If you are a regular reader of Medium Sized Family, then you’ve come expecting the usual post in my 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week series. Â I love writing this series! Â And don’t worry, because it will return next Friday.
But today I’m going to share a moment of honesty with you.
Why we didn’t save money last week.
I sat down to write up my usual post, and I just couldn’t get there. Â Because the truth is, this has been a rough week in our home. Â And it certainly hasn’t been a frugal one!
Everyone has times like this, and I want to let you know that it’s ok. Â Sometimes life is going to throw you curve balls. Â We all stumble. Â The important part is that when you find your feet again, you start your baby steps back in the right direction.
Our son suffered a concussion several weeks ago, and he is still dealing with some bad side effects from that. Â In the meantime, our asthmatics have been fighting a bad chest cold (which is obviously not a good combination).
I have made many trips to doctors, urgent cares, and emergency rooms in the past 3 weeks. Â But this week has been especially crazy.
I don’t tell you this so you’ll feel sorry for us. Â Many, many people are in far worse situations than we are!
What’s the point here?
The reason I am sharing my story is because all of this chaos has resulted in extra bills and debt. Â It also means that I stopped for fast food for only the second time this year, and we ordered pizza for the first time all year.
In the past, this would have sent me into a tailspin of self pity.  You know those thoughts.  “We’re never going to get out of debt anyway.”  “If I bought pizza once, I might as well do it again!” And on and on.
This time is different.  We now have a better habit of not buying easy foods.  That meant that when we were in a real pinch, lacking time and energy, I can make the actual choice to go for the easy food.
[Tweet “There’s a difference between making a choice and taking the easy way out.”]
Making a choice is very different from just taking the easy way out.
My mindset now is that I am grateful that we were in the habit of saving our money and not wasting it on fast foods. Â So now when we actually have a reason to do those things, we can do it with less guilt.
I’m proud of the fact that we’ve changed our mindset, and that ordering pizza is more of a treat than an expectation.
We can do this!
This is real life. Â We are all going to have tough weeks where we are just doing what we can to get by. Â But I know that we can push through this, and I know that you can, too!
If you had a better week than we did and would like to see more money saving tips, please check out the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week series. Â There are 22 weeks worth of ideas, so you’re sure to find something to try!
You also will want to see the list of personal finance books that have really made an impact on the way our family spends money.  Some of the books on there might surprise you.
We may not have had a very frugal week, but I’d still love to hear about the ways you’ve saved money this week. Â So be sure to leave a comment and tell us about it! Â And if you blogged about it, don’t forget to leave a link.
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Just making sure that I cooked on Saturday for the week. It really helps if I have food prepared for the week.
That’s really true. I just put some granola in the oven and am thinking that I need to get a few more things made, too.
We didn’t save money this week, either. We ate out twice over the weekend, but the Mister went on Saturday and we both went on Sunday to see his mom in the hospital, so we feel our reason was worthy (everything is alright now, and mom is back home). But considering how little fast food we’ve been having the past few weeks (to say, less than usual, less than this time last year, and certainly less than any other years prior as well), I don’t feel too bad about it.
I hope everyone in your house can get back to feeling better and back to normal soon!
Thanks!
Sounds like you are making great improvements! You make a good point…it’s important to measure your progress in more than one way. Compared to last year, we are doing amazingly well.
I always say it’s a good thing we are thrifty because we never know what life will throw at you. Sometimes there is just no way around spending money and it’s a good thing to have a little set back. This week has been crazy for us too and it’s good that we don’t have to worry.
I hope you and yours are feeling better soon
Sometimes spending just can’t be avoided – I think that’s why it’s important to be careful and frugal as much as you can, to give you that leeway when something unexpected pops up! x #FridayFrivolity
That is for sure. This week certainly reminded us of that!
We all go through ups and downs and it’s important to understand that not everything will go to plan. I love the way you say that it’s all about mindset. Having one chocolate doesn’t mean you have broken your diet and so now need to eat the whole box, that kind of thing.
