Yesterday I had a mild panic attack. I realised that it was exactly five months to the day of our wedding.  I’ve known all along that, obviously, the big day was going to arrive eventually, but for some reason five months seems like absolutely no time at all, compared to six months, which is where my head was. I can count five months on one hand, and all of a sudden it was like ‘Um. Hello? We’re getting married’. And FruGuy was all, ‘yeah. How ‘bout that, hey?’ And I was like, ‘yeah. No kidding’. 

Not that this is a bad thing, it just, kind of crept up on me a little bit there.

Although our savings are on track, there are a lot of little things on the side which I now actually have to start organising. Like getting my hair in good condition and perfecting the colour. And lots of yummy facials and manicures and indulgent stress-reliving massages. So that on the day I look, you know, nice.  The bad news? These things all cost money. And worse, these things haven’t really been budgeted for in the actual wedding budget, because… I kind of forgot them.

So I have to make some cut-backs in other areas so that I can fit them into the budget without FruGuy’s head exploding.  Seeing as he wasn’t impressed by my plan last week to scrap the florist we’ve already booked/paid for and find a new one, (I can’t repeat his actual words in civilised company – but in my defence it wasn’t so much a ‘plan’ as me ‘thinking aloud’ in order to test the waters.  Those waters? Hostile). So in order to tread lightly around those hostile waters I will be finding the money for these beauty treatments out of my own monthly budget. I’m pretty sure I deserve an award or something.

[A note on our finances: we both deposit savings into the Wedding Fund each month and pay money into our joint account for bills/rent/groceries, but other than that we have completely separate finances].

Here are the things that I currently spend money on that, if pressed, I would consider un-frugal habits (In other words, they are ‘FruGal’ habits. See what I did there?)

Buying books
As an avid reader, I could make huge amounts of savings if I could just get over my addiction to buying books. I have a perfectly fine library in my neighbourhood – I actually have to walk past it to get to my local bookstore – but I just can’t bring myself to borrow books and then – eek – return them. After everything we’ve been through together and all the emotional attachment! Isn’t that like having a child and then giving it away? Or something a little less dramatic? Books are my greatest joy (sad?), and I collect and hoard them and love to look at them, organise and re-read them. One day our house may fall down from so many books, but I don’t think I can stop this un-frugal habit. I’m going to compromise and say that I can only buy second-hand books for the next five months.

Sunday brunch
This is a tradition worthy of… I don’t know. Some great long-lived tradition. That involves the Queen. Seeing as the weekdays are sucked into the vacuum that is everyday life, and Saturdays disappear in a haze of rugby, laundry and grocery shopping, Sunday is the day that is just for me and FruGuy and the newspapers, coffee and our local Carluccios. I cannot do without this. I will not do without this. Next.

Friday night drinks
This is sort of out of my control. My love/hate relationship with Friday night drinks usually involves me swearing off alcohol all week until approximately 5.45pm Friday evening when Wine Time strikes and a glass of pinot noir finds its way into my hand independent of my will.  I probably could get out of the Friday night drinks habit if I really pushed myself, but do I want to?

Shoe shopping
I know. How can I even call myself frugal if I still struggle to ignore the call of a pair of stacked-heel peep-toes? (If you’ve never heard the call of a pair of stacked-heel peep-toes, it’s kind of like having a rainbow take up residence in your eardrum). But I will conquer this! I shall permit myself one new pair of boots for the winter and that will have to do. I can’t have everything, and those facials won’t pay for themselves.

In all honesty I think it will just have to be extra careful in the next few months, especially as I’ve still got the holiday season to survive.  I will try to trim our grocery bill back as much as possible and keep on making the effort to bring my lunch to work everyday.

Do you have any habits you can’t kick, even though you know they’re bad for your finances? Please share them so I don’t feel so guilty – and if you’ve got any frugal beauty secrets please let me know!

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