Reflections on freezing

We are almost done with our spending freeze. I can’t believe how fast this month has gone!

Tonight we got sandwiches for dinner because we had a pre-planned thing. We were doing a “bring your own sandwich” get together with family to talk about my brother’s upcoming wedding this summer in Minnesota. It was nice when talking about how expensive that weekend is going to be, to know how much power we really have over our own spending. There is something really empowering about not giving into every want need and desire that comes across our minds. To not allow the constant marketing to fuel inside of us a burning pit of discontentment. Every dollar we don’t spend we value even more then the dollars previously. I hope that we can become even more frugal in the future.

That brings up something that has been rolling around in my head. I’ve always been somewhat frugal.  Even from a young age I had a natural impulse to save money. While my brother and sister spent their allowances, I was naturally inclined to stock it away until I saw something I really wanted. I’ve always had the urge implanted in me to seek out sale items, and things discounted. I’ve always taken a sense of pride in finding the best deal possible. And yet while I hand over a stack of .50 cent coupons there are times that I have $5.00 lattes in my hand. I realize now that I have a false sense of being frugal. How can I value pennies while throwing away dollars?  

I’m not saying that every second of my life needs to be a fiscal tight rope walk, but maybe the times that I should splurge should be further apart than the way we have been living? What if instead of all of those lattes I saved my dollars for something really special, like a tropical vacation? Or never having to make another credit card payment? I’ve long felt my quality of life go down when I did not allow myself things like lattes, or new shoes but my quality of life should not be built around things. Instead I should seek out memories, experiences, and financial freedom! With this my life will truly be what I would like it to be.