henrietta was born into a rich family and from childhood was surrounded by money, all the blessings of humanity and many excesses. Henrietta's family not only succeeded in business, but also actively gave back to the community. But the grown-up Henrietta had a different opinion, and as soon as she began helping her father in the business (as a teenager), the employees immediately felt a change. Perhaps if her father had given this behavior meaning, she would not have slipped into such an abyss of greed.

Henrietta Howland Green - the most greedy woman in history

The girl actively began to cut expenses and use free resources for business development. But even having reached heights, she did not improve the situation in the business, but only began active savings on the principle of “a dollar for the sake of a dollar.” But the first significant outburst was already in adulthood, when Green learned about the death of her aunt, and her decision to send her acquired wealth (which, by the way, was no match for Green’s income) to charity. Ms. Greene forged a will and tried to take money from a charitable foundation. The forgery was discovered and the lady was expelled. But if you think her views have changed after the shame and general condemnation, then you are mistaken.

Henrietta Howland Green married a multimillionaire and was able to assign all his money to herself, and after that new rules reigned in the house. They could afford palaces, but lived in cheap apartments without furniture or heating. The food was heated in the office on a radiator (no heating is required at home, because there are no clients to whom you need to show off in any way), and the children studied in regular schools for the poor (despite the fact that Greene studied with the best teachers). All her life she wore mourning black dresses, as they wore less and the dirt was less visible.

One day, Ned’s son broke his leg, and his mother flatly refused to show him to a doctor (these are expenses!) and treated him on her own. The servants took the boy to the hospital for the poor, unable to bear the child’s torment, but it was too late, and the boy lost his leg.

The icing on the cake was an argument with the cook, who bought supposedly expensive milk (what difference does it make if you are a multimillionaire?) and 81-year-old Green died of apoplexy.

The next time you want to give up something, think about whether it is a basic need? Will you lose your happiness by giving up a trifle?

How to become generous?

What can be called generosity? This is when you can spend something without sparing your strength, time, without regretting it in the future, never remembering it to this person and trying not to remember it even within yourself. A selfless person gives preference to being well-fed when he himself is hungry.

First of all, you need to remember all the names of the Almighty and realize how Generous and Rich, Caring and Merciful he is; look at nature, how generously He has given us with it, take an example from Him and completely rely on Him. “... Allah grants sustenance, without counting, to whomever He wishes” (the meaning of verse 212 of Surah Al-Baqarah); “There is not a single living creature on earth that the Lord has not provided with food...” (the meaning of verse 6 of Surah Hud).

Do not forget that the owner of everything on Earth is the Almighty, not people. Therefore, when sharing something with others, we are not giving our property, but the property of the Almighty, which He gave us for temporary use. One of the hadiths says: “Truly, you are given support and food due to the fact that among you there are weak people (without relatives, material wealth or health) people” (Imam Ahmad).

Next, you need to know that you first need to take care of your position, so as not to find yourself begging from others. Then worry about relatives, and only then about friends and acquaintances. “The servants of the Merciful are those who do not waste (so as not to be asked) and do not skimp, but spend moderately” (the meaning of verse 67 of Surah Al-Furqan). One of the hadiths says: “Truly, the keys to worldly possessions are located next to the Arsh, and the Almighty sends them to His servants as they spend. To the extent that you are generous to your family, Allah ﷻ sends you the keys to worldly inheritance .

It is also important to remember that wealth is material and there is spiritual. Sometimes it is much more important to share intangible things: a smile, a hug, kindness, attention, forgiveness, honesty in relationships with others, praise at the right time, words of comfort and guidance when needed, help in starting a family, help in finding a job, learning something. , and simply the willingness to spend time with another person are all types of generosity that do not require material wealth. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever has property, let him give alms (saadaka) from his property. If he is not there, let him give knowledge. If there is no knowledge and property, but there is strength (physical capabilities), let him help by force . Abdullah ibn Mubarak said: “The generosity of the soul, expressed in giving up other people’s property, is more valuable than the generosity expressed in donating one’s own property.”

Sufism will help cleanse the heart of vices. How much he ennobles the hearts of people can be seen in one illustrative story.

