Frugalistas stop apologizing for being frugal, says Wisebread.com senior editor Meg Favreau. She told Tess she’s noticed a lot of meek, apologetic writing about frugality lately.

“And one thing that I see a lot is writers writing from this place of ‘Hey, having a board game night isn’t maybe as fun as going out to a bar, but you’ll learn to like it,'” Favreau said. “And it’s just like the worst sales pitch ever!”

Favreau puts into perspective what frugal living really is: Getting what you want by prioritizing what’s most important you. She does concede that moving into a more frugal lifestyle is difficult, especially coming from the lifestyle of excess many Americans are used to. But she says to use baby steps — rather than a huge leap, which almost guarantees failure.

Listen to the audio above for tips on how to make your life a more frugal one.