Meaning & use
frugal with money
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Careful to spend little and avoid waste when using money.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs such as be, seem, or remain; it describes a person's habit, not a single purchase.
Patterns
- be frugal with money
- become frugal with money
- stay frugal with money
My grandparents were frugal with money and rarely bought anything new.
After losing his job, he became very frugal with money.
She is frugal with money but never stingy with her friends.
phrasefixed phraseapproving
Managing money in a way that avoids waste while still meeting real needs.
Grammar: Often used approvingly to describe sensible budgeting rather than meanness.
Patterns
- be frugal with money and resources
- learn to be frugal with money
The couple were frugal with money during the first years of their marriage.
Being frugal with money helped her pay off her student loans early.
Common combinations
- be frugal with money
- He is frugal with money and saves a fixed amount every month.
- become frugal with money
- They became frugal with money after their rent went up.
- extremely frugal with money
- My aunt is extremely frugal with money and repairs everything herself.
- frugal with money and time
- Good managers are frugal with money and time alike.
- learn to be frugal with money
- Young adults often learn to be frugal with money the hard way.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thrifty
- Very close in meaning, but thrifty often suggests clever saving and good management, while frugal stresses plain, simple spending.
- economical
- Focuses on using money efficiently without waste; it can describe things as well as people, e.g. an economical car.
- careful with money
- A plain everyday phrase with the same idea; it sounds less formal than frugal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: frugal with money or stingy? frugal with money or cheap?
frugal with money vs stingy
Stingy is negative and means unwilling to give or spend at all; frugal is usually neutral or approving and means spending wisely.
frugal with money vs cheap
Cheap can mean low in price or, about a person, unwilling to spend; it often sounds critical, unlike frugal.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'frugal with money' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Frugal with money' is an adjective phrase used after a linking verb like 'is', so option An is correct. Option B wrongly adds an infinitive of purpose, option C omits the verb 'is', and option D puts the phrase in the wrong place before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frugal with money”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.