Search Results for: blog frugal living for large families

Snowing in Spring…Adjusting Our Frugal Plans

It is a few days past the official start of spring, and I am looking at a wintry wonderland just outside my window. The salt trucks and plows have been by, but they have to be diligent. Already the driveway and roads are covered with white. Despite about three inches of snow on the ground already and more to come, schools are not closed today. There is no excessive wind, and we are used to snow. The weather has been wrecking some havoc with our spring frugal plans. We can’t get started on our garden, and may lose out on … Continue reading →

Five Signs that You Are Living Beyond Your Means

You could be living beyond your means and not realize it. Why is this a problem? Well, when we live beyond our means, we can quickly run up debt. This debt can snowball until it becomes hard to manage, a real crisis. That is why it is so important to recognize the early warning signs and make the changes that are necessary to get your finances back on track. Sometimes it seems as though you are supporting your lifestyle and don’t have a problem paying for anything. After all, your credit cards aren’t being turned down at the store, and … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Living Like No One Else

One of the things that we heard over and over again taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom course was that we needed to “Live like no one else so we could live like no one else.” In fact, I think this was the slogan for the course. What this means is that we have to be prepared to not only live frugally, but to make sacrifices in many areas and manage our money well, things that most of us, as Americans don’t tend to do. By sacrificing now, we could then live without debt later and be in a position … Continue reading →

Large Family Dining Out

Eating out can get expensive when you have a larger family. Even a “family style” restaurant can wind up costing your family $75 or more when you eat out. So does that mean that you will be spending the rest of your days cooking at home? No, of course not. Just establish a budget that includes dining out and make some smart choices that will help you spend less. Most large families include kids, so let us start there. While kids meals may seem appealing, they do have their down sides. Often, then include less than healthy food, drinks may … Continue reading →

Simple Living Resources

Many people who have a frugal lifestyle don’t do it for the lifestyle so much as for the necessity. However, frugal and simple living can also be a choice, and an empowering one at that. If you’re in a house, think about whether you can move or share your living accommodations to help you live well on less income. We have a townhouse, which is large but is hard to share. We may rent out a room in our home in some way, thereby allowing us to take in a little bit more income. Think about your consumption of material … Continue reading →

Eating Healthy On A Frugal Budget

Too many people tell me that the reason they eat such unhealthy meals is because healthy food is expensive. I tend to disagree with them, but converting these spendthrifts isn’t all that difficult when I tell them that our family of four eats pretty healthy and my food budget is half of the national average (according to my online research). I’m not a health nut by any means, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that junk food makes you feel terrible and it doesn’t cost less than healthier foods. Not to mention you’ll have fewer trips to … Continue reading →

Frugal Tips for Surviving Snowstorms

Fortunately (or unfortunately)for me, I no longer live in blizzard central where I grew up and spent the first decade of my adult life. Still, the news of blizzards in the northeast has me feeling a bit nostalgic. It also has me thinking of all of the frugal things that my parents did during snow storms and blizzards to keep us kids warm, happy, and fed. Hang blankets for extra warmth: Growing up, our homes were fueled with oil. During snowstorms, the temperatures would drop causing us to run out of oil quicker. To slow down the consumption of heating … Continue reading →

Frighteningly Not Frugal

I just read an article about some halloween festivities that happened yesterday. A local town sponsored a pumpkin walk, where kids could visit downtown and trick or treat safely. The reporter’s angle on the story was that families were spending less money on Halloween this year than they had in years past. Statistics that were quoted put Halloween spending projected at $56 per person. Um, with a family of five, that means that I would be spending $280 total for costumes, decorations and treats. Gulp. Does that seem frugal to you. Perhaps the statistic meant per household? That $280 figure … Continue reading →

Is it Strange to be Frugal?

I did an interview this morning on Living without credit cards. It was on The Take Away, an early morning National Radio Show. Myself, a man in Los Angeles, and a financial expert Beth Kobliner were interviewed on life without credit cards and how we cope with them. During the radio interview and also during the pre-interview, I was introduced to the possibility that people look at the frugal, and especially those who live without credit cards as being a bit strange, and definitely off the mainstream. It never occurred to me that having good financial sense was odd. I … Continue reading →

Planning for a Frugal Retirement

I used to think about retirement as a time when you get to live luxuriously and spend all of the money that you spend so many years saving. As my dad got closer to retirement I got scared because I knew that he had not saved alot of money. I knew that he had spent all of his money on us, his kids. I wanted him to come live with my so that I could give him a comfortable retirement. He wanted not part of this. Instead he chose to live frugally and he is very comfortable and happy in … Continue reading →