Meh.

Frugality sucks.

I know it’s sensible and generally a good idea, but not spending money is frankly boring. I can only eat uninspired, home cooked meals for so long before I start dreaming of a nice lunch out. I’ve brought the same type of boring coffee to work all week, since I can’t buy new flavored cream until my other stuff has been used up – which also means that frosty Starbucks drinks are dancing in my head. It’s making me grumpy.

I know it’s silly, but when you’re not allowed to shop everything seems that much more enticing and desirable. Much like dieting, I hope it gets easier after time. Right now, all I can think about is a list of items that I would dearly love to purchase. None of them are “needs”, and most of them are things that fiscally responsible people would consider frivolous. I don’t know what makes some people spenders and some savers, but life would certainly be easier if I fell into the latter category.

Saving money is obviously a good idea. So is paying down debt. I know I have to do both of those things if I want to accomplish some bigger things in my life, such as owning a home. But focusing on the bigger picture does nothing to satisfy my cravings for a bustle skirt or a new box of Lush bubble bars. Does anyone have any idea how to counteract the “wants”?

It’s amazing sometimes how spending can be so tied to emotion. For example, I brought a boring peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch all week. I wanted to go out to lunch yesterday, and when I realized that I couldn’t afford it, I got sulky and resentful. I was aware that I was being stroppy but was powerless to stop. 

So the question is this: how do you focus on the big picture to get past everyday hurdles?