Frugality muscle exercise routine

Like I said yesterday, I'm disappointed by my December spending. Not to fret, I've got a goal that should put me back on the path toward Mustachianism, and train my frugality muscle to boot.

GOAL: Make purchases on as few days as possible during the month of January.

This goal is only partially about buying fewer things. It's also about rationing out and deferring purchases as long as possible. By aiming at making purchases on as few days as possible, I'm penalizing myself more for impulsiveness than for buying qua buying.

There are 31 days in January. My girlfriend and I are going on a cruise with her family for 10 days, during which time I'm going to keep track of what days I buy things but I'm not going to restrict myself more than normal. I didn't buy anything yesterday, nor today, though today isn't over yet.

So there are 19 days unaccounted for. I plan on filling up on gas twice this month. Ideally, I can defer any and all purchases so they happen on those days — or, better yet, not at all. That said, I'll probably consider three or four days of spending a victory.

Ever vigilant.