When you are trying to save money it is often hard to say no to invitations to do fun stuff!  You don’t want to feel left out and you don’t want those that are inviting you to feel like you don’t want to hang out with them.  That being said, you will not reach your financial goals if you are continually spending money on frivolous stuff like going out to clubs, restaurants, etc.

Here are some tips on how to not feel guilty for saying no:

• Offer an alternative.  If you are being invited out to dinner, you can politely decline, but instead, offer a dinner party at your house.  To save even more money, you can make it a pot luck.
• Explain.  While our financial lives are no one’s business but our own, you can explain that you are trying to reach some financial goals and these excursions are not in line with those goals. Explain that it is not a forever thing and that once your goals are met, you will be happy to join in on the fun again.
• Forget it.  Focus on yourself and no one else.  You will be in a better place soon and you are going to love the feeling of being much less stressed with life once you are in a better financial place.  If your friends can’t understand that, then maybe they aren’t such good friends after all.

How have you found to make it easier to say no to invites and expectations? I think many of us struggle with this so it would be nice to hear other people’s opinions.

Whatever you do, keep going!  Don’t let FOMO or other people’s opinions of your choices dictate what you do.  Only you know what is best for you and your family and I believe in you. You have got this!