(I originally posted this the summer of 2013. It is still true for me today, a year and a half later.)
I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
I get tired of having to pinch pennies and think frugally on every, little thing. Frugal living can be exhausting.
I would love to just say, “Sure, honey, you can buy a cup of coffee every day” or to finally purchase the stuff that has been in my cart at TheContainerStore.com for 2-3 years. Or stop sinking money into the Focus when it isn’t worth much but we have to because we can’t afford a new car yet.
I get tired of having to look for deals and coupons. I get tired of not being able to buy new clothes when I need them. Instead, it has to wait and often doesn’t happen.
I don’t always enjoy making most of our stuff from scratch. I don’t enjoy dealing with cloth diapers. I really enjoy the convenience of disposables.
So why do I do it? Because I need to stretch the budget. If I didn’t do the things I do, we would be far worse off financially on a daily basis. If I just purchased all the things I make myself, we would have a whole lot less money for the other things. By making most things myself and by shopping sales and using coupons, I am able to always have meat available for dinner. By living frugally, we have a little extra money to put more towards getting out of debt.
Remembering why I do this helps me keep going. It makes it much more enjoyable.
Everyone has their own reasons for living frugally. When you start to get tired of it and burned out, remember the bigger picture. Remember why you are living the way you are. And if you need a friend to keep you accountable, let me know.
Gentle Joy says
It can get tiring… especially when feeling an extra pinch like car repairs or other. It has become a way of life for us and most of the time, I don’t even notice it… it is just normal. It helps to keep in mind that God is providing everything we need… and that I need to be content with what I have. Garage sales and thrift stores also help. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your post.
Julie says
Don’t even talk to me about car repairs! 😉 We just had to give up on my husband’s car because it was going to cost 4x as much as it was worth to fix. And to fix my van’s wipers was almost $400. Grrr… Yes, God always provides. On paper, we shouldn’t be making ends meet. But somehow, it works out every month. Must be God. 🙂
Kristy as Giftie Etcetera says
Anything is hard to do long term. Keep at it! Sometimes, a budget meeting with my husband, where I discover all the debt we avoided, helps inspire me.
Julie says
I find keeping track of how much debt we have paid off really helps keeps me motivated. Avoiding debt is also a good motivator. 🙂
Mary says
would just like to say….I spent so many years in this same boat, tired of pinching pennies, arguing with my hubby over why we were so broke, having everyone make fun of me for “making Lincoln squeal” but let me encourage you. Once we gave control completely over to God and did our money the way he laid it out for us our lives changed drastically and quickly. Keep up the good work, someday you may be like me, frugal even though I really do not have to be.
Julie says
Thank you for the encouragement. 🙂
Patricia says
Hi thank you for your blog needed it today and every day ..why we are been frugal. We are goimg through
Some tight moments .car needed tires ..niw i have to ‘find ‘an extra $600 to make up next months mortgage..but i will give it up to tje lord…thank you again
Julie says
I am glad I could help you today. Tight moments can be so, so hard, especially when things were tight to begin with. It always seems to come down to some sort of car issue, doesn’t it? Praying for you!