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How We’re Surviving Social Distancing
This pandemic has us living in a whole new normal. Social distancing may keep us from doing our normal activities outside the house, but with some practical tips and a little bit of thought, we can get through this together.
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2020 No Spend Year – February Review + Frugal Five
We made it through February - woohoo! There were some unplanned expenditures this month, but we still saved money in the end. So how did we do in our No Spend February?
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How Frugal Can You Be? A No-Spend Experiment
Like all good conversation topics (joking), this idea came to me when someone asked in a Facebook group "Is there such a thing as a 'how-cheap-can-I-be? calculator?". I immediately looked to my husband to see if he could build a fancy pie chart pivot table spreadsheet, and alas, that wasn't what I got. Instead, he replied with some no-nonsense advice. "YA NEED A BUDGET!" Practical, true. Realistic, yes. But how do you calculate just how frugal can you be? Let's take this "how frugal can you be?" question into experiment mode!*
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How to Enjoy Frugality
Living frugally does not mean that you need to deprive yourself of everything enjoyable. Yes, you're out to save money but that doesn't mean you can't have stuff. As a frugal minimalist, our life feels luxurious. How?Our basic needs are met and we make our "wants" intentional. We view frugality as already having abundance, not deprivation. We enjoy our frugal lifestyle.
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How to Complete Your Very First Spending Audit
In a world of excess, it pays off to take a hard look at your spending habits. Society tells us "Buy more and save!", but really, you'll save 100% if you don't buy that product at all. So what do you spend money on every month in this "buy-more" world? Are you spending more than you make? Can you think of any areas of excess spending you can trim back? All of these questions can be answered with a spending audit.
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2020 No Spend Year – Rules, Goals + January Review
For 2020, we decided that a no spend year would put us back on track to saving more money and consuming less. We of course have a few rules and understand that everyone's idea of a "no-spend" challenge is different.
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Cheap (or Free) Date Night Ideas
No matter how long you’ve been in your current relationship, I bet you’ve gone on a few (dozen… or hundred) dates with this person. Some have probably been super fancy and impressive. I’m here to tell you that not all dates can come straight from a Hallmark movie. When you’re on a budget or just don’t want to give into lifestyle inflation, cheap date night ideas are a must.
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What’s a Budget Date? Why You Need Them as a Couple
Making budgets is just so romantic. I love it when my husband talks those numbers to me. SAID NO WIFE EVER. But yet, we need to talk about money. It’s hard to talk about money when you can’t seem to find the time. Maybe your jobs or kids get in the way of real, deep conversation about your finances. Several years ago when we decided to go to one income, my husband had an idea: let’s go to dinner and talk about our finances in a lower-pressure environment. It was then the budget date was born.
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How We Never Fight About Money
Money. It’s the thing that buys us food, clothing, and shelter. Money can be a source of pride or even a source of discomfort. Money can be fought over. But not in our house. I’m about to explain how we never fight about money. We may argue about other things, but our bank account isn’t one of them.
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Best Frugal Living Tips for 2020 – Save Money this Year!
Your money mindset matters. That mindset determines how you spend your money. If you don’t think frugal living is possible, then you’ll never achieve savings success - because you don’t see that as a goal! Whatever the reason you want to get into frugal living, here are some practical frugal living tips that can help save you hundreds of dollars every month.
Save. Live. Be Minimal.
