"We're debt free!": Of Car Payments and Baby Step #2

I thought about calling Dave Ramsey today. Even more, I wish I could visit his studio in Tennessee, sign the wall, and chat with him on the special debt-free scream phone. If only. However, I doubt I'd be able to get a call even through onto Dave Ramsey's show, so that leaves me with this option: I'm going to do my debt free scream here (magically through my fingertips).  Here goes:

"WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

{Now I'll insert some inspirational/cheesy picture I found via a Google image search of the word "freedom".}

This week, the husband and I paid off our car. It was awesome, to say the least.

It was especially satisfying since, back in 2010, we were debt-free. We worked hard to pay off my student loan (nothing major -- just a couple thousand dollars from my sophomore year), some credit card debt, and the first car we purchased together. I remember walking into the Chase bank back in February of 2010, with three-year-old Max toddling along with me in his Oshkosh overalls, and giving the banker at the desk all that was owed on the car. I walked -- it felt a little more like floating -- back to the car, buckled Max into his carseat, sat down in the driver's seat, shouted, "We're debt free!"  For the rest of the week, I remember how  Max would just randomly stick both of his little arms up in the air and shout, "We debt feeeee!" (not a typo -- that's how he said it).  We had completed Dave Ramsey's second baby step and paid off all the debt except the house!

A couple months later, my husband's commuter car, a 1997 Subaru Legacy wagon we'd purchased from my parents, died. Seriously, it committed some kind of car suicide and various parts of it just died. Soon after, our first car together, another Subaru that was well over the 200,000 mile mark, started to struggle. After much thought, much debate, and prayer, we decided it was time to buy a new car.

Only we didn't have enough money saved to pay cash for one. We'd only been debt-free for 3-4 months. We considered buying a beater car, but with plans for adding to our family and my husband's commute, we decided to get something fairly new and with low mileage. That meant we'd have to finance. I remember driving out of the dealership in our beautiful and blue new Subaru (Yes, we're fans. You would be, too, if you lived where I do) and I just burst into tears. I missed being debt-free already.

Just barely over 2 1/2 years later, that car is paid off. Even just driving Max to school,  running errands in it, or getting it washed feels different. That car is ours. I can't think of a better word...it's, well, awesome.

I'm not going to lie, I've been imagining all day what I would say to Dave if I called in. I probably would have told him all that stuff I just wrote. I imagine he'd ask how we did it. What would I say?  That there's no magic bullet or trick to getting out of debt. My husband has done a lot of freelance work to get us to this point -- it's like he's been working a second job, which hasn't been easy on either of us.

I would tell him that you just have to keep going and plugging along. The little things, the little actions I'm always mentioning on this blog, truly do add up. I can't say that I've ever been hanging laundry on the clothesline or rinsing out a poopy diaper over the toilet or spraying my kitchen counter with vinegar, saying all the while, "Take that, debt snowball!" But, you know, it was always somewhere in the back of my mind. It kept me going, it kept me focused when I knew what I was working toward and why.

Anyway, I just had to share.  Thank you for indulging me.

On to Baby Step #3...


Note: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have disclosed.

Lessons Learned from My First Yard Sale, Part 2

(If you haven't read Part 1 of this series, you can find it HERE.)

The next morning came. I was up around 6:30, feeling oddly nervous. Was this going to be a huge waste of time? Would anyone buy anything, let alone even come? The signs were affixed to telephone poles around the neighborhood. I hurried and started moving things out into the front yard, wishing I had at least another table for all the stuff.  Right around 8:00 AM, the cars started coming. It was go time!

Things got off to a fairly steady start. The books and DVDs were the first to get bought up. One thing that helped was that I priced the books so that people would get a better deal if they bought more. Paperback books were 25 cents each but five paperbacks went for a dollar; hardcovers were 75 cents each but you could get two for a dollar. Lesson #5: Quantity discounts work really well. More stuff gets sold and people like getting a deal.  The books went quickly and I wasn't really out that much by giving a discounted rate (I was out a quarter by selling 5 paperback books for a dollar). The quantity discount thing was sort of a last minute idea (can you tell by the sign I made really quickly?) -- I wish I would have applied it to the other items there, like the clothes and toys.

As people came and looked through everything, things got disshelved. As I reorganized things between lulls in yard sale traffic, I realized I could have organized the clothes much better. I had lots of cute baby and little boy clothes, but I ended up not selling nearly as much as I thought I would. I should have had a better system for keeping the clothes separated by sizes. Lesson #6: Clothes can turn into a heap quickly. Find a good way to organize them. I currently do not have any creative ideas for this and I am open to all suggestions.

Back when I was in the gathering stage, I was collecting things to sell and I'd have these moments where I'd think, "If I don't want this, why would anyone else?"  I felt slightly guilty charging people for stuff I considered clutter. But I got over that pretty quickly the next day.

Lesson #7: The saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is true. This isn't to say I'm in favor of peddling garbage to people -- I just mean that something you don't like may be appealing to someone else. That bright blue and yellow argyle baby sweater vest I got at a baby shower years ago wasn't my cup of tea, but someone else liked it enough to buy it for their baby. I even had an older man pay a quarter for an old CD single I bought in high school that I found in a box in my garage. Who knew?

Lesson #8: Getting the neighborhood involved is the way to go. I knew I wanted to do a yard sale, but I asked the neighbors if they wanted in on it before planning anything. It's much more of a draw if you can put on your ads and posters that there are multiple families involved. We each did our yard sales in our own yards (to keep things orderly, separate, and less confusing) and it worked out really well. We had people stop at ours (since we were on the corner), shop, sometimes buy stuff, and then move on to the other houses. Plus, it creates a fun sense of community.

Lesson #9: A designated sign waver on the corner works quite well to bring people by, especially if said sign waver is in costume.

The day before, we were driving through town and saw a dude dressed as the Green Lantern holding a sign for a BBQ restaurant. Max's face lit up and he said, "I could do that for the yard sale!" So that evening he used some of the extra poster paper and wrote "yard sale" on it (you can get a better view of it in the picture at the top of the post).  The next morning, he donned his pirate clothes and headed outside with his sign. (He's going through a bit of a pirate phase right now. The picture above was taken mid-"arrrrrrgh.")  He even tried a few tricks and flipped the sign around. Sure, enough, many of the people who stopped by commented on how cute our little sign waver was.  I say it totally helped!

Which leads, finally, to Lesson #10: Just have fun with it. Get the kids involved. Turn on some music. Don't stress about it too much. Chat with people- you get so many different types at yard sales. Spend time with some neighbors. Chances are, you're not going to reclaim the money you spent on all the items or even make a profit. Just go with the flow (this, coming from the woman who almost never "goes with the flow". But I did with the yard sale!). Be flexible. Don't let it stress you out. A yard sale is not worth stressing over, in my humble opinion.

