How thrifty is too thrifty?

I was at Target last night picking up some Ozarka sparkling water and cat food and came across this display of Up & Up facial tissue.


My first thought: "Wow! Cute box!"


My second thought: "How much more expensive are these?"




Turns out the boxes of facial tissue with the letters on them are $1.79 -- about 40 cents more expensive than the regular boxes of Up & Up, and about twice the price of the Puffs Plus Vicks I found on clearance for 89 cents per box.


I really liked those boxes of tissue.  They remind me of my building blocks that I loved as a kid.  I knew they would liven up my desk and make me smile when I saw them.


And then I would think about how I paid twice what I could have every time I saw them, too.


How thrifty is too thrifty?  Where do you draw the line between being frugal and being cheap?


Clearly other Target shoppers were into these boxes -- look at how empty the shelves were.  But I just couldn't bring myself to spend more money than I needed to on the facial tissue.


I figure if I really need something to liven up my desk, I'd be better off investing in a more permanent item -- maybe, for example, this dollar store photo frame project that would only cost about a dollar more than the box of tissues.


Or I could finish my cork candle-holder I've been working on. 


Or I could just take a quick walk around the block the next time I needed to stare at something besides my office desk.


For me, the pennies count.  The little decisions I make every day -- whether to get up five minutes early to make lunches for the day, or to sleep in, knowing that extra five minutes costs $10 to eat out for lunch -- count.


The times that I do laundry even though I really, really don't feel like doing it, because it's either that or buying more socks -- those times count.


The times I wait for a book to come in at the library instead of buying it count.


They count because they give me peace of mind and a sense of security.  Years of making those little decisions, day in and day out, has helped me pay off credit card debt, build up an emergency fund for my family, start planning for retirement, and leave a job I hated.


For all the freebies and deals that I post on the blog, sometimes it's what I don't buy that I'm most happy about. 


There's an incredible amount of satisfaction in really, truly knowing that you are in charge of your own financial destiny, even if it's just one penny at a time.


What thrifty decisions have you made lately?  I'd love to hear your stories of what you choose not to buy in the comments section below.


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This post is linked up at: Learning the Frugal Life, My Coupon Teacher, Life As Mom.