6 Reasons Why Savers Are Sexier Than Spenders

Updated
Mixed race woman stacking coins
Getty


By Kentin Waits

Doesn't it seem as if spenders get a lot of good press? The woman with the flashy car, the guy with the obscene Rolex collection, and the couple who leverage their McMansion to buy holiday gifts grab our attention and get the glossy spreads.

Savers, however, aren't media darlings. They are relegated to the back pages and labeled with less-than-flattering descriptors such as "tightwad," "penny pincher" or "miser."

Savers are seldom seen as powerful, confident or sexy. However, here are six reasons why savers actually are more attractive than their spendthrift peers:

1. Savers can seize the moment ... and the deal


Good deals come and go quickly. To take advantage of a red-hot bargain, you've got to be ready and able.

By living below their means, savers generate and bank a surplus each month. That capital can be used to seize and seal deals that might not be accessible to buyers with more sluggish personal economies.

Imagine hearing through the grapevine of a fixer-upper house in a prime location that's being offered at a bargain-basement price. Which do you think an impatient and off-site seller would choose: the buyer with cash in hand who's ready to sign right after the inspection, or the buyer who needs to talk to a banker and maybe ask for a few financial favors from Mom and Dad?

Admit it, there are few things sexier than a man or woman of action, the one with the knowledge and the means to make those large and small deals happen.

2. Savers aren't beholden to lenders


In some fashion, borrowers always answer to their lenders. There's nothing particularly wrong with strategic borrowing for investment purposes. However, borrowing and chronic debt can sap our wealth and energy, making life seem much more restricted.

By contrast, a saver is freer to make bold choices, reinvent a career, take some time off or follow a dream. That combination of flexibility and freedom is a rare quality these days, and it can be potently attractive.


3. Savers swim against the tide


Consumption has become a national sport, with the bowl game of Black Friday being bumped up a full day. Today, the economic challenges our nation faces aren't won by encouraging citizens to buckle down and save more. Instead, Americans are encouraged to make a collective effort to shop more.

It's no wonder that savers represent a new sort of pioneer who ignores what the neighbors are doing and rejects the flawed logic that spending more is always better. If you're a saver, you know what I mean: It takes a bit of confidence and comfort in your own skin to follow a different path.

4. Savers are strategic


Successful savers didn't get that way by being indiscriminate with their money. They understand the innate and intimate connections between time, labor, money and things, and they apply that knowledge in tactical ways.

Savers know the secret: If a person can invest enough time and labor and be a shrewd steward of the money that results from each, he can gradually reduce or completely replace his own exertion with "working" assets. Isn't being smart sexy?

5. Savers tend to be more self-reliant


Speaking broadly, saving and self-reliance tend to go hand in hand. Savers see the value in self-reliance, and they build the skills that help them keep expenses low.

From gardening to simple construction, and from basic car repair to sewing, savers quietly and confidently get it done, usually without taking out their wallets. What could be sexier?

6. Savers have something to teach


Collectively, these points show that savers have something important to teach. Modern life has created a dearth of good examples of personal financial restraint. We need folks who can save and manage money wisely, exercise a basic level of self-reliance, and use their resources to build wealth slowly and strategically.

Almost by default, savers are teachers, instructing others by what they reject as much as by what they embrace. Savers, in their many shapes and sizes, are quietly leading the way — and leaders have a certain appeal.

So, savers, come out from the shadows and strut your stuff. If you didn't know it before, you do now: Your frugality and your financial sensibility make you sexy after all.

Do you think savers are sexier than big spenders? Why or why not? Sound off in our Forums. It's the place where you can speak your mind, explore topics in-depth, and post questions and get answers.

Originally published