Cheerful Frugality: Vacation Edition
I'm on vacation. Still doing laundry, grocery shopping, and getting up with a fussy toddler at odd hours of the night.
Yet I'm surprised how even everyday tasks seem less mundane in a fresh setting.
- Publix is the same, yet different. This one has a large clearance section with 25-cent candies and gum. I stocked up for the ride home.
- I browsed Goodwill instead of a mall, albeit a fancy boutique version with nothing much worth buying. Books, $3.99?
- I walked to the beach instead of driving and brought generic drinks instead of buying.
- We ate seafood for lunch instead of dinner.
I can't say it's hard to be frugal when there are palm fronds waving in the breeze, but it's certainly easier to be cheerful with a change of scenery.
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2 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality: Vacation Edition”
March 19th, 2008 at 11:56 am
We were able to spend a month at a condo on the beach almost 5 years ago. We cooked our own, washed our own and had a blast.
Being away from home does make the mundane things better. I often wonder if pushing the furniture around more would help…
Enjoy!
March 20th, 2008 at 12:44 am
I totally understand! When we vacation, it’s sometimes in a place where we have kitchen access. I might have to make a few meals, but a different location makes it feel special and removes me from the everyday monotony of home.
And you’d be surprised how very rejuvenating a week at youth camp can be! Camp food? Well, at least I didn’t have to cook it. Sharing a cabin with a bunch of emotional teenage girls? It’s really like a big, weeklong sleepover and quite fun. Having to play chaperone all week? It’s work, but it’s also bonding time with the kids. Coming home at the end of a week? So utterly fabulous!
Due to a big trip to London in December 2006 and a bunch of house repairs that had to be done, we didn’t vacation at all in 2007. We may not vacation in 2008, either. But a week away at youth camp makes me feel as if I’ve had a vacation simply because it’s a change of scenery with something very different to do.
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