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I always dream of being one of those ‘perfect’ Martha Stewart (minus the insider-trading) Clones.  I want to have an organized, clean house.  I want all my coupons to be perfectly filed. I want my canned goods lined up in alphabetical order, and my Christmas cards sent out well before December 22 and I never want to forget to send in another rebate again… Unfortunately, I fall far short of the mark in a lot of these areas.  I think most of us do, as it is almost impossible for us to be the ideal versions of ourselves all the time. (more…)

This economy is a great time to try to convince people to become more frugal. Everyone is struggling a bit, looking for ways to cut corners.  Those who previously scoffed at your old (paid-in-full) car and brown bag lunches may be ready to convert to the frugal camp.  The time is ripe for finding new friends who will share your interest in living a Money-Smart Life… don’t mess it up.  Here are 8 ways NOT to make new frugal friends… (more…)

Welcome to visitors who found this blog from the MSN Smart Spending Blog.  For those who celebrate Christmas, you probably have a lot on your plates today so I’ll provide this little page link which suggests some of my favorite articles to read (and of course refers to the mentions that these articles got at other great blogs.) in the hopes that you will stick around and find something you like and subscribe to my RSS feed and make my day.  Nothing like a little shameless self promotion for the Holidays

I will try to blog as much as I can over the next few days, but it looks like it is not going to be a very regular posting schedule until after the New Year.  Today, I am baking all day and then tomorrow is Christmas (duh) and then Friday I’m going after Christmas shopping (just to drug stores and to get free/almost free after Christmas clearance merchandise- no spending spree’s here).  Saturday I have family stuff, and then of course there will be New Years Eve Festivities.  

In case I don’t get a chance to post again, Merry Christmas to all those readers who chose to celebrate this Holiday in either a secular or religious sense.  And please feel free to post any suggestions for articles you would like to see in the New Year, or directions you want this blog to take.

I wrote this as a Guest Post at Clever Dude a little while ago, but I am now reprinting it here because I think it is a pretty good explanation for why I am the way I am…  

Why should I live frugally?  Why should I try to pay off my student loans early, instead of paying $661 a month for the next 30 years like Direct Loans wants me to?  Why shouldn’t I buy new clothes and a fifty inch LCD tv and a vacation to Europe?  Because I want to be free. (more…)

After I got fired for refusing to submit to my bosses insanity, I decided that I was really going to try to make a go of working for myself.  I love the freedom that comes with not having to answer to anyone, and I love that my success depends on me and me alone.  I don’t love the uncertainty of not knowing where my next paycheck is coming from.   (more…)

This is probably not feasible and it’s probably not ambitious.  But I am going to set a goal to get my grocery bill down to $0 a year.  Now, this doesn’t mean that I expect to pay nothing and I am not going to become a freegan because frankly that seems a little too hippie and alternative for my conservative taste.  No, my plan is much more complex and devious than that (and no I’m not going to steal from Wal-Mart or slip food into my coat pockets or learn how to smuggle a turkey out of a store).   There’s a bit more work and a bit less risk involved in my plan… (more…)

A lot of personal finance bloggers (myself included) blog about paying off debt, or their struggles to pay off debt, or about surviving on very small budgets.  Now, I’m not saying this is every single blog, but a vast majority of the ones that I read do involve some level of struggle with money.  Why is it that there aren’t a lot of blogs out there that involve people who have always been good with money, people who have plenty of it but are still trying to be wise about it?  Would this be the equivalent of a skinny person with a high metabolism running a diet site, perhaps?  Or is it just a simple fact that people who have some sort of struggles with money are more apt to care about how to be money conscious?   (more…)

Frugal Dutchess hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance and kindly chose my post, The 12 Frugal Days of Christmas, as an Editors Pick.  For those finding me from the Carnival, please subscribe via my RSS feed and/or check out some of my favorite posts around here:

Step By Step Guide to Grocery Savings

Why Its So Important To Track Your Expenses

My Comment on a Discover Card Commercial With a Terrible Lesson

Lessons My Parents Taught Me About Money

How to Save Energy and Impress Your Friends Using X10 Home Automation

Ways to Pay Down Your Mortgage Faster

10 Fun and Quirky Ways to Save Money

When you are a long way from getting out of debt, like we are, then it can seem like an insurmountable task.  When I look at my progress bars, and see I am less than 25% of the way through paying off the smaller loan, it is frustrating.  Especially when I consider how much money I am throwing at this debt.  It starts to seem like I am never going to get out.  So, how do I manage the frustration, and keep myself from giving up on my debt repayment plan?   (more…)