They say that a certain king said to his vizier: “Scholars are better in condition and hearts than Sufis.” But the vizier objected and then added: “We will test them in two cases.” He sent one man with several thousand dirhams to the madrasah and ordered to tell the scientists: “The king ordered me to give these dirhams to the most worthy and perfect of you. So who is he? One of them said: “It’s me!”, and the other objected: “He deceived, I’m the most worthy!” So each of them began to dispute that he was the best. Then the messenger said: “I cannot determine the most worthy of you,” and did not give this money to anyone. He returned and told about what happened. Then the vizier sent these funds to the abode of the Sufis, who did exactly the opposite of what the scientists did. Each of them said: “He is better than me! He is more worthy than me! The vizier gave the sword to the messenger and told him: “Go to the abode of the Sufis and tell them: “The king ordered me to cut off the head of your leader. Who is this? One of them said, “I’m in charge,” and the other said, “No, I am.” Everyone responded the same way, giving preference to the lives of others and sacrificing themselves to preserve the life of their comrade. The messenger, unable to determine which of them was the leader, returned back and told about what had happened. Then he was sent with a sword to the scientists, who did the opposite of what the Sufis did. This argument of the vizier turned out to be more powerful than the king’s argument.

What is the difference between stinginess, greed and frugality?

And we come to the main question of the article, what is the difference between stinginess, greed and frugality? As you noticed in the analysis of the concepts of stinginess, thrift and greed - these are all derivatives of frugality. And if in the case of frugality, positive dynamics can be traced, but with stinginess and greed, grief and suffering, discontent and depression follow.

The main difference between frugality and stinginess and greed is balance and understanding of what is required for a happy, fulfilling life, and the ability to give up excesses, but without crossing the line of renouncing necessary things.

A thrifty person will always help the disadvantaged, support his family, and also lend a helping hand to colleagues and friends. Thrift and the desire to save helps to look for new ways to implement complex processes and develop new technologies in all spheres of life.

Thrift or greed?

Stinginess entails limiting the budget and blocking opportunities to develop one's potential. But greed! Greed entails loss of energy and denial of a full, happy life. And in addition to his own discomfort, a greedy person receives reproach from society, but a person is a social being and needs, more than anyone else, approval from family and society. Without this, he can exist, but not fully live.

Psychologists are confident that frugality and refusal to consume excesses are the healthy dynamics of our future, where all nations will reconsider their outlook on life and learn to maintain an ideal balance of needs and opportunities. But as soon as you see symptoms of stinginess and, even more so, greed in yourself or your loved ones, give up these vices, because the deeper a person plunges into the vice of greed, the worse his quality of life, as well as that of those around him.

Definition in the dictionary

In the dictionary we see two interpretations of the word “self-interest”.

• The first of them - modern - is the thirst for profit.
• The second meaning of “self-interest” is outdated - profit, income, benefit.

That is, before the word did not have a negative connotation, it was neutral, reflecting only one side of the business relationship. Now it refers to characterizing the qualities of individual people and not at all from the good side.

The conflictologist's dictionary gives a more detailed understanding of what self-interest is. This is a person’s passion for acquisition, the constant desire to make money, greed for wealth, for money, greed for big profits.

Self-interest: emphasis, detailed characteristics, synonyms

Self-interest is the desire to obtain benefits for oneself personally, even if this may cause damage to any person or group of people or organization.

Because of this negative quality, a large number of conflicts arise - from family to political. When they say that a person is selfish, it means that he craves wealth, money, and at the same time puts his material interests higher than everything else.

Now let’s talk about the emphasis in the word “self-interest.” The fact is that very often it is pronounced incorrectly. The stress in “self-interest” is on the second syllable, not the first.

Synonyms for the words are: greed, avarice, commercialism, covetousness, love of money. They help to better understand what self-interest is. Therefore, let’s look at the concepts of greed and greed in more detail to understand how they are related to each other, to self-interest, and what is their difference.

Table

Being greedy is terrible. Why?

In our capitalist era, it is difficult to find a person who is not prone to greed. Especially when success is equated with material wealth. Of course, the desire to have enough money for a decent standard of living is normal.