In all, all the stuff in our yard -- which was some of my things and some of my parents' stuff -- sold for around $160-$170. We made money and I have less cluttered house. In all, it was a good way to spend a Saturday summer morning.

Lessons Learned from My First Yard Sale, Part 1

I didn't come from a home that did yard sales. Mom and Dad never really bothered with them; they just took unwanted items to the D.I. (our local thrift store). As a kid, I always wanted them to have a yard sale -- the idea of it brought out this entrepreneurial side of me and I thought it would be exciting to see people buy our old stuff. I could do a lemonade stand at the same time! Maybe even baked goods! I'd be rich! I was like one of those characters in cartoons who starts daydreaming dollar signs.

My enthusiasm for yard sales diminished as I got older. I volunteered at a couple church fundraiser yard sales as a teenager, but that was it. Once I took a few things to a friend's yard sale, hoping to sell some of the terrible re-gifted stuff from our wedding (who gives newlyweds a circa-1992 glass tic-tac-toe set, I ask you? And don't even get me started on the dish set that literally had a layer of dust on the box. They wrapped it with the dust on the box!), but hardly anyone came and I had to cart all the stuff home again (or to the good ol' D.I.).

Whenever I'd mention doing a yard sale after that, my husband would talk me out of it, saying it was a waste of time, that it wasn't worth the hassle, etc. Then, a couple months ago while we were cleaning out our garage, I made the call: we were going to have a yard sale! Surely someone would want or use some of this stuff! I talked to a few of my neighbors and after some coordination and planning, we set the date for our neighborhood yard sale.

There was a lot of stuff in the garage and I knew there was plenty more in the house, so I got to work decluttering and gathering things we didn't like, use, or wear very often.

The gathering phase was pretty messy at times, especially in the boys' room. I wouldn't say I hoard clothes, but I do get a little overly sentimental about them. Not anymore! I pulled out all the boys' clothes I have stored in containers under the bed, crib, and in the closet. See that pile at the door, next to the teddy bear? All of it was headed to the yard sale.

It felt good to make some space in the boys' clothes storage. I did keep the high quality clothes, the cutest clothes, and the truly sentimental items (like what we brought each of our boys home from the hospital in), but I got rid of the things I didn't love. I also went through my room, the kitchen, the bookshelves, and the closets. No space was left unturned! In all honesty, the gathering phase was kind of fun.

Lesson #1: That quote from William Morris ("Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.") is sheer genius! I can't even begin to say how positively freeing it is to get rid of stuff you feel like you should keep, even if you don't want to. How often do you think "I should keep this because it was a gift", "I might read that book again", or "I should keep this because it might come in handy someday" ?  No joke: less of that stuff makes me feel like I've got more space in my brain. I can't explain why, but I'll take it.

Once everything was gathered, it was time to price it all. I really didn't know what to sell anything for. I was nervous that if I did it too high, people would just leave and I'd make no money. If I charged too little, the yard sale wouldn't be worth the time and effort. What's a girl to do? Consult the Internet, of course. So I did a little research, checked some websites (this link and this link were two of the more helpful links about yard sale pricing), and started sticking those little yellow price tabs on everything.

Lesson #2: Don't spend too much time agonizing over the pricing like I did. Consult a few websites, maybe visit a thrift store for price comparisons, and then go with your gut. How much would you be willing to pay for that item? This was a good guideline for me in the end. I had people ask me to go lower on a few items at the yard sale-- sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. Because I went with my gut and priced what I thought was best, I knew what I felt comfortable with charging/accepting and went with it.

After the gathering and the pricing, it was time to start advertising. I put a couple free advertisements on a local classified ad website. After that, I picked up some posters at Walmart, pulled the big, strong-smelling Sharpie from the junk drawer, and handed it all over to my husband.

Lesson #3: I have yet another reason to love being married to an artist. He whipped these babies out in no time. It would have taken me FOREVER to just get the words written in a straight line. All I did was tell him what to include. What I learned from him: keep your signage simple, include just enough information, and use big, bold letters and arrows. 

A couple days before the yard sale, as I was getting everything ready, I realized that I needed to get some change. As with the pricing, I wasn't sure how much change I'd need to get from the bank, so I consulted Google (here's the link that helped me most). I got a roll of quarters, 25 $1 bills, four $5 bills, and two $10 bills. It seemed like a lot to me, but most of the links I checked said that it was wise to have $40-80 in change.

Lesson #4: Extra change = One less thing to worry about. I'd suggest getting more than you think you'll need. I mean, there's enough to keep track of on the day of the yard sale. Bargaining with people intent on getting a steal, answering questions, straightening up after each rush of shoppers, doing math in my head, and keeping track of my baby was enough to keep me busy. It was nice to not worry about having enough change when a lady gave me a $20 bill for a $2 Thomas the Tank Engine DVD.

I collected. I priced. I'd commissioned the artist for the signs (ha ha). I visited the bank. I was ready for the sale. Ready but nervous. Would my efforts pay off? The next day also had its lessons for this yard sale novice.

To be continued...

You can find Part 2 HERE

8 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Frugally Fatigued

Living frugally is a lifestyle choice, plain and simple. There are various ways to live frugally and simply and you can take it as far {or not so far} as you want to.  For some, living frugally is a means to an end, something that is only temporary until a debt is paid off or major purchase is made. For other people, living frugally is a matter of necessity -- the result of a job loss or change, an illness, a new baby, an unexpected expense. For others, it's a more permanent thing, a way to balance and prioritize. No way is right or wrong, per se. Like so many lifestyle choices, it's a personal decision that only you can make. You know better than anyone what will and won't work for yourself and your family. 

No matter where you fall on the frugality spectrum, just about everyone who tries to have a more thrifty and simple lifestyle are prone to burn-out and fatigue. If you don't stay focused, it's easy to fall off the wagon and go back to old, not-so-thrifty habits.  Here are just a few ways you can sabotage and sink your frugal efforts. Trust me, I've learned from experience. 

1. Don't have clear, specific goals.

In my opinion, living a frugal lifestyle is pointless if you don't have clearly-set goals. For example, if I'm going to stand over a toilet and rinse a dirty diaper with a homemade sprayer as many times as I already have, you'd better believe that I have good reason why I'm going to the extra trouble. I'd rather use the money we'd spend on diapers to pay off our car. I'd rather save the money for my family's emergency fund. Heck, I'd rather spend the money on something I actually want instead of wasting it on diapers. 

 

Why go to the trouble to cook from scratch, use homemade cleaning products, cloth diaper the baby, sew for your family, grow a garden, or any other frugal practices if you don't have something to motivate you?  Just having extra money isn't enough. Be specific. Ask yourself: What are you going to do with that money?  How will it benefit you and your family? What is going to make your efforts worthwhile for you?

