[mustang80]

I do. I tend to get take out alot, buy a dessert instead of making it when I need it for a particular function, etc. It has caught up with me, and now I'm finding I have to return to my frugal ways.

 

[AmyBoz]

I don't. It's funny...I find we spend more money when I'm home, simply because I have more time to spend.

 

[Droppedonmyhead]

I agree with Amy. I spend less at work because I can't go to the stores to spend. I take my lunches and snacks for breaks so I don't have to buy anything.

 

[chatterweb]

I find when I do take off a day from work I save on gas and lunch.

I did suppliment my income with the mystery shopping, so I feel ok about spending money for food and gas.

 

[autumnlynn]

I find when I'm working, it is a constant struggle to get supper. I just don't feel like cooking and the cleanup afterwards. That's why I plan to do a weeks worth of meals and freeze and work up to OAMC.

 

[prairie_girl]

I don't know if I spend more money when I'm working or not working. Probably when I'm working because :smooch: isn't there to remind me we're broke. Also a lot of the girls I work with live at home and don't have a lot of bills so they go out to eat a lot.

 

[MandiDawn]

I think I save money by working, if I was at home I would get bored and go spend some money. I bring my lunch every day, leftovers from my home cooked meal the night before. I also bring a pop so I can go all week without spending a penny - but the weekends I spend on stupid things it seems.

 

[Guest]

I find that some elements of being frugal are harder, some are easier when working full-time. When I'm at work, I usually use my lunch hour to run errands (consolidating everything into one trip) and planning - meal planning, matching sales to coupons, etc - that for some reason I tend not to get down when I stay home. OTOH, there are lots of time-intensive frugal things - gardening, making my own laundry soap, baking homemade goodies - that I find I don't have the time or energy for on a lot of nights.

 

[kabin63]

When I was working I spent more, but when I am home I spend less. It's a simple thing for me. I spend less if I just don't leave the property or go very close distances. I sometimes sub at my old job and am beginning to find it costs me to do it, so I may have to give that up.

 

[dwallyfam]

It depends on where I am at. Some days I can spend like the dickens when I am at home. Other days I don't. Vice versa when I am working. It doesn't help that I have a couple of shopping districts right by work either.

Kellie

 

[Mom23boys]

I find that some elements of being frugal are harder, some are easier when working full-time. When I'm at work, I usually use my lunch hour to run errands (consolidating everything into one trip) and planning - meal planning, matching sales to coupons, etc - that for some reason I tend not to get down when I stay home. OTOH, there are lots of time-intensive frugal things - gardening, making my own laundry soap, baking homemade goodies - that I find I don't have the time or energy for on a lot of nights.

I have to agree with Sara. I find some frugal ways very time consuming and at times I don't have the time to do them. On the other hand, while I am working I am saving by taking leftovers for lunch, electricity useage in my home goes down, etc.

 

[lizard22]

For me it is two fold. When I work I spend less on impulse since I don't have the time to browse or shop (I'm talking about clothes, magazines, gadgets, etc). On the other hand, when I work full time I find that I am less organized and spend more on necessities.

Working 40+ hrs a week caused me to lose focus on frugality. Take out was easier and less tiring than trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I would also pick up things at the grocery store on my way home from work, usually full price.

I work around 30 hrs a week now and think this might be the perfect balance. I make less, but I am spending much less. I also have time to plan, prepare and organize.

I'm hoping that my job will let me continue on at 30 hrs vs. giving me the ultimatum of 40hrs at full time or under 20 at part-time.

 

[YankeeMom]

I don't find that it's hard per se. I just find that it takes a lot more prior planning on my part. I heard something the other day, on HGTV I think, that kind of stuck with me "Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance". And it's so true! I plan out my meals better than I have in the last few months. I also use the crockpot A LOT. I work nights, but dh works days & I know he doesn't want to have to come home and plan as well as cook a full meal for him & the kids. I just make sure it's ready with minimum of cooking on his part.

