Living the frugal life

Growing up is hard to do. Responsibility sucks. Yada, yada, yada.

Being an adult and experiencing the pleasures of paying bills, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, and balancing the checkbook sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out. I have a decent job with good pay, but I still feel the sting when the numbers on the gas pump creep up past that $40 range. With America whining about rising prices all across the board, I've forced myself to take a step back and challenge myself to save more and spend less. Hence, the following:

1. Stop buying clothes. Now, I'm not thinking about joining a nudist colony or anything, but I have been known to get a little too excited on payday and run to Target to browse their newest clothing line. Grant always gets so frustrated when I do this because, let's be honest, the quality of Target clothes has taken a large step down in the past 5 years. While their t-shirts may only be $6.99, they last just barely long enough to make it through the season. I'll allow myself to buy new clothes only when "needed", and even then, only what I need to get by. Even on a budget, I still have to look like a professional at work.
   
   
2. Analyze the basket before making it to the checkstand. This is one of my more successful efforts. First off, I like to use a hand basket whenever possible. If I grab a cart, chances are I'll fill it, and my credit card screams that much louder when I swipe it through. Second, once I've complete my rounds through the store, I stop for a minute and make sure that everything in my basket is justifiable. If the hot pink nail polish or the funky kitchen gadget doesn't make the cut, I'll survive.
   
   
3. Costco, Costco, Costco. I'm sure most people already understand the power of this wholesale giant, but when you're trying to save a penny here and there, Costco is like the Superhero of my bank account. The key here is, while you might pay more NOW, you're saving quite a bit by only having to do the shopping every couple of months instead of weeks. And those coupon books that they send out help you save that much more.
   
   
4. Eat at home. I love eating out. It's something that my family does a lot since it seems like we're always running from place to place. Once I started living on my own, I realized just how expensive it is to pay someone to cook, serve, and clean up after you. While grocery prices are going up just as much as gas prices, I still try to get creative with whatever I have sitting in my cabinets. Grant and I fully enjoy cooking meals together, so it's kind of a win-win situation.
   
   
5. Entertainment at home. There are lots of things that you can do at home for entertainment. Watch a movie on TV, play Blackjack with candy, put a piece of tape on your dog's back and watch her squirm. Okay, so that last one might not be very humane, but you get the point. Movies now cost almost $20 for two people just to watch. Add popcorn, drinks and candy and you're looking at double that. Grant and I bought a Nerf football at the beginning of summer and you'd be amazed at how long we can keep ourselves entertained...while getting a little exercise at the same time.

Okay, so a lot of this is common sense, but when I write it down, I feel much better knowing that I have enough sense to realize that there are easy ways to live the frugal life and not have to starve or bore yourself to death.

On the flip side, there are some things that I still can't get myself to skimp on:

1. Haircuts. Supercuts has ruined my hair more than once and I fully intend on spending the $25 or so every few months to make sure that my hair is styled uniformly.
   
   
2. Toilet paper. Cardboard is not acceptable for the job that toilet paper is built for. Hence, expensive toilet paper.
   
   
3. Cable/Internet. Yes, I am a twenty-something college graduate whose life would surely end if I could not watch Michael Phelps do the breast stroke on cable TV and then go online to read about it.
   
   
4. "Wellness" appointments. I like having white, straight teeth, eyes that can see and a body that doesn't keel over and die before I'm ready to go. Therefore, I am totally okay with paying doctors to tell me that everything is A-OK.
   
   
5. Having a life. I worked hard in college to have a job that would support me enough so that I didn't feel like I had to go to the food bank in order to survive. Being responsible with your money is important. Having a life is also important. If we decide to waste money on a romantic dinner that we don't have to cook, watch a movie on a screen bigger than the one in our living room and buy popcorn that wasn't made in our microwave....well, then, by golly we just might do that every once in a while. It may cost us a pretty penny, but there's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself on occasion and enjoying the heck out of it.