Several months ago I began to suspect that a new acquaintance had some unusual ideas about money. His Facebook posts and conversation starters revolved around a frugal lifestyle, and his approach, at least at the time, seemed quite novel. The Great Recession has certainly forced all of us to reevaluate our spending behaviors and tighten our proverbial belt a few notches. In fact, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) conducted a survey in January that shows many of us are experiencing “frugal fatigue.” Cunningham, a spokesperson for the NFCC, states that "...66% (of those surveyed), indicated that they were tired of spending pennies...", but, "(t)he interesting finding is that more than 20% …implemented the financial lifestyle changes you thought were positive and intended to stick with them” (“Most Americans are frugal”). I couldn't find any estimates on how many Americans have adopted extreme frugality, but the 20% of respondents in the NFCC survey who believe they will continue their frugal ways suggests the number may be very high indeed. In any case, my new friend talked about her frugality with the same fervor as a religious convert. The only other person I knew who could rave so joyfully about reused plastic bags and thrift store finds was my maternal grandmother. I was intrigued and inspired to research this co-culture, or perhaps counter-culture, of extreme frugality. A Brief History Frugality was once a defining characteristic of early American culture, part of the Puritan value system, but has since come in and out of the scene. favor. The settlers and their pioneering cultural progeny were frugal by necessity and acculturation; wasteful behavior was…half of paper…lots of interesting ways to save money that I started experimenting with in my own home. The frugal people are right, seeing your savings even on small things is exhilarating. Now that I understand the best way to approach the topic, I hope to talk to many more people about their frugal lifestyle. Works Cited Dacyczyn, Amy. The Complete Journal: Promoting thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle. New York: Villard, 1998. Print.Economiser Productions, LLC. The cheapest family in America. 2003-2011. May 1, 2011 “Most Americans Suffer From Frugal Fatigue: A Significant Minority Believes Lifestyle Changes Are Positive.” National Foundation for Credit Counseling. National Foundation for Credit Counseling, February 2011. Web. May 30, 2011.newsreleases/Majority_of_AmericansHaveFrugalFatigue.cfm>.