My frugal weekend is me time

Money isn’t the only resource I’m frugal with. In previous posts I’ve also talked about time. Time is valuable, so as with money, I try to spend my “my time” profitably. I have my frugal weekend (s).

 

I work in a factory—third shift (11 pm to 7 am) Monday through Friday. I like that shift because it gives me a lot of daylight hours to get personal things done. I’m talking about things like doctor and dentist appointments, things you can’t normally do once evening sets in. It also gives me time to work on my blog before I go to sleep in the afternoon. That way, while I’m sleeping, my brain doesn’t have to work overtime on what still needs to be done.

Are you wondering what all that has to do with my frugal weekend? I’ll get to that specifically, but I want you to see that I don’t get off my standard schedule just because it’s the weekend. I keep to my frugal lifestyle.

How I keep my frugal on the weekends

As much as possible, I like to keep order in my life. I do everything I can to be organized. On certain days I perform certain tasks: One of the things I do on Monday is post my blog: On my list for Friday is reviewing my finances to make sure I’m staying on budget and making any necessary adjustments. Each day of the week I devote specific time slots to designated activities that make my efforts cohesive and effective. As I move from one task to another I put away any paperwork or tools I used. I do this because I don’t want to spend the time and energy required to dig them up from “someplace” later.

Time and energy are resources so they’re valuable. I want to get “my money’s worth” out of them, so I’m frugal with them. Because there will always be something more I’d like to do, I want to be efficient in accomplishing whatever it is I’m devoting my resources to at the moment. This means I focus—concentrate—on what I’m doing. When I’m focused on a task, I’m not trying to do it along with watching television or talking/texting on my phone. I pay attention to what I’m doing and do it in a timely way.

Think about this

How often have you put off a job until the last minute and then accomplished it (successfully) in a hurry? I remember having to write papers in high school and college. Sometimes I would wait until the last minute, then write a great—well…at least adequate—paper and turn it in. Just in the nick of time, I’d get the job done.

Procrastination can make a person feel like they’re getting away with something, but it comes with problems. There is the very real possibility of not completing the task on time. That possibility meant that I’d also spend the period of procrastination feeling somewhat worried and guilty. The two feelings created conflict in my life. I’ll admit I didn’t understand that until much later. I felt edgy, maybe defensive—just never really felt quite right—until an assignment was done, but then I’d be almost euphoric. Nobody enjoys that swing of emotions. I’d have been better off—calmer, more peaceful, happier—if I’d just started immediately and worked steadily on those papers.

I know I just talked about experiencing a sense of nagging guilt when I procrastinated, but there’s another hazard to it—almost guilt’s opposite: Forgetfulness. If I put off something long enough, I’m very likely to forget about it altogether. The consequences of forgetting can be bad. (Think back to college and that professor who’d shave a grade off for every day something was late.) You know, if you forget something, it’s very similar to being ignorant of it, and there’s that old saying “Ignorance is bliss…???” Don’t believe it. Ignorance is too often a precursor to chaos. Even after it’s been resolved, it’s hard to look at chaos and find anything positive. You do see at least a hint of a curse in the word “precursor,”

Procrastinating isn’t good

I know I just talked about experiencing a sense of nagging guilt when I procrastinated, but there’s another hazard to it—almost guilt’s opposite: Forgetfulness. If I put off something long enough, I’m very likely to forget about it altogether. The consequences of forgetting can be bad. (Think back to college and that professor who’d shave a grade off for every day something was late.) You know, if you forget something, it’s very similar to being ignorant of it, and there’s that old saying “Ignorance is bliss…???” Don’t believe it. Ignorance is too often a precursor to chaos. Even after it’s been resolved, it’s hard to look at chaos and find anything positive. You do see at least a hint of a curse in the word “precursor,” don’t you? (As for any language buffs reading this, ple-e-e-ase don’t ding me on the “curse” thing. I know those words have nothing to do with each other; it’s word play and it’s funny.) To keep from forgetting the things I need to do, I write my tasks on a calendar (even if they’re routine), then cross each off as I finish it.

Every morning when I get home from work I follow a regular schedule: check my email: check twitter to insure I respond to every comment made to me: check Google analytics to see where traffic to my blog is coming from: balance my checkbook…I move from one task to the next until the list is finished. I’ve learned by experience that I can accomplish quite a lot in very little time when I’m focused on those tasks and approach them in a systematic manner. I think that would be true for everyone.

