Frugal Tool or Frivolous Toy?

This could actually turn out to be an irregular series, because I have a lot of these little beauties lurking in my closet.

Today’s particular subject was actually a Christmas present from my husband.  You may recall that he is the unFrugal half in this marriage.

So a part of me wasn’t too surprised when I walked out to the living room and found a brand-new pink motor scooter under the tree.  I mean, it was a surprise, but I have been wanting a pink motor scooter for years.  Hasn’t everyone?

This thing is cute! It is a vintage-Vespa knock-off, and it is really pink!  It was a dream come true for little ol’ me.  And fun to ride? Don’t get me started.

But is it Frugal?

Well, here’s why it isn’t: I don’t “need” it.  I already have a perfectly good car.  Also, it was a pretty expensive gift, though not as expensive as a real Vespa.

Plus, there are ancillary expenses.  Insurance for it, though not horrible, is more expensive than for my station wagon.

I took a motorcycle safety course in order to improve my skills, and also so I wouldn’t have to take the driving test for my motorcycle license.  That class was $195.00, and my husband took it too, so almost $400.00 right there.

The fee for my motorcycle license was $15.00 (I easily passed, yay!). Oh, yes, it needed a state inspection, which was $18.00 (that will be annual). But I want to assure the Frugal Hordes that cash was paid for all these items, scooter, helmet, legal requirements and all.

Here’s why it is: It gets 70 mpg.  Around the holidays, gas out here was 1.36/gallon.  I filled up the tank for 1.06.  So going to the library, which is all the way across town, will be an even more intensely Frugal experience.  Because of it’s out-of-this world mileage, the scooter will be a great way to hold down fuel costs when they skyrocket again (and they will!).

True I can’t take Sadie the Silly Lab to the vet on my scooter, but I can run all kinds of other errands: go to the doctor, the library, the post office, the movies, commute (okay, I don’t work, but if I did, I would)…well, the possibilities are endless. Just today I finally took some dry cleaning that’s been sitting in the back of my car for a week.  I was able to fit 2 suits and a pair of dress slacks in my backpack (folded neatly). I am pretty creative, so I am sure I can figure out a way to get 50 rolls of bargain toilet paper home on it, too.

But aside from the “is it?” or “isn’t it?” question is the greater issue of: WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING FRUGAL? The big answer is: to have a more pleasant and fulfilling life.  I am not being frugal in order to save money just for the sake of saving money. That’s no fun!

I have goals in life and frugality is a major tool I use to achieve them.  The goal for my hard-earned money is to make life better, more fun, more satisfying, or at least that’s the idea. I try hard to get the most from it. So in that “metaphysical” sense, the scooter actually fits in quite nicely with my Frugal philosophy.

So, this is kind of a tough question.  Also, it depends on the individual and the situation they’re in at any given point in time.

For instance, 14 years ago this would have without question been in the Frivolous Toy category.  It would have really had a negative impact on our finances, not least of all because it would no doubt have been purchased on credit.  We were just starting out and our financial situation was much more rickety; we were both still going to school and money sure wasn’t coming out of our ears.  But nothing stays the same, and Frugality is one way to help things get better.

The truth is I’m not really suffering any angst over the issue.   I love it, and I have a ball when I ride.  That counts for a lot. So I’ve decided that my scooter is a Frugal Tool.  Yay!  What a relief.

Here I am bringing home the bacon (er, the TP) on my totally cool pink motor scooter (I’m pretending that I’m scootering, but I’m really just in my driveway).  Check out the awesome pink leather motorcycle jacket.  That was a Christmas gift from my brother.  Thanks, Bro, I LOVE it!

Since I love my scooter so much, and I want to convince all you skeptics out there that it really is a frugal tool, I’ve decided to make this week “Pink Motor Scooter” week here at IdeasForFrugalLiving.com.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s exciting scooter-related post.  I bet you can’t wait…I know I can’t!