Frugal fatigue seems to be setting in across America, or at least that’s what an expert in a recent Associated Press story “Shoppers Stay Cautious” said. This article, which focused on a slight bounce back of retail sales, seemed to indicate that people were beginning to shop again, much to the relief of retailers. “The 31 retailers that Thomson Reuters tracks reported same-store sales were better in March than analysts expected,” the article read. “And Gallup estimates that the average daily consumer spending it tracks rose from $53 in mid-March to $71 by the last week of the month.”
While I’m not convinced that we’re out of the recession woods yet, I can understand this notion of frugal fatigue–or just being so darn tired of not shopping for anything but necessities. That doesn’t mean that I think everyone should go out and resume their spendthrift ways, but I do believe you can find a happy balance between watching your bottom line and feeling fulfilled. That’s why I’m offered these 5 ways to fight frugal fatigue:
- Consider want versus need. When you’re younger it’s easy to see a “want” and a “need” as one and the same thing. But sometimes a “want” really is a “need.” For example, I recently discovered that though I wanted a new pair of sneakers, the truth was I really needed a new pair. I walk my dog, on average, about three miles everyday. While researching a story on frugal exercise last week, I came across a statistic that gave me pause: the average pair of sneakers is meant to have a life span of 300 to 500 miles only. After that the sneaker starts to break down and lose its effectiveness. My feet just started to ache as I began to realize that this meant that I should have been replacing my sneakers (tennis shoes to some) at least every three months. And when was the last time I’d bought new sneakers? Last August or eight months ago. So I logged onto Zappos.com (free shipping for purchases and returns–be still my frugal heart), and bought myself a new pair of sneakers. It may seem like an indulgence to have purchased a brand-new pair of sneakers when I’m pinching pennies but guess what? If I skimp on my feet and keep walking, I’m going to end up with some expensive bills from the podiatrist.
- Find ways to treat yourself cheaply. If you still haven’t taken advantage of any of the free or inexpensive ways to enjoy a new movie, book or CD, now may be the time to do that. The more I think about services like PaperBackSwap, the more I realize that I could be enjoying new-to-me media just by giving away books, DVDs and CDs that we’re over and done with, and getting free ones in return. Plus, when you swap items on PaperBackSwap, your goodies arrive in the mail, which kind of feels like mail-order shopping. Just getting those packages in your mailbox may satisfy your shopping itch.
- Uncover small ways to bring in extra cash. I’ll bet that if you took a look around your home, your basement or your attic, you could identify items that you could sell. If they’re not the media mentioned above, maybe it’s clothing that your teen has outgrown and which you could consign at Plato’s Closet or a Just Between Friends Sale. Or you could try to sell never-to-be-worn-again prom, bridesmaid or wedding dresses on a site like Bravo Bride. There’s always Craigslist, which is how I found the family that’s coming by my house tomorrow to take some stone pavers from my backyard and give me $150 for them. We had been looking to get rid of this large batch of pavers as we redo our landscaping for spring, since they don’t work in our new design. Instead of tossing them or giving them away for free on Freecycle, I thought I would try to sell them first and see what I could get for them. Now, we’ll have a few extra bucks in our pockets.
- Grab your gift cards. If you’d like to take yourself shopping or out for a meal, can you do it on someone else’s dime? Remember how a long time ago I told you guys about the importance of creating a gift wallet? Well, I hope that you’ve taken this advice and have a gift wallet handy that might just still have gift cards worth spending in it. We recently discovered in our gift wallet an unused VISA gift card for $30 that I’d received as a “refund” for a product I’d purchased on Black Friday, and another $50 American Express Gift Card that my daughter got for Christmas and never got around to spending.
- Find the free stuff you can do locally. I’ve become a huge fan of the Cities on the Cheap network, which my writer friend started in Atlanta last year. Now it’s spread to more than 40 U.S. cities. Everyday, you’ll find free or cheap things you can do with or “buy” for your family. For example, if you haven’t yet treated yourself to ice cream this spring and you live near a Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream Shop, Cities on the Cheap lets you know that you can get free ice cream there on April 15 or Tax Day.
What are some of the ways that you’re fighting frugal fatigue without destroying your budget?
