Everyone’s going skiing. “See you on the mountain,” someone called after the last soccer game of the season.
We won’t be there.
We’ve been in lockdown frugality since I quit my full-time job last year. The answer is now “No!” to things like skiing.
I’ve been surprised to discover an odd thing about our newfound frugality: It’s a lot easier. There are fewer decisions to make. Fewer choices to sort through. We’ve already decided: the answer is “No!”
There’s no point in leafing through that Athleta catalog, for instance. I am not going to buy those cute boots or sexy running tights, so I don’t have to choose which one, which size, which color. The answer is simply “No!”
Back when I earned a salary, we’d buy pretty much whatever we wanted. Without thinking much about it. Lots of hitting that “Buy now” button.
There’s something quietly exhausting about spending money. I say “quiet” because I didn’t realize how tiring it was until we stopped. Kind of like when a constant noise you weren’t aware of shuts off, and you can’t believe how quiet it is.
There’s a relief in keeping it simple, in opening the credit card statement and seeing (mostly) necessary purchases, and not pages of crap.
We’re not going to spend hundreds of dollars on ski equipment and passes this year. The answer is “No!”
I have to admit, I feel a bit left out. Everyone’s going. Skiing is really fun (well, I’m more of a snowboarder).
So we’ll go snowshowing and sledding this winter instead.
It’s free.
Maximize Your Career in Your Current Organization
From a University of Washington Professional and Continuing Education webinar: Prospective clients sometimes ask me how I have the credibility to coach senior executives in industries I know nothing about. Challenging question, right? So I have a choice here: I can answer in a way that risks sounding defensive, talking about my experience and my degrees. I like to do something really unexpected instead.
I like to talk about knots.
