I just received two questions from a Frugal Living reader and I thought it may be helpful to answer them on the site and also get your input. I will answer her second question in a later post.photo by tj scenesRachael asks the question (paraphrased): When do I know when to stop buying? It's difficult to stop taking advantage of deals even when we don't need the items. I especially enjoy giving our extra deals to others, but we need to get out of debt.Great question! Here are my thoughts::: Set a monthly food & household budget and stick to it. I cannot stress this enough. Right now my budget is $265. My husband pulls that amount of cash from our Keep Reading
Frugal Dinners: Slow Cooker Chuck Roast
Slow Cooker Chuck Roast One thing you must know about me (Angela) is that I do not enjoy cooking. I am not particularly good at it. And when I become a millionaire, I plan to hire a full time cook/massage therapist/laundry folder. That said, I thought it may be helpful to post some dinners that I scrape together to inspire those who are bent in a similar way. Here's what I made for Friday's dinner: Slow Cooker Chuck Roast You will eventually notice that I do exactly the same thing with all other beef crockpot meals. Here are my ingredients: First, I dumped a 1 lb bag of baby carrots ($1) and about 7 organic, chopped potatoes ($.50) in Keep Reading
Guest Post: Earning Money from Home
photo by newagecrap Guest Post by Anne HughlettTwelve years ago, I was a stay at home mom with 3 boys, ages 5, 7 and 9. My youngest was in school 1/2 a day with the prospect of being gone a full day in the near future. While it looked like I may have a little time on my hands, it also meant a tuition bill for 3 kids in private school. The internet was relatively new, and I wanted to somehow use it to my advantage. I began to contemplate ways I could stay at home to be there for my family, while earning some kind of income to help stretch the finances. I checked out a few books from the library and investigated some online opportunities Keep Reading
Frugal Family Fun: OMSI Membership
With gas prices dropping, I am contemplating leaving the house again with my kids to explore Portland. And honestly, I need to get out of the house during the winter. In the past, we have had family memberships to both the Portland Children's Museum and the Oregon Zoo. I would definitely consider CM2 again; the Zoo is cool, but not more than once a year for our family.This year, I was thinking of asking for membership to OMSI for Christmas or forking over the cash myself. I have heard great things about their exhibits for preschoolers. I just received a promotional mailing from OMSI, offering a $20 off any membership. We would have to get the Keep Reading
Passing on a Financial Legacy
Conversation between Audrey, my 4-year old daughter, and me while driving in the car last night:Audrey: Mama, what is rich?Angela: It's when someone has more money than another person.Audrey: Safeway is rich because they give away money.Yes, Audrey B, they really do. Keep Reading
Frugal vs. Cheap
At our introduction class, I spoke about the definition of frugal living. I just ran across a post that I thought expanded on the idea.Northern Cheapskate writes:Frugality...is a lifestyle choice I have made for the greater good of my family. It represents the time I put into making the most of our limited resources so that I can be a better mother, wife, daughter, and friend.Read the entire article here.Enjoy! Keep Reading
Where to begin…
First, I want to thank all of you who attended the first Frugal Living Series class this morning! I think our maiden voyage was a success, though I am still picturing some of your overwhelmed faces. If you are one of the overwhelmed, let me give you some unsolicited advice: Start slow. You don't have to it all at once. Frugal Living is a lifestyle and is cultivated and mastered over time.If you're wondering to begin, here are a few suggestions (stop reading when you feel the panic creep up):1. Set your financial goals. You need lights at the end of the tunnel to remind you why you are working so hard to save money.2. Create your November cash flow plan Keep Reading