How low could you go with your budget?

[Soror]

I've been looking into frugal sites and such and ran across two that put a challenge to me.

 

One is:

Budgeting with the Bushmans

 

Another: (beware some cursing)

Mr. Money Mustache

 

I've long been drawn to voluntary simplicity and with dh's work situation being quite unstable right now we've had even more of a push to reduce our living expenses(thus the drive to pay off the house). I've been wondering where else am I missing that I could cut.

 

So, I'm wondering looking at your own budgets what could you survive on if you had to, what is your bare bones budget to still keep up with everything and eat of course(although not extravagantly). I'm not asking anyone what they do live off of but what would you cut down to if you had to? What would you cut if you/your spouse lost a job? I'm sure some of you have already experienced this.

 

Obviously with the 2 blogs above it took planning and prep to get there, lots of years living on low budgets and saving and such. Both of them have lived well below their means and moved to certain areas to be able to afford houses they could own outright and have lower expenses.

[Annie G]

The Bushman one seemed pretty hard to match. $25 a month for utilities? My electricity company charges half that just to have an account with them- so that means I'd only be able to use some $12 worth of electricity a month.

 

The other thing that is skewed is that they pay a lot of expenses with their tax refund, which I suspect might include earned income credit. Nothing against that, but it's not something the average person can use to pay their bills such as property taxes, car insurance and house taxes, etc.

 

There's nothing in the monthly budget for health care. Even though she says her part time employer provides free health insurance, there is usually a cost for doctors, prescriptions, etc.

 

Does anyone here insure a car even just liability only for less than $200 a year? Her $164 a year is a really, really good rate!!!

 

Good luck on your quest! Just don't get discouraged if you can't match her budget.

[Soror]

The Bushman one seemed pretty hard to match. $25 a month for utilities? My electricity company charges half that just to have an account with them- so that means I'd only be able to use some $12 worth of electricity a month.

 

The other thing that is skewed is that they pay a lot of expenses with their tax refund, which I suspect might include earned income credit. Nothing against that, but it's not something the average person can use to pay their bills such as property taxes, car insurance and house taxes, etc.

 

There's nothing in the monthly budget for health care. Even though she says her part time employer provides free health insurance, there is usually a cost for doctors, prescriptions, etc.

 

Does anyone here insure a car even just liability only for less than $200 a year? Her $164 a year is a really, really good rate!!!

 

Good luck on your quest! Just don't get discouraged if you can't match her budget.

 

I noticed that as well. I couldn't believe how low the car insurance was and we drive older vehicles. But we do have 3 vehicles. I am a bit of a miser on our electric use and ours is way more. But I don't have water usage either. We spend more on gas as well but dh has to drive to work. As with anything it is something to take what is useful and leave the rest. A challenge to see what more I can cut.

 

I've been working on the electricity for a good while and I can get it down to about 22kwH avg a day assuming no needs for heat or cooling. I can get it lower individual days but in the end that is my lowest avg so far.

[Runningmom80]

These blogs always make me feel like a failure. I follow a lot of blogs like this and I just can't figure it out. Groceries is the big one that I can't get down no matter what I do.

 

I so wish I could do this!

[elegantlion]

Well The Bushman one is not feasible for us because we have a house payment. Our house payment is small, but still there.

 

The second one seems extravagant compared to some of our expenses. They obviously live in a higher COL area than us.

 

We've had to be frugal in the last two years because of unemployment and health issues. Thankfully we had taken steps to drastically cut our housing expense at the beginning of the crisis. We can and do get by on very little now, but most of that has to do with securing less expensive housing.

 

One point I don't like on the second blog is his part about fixing up the house. My dh is a carpenter, but only the labor is free. Material costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. We've been able to afford some through bartering, but if you're a DIY-er it takes some creative finesse to do home improvement projects when you can't just hop down to Lowe's and buy all your materials at once.

[Jennifer in MI]

Those were fun to read. The Bushman one seemed WAY too simple for us. Sounds nice, but those numbers were WAY too low for our budget. The second one I'm going to start following. Yes, he has a lot of stuff, but he seems to have a great attitude about it and about money.

