by galenrog » Thu Jul 09, 2020 1:28 pm
The best thing for frugal living is to get out of debt. I am not saying to turn your life upside down today, but rather to concentrate on one or two debts at a time, then going on to the next one. How long it takes will vary from one family to the next.
The second best thing is to build a reserve. Many of the experts say between six months and two years of regular expenses. This can not be done in a day or even a year. Just put a little away every payday. It will accumulate. When we have an unexpected expense or a job loss, the cushion takes much of the stress away, allowing us to consider options without panic.
Along with that reserve of cash, consider also things like food, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc. My goal has been one year of everything, but reality always gets in the way. I do have a year supply of several things, but not nearly enough.
This can not only help out you and your family, but friends and neighbors, as well. When toilet paper and paper towels were hard to get earlier this year, we kept nearby family, and a few neighbors supplied. Except for my mother, it was more barter than giving. Traded value for value.
Learning to cook and bake. Most people know only how to heat things up, not prepare from scratch. Factory prepared foods frequently have an excess of sodium, sugar, and a host of flavorings and preservatives.
When I began learning to bake breads, using traditional methods, I found that my wife could easily eat breads made with natural leavening, with a long fermentation time. She can not tolerate factory breads that have preservatives, dough enhancers, artificial flavorings, etc. One granddaughter has been diagnosed as having a gluten intolerance. She can easily eat my sourdough breads, regardless of the whole grains the flour is from. The enriched, shelf stable flours are a problem for her, as are bakers yeasts.
Living a healthy lifestyle also contributes to frugal living. Fewer medical issues being the result.
I could go on and on, but why bother. Most of you get the idea. The important thing is to get started. There will be hiccups and roadblocks along the way. Overcoming them can be very difficult. Just do your best and plod along.
Time for more coffee.
Mine Gold, Buy Silver. It Fills the Safe Faster.