Frugal and Proud

Fabulously Frugal....

Honesty and bluntness first. Budgeting is smart. It is the financial equivalent of eating your vegetables and getting eight hours of sleep. Just like eating vegetables, it’s essential for your health. Your mental as well as financial health depends on it.

There are many aspects of budgeting to dive into. Here, we are focusing on the issue of doing what’s best for ourselves financially while enduring other people’s judgment. Yes, sadly, that happens.

The Peer Pressure Problem

......Hmm, peer pressure. We know what that is, and it’s hard. Whether it’s your friends, family, or social media influencers, someone always tries to convince you that you should splurge to be happy.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt sheepish about a smart financial choice you were making because you allowed someone’s behavior or comment to affect you? I sure have. It’s human nature to desire to fit in and follow others by buying name brands to appear to have your life together.

But unfortunately, when we are smart and saving money, it can sometimes come at a cost to our ego. One time, several years ago, at a family get-together held at our home, a close relative of mine made fun of the tissue I had, as it was a generic brand. It was a sarcastic and derogatory remark, especially since it was just a box of tissues. I suddenly thought, “Why couldn’t I have bought a name brand and this wouldn’t have happened?” Well, because I knew that quarters add up when you go to the grocery shop. They truly do. At the time, we were saving to build a home, a much more exciting dream than buying softer tissue!

It’s tough to take negative comments or feel guilted into buying something we didn’t plan to buy. But it’s important to stay focused. We don’t have to let others influence our money decisions.

We’re the captain of our financial ship, and we get to decide where it sails. If someone tries to make us feel bad about being frugal, just remember that we’re making smart choices for our future. Without a budget, we’re like a ship without a compass, drifting aimlessly and hoping we don’t crash into an iceberg of debt.

Frugal smart

Now, let’s talk about frugality. Being frugal doesn’t mean we’re cheap or stingy. It means we’re smart with our money and know how to get the most bang for our buck. It’s about making conscious choices and prioritizing what truly matters to us.

When we allow ourselves to say “no”, we gain confidence. It’s all about being mindful and making good choices. This decision at that moment helps us say “yes” to our financial goals.

So, instead of someone trying to guilt-trip us into spending money on something we don’t need, we should smile and say, “No, thanks. I’m saving for something better.” It’s a fantastic feeling when we don’t care what others think about our spending habits.

Something interesting was said to us years ago while raising our two young children. We lived in a modest neighborhood with an average home. Our neighbor couple was about 20 years older than us. One night while visiting with them, our neighbor (the husband) pulled my husband to the side and asked if we were “doing okay financially”.

These particular neighbors drove three expensive vehicles that weren’t paid for and upgraded each year (one was a classic sports car). Over in our garage were two paid-for vehicles that were ten years old. Our cars did not look impressive but were dependable. And we sure enjoyed not having to make payments on them each month. By driving these vehicles that concerned our neighbors, we were able to pay our house off and, a few years later, build a house. I wouldn’t say we sacrificed by driving older cars; we just took a less expensive route and chose peace over payments. Later, we upgraded the vehicles when we had enough cash to do this.

It was intriguing that our neighbor thought we were poor because we drove older vehicles. To this day, we chuckle at that. On a serious note, it was enlightening to see that people sometimes assume you have little money just because you don’t drive an expensive car or truck or live in an extravagant home.

It made me think about others and how important it is to not pass judgment on someone because of their outward appearance and what they own. You don’t know what people have in their bank account … and who are we to judge? And truly, does it matter how much money someone has or doesn’t have? Of course, it doesn’t.

How do we get there?

Now that we know being frugal is wise and that we shouldn’t let others negatively affect us, how does that look, and how do we stay smart?

Let’s break down the basics of budgeting. These steps are not hard, but they require some discipline and planning. And, of course, practice makes perfect! This is a topic that we can break down and dive deeper into later, but here are some simple steps to get us started:

1. Track Spending: Keep a record of everything you spend for a month. This strategy will help you see where your money goes. Many apps can help you track expenses each month. Some may charge a fee, so carefully check what you are signing up for and whether it’s a good fit.

2. Set Goals: Think about what you want. Pay off debt first and build an emergency fund. Start with those pesky smaller debts (ie, credit cards, medical bills, etc. and work towards the larger ones. Having clear goals will keep you motivated.

3. Create a Budget: Based on your expenses and goals, create a budget that outlines how much you can spend in different categories (e.g., groceries, bills, entertainment, savings).

4. Stick to Your Budget: This is the hardest but most important. Stay disciplined and resist the temptation to overspend.

5. Check and Tweak: Check your budget often and tweak the areas that need it. Provide a little leeway in your budget to allow for unexpected events.

The Bottom Line

Keep focused. Budgeting and being frugal are about making smart choices that align with our values and goals. We should not let anyone make us feel bad about being financially responsible. We could be judged for our frugal actions, but who cares? We’re not missing out—we’re setting ourselves up for a brighter future.

Embracing our financial choices gives us power. We can be smart and confident while we move toward what’s truly important to us, not others. Our goals are our own, and we should be assured that we are on the right track!