Simply Frugal. Simply Healthy. Simply Happy.
From the category archives:
Our no spend summer has resulted in the lowest balance on our checking account in, well, as long as I can remember. I was paid Friday, and after paying our bills and buying our groceries, our checking account balance is now $250. I know there were times when I was in college, and even after [...]
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We were not as successful this month as last month. We made a handful of unnecessary purchases on our debit card in desperation, not because we needed things but because we wanted them. I know, I know, we’re bad. But this is an experiment. In the beginning we set a goal, and even though we’ve [...]
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While I don’t recommend using credit cards to rack up debt, the unfortunate truth is that maintaining a credit history can be an important part of good finances. After all, your credit history is what determines interest rates and credit-worthiness for even “good” debts like mortgages and (sometimes) car payments. Even if you have a [...]
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Photo by lincolnblues I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since we began our cash budget. It has flown by so quickly, but I guess that’s a good thing. As I wrote yesterday, the longer we go, the harder it gets to keep it up. A lot of our initial excitement and motivation has [...]
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When we decided to live this summer on a cash budget, I was nervous. Not only did I know it would be a challenge, but I feared that we would feel deprived and miserable. Almost three weeks into the experiment, that’s not the case at all. In fact, there have been several unexpected benefits. Weight [...]
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Frugality is overwhelming in the beginning. I remember reading blogs from frugal veterans who made it sound easy, but I was terrified. Cutting groceries down to $35 a week, zero-based budgeting, coupon clipping, drug storing? It may have been easy for them, but I didn’t know where to begin. Take a deep breath. Remind yourself [...]
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Every frugal family has a unique reason for choosing this lifestyle. For some people, it’s a job loss. For others, it’s the birth of a child or the desire to be a stay-at-home parent. For us, it was a gradual change, but I do still remember the day I made the conscious decision to live [...]
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We made it through our first cash-only weekend! It has been quite a challenge, but it’s actually been fun! Here are some highlights: Successes We didn’t use our debit cards once! The only money we spent was from the $90 we withdrew on Saturday. We also didn’t go over budget! After buying groceries and seeing [...]
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Last week, I wrote about the steps we’re taking to make sure we can get through the summer on my income alone. Throughout the year, Tony is paid to teach undergraduate classes at his university. Now that it’s summer, he won’t be receiving a paycheck. We knew this was coming all year, so we saved [...]
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