Meaning & use
being thrifty
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the habit of spending money carefully and avoiding waste
Grammar: Used as a noun-like phrase: it names the habit, so it can be the subject of a sentence.
Patterns
- being thrifty with something
- being thrifty pays off
Being thrifty means she plans meals for the week before she shops.
My grandparents believed that being thrifty was a virtue, not a punishment.
Being thrifty with electricity kept their bills low all winter.
phrasefixed phrase
using resources such as time, fuel, or materials without waste
Grammar: Widens beyond money: you can be thrifty with anything limited, and the phrase still works as a subject.
Patterns
- being thrifty with time
- being thrifty with resources
Being thrifty with water matters in dry regions.
The team praised him for being thrifty with the project budget and schedule.
Being thrifty with materials cut the factory's costs.
Common combinations
- being thrifty with money
- Being thrifty with money helped them save for a house.
- being thrifty pays off
- Being thrifty pays off when prices rise.
- a thrifty habit
- Checking prices online became a thrifty habit.
- too thrifty
- He is too thrifty to buy coffee out.
- being thrifty and frugal
- Being thrifty and frugal kept the family out of debt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- frugal
- Frugal describes a person or lifestyle that avoids waste; it sounds slightly more approving and formal than being thrifty.
- economical
- Economical often describes things or methods that save money, while being thrifty usually describes a person's habit.
- careful with money
- This plain phrase is more neutral and conversational; being thrifty suggests a settled habit rather than one careful decision.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: being thrifty or being stingy? being thrifty or being cheap?
being thrifty vs being stingy
Stingy is disapproving and means unwilling to give or spend even when you can; being thrifty is about avoiding waste, not meanness.
being thrifty vs being cheap
Cheap can mean low in price or, of a person, unwilling to spend; thrifty is a positive word for sensible saving.
Practice
Which sentence uses "being thrifty" most naturally?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 fits because being thrifty means avoiding waste, here with groceries. The other options describe waste, overspending, or not paying, which are the opposite of thrifty.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being thrifty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.