The term "conservative" is misapplied to Republicans these days, who have never been truly conservative with the budget at all. If one means "fearful of and resistant to change," this would be applicable to the GOP, because they are very REGRESSIVE in what they seek to impose upon the American people, but the old wives' tale of Republicans being more fiscally skilled is just poppycock.
Right-wing extremism took over the GOP during the Reagan days with a nefarious plan to gradually stage a theocratic coup of the U.S. government from inside the system (Goldberg, 2006). Thus began the biblical-literal homeschooling that has dumbed down an entire generation, thanks to the lobbying efforts of cult branch leader Michael Farris (cited in Goldberg's well-researched book). If you read the books of Jeff Sharlet (2008, 2010), Harper Editor who went undercover for over a year inside the multi-named cult The Family in D.C. (a.k.a., YWAM, Youth With A Mission, National Prayer Breakfast group, The Federation, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, C Street, etc.) in control of the Republicans, you might come to realize these people are religious NUTS, and so says former co-founder of the Religious Right, Frank Schaefer (2007), who left the party because of these far-right-wing extremists and their desire to achieve WORLD DOMINANCE by any means (hence, the 2000 "election"). Study the Bush-created Council for National Policy (CNP), for example, to get an inkling of the proposed societal changes these fundamentalist nutjobs want to impose upon us---making nonprocreational sex a CAPITAL OFFENSE, for example, and imposing the DEATH PENALTY for gays. In states with new extremists at the helm (WI, IN, OH, FL, etc.), workers are under attack, public school teachers are under attack, women's rights are under attack, and now the public is beginning to get wise. This is why conservatives and right-wing extremists that comprise the Republican party and their bed-buddy teabagging evangelical movement are about to self-destruct.