Being frugal takes time

I had a conversation with a friend of mine this weekend. Her family is moving next week where her husband is starting a new job. She has been working full-time for the entirety of their marriage but, with the move, will be home for a bit.

My friend and her husband have money problems. The main problem is that they don't track their spending. But she often expresses a desire to save money and become more frugal. I was telling her about our family's moves towards frugality and my excitement at being able to exchange ideas with her. She said, "I'm glad I'll have some time to think about this. I just haven't had time to save money before."

Now, I know we could analyze all of the problems with that statement, but it did reveal something that is not addressed often enough when talking about "saving money" and that is that it does require a good deal of time, especially when one is first starting to change habits. It takes time to note the prices of things, whether in a price book or in one's head. It takes time to write out a budget. It takes time to put receipts in one's wallet instead of crumpling them up. It takes time to check accounts every night or week or whatever. It takes time to figure out menus and compile easy recipes. It all takes time.

But it gets easier. I no longer have to write down the prices of everything because I know that I don't buy ground beef until it's $1.99 or less. I know that tuna around here needs to be less than $.75/ can. I know that when spaghetti sauce goes on sale for $1 a jar, I should get 15.

And, one should remember, of course, that anything worth doing takes a little work. It takes discipline. It takes effort.

Being frugal does take time.  But it is time well-spent. Or, rather, not-spent!