Frugal VS Cheap Dates #HotTopicTuesday

So a man takes you out on a date and when it comes time to pay, he pulls out a COUPON! Would you feel like a "Cheap Date" or are you down with the discount date? Chime in and see what others think on this Hot Topic Tuesday!

First of all, I'd like to say I have no problem with a man or woman taking advantage of a good deal. I snagged this photo from a user of the website CouponLikeAMan.com where tons of men 'coupon'.

But this Labor Day, I was at a party when a man was trying to get at a female and told her he would use his coupon to take her out to a all you can eat buffet dinner.

All the ladies in the room, including myself felt some type of way about this proposal. I mean if you are trying to impress a lady, the last thing you should do is make it seem like you don't have any money! And if that is the case, make her a home cooked plate of spaghetti!

But some of my callers say that is flat out being CHEAP!

Let's check out the difference between being "Frugal" and Cheap"

FRUGAL
Looking for deals and taking advantage of sales and promotions when you were already planning on purchasing something
Delaying pleasure and instant gratification to make a big purchase
Not making a point to tell friends and family every time you saved money
Not obsessed with brands
Does not sacrifice quality to buy something only because it is cheaper

CHEAP
Your cheapness affects the quality of life of others such as spouse or family
Your basic needs are of lesser quality
You never splurge a little when you have the money to spend
You will sacrifice quality to buy what is the cheapest

I think the most important aspect of frugality is the last bullet point. When you are willing to identify what items are worth spending more money on to buy a better quality product but you do everything you can to get the best deal on it, that is frugal.

When you SEIZE THE DEAL to get $50 worth of food and drinks for $25 or clip coupons to make meals from scratch, that is being frugal!

When you won’t spend money to perform routine maintenance on your car or home or take your date to a fast food restaurant, that is being cheap!

What are your thoughts on this? What is your definition of cheap and frugal? Do you think cheap and frugal mean the same thing? Do you have any examples of being frugal, rather than being cheap?