2. Forget your limitations and overwhelm yourself.
You can't do everything, no matter how hard you try. I'd like to sew clothes for my kids, cook homemade meals every night, bake bread, get crafty and decorate my house, build up my emergency food storage, create a beauty routine using homemade facial masks and exfoliators, scrub down the bathtubs, balance the checkbook, create works of fingerpainted art with my son, plan a month of dinners, and organize my closets, all while finding time to go out on a date with my husband and write the the great American novel. It ain't gonna happen. At least not all at once.

To be successful at living frugally, you have to find a balance. It's all about give or take. You don't have to do everything. Consider the "season" of your life right now. What are your priorities?  Right now, as I'm trying to figure out how to juggle two kids, I'm cutting myself some slack. The house doesn't look perfect; it's just barely good enough. We've been eating out a little more than I'd like to admit, but it keeps me sane for now. I'm still doing a lot of the things I did before I had the baby, but I'm also scaling back a bit. Am I still living a frugal lifestyle? Of course. I'm just adapting.

3. Take on an "all or nothing" mentality.
I'm a perfectionist, so this is huge one for me. I'm constantly trying to overcome an "all or nothing" mentality in various aspects of my life. Let me speak from experience, it doesn't get you anywhere and it certainly doesn't make you productive.

For Christmas last year, my husband gave me a pasta maker -- one of those ones you turn by hand, straight from Italy. I love it. If you've never had homemade pasta, you're missing out. Plus, it's super-frugal -- all you need to make pasta is eggs and flour. I was determined to start making all our pasta from scratch (since you can make big batches at a time, dry it out, and store for later).  Yeah, that didn't last long. Granted, I'll still make homemade pasta from time to time (it's ridiculously good in lasagna), but not all the time.  I've made these types of concessions for a bunch of things: I'm pretty good about making homemade bread lately, but sometimes I just pick up a loaf at the store. I'm using cloth diapers all day, but I use disposables at night (it's just too hard for me to do all the cloth stuff at 2 AM). I'm taking a break from the homemade laundry detergent now that I'm doing a load of diapers almost daily. Not doing everything perfectly all the time isn't a cop-out -- it's being human .

4. Neglect and deprive yourself.

Again, I write from experience. It's so easy to get wrapped up in doing things for everyone else that you forget yourself. Playing a martyr won't make you feel better. That's why I think it's crucial to give yourself an allowance, or as Dave Ramsey calls it, "blow money". This is an amount of money in your budget that you can use to buy whatever you want. Every month, my husband and I give ourselves an "allowance" -- he spends his, more often than not, on the latest video game; I usually spend mine on books, clothes, or I save it up for a bigger purchase. {That red Le Creuset set will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.} Treating yourself goes a long way in keeping you from feeling deprived, which makes living frugally a lot easier.

5. Forget the old adage "Time is money."

Sure it's cheaper to churn your own butter (especially since the prices have gone up lately), but is it worth your time?  One of the keys to living a frugal lifestyle is to figure out how much your time is worth. I first came across this idea of figuring out the hourly worth of frugal tasks in The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. She explains it like this:

"Many people think of their hourly worth in terms of their gross pay and presume that any effort that provides a smaller hourly yield isn't worth their time. On the other end of the spectrum, some people spend all their time doing things that provide very small economic yields (and that they dislike doing), while forgoing activities that save a greater amount of money."

She goes on to explain how she figures out how much her tasks really are worth:

"I often time how many minutes a job requires to determine how many times I could, in theory, complete the job in an hour. I then calculate how  much money a job saves. I multiply the times per hour by the savings per job to determine the hourly value. For example: A 10-minute task saves $2. The task could be done six times an hour. The hourly worth is $12 per hour."

Now I'm not saying you need to get a stopwatch out, time yourself, and do the math for every frugal activity you do. But, it's a good thing to keep in mind. Go back to the homemade pasta I mentioned earlier: it's time consuming and it probably only saves me a dollar or two each time I make a batch. My hourly rate is probably not very high. But since I enjoy doing it and the results are superior to the store bought kind, I'll make pasta occasionally, but definitely not as part of my frugal routine.  Everyone has a different hourly rate because everyone has different priorities, strengths, talents, and resources.

6. Be the only one on board in your home.
This one doesn't need much explanation. If you're going to cut back when no one else is willing, you won't get very far. Same goes for budgets, spending, and goals -- if you're not the same page with the people in your household, especially your spouse (if applicable), you will find yourself frustrated and not nearly as successful. This is where clear goals come into play -- if you can explain that you're doing all the frugal things for a specific reason, you'll more than likely get some cooperation.

7. Keep it boring. Keep it tedious. Don't learn anything new.

To quote the author of The Tightwad Gazette again, "Frugality without creativity is deprivation." {If you're interested in the book, you can read my review here. I have mixed feelings about it.}  I'm constantly on the lookout for new tips, tricks, ideas, recipes, and techniques to help me save money.  I approach saving money as a challenge. How can I reuse this? How can I make do with what I've already got? How can I bypass this extra expense? Call me crazy, but if you get creative, it can be kind of fun. Really. You know that feeling when you find a really good deal for something you want and/or need? That's how I feel (to varying degrees, of course) about doing all the frugal things I do. Plus, it's extra rewarding when those efforts pay off, like when a debt is gone, when a big purchase is made with cash, or when you feel the peace that comes with living within your means.

8. Feel sorry for yourself that you have to do all of this.

It can be easy to start feeling sorry for yourself when you see others splurging on things you want, when you see how conveniently some people seem to live (Quick aside: Dave Ramsey says, "Don't even consider keeping up with the Joneses. They're broke!"). It's easy to feel sorry for yourself when you have to go without certain things. If you don't find some aspect of a frugal lifestyle enjoyable or stimulating, it's going to be hard to stick with. It's kind of like a crash diet. Sure, you can eat cabbage for every meal and lose weight, but you won't stick with it.  Same goes for living frugally: if you treat it like drudgery, something you -- poor you -- have to do, you'll be miserable. Who wants to do anything that makes them miserable? 

Don't get me wrong -- I don't get giddy over homemade cleaners (or do I? Anyone who's read this blog for any amount of time knows my fondness for baking soda and vinegar). I don't dance around the kitchen because I get to make another loaf of bread. You won't find me sighing with contentment as I dump yet another load of diapers into the washing machine. That said, the way I stay consistent is that I focus on the positive aspects of these tasks. I focus not only on the money saving benefits, but also the health, environmental, and family benefits, among others. I still get tired, I'm certainly not perfect, but I keep going. When you change your attitude, you can give the smallest tasks meaning. Just doing that will go a long way in helping you live a frugal lifestyle.

Splurge to Save

I've known my share of both frugal people and cheapskates. The cheapskates I've known are the type of people who will complain about everything and anything at a restaurant or store to get discounts or things for free ("This book has a page with a bent edge. Can I get a discount?"). Or they'll fudge numbers or even lie to save a buck. Not cool.