For me one of the best ways to save money is to menu plan. I admit that I don’t always take my own advice and do it every week but then I get back on the horse and wonder why I ever got off. I have written a post about it here: http://www.lifewrangling.com/whats-so-good-about-menu-planning/
Awesome. I think menu planning is important, too. I’m terrible at figuring out what to eat come 5:00. Thanks for visiting!
No week has to be perfect. It sounds to me like you did a great job, especially with the mindset change! We take what we can, right?
I confess I didn’t do much to save money either. My son came down with a bad bout of the flu last Thursday, and he hasn’t gotten over it yet. My daughter came down with it 2 days ago, and my husband yesterday. With that, I didn’t turn the heat off during the day like I usually do, and I didn’t go into work (I work occasionally as a substitute), so no money was made, and none saved. I feel okay about it, though. Weeks like this happen!
They do happen, but I hope everyone is feeling better at your house now!
Jamie, I think it’s an important step to realize that you can’t minimize your spending every day. Sometimes life happens. But for you, now, it’s a blip, not a pattern. And that’s terrific!
Thanks so much! You’re right, that’s just life.
We all stumble – it’s picking ourselves up and moving forward that defines our character.
Hope everybody feels better soon.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear how your week went, but I appreciate your moment of honesty. It was a rough week for us too. Our basement suite flooded and we ended up having to stay at a hotel. For convenience sake, we ordered fast food. However, this is the first unexpected surprise we have experienced in a long time where we didn’t feel overwhelmed and hopeless. We’re getting better each time 😉
I’m sorry you had such a rough week! But glad that you found a good mindset to get you through it. Hope things look up for you soon.
I have also had a really crazy past 2 weeks, as you probably know, with various doctors appointments and now that I am on modified bed rest, it makes it especially difficult to do things like groceries and cook. On a positive note, we found a local restaurant that does what us Spanish speaking Miamians call a “cantina”, which is dinner delivery for the week at a discounted price. It’s not as cheap as if I were to cook, but it is definitely cheaper than if we were to order in every night. Things will get better, so keep to the good habits once things get back to normal.
Thanks for sharing with us at the #FFBH
Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. That’s great that you found a service like that! I wish I’d found something like that when I was pregnant.
Thanks for sharing your honest experience! I tried to do a spending freeze in October and ended up spending way more than we anticipated (the kids got sick on Oct. 1, then our garage door and furnace broke). Sometimes, even when we try to be frugal, life just gets in the way. We set up a household savings fund just for random expenses, like our garage door and furnace. If we don’t end up using it, great, but it’s come in handy more than once!
I’d love to have more money set aside for irregular purchases like that. Isn’t it funny how Murphy’s Law seems to set in just when you are dedicating yourself to a change? Thanks for commiserating with me. 🙂
I don’t really keep track of money that we’ve saved, but we haven’t eaten out in a long time which saves us money. Getting into the habit of menu planning and meal planning from the pantry has helped a lot. I hope everyone is feeling better Jamie. You’re doing a great job of staying motivated, and I feel you about the moments of self pity. It’s not easy being so careful with spending all.the.time! It sounds like there has been a big mindshift for you though and that’s half the battle! 🙂
I don’t really keep track of money that we’ve saved, but we haven’t eaten out in a long time which saves us money. Getting into the habit of menu planning and meal planning from the pantry has helped a lot. I hope everyone is feeling better Jamie. You’re doing a great job of staying motivated, and I feel you about the moments of self pity. It’s not easy being so careful with spending all.the.time! It sounds like there has been a big mindshift for you though and that’s half the battle! 🙂
Mindset is so important. I was really encouraged to see that I could keep my mindset even after having a rough month. Thanks so much for your encouragement!
I totally had an unexpected non-frugal week as well – it was for a fun reason, we suddenly had a few days off in a really neat city- but it made me appreciate previous efforts to be frugal that made it not such a big deal to suddenly go on a “mini-vacation.”
This is why I want to be debt free! It’s wonderful to know that enough small choices in the way we spend can really change your life over time.
We all have bad weeks, sorry to hear about your son. I’m confident you will get back on track after things settle down.
