Frugal Friday is here again. This month frugality seems to be far from my mind. For two reasons.
Life is in the busy mode
That means it’s hard to be intentional. Go-With-The-Flow is more the mantra that’s keeping me sane right now. If I didn’t I would certainly drop some balls I have in the air. And, it would be a lot for me to consider right now, which means stress levels would be high.
It’s a Heavy Expense Month
A whole lot of things are happening- dental, haircuts (for me- I desperately needed it!), some new furniture shopping (spring cleaning effect!), a big birthday celebration in the family (my husband!), and supplies for my art show next month…
Between the busy mode, and the heavy expense mode, I cannot keep my eye on frugality like I would usually do, and take every step with intention. My brain does not have the capacity right now.
And that’s when already embedded habits kick in. Because these habits have been developed intentionally with a goal in mind (frugal aka simple living), in times when I cannot think about every step I take, my habits do the work for me. I can be free to navigate life as it best serves me at that time knowing that I will make the best possible choices for my goal of simple connected life because I have worked towards that mindset for so long. That I will only spend money in ways that truly serve me. That I will not be wasteful with resources, but not cut back so much that it’s painful to me in any way. That I will choose the best quality at the best prices, and keep my vision in life, if not in front of my mind, atleast in the back of my mind. My intentionally developed habits will serve my vision and values without me being intentional all the time.
And that is one big reason to think about what one values in the day to day. So we are honing our minds, our lives, our subconscious to take us in our desired direction even when we are not looking. A self-driving car analogy comes to mind. We’ve worked so hard on the technology in all its details, that we can now (sometimes? All the time?) trust that it will take us to our destination safely.
If I did not have a frugality and simplicity mindset already worked on, I would be buying and spending money without thinking much. It would mean a whole lot of stuff accumulated that I didn’t value enough for their form or their function. And it would also mean a lot bigger credit card bill at the end of the month(s). And it would mean that my life does not have a direction to move in, haphazardly taking me all over the place without me knowing where I would truly want to go, or what I truly value. And a life without meaning or intention is certainly not my idea of living a fulfilling life.
Which brings me back to my problem this month. I am not being as frugal as I usually am. But I am also not doing so bad. So, with grace, I will allow myself to travel the path I am on, and use my habits and mindset to my best advantage in the given circumstances, and get back to being ideally frugal (if it’s ever possible!), when I can.
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