On the other hand, my mom is one of my examples of how to be frugal instead of cheap. She knows how to be smart with money, but she also knows how to spend it . She knows when something that seems like a splurge is really an investment. Sometimes, she even reminds me to spend a little extra (especially when it comes to getting things for myself).  So that's the topic of this post -- sometimes, a splurge actually saves money. Really. {For a great read about the difference between cheap and frugal people, go here.}

There's a book I've been wanting to read (add it to the list of hundreds of books I want to read...) called Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. From what I've gathered, her book is about how our culture, in the pursuit of a "good deal", will forgo quality.  I watched an interview with the author and one of the things she said that stood out was the old Russian proverb she quoted: "I'm too poor to be cheap."

I know that I've forgone quality in the name of a "good deal". I've bought my share of "disposable" furniture at IKEA. But where will that get us?  In the end,  when we buy things that are cheaply made, we're often wasting more money than we're saving.

 Here are a couple examples of how skimping on things ends up costing more and how "splurges" can actually save.

• My husband grew up in a family of six kids. His dad was an artist (He actually worked on the Smurf cartoons back in the day. How cool is that?). From what my mother-in-law has told about my husband's early childhood, times were very tight financially. However, despite their family's limited budget, she would always splurge to get Hanna Andersson t-shirts for her boys.  For those unfamiliar with the name, Hanna Andersson is a clothing company from Sweden -- their clothing is very well made and it isn't cheap.  The reason why my mother-in-law could justify spending as much as she did for a Hanna Andersson t-shirt instead of one for $2 at a discount store was that the shirts lasted and lasted and lasted. They even held up for the next younger sibling to wear later. This is saying something considering the way boys play. In the end, she saved money because she got more wear out of the quality product. If she'd purchased the cheapest things she could find, they most likely would have had to been replaced more often.

• I am in love with my KitchenAid mixer. At around $250, they're not a cheap kitchen gadget. You could buy a similar mixer for less at a discount store, but chances are, it won't last as long. I have proof because this happened to my mom. My dad knew she wanted a mixer so he got an inexpensive model somewhere else. It worked all right, but the motor burned up after about a year or two. That following Christmas, he ended up getting her the KitchenAid she'd wanted in the first place.

• Have you seen the documentary Food, Inc.? It's a great film and I think everyone should see it. (I wrote a review of it on my personal blog a while ago, if you want my take on the whole thing). One part of it that drove my husband and I absolutely nuts was the family featured in it who rationalized that fast food and cheap products (like soda) were better deals than fresh produce.  Why buy two or three pears for a dollar, when you can get four 20-oz. bottles of Pepsi for the same price? Isn't that more for your money?  Isn't eating fast food more economical because you can feed a family of four for around $10?  Of course not. It seems outrageous when you watch these people, but it's not a totally uncommon mindset.  Instead of purchasing whole foods, so many people opt for processed foods in the name of convenience. More natural, less processed foods sometimes cost more than their mainstream counterparts, too, so many people skip them because they claim they don't have the money in their budget. Instead, I believe it's all about priorities. This is one of the problems I have with couponing -- you can get a lot of food for hardly any money when you use coupons, but very often those foods are overly processed and nutritionally lacking. So, really, are you saving money by buying those kinds of food, food that isn't healthy or filling, that could eventually negatively affect your health? 

But splurging to save doesn't always come down to an issue of quality over quantity. Sometimes, you just have to spend more money up front to save in the long run. Here are a few instances in my own experience:

• I just stocked up on all our cloth diapering supplies for the new baby. All the diapers (a mix of prefolds and pocket), covers, liners, the sprayer, and all the other accessories together ended up costing us a considerable chunk of change Even so, that amount (which ended up being around $400 for everything) will only be a fraction of what we would pay if we did disposables exclusively (most estimates are that it can cost anywhere from $2000-$3000 to use disposables for three years).  I'll also be able to reuse the diapers with baby #3 (oh boy, I can't even think that far ahead...), thus stretching the initial investment and spreading out the savings. {(for a good cost breakdown between cloth and disposables costs, check out this link).
• My husband used to hate shaving until he tried traditional wet shaving. The start-up cost for the razor, blades, soap, and badger-hair brush was around $75, if I remember correctly. That may seem like a lot, but really it isn't. The razor he purchased is made out of metal -- it's actually pretty heavy in your hand, especially compared to the mainstream plastic cartridge razors. I can't imagine him ever getting a new one. Ever.  The blade refills only cost about $1.50 for a box of ten. Waaaay cheaper than the cartridge refills. This razor and shaving method will easily pay for itself. As for the badger-hair brush -- when I was shopping for it (it was for his Father's Day present), I read a bunch of reviews. A quality brush can last for a really, really long time. In fact, the badger hair ones get better with wear -- one reviewer said that he uses his grandfather's shaving brush that's over 50 years old!
• I used to buy parchment paper for lining my baking sheets. When I ran out, I would just use non-stick spray. Then I got a Silpat for around $15. It seemed pricey for a single sheet of silicone, but I haven't purchased a box of parchment paper in years; a can of non-stick spray lasts a lot longer than it used to. I still use that same Silpat all the time. Plus, it gives me better results than the other options I used before anyway.
• Remember my post about the Diva Cup?  Sure, it seems pricey to spend $25 for "that time of the month", but in the end, it cuts your costs dramatically over an extended...ahem...period. {did I really just write that?}
• I know I've already mentioned my KitchenAid in this post, but it's another example of spending a little more up front to save money. I use this machine constantly -- for making bread, whipping up dinners and desserts, and even making ice cream. The thing is, it makes cooking easier and more enjoyable, which makes me much less likely to just buy the premade stuff at the store. Same goes for my
Cuisinart food processor - I use it all the time for shredding cheese, chopping up vegetables, making pie crusts, making salsa, and other cooking processes. I also plan on using it to make fresh baby food. Investing in this kitchen tool saves me the extra expense of buying things "conveniently packaged". 

The best way to sum it all up is in the saying, "You get what you pay for."  Am I against getting a good deal? No way. I love being able to shop sales and use coupons for things I normally buy, the things I would purchase at full price anyway. Do I splurge on everything? Of course not. But I do have my standards. I do my research before I buy. And all of that makes parting with money not quite as difficult.

The Debt Snowball -- How to Get Yours Rolling

A year ago, we were debt-free (except for the house). We paid off the rest of my student loan, the balance of our credit card, and, finally, the rest of our car loan.  What a feeling!

If you ever listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio, you're probably familiar with the "debt-free scream." You can hear the absolute joy in the callers' voices as they scream that they're debt-free (if you've never heard one of these calls, check it out here).  At first, I thought those calls were a little dramatic, but the closer we got to our debt-free goal, we got more and more excited. When the day came and I went to the Chase bank branch by my house and paid off the car, I walked back to our paid-for car, got inside, and yelled, "WE'RE DEBT-FREEEE!!" My then three-year-old son thought it was hilarious and for about a week or so after would randomly shout, with his arms outstretched above his head, "We're debt-free!" 

