10 Ways to Conquer Frugal Fatigue

There is a new syndrome infecting people all across this nation. It’s called Frugal Fatigue. It refers to the fact that a lot of people are weary of living a frugal life day in and day out. Many people say that it’s a problem that’s afflicting folks today because the economic downturn has dragged on for so very long. Many people aren’t saving because they truly want to save but rather because they feel like they absolutely have to save and this can make them sick and tired of saving. But frugality is a good thing and it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice all of the fun and pleasure in your life. So if you’re feeling like you’re suffering from some frugal fatigue, try the ten methods in this article for conquering the problem and enjoying your frugal lifestyle once again.

What is Frugal Fatigue?

First things first, what exactly is frugal fatigue? It is defined as:

“Mental exhaustion caused by constant frugality during hard economic times.”

Basically it’s a feeling that makes you cringe inside when you think about budgeting, coupon clipping or taking other frugal actions; it’s the feeling that doing things is just plain too tiring. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling did a survey recently that determined that 2/3 of consumers are suffering from some form of frugal fatigue!

10 Ways to Conquer Frugal Fatigue

1. Take a week off of frugal living. Now this doesn’t mean that you go out and just splurge like crazy. It simply means that you give yourself permission to not think about frugality for a week. Give yourself a week off of clipping coupons, maintaining a budget, making your own household cleaners. As long as you don’t go overboard in reaction to your frugal fatigue, a week off of thinking about frugality isn’t going to do extreme damage to your household budget. And it just may be the break you need to get reinvigorated for saving once again.
2. Make a list of the non-financial reasons that you save. A major cause of frugal fatigue is the constant feeling that you have to save because the wolves are knocking at the door with the next bill for you to pay. But there are a lot of great reasons to be frugal including the joys of simple living, the increased family time it can allow, the fact that you’re probably living green … focus on these as reasons to continue being frugal and you may feel refreshed enough to keep on saving.
3. Identify the frugal activities that you truly hate and quit them. You don’t have to do every frugal thing that has been suggested in a book or blog. If you really loathe coupon clipping and it’s making your life miserable then just quit it. Use coupon codes or buy generic or find some other method of saving that money that doesn’t make you feel fatigued.
4. Identify the frugal activities that you love and celebrate them. There are probably money-saving things that you actually really enjoy doing but you’ve forgotten about them in all of this rush to save every penny that you can. Maybe you really enjoy the creativity of coming up with a great meal using just the items that are left in your refrigerator on any given day. Or perhaps you love growing your own vegetable garden. Celebrate and expand on those frugal activities that you do enjoy and you’ll stop feeling so tired of the whole savings situation.
5. Read an inspiring article, book or blog about frugality. Many times what we read about frugality is advice on how to do it better. This can be terrific in terms of helping us be better frugalistas but it can be draining if you’re already tired of the frugality race. Take a break from the advice books and simply read a lovely story about how frugal living has worked for someone else. This allows you to embrace the spirit of saving so you enjoy it rather than dreading it.
6. Stop comparing yourself to the frugal Joneses. The fact that frugal living has gotten so trendy is great for many reasons. However, it can also be a bad thing because many people wind up comparing themselves to their frugal neighbors who they perceive as being so much better at saving money. You don’t have to be a coupon queen for frugality to work in your life. Although you may get inspiration and advice on frugality from other people, don’t ever feel like you’re in a competition to save more money than someone else. The comparison game is tiring no matter what it is that you’re comparing!
7. Find a way to indulge in something that you really want. Maybe you haven’t taken a vacation in three years because you are struggling to save money. Maybe you gave up spa days because they don’t fit in the family budget. A good frugal living plan allows for some indulgences now and then as long as you plan for them and pay for them with cash instead of credit. Work an indulgence into your plan to beat away the frugal fatigue feeling.
8. Refocus on paying off your debt. This may not sound like a fun way to beat the frugal blues but it is definitely a practical one. Many of us worked hard to pay off debt when the economic downturn first struck but have strayed from that plan as time has gone on. If you re-focus on it then you will end up freeing up more money over time, which will allow you to have a less frugal lifestyle in the future if you so choose.
9. Stop griping. Pay attention to what you say and think about spending and saving. If you do a lot of complaining then you’re just miring yourself further and further into a negative attitude that is going to deepen the fatigue that you are feeling. Focus on saying positive things (or nothing at all) about frugality so that you can start to feel better.
10. Get realistic about how much saving you need to be doing. Do you really need to be saving every penny that you’ve been saving? The economic crisis struck fear in a lot of our hearts and caused a backlash of super intense frugality. That may have felt necessary at first but as it drags in it may be necessary to re-evaluate the situation and to take a more practical look at what type of budget will work realistically in the home without requiring ultimate sacrifices on a daily basis.

Are you feeling frugal fatigue? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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