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I didn’t do this to be frugal, but by improving my diet, & Nutritional cleansing, I lost my cravings for candy, coffee, and even…dare I say…WINE! I am saving a lot of $$$ just on things I no longer crave…not to mention releasing 20 pounds of unnecessary FAT. i’m eating more FAT (healthy fats) more veggies, less meat (just happened, i’m not depriving myself). So..clean up your diet and save $$$. It’s a beautiful thing! LOVE your posts. Following you on Twitter. I should be working on my blog instead of reading yours.
Thanks for posting a comment and the compliment. Yes, improving your diet does save you money and make you healthier. I’m not ready to give up coffee and chocolate yet, though.
Leah
Oh! LOL! I didn’t say I gave up EVERYTHING!
I have a delicious HEALTHY chocolate, low sugar, that is devine….and a healthy chocolate cookie that I make from my shake mix…so I stilll get my chocolate fix. didn’t mean to mislead you! we gals need our Serotonin fixes! Coffee was not that difficult to give up. Just lost my taste for it. weird how that happens when you improve your diet and have the nutrients you really need.
have a great weekend…
mb
$53 or $71 – that is a lot for a daily average! Wow. Makes me curious what mine is.
Here’s a crazy thing that I do when I crave new furniture on an “old furniture” budget. I rearrange my existing furniture and sometimes move items from one room to another. The room looks new and fresh and the only thing I spent was time burning calories pushing things around.
PS Mary Beth,
You are a strong woman! I keep trying to cut out my 8AM and 8PM beverages but looks like they are here to stay.
~Karin
A couple of thoughts: Really outfitting yourself to enjoy walking /running saves you money, even though it feels selfish: New shoes: $50.00, good quality stroller: $150.00, maybe even an MP3 player or Ipod: $100.00. That’s what, 5-7 tanks of gas? Not even counting wear and tear on your car. How long would it take you to make up that cost? And the only part of those that would probably need replacing again eventually is the shoes. The price is worth it if it would make you WANT to walk. Plus you’re healthier. Also, I’ve found that sometimes I am addicted to sugar (like after holidays that involve a lot of treats and candy…) and if I just don’t let myself eat ANY sugar for a few days to a week, I can go back to healthy moderate sugar habits. Money saver, and good for weight loss. Also, if you’re a bit of a shopaholic or bargain binger, let yourself get excited about groceries. Enjoy finding those great deals on canned or frozen food that your family eats all the time, stock up, and you save trips to the store, which saves gas, time, and money from impulse buying every trip. Even stock up on treats that you know you’ll eat sometime, so that guests don’t mean an extra trip to the store and paying whatever price chips and cookies happen to be that day.
Great ideas, Heather. Thanks for posting this comment.
Karin:
I like the idea of rearranging furniture–simple yet brilliant. Thanks.
Oh Karin! I am NOT strong! I just improved my diet by Cleansing, then drowning myself in good nutrition, and the cravings went away. No will power! The secret really is cleansing, tho. you have to get rid of the bad stuff, or it is like pouring water into a cesspool. It really doesn’t help to add good to bad, without getting rid of the bad first. Hope this makes sense. if not…just write to me. Your body is speaking to you! my clients tell me they keep buying the lattes for a while, then realize they are only taking a few sips, then none. sigh…why waste?
Leah,
I have wanted to thank you for a couple of weeks…after reading about Cities on the Cheap on your blog, I checked it out to see if there was a Columbus, Ohio site. There wasn’t. So I joined the Cities as the Columbus on the Cheap! I’ve always had a knack for finding deals and I was looking to start a blog about local activities and events, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I still wanted to have the other blog because I wanted to showcase some “not so frugal things” that I love such as adult sports league, local minor and professional sports, wine/food tastings, and the like, so I just started http://www.feelgoodcolumbus.com at the same time. Thanks again!
Valerie:
I’m so glad that you benefited from hearing about Cities on the Cheap! That’s great. Thanks also for the other link, too.
Leah
yes to the replacing of sneakers! i partly blame old/overused running shoes for the stress fracture i got last fall – which put me out of running commission for nearly 2 months. sometimes, spending money is really okay.
Sorry to hear that you ended up hurting yourself. I hope you’re better now.
Leah
Just wanted you to know that I mentioned this post in the latest post on my blog AffluentPauper. Thanks for the excellent info.
I saw that and then I commented on your blog, too! Thanks for the mention and just LOVE the name of your blog. Great oxymoron.
Leah