Tim Challies has an excellent post on the subject of frugality here.
I think he hits the main issues admirably.
1) The heart motivation: Why am I pinching pennies or trying to be frugal? Is it because I am constantly worried about never having enough? Is it because I want to have more to meet both my own needs and those around me? What is my goal?
2) The question of greed: This is related to our motivation. This one is more difficult and will vary in application, but what relevance does the principle of the gleaner have today? God didn't want the farmers to pick up every last stalk of grain from their fields. Do I take advantage of another person's financial distress? Craigslist comes to mind; in some cases I know I could talk a person's price down on some item, but perhaps they do actually need the money.
3) The question of pride: Again, this is related to motivation. Why do I look for good deals? So I can boast about them to someone else? If so, I'm probably trying to be frugal for the wrong reasons.
4) The question of time: Can I better use this time elsewhere? If God has given me enough to buy a particular item for $10, can I justify deal shopping to find it for $8? How long will it take me to do that?
We must be wise stewards of the resources God has given to us. At the same time, "finding a deal" can become a form of idolatry or an obsession that takes us away from time with our family or in serving those around us. So we need to think about our motivations and how we spend our time.
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