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Do you ever feel that “frugal burnout”? Like you’re just so tired of scrimping and saving and couponing and trying to find the best deal for everything? If so, keep reading for many helpful tips and encouragement!

Michelle wrote in and asked:

“What do you do when you don’t feel like being frugal anymore? Frugal fatigue hits me at least once a month. I get tired of making food from scratch and think about how much easier it would be to just go to the store and purchase it. If I have to go to the mall, it really hits me as I love fashion (until I get sticker shock from the prices that is!). Do you have any suggestions?”

What to Do When You Don’t Want to Be Frugal Anymore

Sound familiar? It can be so easy to experience frugal burnout and wish we had more time, money, or energy to make life a little easier.

If you find yourself in this mental space and struggling with sticking to your frugal ways, read this post for some inspiration, encouragement, and practical ideas — many of which came from our very own Facebook followers!

1. Focus on the best return on your investment of time.

Don’t try to implement every single money-saving idea you run across. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for failure and burnout.

It’s really and truly okay if you don’t make everything from scratch, or don’t plant a huge garden and preserve 200 pounds of vegetables, or don’t save 85% off all your grocery bills.

You can’t do it all.

Concentrate your efforts on where you’ll get the biggest savings and skip the smaller money-saving ideas if they don’t work for your family or aren’t something you enjoy.

2. Allow some breathing room in your budget.

This goes hand-in-hand with the point above… don’t beat yourself up if you’re not pinching every single penny you possibly can.

The purpose of frugality is not to be a miser; it’s to be a wise steward.

If you’re struggling to stick to your frugal limits, make a point to include at least $10 to $20 in your budget each week for something fun and then plan it into your routine:

• Buy a treat at the coffee shop with friends.
• Get ice cream with your kids.
• Take your family out to dinner (even if it is just fast food).
• Get pizza and watch a movie at home.
• Buy yourself a small bouquet of flowers.
• Say “yes” to your kids when they ask for something not on the list at the grocery store.
• Splurge on a gas station fountain drink or Slurpee.
• Go on a mini shopping spree at a local thrift store or dollar store.
• Buy a new-release book you can’t get at the library yet.
• Buy one favorite lotion or spray at Bath & Body Works (bonus points if you have a coupon!).
• Head to a local dollar store and let everyone buy one item.
• Buy a dollar item from a fast food drive thru.
• Give a frugal, yet thoughtful gift to someone else.
• Grab a discounted voucher on Groupon to a local restaurant or attraction.

As long as these small splurges are budgeted, you can guiltlessly enjoy and look forward to them!

3. Remember your “why”!

If you’re being frugal just to be frugal, it will get tiresome very quickly. However, if you have goals or dreams you’re trying to achieve as a result of your frugality, you’ll be more motivated to stick with it.

• Make a vision board of your financial goals (car, home, charities, vacations, career, etc.) and look at it regularly.
• Write your goals down and put it in a place where you’ll see it every day.
• Continually talk about your “why” with family and friends, reminding yourself that your efforts really are worth it.
• Get on the email list for your favorite charities so you are reminded what you could do with a little extra money to donate.
• Start planning for a vacation (even if it’s years away) to build anticipation, which will motivate you to save even more!
• Open your budgeting app or look at your budget to see the progress you’ve made and remember why you started living frugally.

4. Reward yourself for achieving goals.

I’m all about setting financial goals and working hard to accomplish them, but don’t forget to celebrate milestones along the way. Knowing there’s a reward at the finish line can give you much greater motivation to keep pressing forward.

• Plan a party or go on a special family date every time you pay off a credit card or other larger debt.
• Put $5 in a special “Family Vacation” fund jar every time you put $50 in your savings account.
• Make a commitment as a family that if you all stick to the budget for an entire month, everyone gets $10 in “blow money” (see ideas in #2 above — allow breathing room in your budget).
• Use a gift card you’ve been saving for a special occasion.
• Plan an afternoon of thrift shopping after fully funding your emergency fund.
• Pay a professional to do something you could do yourself but don’t want to.
• Keep some fancy chocolates in your freezer and pull one out whenever you do anything financially wise.
• Buy something you actually need but have been waiting to try and find a deal — buy it even if you can’t find the deal.
• Consider starting a side hustle to pay for extra splurge/fun items.
• Refuse to say “I can’t afford that” and instead say “I’m choosing not to spend my money that way”.

Again, make sure these rewards are built into your budget… and then enjoy them guilt-free!

5. Treat yourself to some freebies!

For those of you who have zero wiggle room in your budget, or who are extra committed to saving every single penny possible, you can still treat yourself in ways that don’t cost you anything.

• Break out a new dish towel that’s part of a set you already own.
• Take a bubble bath and give yourself a pedicure at home.
• Head to the library and check out a big bag of your favorites books, cookbooks, movies, etc.
• Go for a walk with a friend or neighbor and then have coffee in your kitchen afterward.
• Plan a family game night or movie night with some “junk food” or treats you already have in the house.
• Light a candle and read a good book without feeling guilty.
• Take a nap or sleep in!
• Chat on the phone (or in person) with a friend for an extended period of time.
• Make a special dinner or snack at home (something a little fancier than normal).
• Sell some extra things from around your home and use that money as a special treat without touching your budget.

You might also enjoy checking out this HUGE list of 50 FREEBIES you can sign up for! Or these 33 Ways to Have a Great Day!

6. Re-focus yourself and your thoughts.

• Remind yourself what the burden of debt feels like and how you don’t want to have the feeling anymore.
• Also, remind yourself that you are blessed to have the choice to live frugally.
• Focus on all the blessings you have and choose to be grateful for the progress you’ve already made.
• Surround yourself with like-minded friends and family who will support your frugal lifestyle.
• Pray for gratitude, motivation, and peace.
• Listen to motivational podcasts and/or read educational books about frugal living, good stewardship, living debt-free, etc.
• Consider a splurge, then calculate how long you’d need to work to pay for that splurge, then decided if it’s worth it or not. If not, you can feel grateful knowing you just saved yourself a bunch of extra work!
• Acknowledge that you have chosen to live frugally as a way of life, not just to meet one goal and then start spending again.

There are days (and even full seasons of life) when living frugally is easier, and other seasons when it feels like you just want to give up. That’s normal — don’t feel badly because you sometimes want to give up.

Use these tips to help you fight frugal fatigue and continue to practice gratitude each day!

How do you combat frugal fatigue? Tell us your strategies in the comments.

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