Many people confuse frugality with "bread lasting". There is a clear difference between the two. Legend has it that the expression "hard bread" appeared in the 20th century in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro. A beggar kept begging on the street, including hard bread to eat. When he died, they discovered that she was a millionaire, had several assets and obtained them with the help of other people's charity and a very miserly life. After that, whenever a person is too stingy, he is called hard bread.
On the other hand, being frugal has nothing to do with being stingy. The frugal person is guided by the cost benefit of what he will buy and always tries to focus only on buying what is necessary and at the right price.
The frugal man knows that his money well saved can bear him good results in the long run if he has persistence, the ability to save and invest always. The amount doesn't matter so much. Of course, for those who invest a greater amount, the results tend to appear faster. However, more important than the amount invested is the investment to be made monthly in a solid way. In the long run, the harvest of a frugal life tends to make a person less preoccupied with finance-related issues.
It is not necessary for someone to stop going out with friends to celebrate something to not spend money, as social life is one of the pillars for happiness, in my opinion. Likewise, it is not necessary for this person to go out for a beer and drink the most expensive beer, in the most expensive place, eat the most expensive food in the place if they cannot afford it.
Another example is related to the exchange of cell phones. Why does a person who only uses a cell phone to call and listen to music need an iphone?
The status that a person needs to demonstrate to keep up with other people in the same niche can be expensive... but that's a topic for another day!!
source oc picture: https://pt.dreamstime.com/illustration/frugal.html