Lifestyle Inflation
One of the the most useful concepts on our way to financial independence (FI) was to prevent lifestyle inflation. One way we did this was by NOT spending any pay increases, bonuses and unexpected income. By limiting an increase in lifestyle all pay increases can go into savings. This became a somewhat painless way to […]
Get Together
Tonight we had the new neighbors over for dinner. I cooked some ribs, and they brought a wonderful pasta salad. We shared stories and got to know them. Good times. This highlights the frugal lifestyle. We met our neighbor when we fixed our mailboxes together. He suggested we get together and we scheduled it for […]
GE
Tonight I looked at my refrigerator and stove. The General Electric symbol displays proudly. I wondered why the the General Electric label stood out to me. I am not opposed to things like stainless or smart panels, but part of trying to achieve financial independence to use basic brands. Part of minimalism and frugality to […]
Food Bill
I found we were spending about $1,200 a month on food. We were eating out two to three times as week. To pay off debt, this had to change. Here are a few things we did to reduce food costs. One thing I make is pork chops. I use a nice cut of meat on […]
Car Inspection
One way we live frugally is by driving used cars. It’s important when buying a used car to know how inspect it. A used car that is 3-4 years old is a great way to reduce expenses.Note this list is not a substitute for having the car checked out by a professional mechanic. Questions for […]
Car Broke
So your car has broke down many times and the cost to fix it is more than the vehicle is worth. Time to go to the new car dealership and buy a new car with six to seven years of payments, right? Wrong. This is a critical point in time. You are frustrated and sick of […]
Capsule Wardrobe
Does anyone else struggle with minimalism? Two weeks ago I went down to a capsule wardrobe. That included six short sleeve polo, six long sleeve polo, three pairs of dress pants, a tweed sports jacket, one white dress shirt and the suit I was married in. I also have six tee shirts, three pairs of […]
Beans and Rice
Beans and rice can be boring. Dave Ramsey talks about eating beans and rice when getting out of debt. However, this really doesn’t address the problem. Did you ever go to church then asked if you wanted to go out afterwards? If you are starving for fellowship, the automatic answer is yes. You then pull […]
Bankrupt
The year was 2008. I was sitting in front of a credit committee who laid all my poor financial sins in front of me. A small credit union in Waterford, MI to whom I owed $3000 was passionately going through my bank records. Meanwhile, the Countrywide lawyer, to whom I owed $160,000, was silent.That silence […]
