I have been doing something silly in an effort to save money.  I turned my thermostat down to 55.  Let me tell you why that is a bad idea.  I’m seriously freezing my buns off!!

What all started this was my electric bill this month. I was expecting it to be about $120. When I opened it and saw it was $165, I about had a heart attack! I know it could be worse, but when you’re expecting it to be less it’s shocking.  I decided I was going to go off the deep end and make sure my electric bill wasn’t that high this month.  I set my thermostat at 55.

The other night when I got home I went into my bedroom to change (and put on two sweaters) and the thermometer in there read 49 degrees.  That was my wake up call.  I realized that it’s ridiculous to be miserable in a house that is 55 degrees (or lower) and save money.  What’s the point of saving money if I freeze to death?  I turned the thermostat up to 65 and left it at that.  I’ve been happy since.  I realized it wasn’t worth worrying over.  I’ve got bigger battles to pick.  I enjoy my house much more, am happier, and now I don’t have to worry about my pipes freezing.  It’s a win-win situation.

There has to be a balance between being frugal and happiness.  If I went the whole winter with my heat at 55, I would survive.  It probably wouldn’t be the most pleasant winter, but I would live. Is the $20 extra a month on my electric bill to be warm worth it? Yes. I think it’s important to realize that even though our financial goals may be large, we need to remember to stop and enjoy the small things that may cost us a little more money.  In the end, that’s what it’s all about anyway. 

Posted under Money Mistakes

I am really embarrassed to say this, and I am feeling tons of remorse and guilt from it, but last night I had a $51 hair cut. At Superclips. That doesn’t sound frugal, does it?

The ladies I work with have been making comments about my hair and how I needed to get it cut.  Once it hits a certain length, it’s all downhill from there.  I go between wanting to grow it out and hacking it all off.  Usually I decide I’m going to cut my hair today, and there’s no stopping me then.  Yesterday was one of those days.

Even though they give me crap at work about going to places like Supercuts, Sport Clips, Fantastic Sam’s, etc., the truth is I like my cheap hair cuts.  I figure that the hairdressers that work at those places went to school with the people that work at the $35 a hair cut salons.  That’s why I am fine with the cheaper places.  I like paying $13 for a hair cut!  I can’t justify spending any more.

I should have seen it coming last night, but didn’t.  The hair cutter asked me if I wanted her to wash my hair, and I said “no, that’s okay.  It’s clean.”  To which she replied, “I’d prefer if I could so you can get the best cut possible.” [/schmooze]  I obliged, as I thought the shampoo was complimentary, as they do at Fantastic Sam’s.  As she shampooed, she told me which products she was using and why.  After she finished washing my hair, she asked if I would like an eyebrow wax.  I asked her if I needed it (yeah, that’s probably my first mistake) and of course she said yes.  Now, to my credit, I did ask her how much that was going to cost.  $12.  I didn’t think that was too bad, and I don’t get it done very often, so I might as well do it.  Plus, she said I needed it done.

Strike two.  Count another one for the hairdresser.

She cut my hair, all while asking me what I wanted and me telling her how I’d like it to look, and when she was done cutting, she started styling it.  I seriously thought she was burning my scalp.  I had to move a few times because the blow dryer + roller brush = evil.  When she got done, I thought she did a pretty good job.  I was happy, ready to pay for my $13 hair cut plus $12 wax and leave.  She showed me ALL the products she had used on my hair and asked me if I’d like to purchase them.  No thanks, I don’t need any more hair products.

She calculated my total, and I swear when she told me how much it was going to be I felt nauseous.  Mr. Money had come with me, and I tried to make sure he didn’t hear how much it cost.  Of course he did.  I asked him if he was upset, and he said no, that if I liked my hair cut that was all that matters because I don’t get my hair cut all the time and it looked nice.  I, on the other hand, was still trying to recover.

It was $15 for the haircut, $5 for shampoo, $15 for style, and $12 for waxing.   A grand total of $47 (plus $4 for tip). I am ticked that she charged me $5 for shampoo, and since when was a style that took her 5 minutes $15?  Ridiculous.  I will never go back there.  I also feel so guilty that I spent that much money on my stupid hair, when I could have used that money more wisely somewhere else.  Lesson learned, though.  I’ll stick to Great Clips, where I know the hair cuts are only $13.  And I won’t ask them to wash my hair.

Do you think I am unreasonable to be shocked at a $51 hair cut?

Posted under Money Mistakes

The other day I was sitting in the office checking my email, and all of a sudden I heard this noise, an unfamiliar yet recognizable whir, and I started smelling something unusual. Mr. Money had kicked the heat on. As my stomach turned, I realized I was being a little over dramatic; after all, it is chilly out and normal people do turn on their heat in the winter. We’d just been trying to avoid turning it on by using our wood burning stove and being clothed properly. I knew breakfast was almost ready, so I walked into the kitchen, and immediately stopped in my tracks. There stood Mr. Money.

In his t shirt and boxers.

Because he already thinks I’m completely nuts, and sometimes rightfully so, I decided not to add fuel to the fire, and I decided I would casually walk over to the thermostat and yank it back down to 50 degrees, where it belongs.

“Honey, why don’t you put some pajamas on? It’s not too cold in here, but I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable.” I decided my subtlety would maybe give him the hint.

“I just turned the heat on- wait a minute… did you turn it back down?” Imagine the icicles reforming on his nose.

“Yes. If you would put a sweatshirt on it wouldn’t be bad. You’ll be fine.” At this point me mumbles something, walks into our bedroom, and puts on some clothes. I realize I am lucky to be married to such a wonderful man. That was pretty much the end of our conversation.

I realize that sometimes I can go a little overboard, and honestly, we don’t keep the heat at 50 degrees, but it just bugged me because instead of putting some extra clothes on, he was turning the heat on.  A quick fix would have been to just put a sweatshirt on.

What are some “unfrugal things” your spouse does that aggravate you?

Posted under Money Mistakes