Start Small

Deb posted a comment on my frugal post stating, "I can think of a few areas where I need to decrease spending, the problem is I have no self control. For me it's a matter of discipline. Can you do a post with pointers for that?"

So, here I am doing a post addressing that (I think). I think the best way to make a change is to do it gradually and in little steps. I hate dieting - it takes all of the yummies away from you all at one time. I can't do that. Being frugal and cutting back is the same way - if you do a massive change and cut things out of your life all at once, you're setting yourself up to not succeed.

I use cloth diapers for Jonathan. But, I didn't start it all at once. I didn't throw out all of my disposables and cling only to the cloth diapers. I started small. I started with ONE cloth diaper a day and the rest were disposable. The trick was knowing how much my disposable diapers cost PER DIAPER. (Sadly this requires math). Figure out how much each diaper costs. If you get 80 diapers in a box and the box is $15.00, well then each diaper is 19 cents. So, each day or each time I used a cloth diaper I saved 19 cents. Not a big deal - but take it a step further - that's $1.33 a week. That's $69.00 a year just by using ONE cloth diaper a day.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to use cloth diapers, but I just wanted to make the point that you don't have to be "all or nothing" in order to save some money. Use the same strategy for using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Start by using cloth napkins only at dinner time. Once you get used to that then use more and more cloth napkins and less and less paper napkins. Same with hanging your laundry to dry - it doesn't have to be EVERY load EVERY time, maybe just start with one load a week that you hang out.

This takes the frustration and deprivation-feelings out of the equation. It's not really a question of self-control anymore - but changing a few little things here and there to add up some big savings. Just like dieting - it's easier to change a few behaviors a little at a time - like replacing one soda a day with a glass of water. Don't deprive yourself of the things that are important to you and that keep you sane, but do address the things you do and purchase with the mindset of "can I do this cheaper?" An example: I LOVE to take hot baths. It helps with my headaches and by the evening my internal thermostat is out of whack and I am usually freezing. A long hot bath cures this. However, taking a bath uses more water than a shower and is therefore more pricey. But, I NEED my baths (ok maybe I don't NEED them, but it does give me a little down time and helps with some physical yuckiness). So, how can I make taking baths cheaper? My solution has been to limit my baths to every other day (unless I'm really feeling sick). See? I didn't cut baths out completely, but I did put a cap on them.

Saving money and being frugal is a very personal thing. What works for you and your family may not work for someone else. Just because I use cloth diapers and hang my laundry doesn't mean you should. But maybe you should. Or not. And don't worry if you can't do something all of the time. For a while, I was feeling quite overwhelmed and just barely functioning, so I switched back to disposable diapers. It was worth it not dealing with the little extra work cloth diapers cause. But, now I'm feeling better and more on top of things, so I'm cloth diapering again. My little motto has become, "do what you can when you can." Saving here and there adds up. You don't have to go cold turkey. Saving 19 cents a day because you used one cloth diaper, saving 75 cents a week by hanging out your laundry to dry, saving $1.00 a day by switching to water instead of soda . . . these aren't huge lifestyle changes that are going to make you feel deprived - they're just a few little things here and there that really do add up!

I hope I addressed the issue of self-control with this: by saving in minuscule ways you won't feel deprived (or feel overwhelmed with such a big change) and therefore the self-control issue really isn't an issue. But by doing those minuscule things in different areas (dryer vs hang laundry, paper napkins vs cloth, soda vs water) you are making a difference in your savings.