And then a few months later both of our cars (with over 200,000+ miles on each) started to show their wear. One of them, the older of the two, couldn't pass the state inspection or emission tests. The newer of the two, a 2002 Subaru, was running pretty rough.  We weighed our options, did the math, and realized that we had to get another car.  So we traded both of the cars in, put down some extra money down on top of that, and financed the rest. As excited as I was about having a dependable, new-to-us (read: used) Subaru and considering we got a pretty good deal, I couldn't help but burst into tears as we drove away from the lot. We were back in debt. However, since we'd tasted that debt-free feeling, we were ready to attack the car debt with, as Dave calls it, "gazelle intensity".

Luckily, we only have one debt to deal with. However, the average American household isn't so lucky. According to an article I found, the average American household carries $8000 in credit card debt. Forty-three percent of households spend more than they earn. In 2003, the average household debt was $18,654 -- which doesn't include mortgage debt. In another article, it says that in 2009, the average college student graduates with $21,000 in student loan debt.  No wonder people feel overwhelmed when it comes to getting out of debt.

That's why I love the debt snowball plan.  I first came across the method in a helpful pamphlet (click here for the online version) when I was a newlywed. Years later, I was reminded of it when my mom introduced me to the Dave Ramsey plan.  The thing I love about this method for debt elimination is that it's simple and straightforward. There are no shortcuts, complicated math, or tricks -- but it works! It's the program we used and I wouldn't recommend anything else.

After you've put aside $1000 in an emergency fund, you're ready to attack your debt (everything besides the mortgage, that is). Gather all your financial info and list all the creditors you have.  Put them in order according to how much you owe, starting with the smallest debt. That's the first debt you're going to pay off. Don't pay attention to the interest rates on each.  This was hard for us at first -- we wanted to pay off our credit card before my student loan. The interest rate on my student loan was only around 3% while our credit card rate was around 10%. But the balance on the student loan was lower than the credit card's (not by a whole lot -- thankfully, I didn't have a huge student loan), so we went with that debt first. Why start with the lowest? Once you pay it off, you gain momentum. You feel the satisfaction of paying off the debt and that feeling keeps you motivated.

When you've figured out the order of how you'll pay off your bills, make the minimum monthly payments on all of them except the first (the lowest). Then, as Dave says, attack that first debt. Once it's paid off, apply the minimum payment you would have been making on that debt and apply it to the second debt.

Here's where the snowball analogy comes into play:  Let's say you've just paid off your credit card to Best Buy (that one seems like a popular place to finance). The payments may have been low, maybe only $20/month. Now that you've paid off that debt, you don't owe Best Buy $20 per month. Instead of using that money in day-to-day expenses, apply it to the next debt. Maybe the second debt is credit card debt. In addition to the minimum payment you owe for that bill (let's say $100/month), tack on the $20 you would have been paying Best Buy. Each payment on your credit card should be a minimum of $120. Then attack the second debt with any other resources you have. Once that debt is gone, apply the minimum from both paid-off debts -- using our example, you'd add $120 to the minimum you owe on your third debt. For a helpful visual for this method, click here for a simple debt-elimination chart. Like a snowball, once you get rolling with this debt-elimination plan, the money that is freed up for paying off debt keeps on adding up.

Make a chart to help you track your progress. Having clearly set and defined goals makes cutting back much easier. When we paid off my student loan, I put the letter saying our balance was paid in full on the fridge. Whenever I saw it, I would get a surge of pride and motivation to keep on with our goals. Do whatever you have to to stay on task. That out-of-debt feeling is worth it!

I'm Dreaming of a Debt-Free Christmas...

As much as I love a great deal on something, I don't do the Black Friday sales. I just can't think of anything I want bad enough to get me to push through crowds, camp outside of stores, or lose hours of sleep. More power to you if you're braver and less lazy than me -- you've earned the savings. 

In any case, I thought Black Friday would be an apropos time to mention budgeting for the holiday season.  It is totally possible to stay afloat and on-budget during the busy Christmas season. Granted, it's not always easy and it does take some planning and extra work, but it can be done.

As an article on DaveRamsey.com says, "If you pay for your holiday festivities with credit, you're bringing a stalker home for Christmas. The holidays will follow you around all year long."  For some people, the money they spend on the holiday festivities follow them for months in the form of bills and interest. Ever heard of Blue Monday?  It's a Monday in mid- to late January that is deemed the most depressing day of the year. One of the reasons it's so depressing is because that's when the post-Christmas credit card statements start coming in.  Sad, but true.

So, to help you avoid "bringing a stalker home for Christmas", here are a few ways you can stay out of debt and cut back this Christmas season...

Create a Christmas budget.
This seems obvious, but it can make or break you when it comes to staying out of debt this Christmas season. For the last couple years, before we start our Christmas shopping, my husband and I plan out our Christmas budget. It's nothing fancy or complicated. After we've paid our regular, monthly expenses, we figure out how much money we have left to spend on all things Christmas. We figure out a specific amount that we can spend on each other and a specific amount for our son. After that, we move on to the extended family -- our parents, siblings, and nieces/nephews. We also set aside a little extra money for other miscellaneous expenditures (gifts for friends and neighbors, decorations, activities, etc.).  Having a budget is like having a game plan. It sounds simple (though it does take discipline), but it works.  If you're intimidated at the thought of budgeting, there are sites like Mint.com that can help you track your expenses.

Use cash.
One of the main keys to sticking to our Christmas budget, I've found, is using cash. Not even the debit card, but actual cash. I've written about using cash and envelope system before, but I'll mention it briefly again: When you spend cash, it actually a little painful because you see and feel the connection. With a credit card, spending is abstract; with cash, it's anything but.

Once we've made our budget, we head to the ATM and withdraw the amounts we specified in our Christmas budget. A certain amount of cash for me to spend on my husband and a certain amount for him to spend on me and so on. We do this for everyone on our shopping list. And once the cash is gone, it's gone. Purposefully leave your credit card at home. If we do online purchases, we make sure to stay within our budget and transfer the money accordingly. Not only does this keep us on budget, but it also makes us do our research to get the best deals and most for our money.  We've been using cash for the last few years and while it does take a little more discipline and work, the peace it brings later is totally worth it.

Make a list.
Check it twice {ha ha}.  Knowing what you want to buy before you buy is really important.  Impulse buys can wreak havoc on your budget and debt-free goals. My husband is awesome about giving me very specific lists of things he wants, making budgeting and shopping easier. Before you go shopping for anything, be specific. Once you know exactly what you want to buy for each person in your Christmas budget, you can find the best deals and choose accordingly. Which leads to the next tip...

