by Claire
We are closing in on the last few hours of a three-day holiday weekend. Remember we set the goal of being very frugal using what we already had to have a get together with friends? I am happy to report that as of 1 pm CST on this Memorial Day…we are “frivolous spending free” but it has NOT been easy!
We have eaten every meal at home or with “at home” supplies since Friday. That doesn’t sound like a huge deal but if you could watch this happening you’d see what a huge challenge it is for us. We are kid free this weekend with the kiddos visiting their other parents and that seems to make avoiding spending harder! When we only have the 2 of us we can completely rationalize just how cheap a meal out will be since we are accustomed to comparing it to the large group. We can also justify eating out b/c we don’t want to mess up the kitchen–it so rarely has such clean countertops after all! Let’s see what other excuses have we come up with? We are doing some clean out of the garage and closets so then we get on this “reward” thought process and since we are gathering things to MAKE money…obviously we should get to SPEND money NOW!
Last night on the drive home from our friends’ house I was REALLY craving fast food. Ugh. Why? I had food all day but the craving was there. Some of you might be familiar with Whataburger…I believe this is a Texas only thing but man did I want a Whataburger!!!! Steve gently encouraged me to hang on and we’d get a snack at the house. It worked and I felt much better about things both financially and calorically (is that a word?!)–a bowl of my favorite Life cereal was definitely the better option.
Now here we are today and Steve did the lawn and cleaned out the garage. He’s facing the temptation now saying he just wants to go get a bite to eat! I did my best to encourage him to stay strong and I could make something yummy for brunch. His response at that moment was that he wasn’t hungry just yet so as I type this, the jury is still out. I will start whipping up something in a moment and hope we can make it through this holiday weekend without falling off the wagon!
I want you all to picture two pathetically desperate people battling the spending demon as you read this! 🙂
Born and raised in Texas. I’ve at least driven through every state in the US courtesy of a roadtrip loving Dad.
I’m single with two children and a good parenting relationship with their father.
I am a “life is just half full of funny” kinda gal. Humor is my saving grace and I am thankful for it every single day. I have a strong Catholic faith and am thankful for that foundation.
I read a lot for a living but still enjoy a good book. I love biographies but in recent years have found the need for fun fictional books–sadly, for a long time I just didn’t enjoy fiction!
I love live theatre of any kind–from local productions to Broadway.
I love to scrapbook and pride myself in my kids’ albums.
I love being a mom but also love my career. I’m blessed to have found a balance allowing me to be at everything my kids need and want me to be at–while also having a career.
Favorite Quotes: Well behaved women rarely make history.
Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. -James Bryant Conant
Lol! I can totally relate to the fast food craving. Yesterday the kiddos and I took a quick drive to get out of the house and I found myself in fast food drive thru’s twice! Only to leave before ordering. I think it is such a habit sometimes that it become automatic. And I love me some Whataburger 🙂 They are so good. I usually use that as a lunch treat every few months when I’m out alone running errands.
You and Steve did so great this weekend! Keep up the good fight!
I can totally relate to wanting to eat out when the kids aren’t home. It is like you are on vacation and when you are on vacation, you don’t cook! You are almost through the weekend…stay strong!
Congratulations! You did it. I think that when you made the decision to eat at home, healthier, those cravings for fast food and sugar/starch will eventually go away. I am on WW and it is the same thing. I am eating healthier, but I still get those ‘wants’ of all the food that I shouldn’t eat (but can if I want to spend the points). And most of the time, I am not even hungry! Just habits and cravings that will go away eventually.
I agree that weekends are really hard for food/spending- with or without kids. Each time you resist, you are strengthening the resistance muscle!
Congrats on sticking with your frugal holiday plan!! Food cravings are always my budget killer too so double kudos on keeping each other strong!