Why are we frugal?

I read an article recently discussing being frugal, then binge buying. I was thinking...mmm. is this me?? I LOVE making my own things, love saving money on items, love taking advantage of sales and buying used/thrift. For me it's a game thinking I am beating the system and not giving in to capitalism and the high life. Then, on a whim thinking that I've saved all kinds of money doing this and that, I reward myself by purchasing something I shouldn't have. The person who wrote the article described it as dieting. Say one week you're eating all healthy and are feeling good, then the next week you reward yourself with tons of junk food. How is that helpful? Right?

I barely spent anything on Christmas gifts this year and boy was I proud of myself. I've been doing this for years but I love it that I can keep it up year after year. Then we purchased a new sink, and a front loader washer and dryer. We already had a functioning washer and dryer but I did often have to wash clothes again because of rust or it was ruining my stuff. They weren't a very good set but they sort of worked right? my mom gave me money towards it, so really I only paid for one of them. Then the sink....a $400 purchase. yikes. Our bathroom had this ugly pedestal sink that took over half the bathroom but hey, it worked. I don't regret my purchases , especially the washer and dryer because they will save us a lot of water and energy in the long run. I also bought a handmade dress online for well over what i pay for a thrift dress. Could have done without it right? Right. So after all these efforts for me to save, is it because I want to then turn around and buy fancy stuff?? Or is it really beacuse I want to pay off debt? Probably a little of both.

One day I just love the fact that I buy mostly thrift clothes and barely eat out, then the next day I am looking at $100 shoes and go for sushi. I don't even get myself. Our debt is going down, so at least I am seeing results, but I then turn around and get some nice stuff to delay paying things off. My credit card just upped my limit because I always pay on time. argh.

Just today, I went into a fancy store with NICE clothes..you know those designer ones. I looked at the 50% sale rack and saw a $450 down to $225. YIKES! So looking was nice but I was smart enough to get out before it was too late. Also checked out a great shoe store, also with boxing day sales. $300 shoes....50% off. ouch. I was tempted as I saw a few pairs I liked, but lucky for me I have bad arthritis on one of my feet and can't really wear high heels....most of the stuff i saw had big high heals. I'm thinking the universe was on my side today. So I walked out. *phew*

I even walked into my favourite store which sells all kinds of inexpensive stuff like incense, funky jewelry and housewares. It's a tiny store. I looked at a rug for $17, a really nice big throw rug which would look great in the upstairs guest room. I didn't even buy that! YAY! I wanted it though, but figured I didn't really NEED it. The guest room has a little rug in it, maybe it's not that pretty and i found it in the garbage, but it's there and it's functional. :)

So next time you tell yourself "Hey, i saved $100 this week!!!" Take those savings and pay off a bill instead of running to the store and get that pair of fancy shoes you wanted. :) I know this will take some practise for me, but I know I can do it.

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