Thursday, May 8, 2014

Fighting the feeling of deprivation

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now"― Zig Ziglar

One of the biggest reasons people embark on a "budget" cutting process and then abort the attempt is because they give into feelings of deprivation.  They see their friends buying that $5 cup of specialty coffee and suddenly their home brewed cup doesn't seem good enough.  Eating a $2 dinner at home is more difficult and labor intensive than just running by the local deli and getting carry out to the tune of $15, which requires no cooking or clean up.  You like steak better than ground beef, and eating ground beef makes you "feel" poor.  

My biggest struggle with the above is avoiding eating out.  My days are long, and I am exhausted at the end of them.  I have a demanding (though enjoyable) career, am finishing my master's degree, am active in my church, and belong to a local women's group.... and as a single person, I maintain my own home.  

When I first started this challenge, I felt mighty sorry for myself that I couldn't just run to Panera and pick up dinner for $12 every night of the week. And eat breakfast and lunch at my work cafeteria.  As the weeks have progressed, it has gotten easier.  I have been reminding myself frequently, that I am actually giving myself a gift by NOT eating out.  While I may "feel" like I should be able to, I am in control of my actions, and I want my actions to bring about what I REALLY want, not just what I want in the moment.  So, I come home and I eat my leftover pork loin with mashed potatoes while I would rather be eating a Fuji Apple Chicken salad with a bowl of black bean soup and a whole grain baguette on the side.  And then I think back to my week in Haiti, where someone would not have dreamed of fussing about leftover pork loin because it may have been the only thing they had to eat that day.  

I've worked to achieve a balance...feeling terribly deprived is the way to find yourself quitting.   I do eat at Panera typically one night a week now. I usually leave directly from work to go to my Financial Peace University class... and currently I am still working my way through some Panera gift cards that I hinted wildly at Santa that I wanted at Christmas time.. so that is my Panera night. And I typically have one meal out on the weekend with friends.  I also will occasionally pick up a favorite at my work cafeteria. This comes out of my $25 a week "blow" money, so my friends are aware that dinner is NOT going to typically be at the Melting Pot, and we are going to be searching for reasonably priced restaurants.  

I also remind myself that disciplining myself in my budget is not supposed to be pleasant, but the reward will be.  

"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way". Hebrews 12:11 NLT

How do you keep yourself from feeling deprived?  Share in the comments!


4 comments:

  1. Love this (as I too am addicted to Panera)! But what great points you make!! (You picked the perfect verse as well!) :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This explains why we bump into one another at Panera!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you! Just what I needed to hear today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenn, glad it helped! I have had to refer to the thoughts here several times this past week. My time is completely overloaded, and I'd rather eat out every meal!

      Delete