How fatigue is costing working parents money and how to fight it

Chancellor Rachel Reeves may be promising to tame inflation, but the truth is, I don’t need a Budget. I need a power nap from over-spending at this time of year. When she unveiled her  spending plan this week, I did what any perimenopausal mum does at 50, I panicked and rummaged through our finances to see how we’d fare. With midlife fitness ambitions and a small boy to school and feed, every pound matters.

But the problem isn’t the Chancellor, it’s sometimes my own lack of bandwidth. It is the cost of being too lazy to cook in the moment, too tired to exercise midweek, and far too tired to make even tiny financial decisions. Fatigue is my most expensive habit and I’m putting it down to the rubbish winter weather.

Take the latte I buy every time I head into the office or at the gym. I know I should take one from home, but that first sip soothes my nervous system in the cold snap. Then there is meal prep. Our fridge is always full of colourful and healthy ingredients, but if my brain decides it wants pepperoni pizza, that is the end of the discussion.

Why midlife women pay the hidden I’m Tired Tax

This tax shows up in quiet, sneaky ways when energy levels drop and coping goes out the window. These are the little traps that catch me out every time my energy flatlines, and they do nothing to help me. I do a big weekly shop on a Saturday like a responsible parent, usually after three back-to-back gym classes when I am feeling smug enough to believe I will sauté vegetables every night.

By Tuesday, that ideal collapses. I am flinging jalapeño poppers into the oven because chopping anything feels like too much. I am telling myself that Cyrus needs two croissants for breakfast, definitely more midweek snacks, and that brie on sourdough absolutely counts as a meal, because in the moment it is Parisian, when really it’s just cheese on toast. Dinner is easier for H and C, who love chicken wings and will demolish them without hesitation. However, I detest anything with bones, and the thought of another night of chicken breast glowing in turmeric is just too much, so I end up nipping to the local supermarket for something quick.

Then there is the coffees, well, that is a category all on its own. I start with a large latte and somehow slide into gingerbread or eggnog versions crowned with cream, the kind that taste amazing but cost a small indulgence.

Meanwhile, my gym kit lounges across the banister, gathering dust because I have talked myself out of going there midweek. I have FOMO, but it still isn’t the kick I need to get out of the door. And that is how the I’m Soooo Tired Tax quietly racks up, even when I think I am doing everything right. These choices seem harmless until I scroll through my bank statement and see that my gym coffees alone could have funded a small holiday. Who spends £300+ a month on caffeine? Apparently, I do.

The everyday habits that cost more when you are tired

Fatigue shows up in the micro decisions that feel manageable in the moment, then drain your account slowly in the background.

Six simple ways to boost your energy at 50

Life at 50 can be a marathon, but small habits make the biggest difference. A few sit-ups or press-ups or even squats each day are better than nothing at all.

Small daily shifts that improve wellbeing and save money

This is what genuinely helps:

• Match tasks to your energy, not your calendar. My brain works best in the morning, not after school pick up.
• Prep comfort ahead. Batch cooking sounds lovely in theory, but let’s be honest, pizza still wins sometimes.
• Audit autopilot spending, especially those sneaky gym coffees.
• Redefine rest. Five quiet minutes beats doomscrolling hands down.
• Celebrate saying no. Protecting energy is an investment, I am learning this slowly.

What reclaiming energy looks like in real midlife life

Midlife gives you a sense of what matters, your strength, time and wellbeing. Putting it into practice takes work, but every small choice counts.

If you are balancing family, fitness, work, and finances at 50, start tiny. A habit, a tweak, a five minute pause. That single shift today becomes tomorrow’s clarity, energy, and savings.