Being Frugal: The Battle Between Frugality & Guilt

As you well know, I try my best to get the best bargains and save money whenever possible. I always jokingly say to my husband "paying full price is for suckers!" Between cutting coupons, buying on sale and searching the clearance racks, I rarely pay full price. While some people may view frugality as inconvenient, annoying or not worth their while. I consider it a challenge.

However, my entire attitude changes for some reason when it comes to gifts. I always feel like I must spend a certain amount. I feel guilty about buying loved ones gifts that are on sale. Why you might ask? Whether she realized it or not, my mom unconsciously raised me (I can't speak for my brother) to equate gifts with love. More gifts - more love. To give you an idea, when we celebrated Christmas, it typically took my brother and I 3+ hours to open all of our gifts.

So when it comes to buying gifts for family members, including my husband and kids, it's hard not to get carried about. It's hard to break the habit, and hard not to get burned by it. For example, I recently blogged about my Father's Day frugal mishap. I still cringe when I think about how much I spent! I should also mention that gift is leaning against the wall on the floor in our office. Hmm, should I be offended?