Now we’ll get to what this has to do with my frugal weekend

It has everything to do with my frugal weekend. Being frugal means planning the economical, effective use of resources. The focus of my blog tends to be on not wasting money or time, and energy—physical and mental—should also be considered a resource. With that in mind, I approach my weekend pretty much as I do my weekdays—except I don’t go to work at my job. I use a written schedule for the next two days. Some of that time goes to my blog, but I use the greater part of those two days to accomplish other important things (to include rest and refreshment). The following is a partial list of weekend tasks that I consider important:

Inspect the car

If you take care of your possessions, they tend to last longer. A car is an expensive possession. It’s frugal to maximize the length of its usefulness. So, every other week I inspect my car: check the fluid levels: look at the hoses for dry rot, bulges, and loose clamps: inspect for wear and cracking on the belts. I look under the car for leaks and check the tire pressure. To do completely, this inspection takes about fifteen minutes. If something isn’t right, I either fix it or setup a time to have it fixed. I won’t tell you I have never had a problem, but I know for a fact I have averted several break downs.  That saves time, money, and worry. (That’s frugal.) I also clean out any trash that’s happened to accumulate over the week. The car looks better, smells good—adds a positive quality to the time I spend in it. (That’s frugal, too.)

Computer

About once every two months I slot a little time to maintain my computer. Basically, I use canned air to blow crumbs out of the keyboard and dust off the fan. It doesn’t matter if you have a laptop or desktop computer, most of us are comfortable enough with them that we’ll snack while we’re working, and stuff we don’t notice falls between, then under the keys. The debris can build up and cause keys to stick or quit working. As for your computer’s fan, it’s there to keep it from overheating. Dust is in the air, so as the fan pulls in cooling air dust comes too and settles inside the computer case. A buildup of dust in your computer insulates parts that can over heat and defeats the function of the fan. Overheating can cause a computer to shut down; important information can be lost. That happened to me before I understood the need for this simple maintenance. Having “been there and done that,” devoting a little time to caring for my computer is worth it to me. A maintenance plan for my computer helps me stay on schedule with my blog.

Clothing

Doing laundry isn’t very time consuming in itself. After all, machines do the work, and I can do other things while they run, but I allot some time every Saturday morning for taking care of my clothes. (Like most people, I don’t have time during the week for this chore.) Taking care of my clothing involves more than tossing them in the washer and dryer. As I sort through my clothes to make up the loads—mostly by darks, lights, or special fabrics—I check the individual pieces for spots and needed repairs. Have you ever been trying to get out the door and discovered a stain on the shirt (or blouse) you were planning to wear? I can use appropriate products at the time or set the piece aside for repair. (The time to fix a piece of clothing or get it to someone who can probably has to be scheduled for later.) By doing this, I avoid surprises and possible “clothing malfunctions” that can be annoying or really embarrassing. The amount of time and money I save by inspecting what I own and taking care of problems—real or potential—makes this a frugal practice.

My time

I know some of you are thinking “I work hard enough through the week. I need some down time.” I agree. Like many of you, I work two jobs. Working the night shift at the factory is my primary job. This blog is my second job, and I’m really into it, but…it does require a significant commitment of time. Between the two jobs and the needs of living, I don’t have much extra time between Monday evening and Saturday morning. So, I try to get some quality “me time” out of the hours I have off. (By the way ask anyone who works a night shift if they get two days off a week. Most of us will say “No. We get about) forty-eight consecutive hours off.” Society runs on a morning to night schedule. We have a night to morning schedule. Believe me, it makes a difference.)

Anyway, at the top of my “me list” of things I do over the weekend for is Church on Sunday. In other posts I’ve said I’m a Christian: I practice being a Christian in my daily life. To do that well I need to spend some dedicated time where I can be refreshed and held accountable. (At some point, I’ll blog more on this.)

Yes i’m a foodie

In the past, I’ve said that I’m a foodie. I enjoy eating delicious and/or new dishes. So, once during the weekend, I either eat out or prepare something I think will be unusual and enticing. Another activity that’s almost always in my weekend schedule is an hour to nap. (Food and rest are sources of refreshment—only on a different plane than Church.)

I also like to read; sometimes I check out the library. I may enjoy seeing a movie—in a theater or at home. Once in awhile I’ll head to Indianapolis for a festival or exhibit. I might take a stroll or even a power walk in a park. My daughter doesn’t live too far away; at least once a month we’ll get together. Basically, I just do the things almost everybody does to enjoy life.

I can’t include everything I might do in a list right now, but I’m sure you get the idea. I’m also sure you know I can’t possibly do everything I enjoy every weekend. I don’t want to waste any of my time trying to decide what I want to do, so I plan ahead and schedule my activities. The last thing I do before I go to sleep on Monday afternoon is make sure I have a good schedule for the week.

Conclusion

I’ve talked in other posts about planning the use of my time. That practice extends into the “me time” of my frugal weekend. Some of my time is used for tasks that can make my workweek go smoothly, but the majority goes to enjoying life. Making it a my frugal weekend—getting the most out of my money, time, and energy—enhances that enjoyment.

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