Do your homework.
Once you have your budget set and your gift ideas in place, it's time to do some research. For each item you're going to buy, do a Google search. Doing a search will give you an idea of the cost and where you can get the best deal. Visit the websites for the stores you are planning to shop at and compare prices. There are also great deals when you skip the stores and shop online -- and it's easier to resist the temptation of impulse buying when you buy online.

Start early.
I feel like a hypocrite even mentioning this because I always seem to procrastinate all of my shopping until a week or two before Christmas. However, I have friends who get their shopping done months before Christmas. Spreading purchases over an extended period of time is a great way to avoid debt during the holiday season.

Go homemade.
You can save a lot of money making your own gifts and decorations during the holiday season. Plus, like I always say, giving something homemade means more because it takes time and extra thought. While some crafts and projects can be difficult and take a lot of skill, there are even more that don't require a lot of expertise.  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be posting a bunch of ideas, recipes, and links to help with your homemade holiday endeavors.

Alter your expectations and perspective.
It's too bad that our society places so much importance on the gift giving aspect of the season. Don't get me wrong -- I love getting and giving gifts. But I think it's sad how the most joyous time of year can become the most stressful too. So this Christmas season, don't be afraid to cut back on how much you spend, how much you give, how much you bake, and how much you decorate. I went to a presentation once where an organization expert suggested just cutting back 10%. She said that was enough to give yourself a break without changing too much.

In the end, the most important thing is to make the Christmas season memorable. Sure, people will love the gifts you give and they may remember some of them.  That said, the season that is now upon us is more about enjoying the love of family and friends and celebrating the greatest of all gifts, the gift that came so many years ago in Bethlehem. When we remember those two things, family and faith, our priorities will fall into their proper place as we realize that "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store" after all.

"And the Envelope, Please..."

I spent a good part of my Labor Day weekend at my hometown's annual celebration, shopping through the craft and food booths. I also spent part of my weekend with some of my gal pals at outdoor piano concert.  {For the record, my weekend wasn't all fun. I spent all of Labor Day cleaning and organizing my house.} At both events, I had more than a few people comment on my wallet as I paid with cash.  In fact, more often than not, whenever I pay with cash, someone usually comments on my wallet. I wish I could take credit for the idea and system, but I cannot.

All the credit goes to Dave Ramsey. Granted, the general idea of the envelope system isn't his idea, but he really brought it to my attention. Plus, I got my wallet system from his online store. More on that later.

{Sidenote: have you read The Total Money Makeover yet?  If I could assign reading, I would make this book required reading. Go to a library or a bookstore and get it. If you live by me, you can borrow my copy. Just read it!}

One goal that I'm constantly working on is using cash for the majority of my spending. I use my checkbook for bills. I use my debit card for buying gas and for online purchases/bill paying. Everything else I try to buy with cash.  My success with this goal wavers, I'll admit. It's so much easier to use the debit card instead of budgeting out certain amounts of cash and counting it all out at every store.

So why do it?  I think the main reason is that it makes you think before you spend. Using plastic, especially if it's a credit card, is so effortless. Plus, it feels a little abstract. You know you're spending money when you use a card, but it's more removed than counting out the actual money and handing it to the clerk.  As Dave Ramsey says, using cash is a little more painful. It's more concrete. You actually see your money leave your hands. And when it's gone, it's gone. I think this goes a long way in keeping your spending in check. I know that when I have a certain allotment of cash, I'm more careful how I spend it.

The envelope system is really quite simple. Budget every paycheck, spending, as Dave Ramsey says, every dollar on paper before you actually spend it. Next, you allot a certain amount of cash to various expenditures like food, clothing, entertainment, etc.  Designate a specific envelope to each thing (as in, an envelope for food, an envelope for clothes, etc.) and keep the cash in there. This is all you can spend and once the cash is gone, it's gone. Don't cheat! (Full disclosure:  I sometimes struggle with this - there have been occasions where I'll spend too much on groceries and make up the difference with my debit card. Totally defeats the purpose of the envelope system.). For more details on the system, straight from Dave Ramsey, check this post on his site.

My envelope system is made up of five envelopes: food, clothing, gifts, allowances (my husband and I give ourselves monthly "allowances" that we can blow on anything we want), and entertainment/misc (for things like dates, Family Home Evening, movie nights, outings with the boy, etc.).  At first, I tried using regular old envelopes, but they were kind of cumbersome and always falling out of my pocketbook or getting lost in the depths of my bag. Then I came across the system on Dave Ramsey's online store (I know, I know - how many times can I mention him in this post? What can I say? He's my money guru.).  He sells a pocketbook insert of spiral-bound envelopes on his site for only five bucks. It's awesome. It keeps all my cash organized so well, which really helps me with my paying-with-cash goals. I've had mine for probably close to a year - it's looking kind of hammered, but it totally does the job. And like I said, I always get comments from clerks at stores or people with me who see me use it, usually something like "That's such a good idea!" or "Where did you get that?" or "I should do that!"

I love using this system. Yes, it can be a little cumbersome sometimes to have to check how much money you have left in each envelope or making clerks a little annoyed that you take longer to count out the money than if you just swiped a card. It's actually kind of funny to see how some salespeople at stores react to cash, as if it's some kind of foreign currency. Having worked retail years ago, I can attest to the fact that paying with cash is no longer the norm; it's the exception. But I like being the exception. It keeps me on budget and saves me money. And a little extra work at the cash register and some self-control is worth the peace I get from living within my means.

Going Organic on a Budget: Know the 'Dirty Dozen'

No, not that Dirty Dozen.  Though, I must admit, whenever I hear about the "dirty dozen" in regard to fruit and vegetables,  I can't help but think of this movie. I come from a military family, what can I say?

One of the main reasons I live frugally is so can afford things that I  think are better. I use baking soda and vinegar to clean certain things so I can buy non-toxic dish soaps and detergents for other aspects of my cleaning routine. We eat vegetarian meals a few times a week so that I can buy all-natural chicken and grass-feed beef when we want meat.  It's all about finding a trade-off that you can live with. You cut back in one area to splurge a little in another that is more important to you.That is one of the reasons I thought the title of my blog worked -- you can still live well (well, maybe not exactly like a princess..) on a budget, as long as you have the right mindset and know exactly what you want.

Anyway, one way that I get my family organic food while still staying on budget is to know (as the Environmental Working Group calls them) "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Fifteen". These are lists of the best and worst fruits and vegetables when it comes to pesticide amounts.

Paying attention to these guidelines is a good starting place for anyone who wants to start eating more naturally without the big sticker shock. I know when I started to buy more natural foods for my family, I went to Whole Foods and got really depressed. How was I going to afford to buy the heathier, more natural foods for my family without spending a ridiculous amount of money?  For me, sticking to the list of twelve fruits and veggies made it seem a little less overwhelming.

