Frugality sucks. Being frugal beyond your means is kind of like spending beyond your means – you just end up with a world of problems. On top of that, it might even cost you.
This $50 weekly allowance I’ve been giving myself has been nothing but stressful. After a few “large” expenses early in the week (read: $15 on two separate occasions), I’ve been constantly freaking out that I’m going to overdraw my checking account again before the next paycheck arrives. This is really, really not a pleasant experience, as I feel *gasp!* POOR AGAIN!!! I don’t WANT to feel poor again, and I don’t NEED to feel poor again.
When the ice cream truck rolls around while I’m at work, and I want to go out and get a cone with sprinkles, I don’t want to have to hold back because I can’t spend a buck twenty five for a freaking ice cream cone, because that dollar twenty five might blow my budget for the whole week. I just saw Dairy Queen has a new brownie Blizzard on TV yesterday. I WANT ONE! Can I run to DQ and get one right now? Hell no! Those things are what, 2, 3 bucks?
See where I’m going with this? I’m making over $20,000 a year now (the most I’ve ever made), I have an insurance bill, a phone bill, and that’s it. I am not poor, and I shouldn’t be making myself feel like I’m poor. Yes, I can live on $50 a week, if I have to. But do I want to? No.
This is obviously not an invitation to myself to go out blowing my money, and acting like I’m rich. But I want to live comfortably, not stressing over every friggin dollar I spend. $200 from my next paycheck is going to sit in my checking account as the beginning of rebuilding my emergency fund, and as a buffer against overdrafts. I’ve budgeted for $75 a week as a trial run, whatever’s left is left, either carried over or put towards savings goals.
Yeesh. Now I just have to last another week. Other than all that, today has been productive. Did some wiring work in my truck, now my blue light works again. Called the cops and they never showed up (thankfully it wasn’t my problem). Changed my unit number from 6 to 3, and found out what I need to do to be eligible to run for captain at the end of the year. Came home expecting the dog to either be on meds or put to sleep when it was really just a toenail stuck in the floor.
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I would argue that you ARE still poor, because you are in debt. Just a thought.