But being greedy is terrible. "Why?" – the reader will ask. Yes, because this quality of character does not allow a person to be happy: it squeezes the soul, like a boa constrictor, and prevents one from breathing freely.

Let's take a closer look at how greed limits a person:

• Constant savings on yourself. A stingy person counts every penny; he cannot relax and at least sometimes not think about how much he spent.
• Greed gives rise to envy. Such a person always notices wealthier people. He does not feel sincere joy for his friend - in his heart he envies him.
• Self-interest. A greedy person comes from personal gain: he is incapable of doing good deeds just like that, without expecting anything in return.

To sum up, we can say that being greedy is terrible, since a stingy person does not bring happiness to himself or to other people.

Why are men greedy?

The foundation of behavior is laid in childhood. A man copies his father, grandfather, older brother, uncle, fully or partially adopting their negative and positive qualities. Also, a little boy remembers his father’s attitude towards his mother, and in the future he will use the same model of behavior. If the father deprived the mother of something, then the future man will do the same, since such behavior for him is the norm, instilled in childhood.

Stinginess and greed, which manifest themselves in older age, are caused by the following reasons:

• Lack of money in the family. A man who has been accustomed since childhood to saving on everything, constantly listening to reproaches from his parents about his wastefulness, is predisposed to stinginess. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that a little boy will subsequently grow into a greedy man. Psychology notes that a person, having become successful and achieved certain material benefits, can be generous, but at the same time economical.
• Material well-being in the family. Boys, spoiled from childhood by rich parents and knowing that the “best piece” will certainly be given to them, are also predisposed to stinginess. In relationships with the opposite sex, such greedy men will be selfish. They will not spend money on their beloved, and they will not save on their own hobbies and desires.
• Greed of father and mother. Stingy parents instill greed in the future man from childhood. Here, stinginess will manifest itself sooner or later, even if the young man was not previously greedy.

Saving effort

Saving energy is another energy type of greed. There are people who prefer to do things half-heartedly to save energy. This is a dead-end path, since it creates subtle tensions in the body and energy does not flow freely through energy channels. These tensions tie up personal power and limit possibilities. Therefore, if you are going to do something, then do it with full enthusiasm, 100% - or not do it at all.

Another type of energy greed concerns the distribution of time. Many people forbid themselves to rest, explaining this by being overloaded with work, a large number of important matters, etc. This is also greed - working at night, reducing sleep, limiting rest. A person forbids himself small pleasures and sufficient sleep. As a result, health is destroyed, no achievements are pleasing, and emotional breakdowns may occur. But 24 hours in a day is enough to do important things, allow yourself to relax and enjoy yourself, and get enough sleep at night.

Why do people become greedy?

It’s not for nothing that proverbs about greed and stupidity go hand in hand. After all, these two traits are very similar to each other, and are often intertwined in one person. Often it is stupidity and low moral values ​​that become the basis for the birth of the first spark of greed.

It’s just that such people don’t see anything beautiful around them. It was not explained to them that there are things much more important than money, clothes or food. Their inner world is very stingy and small, which is a big problem both for themselves and for those around them.

And if such a person is not helped, everything will only get worse. Greed will eat him up from the inside, and then there will be no turning back. After all, he simply does not want to listen to others, considering them wrong. It’s not for nothing that the sages said: “Greed deprives one of reason,” and this is one of the main truths that proverbs about greed and stupidity teach us.

Aggression

I would like to note that the quality being discussed has its own classification. And first of all, we need to talk about aggressive greed.

This quality can be considered akin to ambition, selfishness and vanity. It manifests itself in a chronic desire to achieve better results in everything. People who are characterized by aggression and a certain passion achieve impressive success. Everything is never enough for them; they want to have more than they already have. Such people never stop at anything. Or, one might even say, they don’t get enough.

This is not to say that a person’s aggressive greed is a bad quality. There is nothing wrong with improving your own situation. But sometimes this desire clouds the mind. And when a person ceases to control this quality, he becomes its hostage. Desires become higher than principles. And in order to achieve the goal, a person becomes capable of doing anything.