Family’s Struggle With Being Frugal (7 Tips To Help You With Your Struggles)

It's so easy to say I'm changing my lifestyle and starting the frugal living adventure, right? But unfortunately, not everyone will be on board.

Maybe your other family members are a bit confused and not as enthusiastic as you want them to be. Or maybe they decided to give frugal living a chance, and you are all struggling with this journey down the road.

So what now? What do you do?

Years back, I lived paycheck to paycheck. I struggled with keeping up with my bills. I was wondering where my hard-earned money was going.

I decided that we couldn't live like this and decided to pay off our debt and save money. This was the beginning of our debt-free journey.

We didn't anticipate how hard this journey was going to be, how stressful it was going to be, and how many times we felt like quitting.

We managed to get there. We have succeeded in completely turn around and embraced this new lifestyle. Many asked if our family's struggle with being frugal was worth it.

The answer, YES! We struggled, we fought; but we kept going with it, we didn't give up. The reason we struggled was that we didn't want to accept it.

We didn't want to admit that we were the reason we were in the financial mess. We had no one to blame but ourselves. Still, the journey was hard but so worth it in the end.

7 Family Frugal Struggle Solutions

Let me just begin by saying congratulations! You decided to take control of your life and finances, and start living frugally.

Your family is struggling; you can see it and don't know what to do. We have been there, and I will give you some helpful tips to help you with these struggles.

We had some struggles ourselves, but we got by and made it by following these helpful tips.

How Frugal

First, you must accept what being frugal is. My definition of frugal depends on the control of your money. Ensuring your family is living life the way you always wanted and not letting money control and dictate your lives.

Being frugal, or how frugal you live, depends on you. You and your family define how frugal you want to be. Frugal is not a contest; it's a lifestyle.

Each individual interprets it differently and lives it differently. You must come to terms with how frugal you want to live. This takes time; the struggle will come with accepting and adjusting to the new frugal life you set for yourself and your family.

Communicate

To avoid family struggles, you must all communicate with one another. Take the time to sit and have a family meeting.

Talk and listen to one another. You are all in it for the same reason, to take control of your finances.

Write down your goals. Try to make it fun. Include everyone and assure them that everything will be alright. All the changes, the sacrifices, are for the better.

You Are Weird!

Accept the ‘I don't give a crap' attitude. Yes, you heard me. Your friends and family will not understand, at first, what you are doing.

They might think, or in some cases might call you, weird. You are all of a sudden making changes that some people might not understand at first. You and your family will start doing things to save money that others are not used to seeing you do.

This is when you accept that you are a “weirdo” and continue with what you're doing. Many people were called “weird” and are now living life to the fullest because they changed and took control of their finances.

Remember that in our society, material things are viewed as status. We live in a consumerism economy that pushes us to believe that having a big house the debt is the American dream.

And for many, when they see you saying no and doing things differently, they will be a bit taken aback.

Think about it this way; your family decided that they would live a better life that will bring happiness, stability, and wealth. Comparing yourselves with the Jones' is what got you in the financial mess you are. Being called weird should be a compliment.

Be Open About Your Journey!

Be open to everyone. By being open, I mean being honest about being more financially responsible. I know you might think this is crazy, but if you talk about your financial goals and your journey to others, it will eliminate peer pressure because they will understand. 

They will know that you are not avoiding them because you don't like them, but because you have personal reasons. I would get many invites to My Thirty-One parties my friends will host.

As much as I love the products, I couldn't spend any money on them because they are not my budget at this season of my life. Being open about my financial journey, they quit inviting me, not because they didn't want me there, but because they understood my situation.

Let's make money, and finances talk a real thing! Talking about money should be a normal thing. Not something to hide about.

Check out these posts:

• 10 Things You Shouldn't Buy When You Are Struggling Financially
• 15 Financial Planning Books We Must Read
• 5 Steps To Help You With Your Broke Mindset

Listen!

I mentioned earlier about listening to your family when planning your frugal adventure. But this time, please listen to yourself and that little voice in your conscience.

Listen to reasoning when you are shopping. That little voice inside of your head screams, “Put that purse down, sister!” Girl, you need to listen.

Before you buy, think about your financial struggles and where you want to be. I worked retail, and the temptation to shop was insane. It was challenging for me at first, but every time I would attempt to buy something I didn't need, I would think of my journey and listen to my reasoning voice.

Find the Right Support!

Surround yourself with support. Believe it or not, you will be surprised that two things might happen when you are open to people. People will not understand, or people will. But the majority of the time, people will. Give them credit!

You will also be surprised to hear about people that are doing exactly what you're doing. From there, you have support from others.

Also, you will find amazing people that have gone, are going, or are starting on their own financial journey. Many will give you advice about your frugal struggles and will encourage you.

For this reason, when you are in doubt or struggling, surround yourself with others who understand and go through the same journey.

Online you will find a community of people that will provide you with the support you need.

Learn to Say NO!

Learn to say no.  This was major for me, learning to say no to people for feeling like I would disappoint or upset them. Learn to say no to that girl's night out. Learn to say no when your friends invite you to a game. Learn to say no to things that will cost you money. 

Once you get your family's frugal living struggles under control, the things you are saying no to might someday change to a yes. 🙂  You are saying no for a good reason.

Enjoy the Journey!

Accept where your frugal journey is taking you, and enjoy the ride. We learned so much about ourselves during our journey. We enjoyed finding ways to save money. The visits to the library, the walks on the trails, anything that was free and available to us.

We learned to garden and to cut down on groceries. The journey and the experience continue afterward. Look at the positive, and the struggles you are going through will be like little bumps on the road on this journey to success.

The frugal lifestyle journey was not about the now but the future. About wealth growth and our growth as well.

The road to frugal living and financial freedom is not easy at first, but these seven helpful tips will help you minimize your family struggles with being frugal along the way.

Remember that being frugal is a personal decision and how frugal you want to depend on you and your family. Adapting to this lifestyle takes time and, like creating a budget, it will take time to get it right.

What other tips do you have for others struggling with being frugal? How did you overcome your struggles?