Do You Take Frugality Too Far?

The readers of Consumerist and other personal finance blogs sometimes enjoy rounds of competitive frugality. Sure, you can mend your own clothes, make your own coffee at home, re-use plastic bags, change your own oil. But is it possible to take frugality too far, to the point that it harms your life?

The blog Financial Highway rounded up a list of signs that you might be taking your frugality too far. Here are a few highlights:

You feel isolated.
You hoard items just because you get a good deal on them.
You can’t let things go because you might need them someday.
You compromise your safety.
Money is all that you talk about.
You compromise your values and ethics just to save a buck.

Sometimes extreme frugality (or plain old-fashioned cheapness) are necessary in order to survive, such as when you’re unemployed. But most of these signs are more indications that you’re a hoarder, or have another type of psychological problem that can’t be easily solved by a blog post.

17 Signs that Frugality Has Gone Too Far [Financial Highway] (Thanks, Ramis!)