I’ve noticed sometimes that there’s some half-baked videos or blogs or whatever that purport this or that frugal trick, but if you look at the time or math, it’s not actually frugal for you.
What are some examples of that you’ve come across? The things that “aren’t worth it”?
For me it’s couponing. (Although I haven’t heard people talk about it recently–has it fallen out of “style”, or have businesses caught up to the loopholes folks used to exploit?)
That is a fantastic piece of satire. I had a good chuckle, so thanks for that. I read most of it, but I admit I skimmed a bit in the middle.
My point is that something being cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. That's the original intent I was responding to, and it matches your final paragraph.
Evaluate what you need, look at the options, and pick something that will solve it.
To me, frugality isn't about the price you pay, but the value you get long term. Maybe the cheapest option fits with that, but most likely you'll want something a few notches above that, but somewhere below the median. A lot of people don't look at the options and just buy whatever is popular. Frugality is about looking beyond that.