The Dirty Dozen
I keep a list of these, in this order, in the notebook I write my shopping lists and menu plans in.  These fruits and vegetables contain about 47-67 pesticides per serving. Many believe these twelve are so heavily laden because the skin of these fruits and vegetables is softer, allowing the pesticides to absorb better. By buying these twelve fruits and vegetables organic, you can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent.

Here is the list, in descending order from the highest amount of pesticides per serving (meaning, #1 is the worst):

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Domestic blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
9. Cherries
10. Potatoes
11. Imported grapes
12. Lettuce

It does take a little adjustment in your grocery budget to adapt to the cost difference between organic and conventionally grown produce. However, once you get used to paying a certain amount, you don't notice it. In some cases (like apples), the organic ones are not that much more expensive. But, I'm not going to lie: it does cost more. It was hard at first to pay $2.00 for organic celery when the conventional kind was 99 cents. But now I'm used it and it works in my budget. 

I also use this 'dirty dozen' list as a good guide to planning and planting my garden. I try to grow the things on this list because it's a lot cheaper. Plus, I know I grow mine organically. This year, among other things, I'm growing strawberries, spinach, lettuce, and peppers.  I also considering planting some peach trees in my yard this fall; I'm going to plant grapes along my fence next spring.

The Clean Fifteen 

The upside of this post is that there are more on this list. You can buy these ones conventionally grown, at the prices you're used to.  Like the other list, this one is also in descending order, except #1 is the best (meaning, least amount of pesticides). 

1. Onions
2. Avocados (hooray!)
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas (frozen)
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet Potatoes

As you may have noticed there's a few fruits and vegetables (some of my favorites, I might add) that aren't on these lists. They all fall somewhere in the middle. You can find the entire list (includng the middle ranks) from the Environmental Working Group here. Be sure to check back with the EWG list every year since the list changes from year to year.

Choosing whether to buy organic or not is a personal decision -- I don't think that someone is bad or careless for buying anything on the 'dirty dozen' list. Full disclosure: I bought non-organic peaches last week, even though they're at #2 on the 'dirty dozen' list. They were big and beautiful and on sale. I'm happy to report, we're still alive (please catch the sarcasm there). That said, I've made following these guidelines a part of my family's lifestyle. Sure, it costs a little extra but if it keeps us healthier in the long run, I know it will save us money in the end.

Lovely Links: New Year's Day Edition

-My husband's favorite artist, J.C. Leyendecker, was famous (among other things) for his annual New Year's baby. I thought it'd be apropos to feature cover from a hundred years ago on here today.-

2010. Can you believe we're starting a new decade already? It doesn't seem that long ago that we were all excited about the beginning of a new millennium and wondering if Y2K was going to shut down civilization. I love the prospect of a new year, of a clean start, a fresh beginning. It's a nice feeling to put the busy, indulgent holiday season behind us (as fun as it was) and refocus on everyday life and goals. Hence the reason for my goal-oriented list of links...

Making Financial Goals for 2010 - Simple Mom
This link offers a lot of great ideas about how to refocus on financial goals, especially after the holiday spending blitz. I particularly liked how she talks about various funds - this year, my husband and I will be working on our six-month emergency fund (Baby Step 3 of the Dave Ramsey program), while also contributing to our car fund and vacation fund. The most important thing about this post, I think, is that it is a good prompt for some self-reflection and a great starting point for a discussion with your spouse (if applicable) for about the state of your financial life.

Welcome 2010 - Small Notebook
This link has some other great links to ways to stay organized and to streamline your home and finances. I feel hypocritical writing this because my house is an utter disaster right now, but I think it's really hard to live a frugal lifestyle if your house is messy and if your finances are unorganized. It's difficult to be creative in the midst of chaos and no one wants to cook or spend much time in cluttered kitchen. Don't get me wrong (seriously, you should see my house right now - DISASTER) - I don't think one's house needs to be spotless to live well, but it sure does help my mood and it lifts my spirits when my household is running in a neat and organized way.

Three Goals to Guide You by Thomas S. Monson
The previous links were about getting your finances and your household in order, but, you can't really enjoy any of that if your personal and spiritual life is in disarray. The three goals in the article: study diligently, pray earnestly, and serve willingly. Great advice for anyone, of any faith.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
- Theodore Roosevelt

Some Thoughts on Coupons

You'd probably think that I, being the self-proclaimed Parsimonious Princess, would be big into coupons. Seven newspaper subscriptions. Incredible filing systems, with each coupon sorted by expiration date and categories. Spending only a few dollars for a cart loaded with groceries.

Nope. I don't even have a newspaper subscription - I bum my weekly coupon insert off someone else. And filing them? I keep my coupons in envelopes that come with our bills (I don't use them since I usually pay my bills via phone or online), sorted according to expiration date (one envelope for ones expiring in November, one for December, etc.), clipped together with a cute clothespin my friend made. That's it. I admit it - I am no couponing queen.

Not that there's anything wrong with couponing, per se. Some people really make it work for themselves. More power to them. A lady at my church has the whole couponing thing down. She has a big family and spends an incredibly low amount on groceries by strategically shopping with coupons and checking all the local grocery ads. I even took a class from her - it made a lot of sense. I felt empowered. I was going to do this thing!

Then I realized that coupons don't really fit into my lifestyle. For one, I buy hardly any of the things advertised with coupons. Scrubbing Bubbles? I'll keep my good ol' baking soda and vinegar for cleaning my bathroom. Pillsbury biscuits? I can make them from scratch in about a half-hour for a lot cheaper than the canned kind (though I do kind of like opening the exploding tube...). I don't buy sugary cereals or cookie dough (sidenote: I thought it was hilarious the other day at the store when I saw a box of Cocoa Krispies proclaiming its immunity-boosting effect on children. Riiiight.) - a lot of the coupons are for foods that aren't nutritious. There are tons of medicine coupons - we don't use a lot of medicine and when we do, it's often generic. And then there's the matter of store brands vs. name brands. Store brands are often less expensive than the brand name stuff, even with the coupons (unless you shop like my friend at church does and coordinate everything with the ads - like I said, her system is awesome).

BUT, I do use coupons. My in-laws get the Sunday paper and one Sunday afternoon I noticed that they threw out the coupons (mostly because my mother-in-law does a lot of her shopping at Costco and doesn't need them). So, I asked if I could have them and now they set all the coupons aside for me every week. I'm willing to bet you could find someone, maybe a grandparent or neighbor, who doesn't use their coupons (not that I suggest you stroll around your neighborhood, find a house with a newspaper in the driveway, retrieve it for them, and then ask for their coupons.). Even though I don't use the majority of them, I still save some money using them. Here's what I use coupons for:

• Sometimes, there are just brand-name products we prefer, like Daisy sour cream, Skippy Natural peanut butter, Scott toilet paper, etc. We just like them better (and the food products often more healthy) than the store brand. In my opinion, this is the key to couponing: only use them for things you would buy without a coupon. As the old adage goes, "A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need."

