Strollerderby
Budget Baby: 5 Frugal Living Ideas that Stink
More than anything, the housing market tumble is excellent fodder for nervous nights and hand-wringing days. Even if your family didn’t buy your dream palace in Northern California or Florida, the anxiety has a way of trickling down (Reagan was right after all.)
What better way to relax and enjoy your $4 cup of coffee than rolling your eyes at frugal living ideas that stink:
1. No more coffee on the go – Yes. We spend way too much money at places like Starbucks. In fact, some families spend all their discretionary income on lattes and mochas.
2. No more dining out – For modern families with little to no time or cooking know-how, sometimes takeout is the only real answer to “What’s for dinner?”
3. Embrace simple living – Again. Just not realistic for today’s grab and go families. Remember simplicity circles? Phooey!
4. Differentiate between wants and needs – Assuming one has shelter and food and clothing, the idea here is to be satisfied with enough is enough. As if.
5. Make your own kitchen curtains – Ok. This isn’t really a wide-spread idea at all. Especially since you can buy $2 curtains at Target that were made for 3 pennies by a Chinese child who works for gruel.
If the word “frugality” elicits the same emotional response as “Hey want me to tell you about the life cycle of the horse fly?” the idea of cutting back (no matter how necessary) like seems intimidating as well as unrealistic. But the honest truth is, we have to face facts. The polar bears are drowning, the children are sucking on poison bottles, and my closet is so full of clothing that I can’t find anything to wear.
Frugal living doesn’t have to mean eating Spam and crackers for dinner. As Rocket Finance blog describes it, cutting back is about spending priorities, not lack of spending.
There are a few fabulous money-saving related blogs out there that actually won’t make you break out in hives:
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6 Comments
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amHave you tried the Lean, Green Family? She’s at http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com/.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amIt
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amReagan was always right. . . jk
Thanks for the mention, we love this site.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amHi Redsy!
Thank you so much for the mention! I’m a firm believer that frugal living should not cause hives, rashes, or other skin irritations.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amI actually have become my mother and actually sometimes get a kick calculating how much money I can save in one day. And the reality is Starbucks coffee is worth about 10 cents so I make my own and put it in a travel cup.
nic commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amGone are the days when I get up at noon with a hangover, put on my dark sunglasses, go to the coffee shop, sit outside and wait for friends to have lunch at the cool cafe downtown and spend the rest of the afternoon walking and shopping for something to wear the next night. Money well spent! ha!
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