I think "frugal" in this context means "spending within their abilities". In contrast, many lottery winners are bankrupt within 5 years. Why? They're "rich"!

I think "frugal" in this context means "spending within their abilities". In contrast, many lottery winners are bankrupt within 5 years. Why? They're "rich"! They can spend money like it's water! And they do... Then they run out. As other commenters point out, a million dollars is money, but you still have to be careful. You probably still have to work. You can go out for dinner three times a week at a reasonable restaurant and not worry about it. You can buy a decent car without it impacting your budget too much. They're not penny-pinching. They're not part of the 47% of americans who'd have trouble raising $400 for an emergency expense. But care-free? Nope. One trip a year to Italy is probably $5K for two people. In comparison, that's like $50 for someone with $10K to their name. It's money, you likely have to plan for it, but it's do-able.