 

I sure wish I could get my bills as low as the first one! Wow! Property taxes for my house alone are over $6500/year! ACK! Car insurance (liability only) runs us $400 for a 13 year old minivan. And, then there are kids' activities! But, I am going to be going back through my budget with a fine tooth comb this weekend. I'll look to these blogs for help!

[happypamama]

A lot of that, we've already done. Some of it, we can't. It's not easy to get out of a mortgage, which also means we only have so low we can reduce our gas (commuting) and utility costs. (Plus, things like the chest freezer, fridge, washing machine, etc. cost what they cost; they're not optional items.)

 

We learned the hard way about lowering our auto insurance coverage to liability only. Less than three months after we canceled comp/collision insurance on an older but good condition paid-for vehicle, a freak accident killed it. Was definitely not worth the couple hundred we saved, since we ended up having to replace that vehicle when we had a fourth baby.

 

Food is hard. Yes, I *could* cut back on our food budget, and I have in the past couple of years; we used to eat more organic, more grass-fed meat, stuff like that. I could cut down even more, going to beans, rice, and heavy grains, but that affects our health, so I'm not thrilled about that prospect. It's tricky to balance current needs with future concerns (like paying for expensive medicines because of what we do now).

[Kathleen in VA]

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

[PentecostalMom]

My truck payment is more then her entire monthly budget. No way could we cut this low. :tongue_smilie:

[Lily_Grace]

We did a no-spend month at the beginning of the year - meaning, we only spent what we had to and paid cash for as much as we could. We saved about half of dh's income, which surprised us all. I honestly thought we were bare-bones before, but it showed us how much slips through. Some of it was put-off purchases (we bought printer ink the first of the next month!) but most of it went directly to help pay off the car (which, thanks to DR, was paid off in half the time!).

 

We do Dave Ramsey style budgeting, so we're now at the point where we build up an emergency fund to cover our expenses for 3-6 months. Right now, without a house payment, we could get by comfortably on $4500 for 3 months, but about $3000 would be bare minimum for food, car expenses, phone, etc.

[happypamama]

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

 

Thank you -- I totally agree. Show me how to barter when your husband is already gone 60 hours a week, holding on to the job he is still blessed to have, plus spending time to mow the grass and maintain the furnace (which reduces heating costs), and he still has to sleep sometime, to say nothing of seeing his children and wife sometimes; there's just no more time for him to barter work for things.

[DawnM]

Bushmans

 

$300 groceries (ok, I could do that if necessary)

$30 for internet (we pay $44 but could go to cheaper plan)

 

From there on, she lost me! No way we could live that way. We couldn't even get it down that low.

 

Now, the real question.....what is their income? I would like to see that.

[Desert Rat]

When dh was laid off for over a year, we went bare bones.

We finished paying off the van. A drunk driver took dh's truck out so we had only one vehicle (still do) and one insurance to pay. I shop around every 6 months for better rates.

We set the thermostat at 64 winter and 80 summer. (The one thing I'm so grateful not to have to do-the rest I could live with.)

Food was bare minimum-no chips, store bought crackers, etc. unless I had a really good coupon. Competitor shopping was a must, as was couponing. We still do this.

We bartered for any work we had to do. For car repairs and plumbing, I traded babysitting or house cleaning.

No extras that weren't free-no movies, dinners out, new clothes (unless absolutely necessary), fast food, museums, activities (except the boys' sports). With the boys' sports, I offered to clean the studio in exchange for TKD lessons.

I helped people clear out their garages and extra stuff and asked if they would donate it to me, then held yard sales.

With a little bit of family help ad lots of luck, we came out of 16 months of being laid-off without any credit card debt. We were fortunate that we were stable before he lost his job. But, it was incredibly nice to be almost stable after he went back to work too. I understand people live like we did all the time. I recognize how lucky I am.

We did go a bit crazy when we did have money. I replaced some clothes. We finally fixed the bathroom, things like that. Oh, and I went back to work p/t when dh was laid off. I'm still working.

