Friday Series Coming Soon!

I have been working on living frugally for about five years. The past three years is where I made the most advances, thanks to the Tightwad Gazette and the fact I had an over the fridge freezer, and no longer had to move every year, due to living in the dorms at college, etc. When I look back on those years, I am amazed at how far I have come. None of this stuff happened overnight!

When frugality would come up among my fellow grad students, often the conversation would end with something like-

"I know I should (bake bread/hang laundry/shop sales/whatever) but it takes so much effort and I don't have time for that!"

Or:

"I know I should (stop eating off the dollar menu at Wendy's/not buy soda from vending machines/buy books at used shops or online used or use the library/shop at Goodwill/whatever) but I don't think those things really save that much money. It would not be worth it."

Sometimes when you're looking at it from the outside, frugality seems like tons and tons of work. And saving a dime off a bag of rice does not really seem like it would make much difference in the long run. But these things do have huge benefits! I am living proof.

If you tried to become a black belt tightwad overnight, you would be miserable. If you went from eating out every night and shopping at a favorite department store every weekend, it would seem like deprivation to suddenly stop. The best way to become frugal is in baby steps.

Starting this Friday, I am going to do a series on all of the baby steps that have brought myself and my husband to the point we are at now. We still have a long way to go before we can qualify for the title of blackbelt tightwad, but I know that we can get there by doing a few small things at a time. And if you do these small things, over time it will add up. It has taken me five years, but this journey has been worth it on levels I never imagined when I started.