Thanks so much! We are already having a better week. 🙂
This is a great post to show readers that we’re all human! Even though we are frugal bloggers some weeks are off weeks. Thanks for sharing on the Small Victories Sunday Linkup!
Yes, the blogger behind the blog is definitely all human! Thanks so much for the support, I really appreciate it.
Yes! Mindful choices are different than taking the easy way. What a truth, and a way to recognize the work that you have been doing to save for your family. Praying that everyone feels better. We are working on saving, too, and there is power in knowing what you have, and having room to do unexpected things if you need.
Absolutely! Thanks so much for the prayers.
Life happens sometimes Jamie but as long as your family is healthy you can get back onto saving money next week. Thank you for encouraging others to save and be aware of where their money goes. Great to have you link up at #OvertheMoon.
I’m so glad you wrote this post, Jamie! It’s great encouragement for those times when the budget gets off-track!
Thank you! No one can be “on” all the time, right?
I’m sorry to hear that you have sick family members – hang in there! And thanks for the reminder that real-life doesn’t always stop for our plans, and that’s okay.
Last week was school vacation week, which can be tricky with an only child. To make it enjoyable for her and not-too-crazy for me, I planned one activity per day. All of them were free, with the exception of an $8 Girl Scouts ice skating event, which included lunch.
I’m sorry to hear about your son’s concussion and the other illnesses going on in the family Jamie! Thank you for this honest post and for keeping it real – life does throw financial curveballs at times and we can either let the extra bills / debt get the better of us or choose to accept the situation and move swiftly forward. The main thing is that you are all ok and you’ll be heading in the right direction again soon.
Thanks so much for your encouragement! It means a lot to me. 🙂
That’s such a rough week! I’m so proud of you and your family for your mindset change and the progress you have made! Keep your chin up!
The last couple of weeks have been rough around here as well. Sometimes I find that I hit the wall and do not have the energy or strength for all of the “best” activities. At that point, I let myself do something the “easy” way, such as get some fast food, sit down and not do “that” chore right now, etc. When that happens, it’s so nice to realize that I can take it easy because I did save the money/stockpiled food/fabric, etc. for later, and later is here! Where I wish I could and would always do everything in the most frugal way, I am human, and just can’t always do it all. Balance is the key with saving money as well as everything else in life.
This makes me think of the ant and the grasshopper. At the end of the story, the ant is able to take it easy for the winter knowing that he worked hard knowing that the cold was coming.
So I guess it’s not necessarily a failing to lean on less frugal ways in tougher times. Those times are the very reason we are frugal in the easier times!
Hope you have an easier time coming soon!
Thank you for your honesty and for sharing it at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup! It’s nice to know that everyone has hard weeks!
Thanks for visiting!
Oh my gosh…I’m so sorry about your son! Hopefully he’ll be good as new soon, as well as the rest of your family! You have such a great attitude about it though…it’s inspiring 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing at Share The Wealth Sunday!
xoxo
Lisa
He’s improving slowly. At least everyone is mostly back to school (and the routine) now. 🙂 Thanks for hosting!
Love this! It’s true, if you are careful with your money throughout the year, then the occasional meal out or splurge is a decision and not a habit. I hope your son and family are OK! Thanks for sharing at the #ManicMondays blog hop!
Definitely no need to give up after a hard week or two. I hope everyone heals up soon!
Hope everybody doing okay now. Yes up and down is in everybody’s life. Hope you can bounce back well next week. Thanks for sharing your story with Hearth and soul blog hop.
Jamie, I’ll trade you weeks! Not that I want sick kids, and I hope they are better now. Weeks like these happen, it’s good that you aren’t beating yourself up, pizza is a treat and we indulge occasionally too, especially when we have a coupon on top of a special! Can’t beat it! Here’s to next week being better for us both! xx
Aw man…. thinking of you! *hugs* I hope everyone starts feeling back to normal asap… and I’m glad you were able to put the budget choices in perspective! You’re so right – there’s a huge difference between the easy way out and a mindful choice.
Thanks so much! We’re continuing to learn this lesson on a regular basis.