There’s No Shame in the Frugal Game

At the end of 2020, I chose a mantra for the new year: Try Hard Things. So in 2021, my mission was to step outside my comfort zone and do things that I found difficult. I forced myself to be more outgoing and got my reclusive ass to various social events.  I even took my handmade jewelry to St. Augustine and talked a few shops into selling it, despite the fear of rejection nearly taking me out. There were other “hard things” too: regularly attending a challenging exercise class, learning to stand up for myself, and letting certain things go when it was time. 

Through it all, I kept growing and changing, and what started as a one-year mantra became a five-year mission: Try Hard Things.

These days, trying hard things has sort of become a habit. I still have a nasty internal pang, gut-wrenching anxiety, and the occasional “OMG, why am I doing this?” feeling, but I’ve trained myself to push forward instead of retreat. Sometimes I even feel a whoosh of happiness when I consider how far I’ve come.

But now, rolling into 2026, a new hard thing has hit Bill and me squarely in the face: we can barely afford the health insurance we need. I’ll spare you my angry rant about how dark and sad the healthcare situation in America is because once I start, I won’t stop (or perhaps you’re already navigating the same crappy situation?)

Instead, I’m focusing on the one area I can control: our expenses. If we’re going to pay for our spectacularly shitty health insurance without having to choose between medicine, our mortgage, and food, Bill and I have to flex our self-control muscles, change our lifestyle, and embrace thriftiness.

I’m not saying I’ll be duct-taping our shoes together or splitting a pack of Ramen to last two dinners. I’m also not going to resort to separating two-ply toilet paper, washing and reusing plastic lunch bags, or hoarding and freezing fast-food ketchup packets. I am saying there is plenty of unnecessary stuff Bill and I can live without - like the $18 Tito's and tonic I had at an Italian restaurant recently - so let’s get this frugal party started!

Am I going to enjoy this? Maybe. Probably not. Possibly. It’s going to be hard. Period. But! But! It is the right thing. In a world built around excess, choosing frugality and simplicity feels like a return to sanity.

So my mantra for 2026 is “Less.” Spend less. Own less. Live with less. And of course, weigh less.