Is a frugal lifestyle miserable?

[farmerjan]

And @CrealCritter .... you have one tractor to worry about with oil and filter changes.... we have at least 5 that will get done in the next couple of months... luckily we don't use them all "full time" so with tractors you go by the number of hours.... but the 2 big tractors, the one I use for raking all the time, the skid steer loader, and one that we don't use alot but is getting up in hours so needs to be done before spring.... plus several diesel trucks we use alot on the farm....
It is breaking the bank to do the maintenance work lately... and if you don't do it.... then it could be THOUSANDS of dollars for a repair.....

 

[FarmerJamie]

🍿just thinking about a dairy farmer I know who has 17 tractors... 😅

Ugh. My BIL's family has something like 30+ Allis orange tractors across two of them and like 8 other brands. They do show the ACs, but still.

 

[baymule]

I just realised I don't skimp on some things, I buy power tools new, top quality brands, and firearms I buy new as well. Maybe I can because I skimp on everything else 😄

Yep, son does the same. He lives in a RV, follows jobs, he’s a crane operator. RV is so big, with slide outs, that he had to buy a 1ton dually to pull it with. So he got a F350 King Ranch with everything anybody could think of except a toilet and that’s in the RV. He bought a new rifle with a thermal scope. Says he’s gonna leave it here for me to shoot coyotes but it hasn’t shown up yet. Probably hard to pry his fingers off his new baby. Don’t blame him.

 

[Mini Horses]

These ice cream cones are really good!!!! 😂

The grocery shopping hiatus is partly to keep budget spending in line -- lot of extra "feed store" buys in winter. BUT it makes you use the stockpiles we have from canning, butchering, etc.

Admit it -- so easy to just walk in and buy what we already have at home!! 🙄. Or can make if we just "do it"....think retraining yourself. If SHTF you'll be proud to already be maintaining. 👍. Everyone should try it. Make it a game.

 

[Mini Horses]

Everything @frustratedearthmother just said -- except I have 8 new goats. frugal is fun!

Besides at a certain age you don't need to buy a lot.

 

[tortoise]

Whoopie! I vote for more money for more goats!!

I was thinking of you when I wrote goats. I almost tagged you.

 

[tortoise]

I like being frugal. It's kind of like a challenge or a game to live comfortably (everyone has a different idea of what that means) and spend no more than you want to.

I enjoy it as a challenge too. I haven't been playing that game lately, but it's time. Not being frugal is boring. There's no joy of seeking out a great bargain or building a creative solution.

Frugality, gratitude, and minimalism all go together, IMO.

 

[baymule]

I haven’t been very frugal lately. Moving will do that. But I paid cash for 25 acres with a double wide mobile home, so maybe that qualifies? LOL

I splurged today and got a Carmel frappechino. I was disappointed, it wasn’t that great. Sigh…. I guess I’ll just stick to my own cold leftover coffee, add sugar, cream and ice.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

I make my own extracts too! I made cinnamon and lemon last year. This year I am doing vanilla (lots because we use a lot) and orange

 

[baymule]

I made my own pain killer with 3 cups of powdered wild lettuce and a fifth of 80 proof cheap vodka. A friend gave me the wild lettuce and the vodka was $12. They harvested the wild lettuce in the road ditches for their own use and shared with me for my knee replacement surgery. It helped dull the pain. It made 2 quarts. I only used a little, so will give them the rest, as they use it frequently. That, and Arnicare cream and pills, got me through the recovery pain.