Eating out is less appealing now because for the six of us to eat out, even if we eat where I work & I get a 15% discount...it would cost us nearly $80 including the tip! That's a whole night's worth of tips (I'm a server) for me. No way I want to blow 8 hours of hard work on one stinking meal LOL! Even going to McD's makes me think twice. It costs the six of us nearly $30 to eat there. That's still 2-3 hours of work! Makes me think, do I really want that Big Mac :laugh:

 

[celina]

i have more money in hand now that i dont work....i have time to work on budget....to WORK at saving money....its my job....and i work hard at it, some days i'm more succesful than others..but i hated working, the thought of leaving my kids (my choice not judging) makes me ill...i've never been as happy at a job as i am with the kids....

we stay home alot...and i've been so good about resisting temptation and simply not buying...amy d the fifth time around is really catching..i read ANYTHING that might be pertinant to my goals...and i have a little more time to do that..we eat out way less.....still too often but working on that...
less gets wasted in the fridge...

i just prefer to stay home.....and honestly at the wages i could earn vs the time commitment i'm prepared to give....(i'm a qualified manager but never want that much stress to interfere with family) the money wouldnt be worth it in tax brackets changes, extra clothes, food, daycare , take out and of course the guilt expenses..

that's just me though

 

[pkellyc]

I haven't worked in many years but I did when I did work. Most of the time working 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, and with two babies at home I was too tired to do anything. We ate more fast food in those days. I still can't eat it and it's been years. I earned 1/2 our income in those days but I swear we blew it on convenience items.

 

[Nada.Leona]

It may be more difficult for people who are married or have children. With me it's just me and my cat (and sometimes :smooch: ) that I have to worry about, so being frugal doesn't really hold any difficulty to me. I bake my own bread, I hang dry my clothes, I cook all my own foods anyway (except when :smooch: cooks for me :chef: ), whatever I spend is mine and I try to keep within my budget. It doesn't seem like a lot of work. It might seem moreso if I was chasing kiddies around, but when I was married it wasn't too bad then either.

 

[chumlyb]

I definitely find it harder to be frugal when I'm busy at work. I'm a real estate agent so the work load can vary somewhat. When I'm busy I often work 12-14 hour days for days in a row. Truth be told there are some days when I'm out straight that I can eat as many as three meals out / on the fly. I'm too exhausted at night to stop at the store and get what I need for breakfast and then I'm out the door early in the morning without having (or taking) the time to pack a lunch and supper. When it's busy I make more money but I sure spend more too. I'm hoping to get back on track but I'm not there yet.

 

[tlenad]

It's much harder for me to be frugal with food when I'm working. It's just so easy to go out for lunch or run down to the cafeteria rather than bring my lunch. Part of that stems from the fact that I don't like my job I'm sure. During the weekends and when I'm on vacation I rarely go out to lunch.

The other thing that kicks my frugal hinney is the whole clothing situation. If I didn't work full time in an office I could get away with just wearing jeans and t-shirts which are much cheaper than the business casual clothing I have to wear at work.

 

[NickiB]

I just returned to work yesterday actually. I think that it will be harder for me in regards to meals. I don't get home till 530 some days so grabbing convenient foods and take out will be so easy. So On my days off I'm going to have to make home made convenience foods for easy removal from my freezer. Also I'm going to have to dust off my crockpot. There is alot of shopping centers near my new work but I have to commute so shopping will be limited. However, on the up plus, I'm now drive pass a Superstore so I will also save lots of money if I do my grocery shopping there. So overall I think there are alot of bonuses to me working as long as I'm careful with the dinner time meal.

 

[suzysaver]

I do find it harder. I was working part time, until someone quit and I have to fill her hours also. I got home last night at 7:30 and opened the cupboards and the refrig. and just didn't have the energy to fix dinnner, my husband jumped in the car and said I'll be right back..........he went and got a take and bake pizza. When I work part time I plan ahead and use the crockpot, I also have time to line dry my clothes and the water the garden (it's currently drying up). I need to take a time out and start a meal plan, and go water that garden.