I’ve been known to take a few shortcuts in an attempt to try to cut expenses and stay within a frugal budget. Most of the time that’s ok, sometimes it’s just not worth it!

Let me explain…

We have an arbor-type structure over our patio. I sanded and painted it this weekend. It was horrible. It was awful. It was unnecessarily difficult.

I used my electric palm sander to prep the arbor using ill-fitting sandpaper because the paper made for my model of sander was significantly more expensive. I purchased the least expensive paint brushes and rollers I could find thinking that for an outdoor project it couldn’t matter much, right? I had an old used paint tray with many dents and an uneven bottom surface. I used a hand-me-down ladder.

I could do some sort of detailed cost analysis of how much this project cost me, but I just don’t have that kind of mind. I’m a simple girl. Here are the basics though:

• The sandpaper fell off repeatedly because it didn’t fit. That cost me lots of time and frustration.
• The paint brush didn’t hold onto the paint well and it dripped all over me and my patio.
• The roller also dripped mercilessly. Now I will need to buy something to remove the hundred’s of splatters on the concrete.
• The tray was so bent that I couldn’t get the paint disbursed evenly on the roller, further enhancing the dripping issue. I’m going to need to get a haircut to get all the paint out of my hair.
• The ladder, while safe, required significant extra effort to make the many trips up and down more comfortable. I was so sore and frustrated by the experience I went out and purchased carry-out for dinner. That wasn’t in my budget. Neither was the bottle of wine that I needed to help me relax after said dinner.

I was so thankful that the wonderful lady working at Lowes strongly encouraged me to upgrade to a better paint. It was more expensive, but so worth it!

Usually, I’m the first one on the frugal train. I’m the biggest cheerleader for the “Stay on Budget” team. I’m often so tight that I squeak when I walk! But I’m finally beginning to understand that sometimes my overly frugal choices can be more costly in the long run. Immediate savings sometimes equal additional costs in other areas. This is one example. For me, spending more upfront on equipment would have made the project run much more smoothly and quickly. I would have saved in the long run.

A wise person once said that the best way to learn from a mistake is to “keep the lesson and throw away the experience.” So the lesson here is that being frugal doesn’t always mean being cheap, but instead it means planning ahead to spend more on a project or item sometimes. The frugal part is the planning.

Other situations that come to mind that may be worth planning for higher expenses upfront are:

• Shoes-ever find yourself slacking off or performing poorly because your feet are killing you in those cheap shoes?
• Insurance coverage-don’t have enough to cover the basics and you’re in a pickle when crisis hits.
• Medication-if your doctor says you need it, you need it. Period.
• Child Car Seats-never ever buy used, once a car seat is improperly used or involved in an accident it is compromised and not safe!
• Bike/motorcycle helmets-do I really need to say this? It’s your melon you’re protecting here.

These are just a few ways that come to mind. What would you add to this list? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you.

By the way, if you’re driving around Brownsburg on your way to see your Finance Coach and see a beautiful navy blue arbor over a paint-splattered patio, that’s me! Honk when you go by. It’ll make me feel better about this “expensive” frugal project.