Safety in Frugality

Okay, so I admit it has been a few weeks since my last post. We were recently hit hard by life's challenges and we have been working through them.


I am writing about this, not for sympathy, but to show how important it is to be frugal in times of plenty, so that you can be safe through challenging times.

A few posts ago I was wondering if I would be frugal even if I didn't have to be. We were starting to make headway in our financial goals and I was tempted to "loosen up" a bit. I am SO glad that I continued to be frugal.


This last month we were hit with two severe and expensive medical happenings. I ended up in the back of an ambulance headed to the ER with heart problems. Then DD2 has had frequent and sever headaches.

We finally took her to a neurologist. After an MRI and other appointments, we have found out the she has a very rare and inoperable brain condition. We are not sure if it is causing the headaches so we are continuing to see specialists for this problem.

At the same time as the health problems, our dryer broke and so did our laptop. These are not cheap things to replace. Thank goodness for craigslist.org and back to school sales on laptops. I was also glad I already knew how to get major discounts on these items. It is more stressful to learn frugal skills when you are in a crisis situation - learn them before.

Again, I tell you these things not for sympathy, but to show how fast and hard life's challenges can come, and they can be VERY expensive. We have paid thousands of dollars for these conditions.


Had we not been so frugal and saved while we could, we would not only be struggling with the stress of these conditions, but also the financial stress of HOW we would pay for them. My DH has commented on several occasions that he is so grateful that we can take care of our family's needs during a crisis.

I have thought about how there are no coupons for health care. You can't really negotiate either. So you need to save up to be able to pay the bills. You do this by using coupons, negotiating, and being frugal in other areas of your life.


Good luck in your journey of frugality. I promise it will give you security in troubled times,great skills, and hopefully you have fun along the way.