• Dental hygiene. I never buy toothpaste, mouthwash, or toothbrushes without a coupon now. By coordinating the coupons with sales at grocery stores, I can get a tube of toothpaste for a dollar (once I managed to get some for like 50 cents) and toothbrushes for free. Whenever I see a sale in the grocery ads on dental stuff, I stock up. Coupons help with that, for sure.

• Diapers (hopefully not for much longer, though...). Maybe your experience is different, but I stick to the brand-name diapers because they've just worked better for me (everyone seems to have some kind of brand loyalty when it comes to disposable diapers), so coupons help take some of the ouch of out of the price. There are always tons of diaper coupons in the coupon sections of the newspaper. Sometimes, too, I go to Target and get a print-out coupon for diapers with my receipt.(Yet another sidenote: before I get someone who points out that it would be cheaper to use cloth diapers, I just want to say that I plan on at least giving cloth diapers a try -- a try -- with my next baby. Really.)

• Feminine hygiene. If you shop the ads and use a coupon, you can get a better price than the store brands sometimes.

• Pet food and supplies. There's always plenty of coupons in the Sunday paper for pet food, treats, and kitty litter. Treats seem superfluous, I know, but sometimes I can get them for really cheap if I use a coupon. My giant cat is always appreciative.

• I like to buy lots of natural food, cleaners, and hygiene products, however there are hardly ever any coupons in the Sunday ads for the health store brands. But I've noticed that lots of the natural/health food stores (like Sunflower Farmers Market or Whole Foods) carry some kind of free magazine that has health-related articles and recipes in them. These magazines happen to have advertisements in them too and have lots of great coupons. I get lots of my Kashi cereal coupons this way, along with coupons for cleaning products like Method. One other tip: I've noticed that the natural/health food stores in my area often have promotional coupon books at the registers.

• While we're on the topic of coupon sources, also check online. I've found quite a few good coupons for brands I buy online. One site I go to occasionally is Coupon Suzy or you could go to Pinching Your Pennies for some suggestions on where to find online coupons (PYP is also a great site for anyone that wants to use coupons more enthusiastically and create an effective system. Plus, they go through all the weekly grocery ads in your area and tell you what sales are best - great resource just for that.)

I know there may be some out there that think I'm missing out on a whole aspect of frugality by being lukewarm on couponing. And that's fine. There are whole websites and blogs devoted to great coupons and deals. For me, coupons are just a small part of my money-saving arsenal and I don't mind clipping a few coupons if it means I'll save a few dollars here and there. But that's usually as far as I'll go.

One final note: I learned recently that you can send expired coupons to military families living overseas. Since they have to do their shopping at the commissaries and post exchanges on bases, the products they buy are usually more expensive than here at home. However, these stores on base will take coupons up to six months after their expiration date. Since the families overseas don't have access to the Sunday newspaper like we do, these coupons can be pretty scarce. So, if you have any unused or expired coupons, send them them to our military families! The easiest way to do this is through the "Troopon" program -- just send them to the address in the link and they'll send the coupons to the bases overseas for you (the link to this will always be in the sidebar). You can also check out other sites like the Overseas Coupon Program or Coupons to Troops if you want to send the coupons to the bases yourself.  It's just a small way to show our gratitude our men and women in uniform -- and their families -- who sacrifice so much in our behalf.

Book Review: America's Cheapest Family

I know this may come as a huge shook to you, dear reader, but I happen to always be on the lookout for a book with new ideas on how to live more frugally. In my various searches on Amazon and PaperBackSwap for book suggestions, I came across this one, America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money by Steve and Annette Economides. I had to wait a little while on the hold list at my library to get it, but I finally got it a couple weeks ago.

Being completely honest, I have to say I didn't really learn all that much from this book. Nothing against it or anything, but a lot of the book's content was a review for me. That said, there's nothing wrong with a good review now and then. There many times when I was reading that I would think, "Oh yeah, I forgot about doing that..." or "I should be better about doing that..."

I had my notebook that I write random things in at my side and I wrote a bunch of notes of things that served as useful reminders, along with things I wanted to share on this blog. Here's a few:

• Reduce the number of grocery shopping trips. If you go a few times a week, start going weekly. If you go weekly, try going one every two weeks. You could even work your way up to going only once a month like they do (they explain how in the book). This was a fairly new idea to me - I didn't really think the frequency of shopping trips made that much of a difference. I'm going to give bi-weekly grocery shopping a go. I'll let you know the results of that experiment in the future...
• Consider getting a separate freezer. The more I think about it, I'm definitely leaning toward getting one because it would be nice to stock up on good sales (like when turkeys go on sale later this month...) and to freeze produce from my garden. Plus, my freezer in my kitchen is getting really full. In fact, just a minute ago, I heard my husband shout because he got nailed by a rock-hard package of frozen chicken when when he opened the freezer. What can I say? It's a delicate balance in there.
• Using a price book. I need to be better about that and update mine.
• The book had lots of ways to save on utilities: using ceiling and portable fans, putting a special blanket on your water heater, low-flow shower heads, vacuuming refrigerator coils annually (never done that), using a clothesline, landscaping to shade the house, etc. Lots of good ideas, mostly common sense.
• I really liked the section in the medical chapter that focused on preventing disease. Like Benjamin Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
• There were lots of fun ideas for entertainment, recreation, and vacation. Like stay-cations - I always thought the idea of taking a vacation at home sounded kind of lame, but they actually helped me open my mind to the idea.

There were other things that I didn't write down that may be useful to others or be new information to someone. There's definitely more than what I listed. I also skipped the section on how to get out of debt just because we're following Dave Ramsey's plan already. One complaint: I had a hard time with the clothing section because I just can't get myself to buy our clothes at thrift stores. This is something I really should get over - I know a bunch of well-dressed people who almost exclusively buy their clothes second-hand (if you're one of those people, let me know. I may have you be a guest writer on here). Even then, this book made a really good case for doing that, much better than The Tightwad Gazette did for me.

This is a really great starting point for anyone wanting to live more frugally but doesn't know where to start. The book is laid out very well and is extremely readable. It only took me a few hours here and there to get through it. One thing I really liked about it is that at the end of every chapter, they give three different ways to apply the principles in the chapter based on how gung-ho you want to get. Kind of like those old aerobics videos from the 80's (this link, by the way, is a gem. My mom used to workout to this program in the morning. I would sit and admire - no, envy - the brunette's awesome ponytail) where they show the different levels of intensity - you can do low, medium, or high effort. Like with the cheesy workout video, doing even the low effort is better than doing nothing. Go, borrow the book from the library, and I promise you'll find something - even just one thing - that will make it worth your while.

Note: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.