Frugal 51 Weeks A Year

I’m on vacation with my wife and our kids.  The weather is glorious – 85 degrees, sunny, slight breeze.  The beach is beautiful and the kids are really enjoying the pool.

When I’m on vacation, I’m ON vacation.  I try not to check my email or worry about work.  Instead, I focus on hanging out with the kids and enjoying the week off.  The past few months – years really – I have been very, very busy.  (You have probably noticed a drop off in the number of articles here on the blog.)  The truth is, I need this vacation.  The rest of this summer is jam-packed with work, much of it stress-inducing, so this week is a time to relax, unwind, and recharge for the months to come.

This is the only week of the year where I ignore the frugal part of my brain.  Throughout the year, we budget for our vacation, but when we are on vacation, we just enjoy ourselves.  I don’t pinch pennies and I don’t worry (too much) about the high cost of vacation fun.  Instead, I try to just go with the flow.  Put another way – I’m frugal 51 weeks a year so that I can be free not to be frugal 1 week a year.

I hope you all are having a great week.  I’ll check in soon, and let you guys know how the vacation is going.


13 Comments to Frugal 51 Weeks A Year

  1. May 30, 2009 - 9:03 am | Permalink

    Enjoy your vacation!

  2. May 30, 2009 - 10:46 am | Permalink

    That’s the best part of being on top of your finances, sometimes you can let things go and it is not a big deal.

    Have a great vacation!

  3. May 30, 2009 - 1:29 pm | Permalink

    Love it! I just wrote the other day about the benefits of actually getting away for a while. Frankly, I’m tired of the concept of “staycations!” Probably because I’ve practiced them the last two years.

  4. Tina's Gravatar Tina
    May 30, 2009 - 3:24 pm | Permalink

    Sounds like a great vacation, enjoy yourself!

  5. Tina's Gravatar Tina
    May 30, 2009 - 3:27 pm | Permalink

    Sounds great, enjoy your vacation. I have two weeks until I start mine.

  6. May 31, 2009 - 12:23 pm | Permalink

    It’s moments like those you’re having now, that help keep up the momentum of the other weeks of the year. Enjoy your holidays!!

  7. May 31, 2009 - 2:05 pm | Permalink

    Amen. I love my vacations and they make embracing frugality a natural choice for the rest of the year.

  8. fern's Gravatar fern
    June 1, 2009 - 11:12 am | Permalink

    I agree wholeheartedly. Be frugal 50 or 51 weeks of the year but on your vacation, you’ve earned the right to splurge (within reason, of course).

  9. June 1, 2009 - 1:04 pm | Permalink

    If you don’t let go for just one week you will go crazy. Good for you and enjoy the vacation.

  10. June 1, 2009 - 5:46 pm | Permalink

    I also agree! Good for you, sometimes you have to just let loose. Otherwise, what’s the point of all that frugality? In the end, it’s all about finding joy in the little things, as they say in my fave book, The Power of Small. But sometimes, you just need to go big! :)

  11. June 3, 2009 - 7:30 am | Permalink

    Enjoy your holidays!

  12. June 3, 2009 - 8:40 pm | Permalink

    Hi…I am the exact same way when I go on vacation! I am the cheapest man alive for 51 weeks a year!

  13. Ben C's Gravatar Ben C
    June 5, 2009 - 12:27 pm | Permalink

    My Panthers are gonna kill your Falcons this year. Oh and have a nice vacation ;)

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