Sometimes personal finance gets really boring.
There. I said it.
For instance, I’m a well trained frugalista and I have a bag full of groceries – mac and cheese, soup, tuna salad packets – that I picked up for about $20. There’s nearly a week of meals for the road in there.
But I am so bored of sitting in my hotel room and making smart financial choices.
I want to eat at the Mexican place next door and buy 3 margaritas because all I have to do tomorrow is drive a van for a few hours.
I want to pop into the Target that I can walk over to and buy a new shirt since I’ve been wearing the same 5 shirts for 3 months.
Or over to the liquor store and pick up a bottle of whisky and some mixers.
I just want to do something after an entire day of driving in a van.
And several days of living extra frugally to balance out that extra spending I did not too long ago in Las Vegas.
I’m not gonna lie- if I didn’t have my eye on the prize (an expensive summer vacation trip during a time when I won’t be making a lot of money), there’s a good chance I’d be wearing a new shirt tomorrow and traveling with a hangover and take out box of leftover chimichangas.
When I get in these kinds of funks, the only way I’ve found that I can shake myself out of them is to clearly picture my goals.
Is a new shirt from Target better than exploring a volcano in Hawaii with my best friend in July?
NO.
But that seems so far away. And I still have so much freaking money I have to save up to pay for this trip.
Still, by skipping the shirt, margaritas and chimichangas (and all the other temptations this week), by this Friday I should be able to add about $600 more to the Hawaii travel fund. Which will put me at only about $400-500 short of covering my plane ticket and hotel accommodations, a totally hustleable amount over the next few weeks.
Hawaii still seems too far away to me to keep me from spending money on things that I only want because I’m bored.
Don’t get me wrong, most of you have been reading along long enough to know that I’m all about whisky, chimichangas and margaritas when there’s a plan or it’s a group experience that’ll be memorable.
Thanks, Webster.
What I abhor is spending out of boredom. And I think I hate it with so much passion because it’s my major weakness. I’ve actually killed it the last few days with spending either nothing or less than $15 a day because I’ve been so busy, but once a little free time and boredom creep in… I need to go on guard with my bank account.
I’m also pushing all the boundaries on my budget for the whole year by throwing this expensive trip into the works. I’m hopeful though that some creative credit card churning and Grouponing the heck out of tour experiences will bring me in way under budget, but I also don’t want to carry a balance on my credit card at any point because of this trip and we’re taking it during prime freelancing time and right after I go about 6 weeks without a paycheck.
So hopefully pep talks like these will get me there. When I am bored out of my mind with personal finance and good decision making.
And just desperately want a chimichanga.
And a margarita.
And this shirt.
Don’t do it, Mel. Don’t. Do. It.
Sigh.
I’ll focus on that extra $600 this Friday and this volcano come July.
LAVAAAAAAAAAA
I think you have your new tag line: “I’m all about whisky, chimichangas and margaritas” 🙂 So true need to keep your eye on the prize. I’m sure its extra tough while on the road and boredom can set it. Good luck! Maybe print some photos of that lava and strategically post them around, like on the vans dashboard.
Brian @ debt discipline recently posted…Net Worth Update: March 2016
Haha. I love that. Definitely on my to do list next time our printer is set up.
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I’m having the same issues. There is a dress that I really want, but I’ve been trying to budget so carefully for when it comes time to rent a house and I’m not on contract. Or buy a house… which won’t be for a long time, but it will never happen if I don’t start saving now. But this week I’ve been eating out like crazy even though I don’t have to if I only plan my meals better.
Kelly recently posted…Until Next Time, New York
I’m so bad at meal planning too – and then getting a job where I just travel and eat out all the time sure hasn’t made me any better at it when I’m home!
As far as the savings go though – I think the peace of mind of knowing I’m covered on my bills is worth any of the extra sacrifices! I know forcing myself to save up a decent emergency savings fund was one of the best things I ever did, especially from a peace of mind stand point (definitely better than any dress I own!).
I know what you mean! Saving for that thing much later is way harder than that instant gratification thing right now. But if I look back, I have to remind myself that all those IG things are long since gone. I guess they weren’t so great after all?
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…March Recap
Ugh, so true. I can’t think of a single instant gratification thing that stands out as actually worth it, but every vacation I’ve ever been on does.
Part of the success to get past that is to concentrate on your goals and to set smaller goals if the big goal is way too far off to be meaningful. So, if you calculate that it’ll take months to get to a certain amount, then figure out what you can expect by month or even by week and set those goals along the way. Hitting the smaller goals can help you get past the feeling of boredom.
Money Beagle recently posted…Amazon Must Limit Third Party Sellers
It’s good that you can clearly picture your “why” and at least it’s an enjoyable one. Keep up the good work on avoiding those impulse boredom buys and Hawaii will be here (or rather you will be in Hawaii) before you know it.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…The Best Supermarkets in America Today and Why
I can SO relate! Hang in there….it’ll be worth it!!
Heather @ Simply Save recently posted…Finding Balance With Finances (and the Week In Review)
I’m going through something similar right now. I had a weekend of being responsible and battling it out with my inner 5 year old, who wanted desperately to go shopping for something fun. Or to play hooky from work. Probably both. My goals are a little more amorphous right now, and Hawaii is definitely worth saving for.
Emily @ JohnJaneDoe recently posted…Sometimes Frugality is Hard
I know it’s boring and it sucks, but thank goodness you have focus on what you are actually saving for. It’s near impossible for me to get some of my clients motivated who have no clearly defined goals and future uses for their money. It’s so easy to throw in the towel and down the margarita when your money isn’t earmarked for anything.
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Evaluating a Job Offer
Definitely true! And I guess if it were so easy – there wouldn’t be so many of us blogging about how to manage to get it done :oP
Yep, I can feel your frustration and definitely relate. When I’m bored I usually just stay stuck in the house and pick up a book or something. If I go anywhere, even to the grocery store, I’ll spend money out of boredom and that ain’t cool! Now for your shirt, it’s cute and I can totally feel the temptation:( Do you use swag bucks or any other survey sites online that would allow you to hustle for a Target giftcard perhaps?
Latoya @ Femme Frugality recently posted…What to Look for on Campus Tours
Having been through this myself (and I still do on occasion) I think I now understand why the business world is focused not just on profit, but on growth. If your income is fixed and you save money (even if you manage to save all of it and live for free) ultimately, the money you have left over will go somewhere – a savings account or an investment is still a place, after all. The part where personal finance is ‘exciting’ is where you grow the amount of money you can put aside, but without that, I agree, it does become somewhat drab and mundane.