Friday, March 11, 2011

Frugal Fatigue and Seasons of Life

Several blogs I follow have been talking about frugal fatigue this week.  It can get exhausting and old to constantly be frugal.  I believe there are seasons of life where you need to be more frugal.  Some seasons may only be a few weeks where others can last years.

We just came out of a three year season where we had to be frugal.  I am frugal by nature but I had to take it to a whole new level for those three years just so we could survive without debt.  I learned all kinds of new things such as how to make my own laundry detergent, a variety of homemade gifts, pancake mix and much more.  I love how much I learned and still use most of it today.

However, I'm in a new season of life where my husband sometimes works as many as 60 hours a week.  I am very thankful for those hours but with raising a special needs child and a very active toddler, I don't have as much time as I did before to make everything from scratch or hunt down every great deal.  

When you get exhausted from trying to keep up with being frugal, take inventory and see why you are doing it.  Is it because you have financial goals? Do you simply enjoy being frugal?  Do you feel you have to keep up with everyone else?  

As I said, I am frugal by nature, so I will never stop being frugal or looking for new ways to be frugal.  I have, however, started giving myself some slack and sometimes I skip a week of couponing or allow us to eat out dinner so I can get a break.

What season of life are you in and how do you combat frugal fatigue? 

1 comments:

Jennifer said...

I never really thought about the idea of "frugal fatigue" but, now that you've put a name to it, I have definitely experienced it. I am very frugal by nature but I have times when I just wish I could grab an easy breakfast or snack that I didn't have to make from scratch. I think I am always in a frugal "season" but I have occasional lapses in that season; a rough day where I wish I didn't have to wash cloth diapers, or I long to buy something off the rack at JCPenney because I am not in the mood to fish through second-hand stores. But whenever I get in these little slumps, I just remember how much worse I feel when I waste money on something that I could have just put a little more time into. I easily turn into the queen of buyer's remorse!

 
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