Frugality Expressions
Snåla in, fynda, second hand — the Swedish art of spending carefully.
Swedish frugality as philosophy: the crucial line (sparsam versus snål), the second-hand economy (loppis, Blocket, skänkes-grupper — gratis till den som hämtar), the sharing infrastructure (fixarcafé, fritidsbank, hyra för en helg — billigare än att äga), the savings machinery (ISK, indexfond, ränta på ränta), the wardrobe mathematics (kostnad per användning — the daily expensive coat beats the twice-worn cheap one), the thirty-day rule (det mesta av suget går över) — ending with the philosophy: köpa en sak ordentligt, som håller i tjugo år.
- 1
vara sparsam
to be careful with money
Tip: lit. 'be thrifty' — a compliment in Sweden.
- 2
vara snål
to be stingy
Tip: lit. the same — decidedly not a compliment.
- 3
snåla in på något
to cut corners on cost
Tip: lit. 'be stingy on something'.
- 4
fynda
to find a bargain
Tip: lit. 'to find-bargain' — a verb of its own.
- 5
ett riktigt fynd
a real find
Tip: lit. the same.
- 6
köpa second hand
to buy second-hand
Tip: lit. the same — the English term is used.
- 7
secondhandbutiken
the charity shop
Tip: lit. the same — Myrorna, Erikshjälpen and the rest.
- 8
en loppis
a flea market
Tip: lit. 'a flea' — short for loppmarknad, and a summer institution.
- 9
Blocket
the Swedish classifieds site
Tip: lit. the same — where half the country's furniture comes from.
- 10
pruta
to haggle
Tip: lit. the same — acceptable on Blocket, nowhere else.
- 11
skänka bort
to give things away for free
Tip: lit. 'donate away'.
- 12
vara rädd om sina saker
to take good care of things
Tip: lit. 'be careful about one's things'.
- 13
laga istället för att köpa nytt
to mend rather than replace
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
spara ihop först
to save first, buy later
Tip: lit. 'save together first'.
- 15
ett sparkonto
a savings account
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
månadssparande
monthly savings
Tip: lit. the same — automated, for most Swedes.
- 17
en indexfond
an index fund
Tip: lit. the same — the national default investment.
- 18
ett ISK
an investment savings account
Tip: lit. 'investeringssparkonto' — the tax-efficient wrapper everyone uses.
- 19
ränta på ränta
compound interest
Tip: lit. 'interest on interest'.
- 20
en buffert
a rainy-day buffer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
leva under sina tillgångar
to live below your means
Tip: lit. 'live below one's assets'.
- 22
unna sig något
to splash out for once
Tip: lit. 'grant oneself something' — very Swedish framing.
- 23
du är värd det
you deserve it
Tip: lit. the same.
- 24
pengar är inte allt
money isn't everything
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
men det underlättar
but it makes life easier
Tip: lit. 'but it makes things easier'.
- 26
lagom räcker
lagom is enough
Tip: lit. the same — the national philosophy applied to money.
- 27
varje öre räknas
every öre counts
Tip: lit. the same — even though the öre no longer exists.
- 28
en skänkes-grupp
a buy-nothing group
Tip: lit. 'a giving-away group' — on Facebook, in every town.
- 29
gratis till den som hämtar
free to whoever collects
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
en bytesbod
a swap shop
Tip: lit. the same — at the recycling centre.
- 31
ett fixarcafé
a repair café
Tip: lit. the same — volunteers mend your things.
- 32
ett fritidsbank
a tool library
Tip: lit. 'a leisure bank' — borrow equipment for free.
- 33
låna istället för att köpa
to borrow instead of buy
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
en saker-bibliotek
a library of things
Tip: lit. the same — an actual Swedish concept.
- 35
hyra för en helg
to rent for one weekend
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
billigare än att äga
cheaper than owning
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
gå igenom garderoben
to run a wardrobe audit
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
trettio plagg man faktiskt använder
thirty items you actually wear
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
och resten hänger bara
and the rest hanging there
Tip: lit. the same.
- 40
kostnad per användning
cost per wear
Tip: lit. the same — the useful number.
- 41
en dyr jacka man använder dagligen
an expensive coat worn daily
Tip: lit. the same — good value.
- 42
en billig man använt två gånger
a cheap one worn twice
Tip: lit. the same — expensive, really.
- 43
vänta trettio dagar innan köp
to wait thirty days before buying
Tip: lit. the same — the rule that works.
- 44
det mesta av suget går över
most of the wanting passes
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
ha en önskelista istället
to keep a wish list instead
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
och köpa en sak ordentligt
and to buy one thing properly
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
som håller i tjugo år
that lasts twenty years
Tip: lit. the same.