[DawnM]

Well, I wonder what sort of jobs they have.

 

Dh needs to be in a large/major city. His job simply requires it. You won't find what he does in smaller areas.

 

$13K might get you rent for a year in a sketchy neighborhood and if you are willing to live in 600-800 or so sq. ft.

 

There seems to be a LOT she is leaving out. Birthday and Christmas gifts, travel (do they never go anywhere?) Do her kids never go to birthday parties?

Do they never meet friends for coffee?

 

What about clothing? Do they buy clothing or are they nudists?

 

In short, I don't believe that this is all they spend.

 

Dawn

 

 

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Even if her other numbers aren't fictitious, what kind of house can you get for $13,000 that doesn't need major repairs? Or even a regular house- she has no money in the budget for home repairs, health care, or other emergencies. $25 for utilities is also unrealistic in my area.

[Tarreymere]

I like to read those sorts of blogs to get ideas, but of course you have to take what you read and apply it to your own situation. I'm blessed to live in an inexpensive area, and my dh only works a 36-hour week, but I know that man and he simply would NOT even consider mowing someone else's lawn even for outright cash. We both have WOW accounts, and we've talked about giving those up and getting rid of the internet (I think it's a good idea, actually, and that we would spend more time with the kids) but again, it isn't something dh would ever agree to.

 

Oh, and we do live in an area where it isn't unheard of to have a house for sale for $13K and have it be habitable and not need major repairs. Of course, salaries are a lot lower here too and the job selection is a bit limited.

 

 

I know we live pretty simply, but I also know I personally could cut expenses even more than I do. I know I could bring in some money while staying at home, mainly by agreeing to the many requests I get for babysitting. But having extra kids in the house is stressful and dh doesn't like it. I could garden, but honestly I really hate it and I hate canning. I bake my own bread and I think it's good, but dh brings home the store-bought and they eat that first because it's pre-sliced and the slices are uniform :glare:

 

Dh and I have slipped back into our terrible Coke Zero habit again, too. Our grocery bill is around $600 for the month with six people and we do just fine with that. I could cut it down, and bake more, but with no ac and this heat intolerance (not sure if it's my bp meds or what) I just can't stand to turn the oven on. So we will spend a little more on groceries now until Fall when I can do soups and biscuits and things.

 

We don't have a car half the time, and that's worked out okay since dh can ride a bicycle to work, but he can't ride in the winter with the snow we get here.

 

I'd like more money to spend on books, and I'm trying to scrounge up enough cash to get a family swim pass to the local community pool for the year right now ($200) so they probably will have to adjust to having me babysit a bit to bring in that money.......or else it will have to come out of the food budget or something. We do have plenty of lakes and things around here to swim at but that community pool is so nice and clean I'm determined to get a pass this year.

[FaithManor]

The Bushman one seemed pretty hard to match. $25 a month for utilities? My electricity company charges half that just to have an account with them- so that means I'd only be able to use some $12 worth of electricity a month.

 

The other thing that is skewed is that they pay a lot of expenses with their tax refund, which I suspect might include earned income credit. Nothing against that, but it's not something the average person can use to pay their bills such as property taxes, car insurance and house taxes, etc.

 

There's nothing in the monthly budget for health care. Even though she says her part time employer provides free health insurance, there is usually a cost for doctors, prescriptions, etc.

 

Does anyone here insure a car even just liability only for less than $200 a year? Her $164 a year is a really, really good rate!!!

 

Good luck on your quest! Just don't get discouraged if you can't match her budget.

 

 

I don't know where this person lives, but this is sooooo far out of touch with reality, it is almost comical.

 

First of all, while Michigan has experienced an extraordinary repossession rate in the housing market, it hasn't started giving liveable houses away. Oh, yes, if you want to buy a repo that has had all of the copper wiring ripped out of the walls and sold for scrap, fixtures torn out and sold, and is completely uninhabitable without $20,000 - 30,000 in materials and then the sweat of your brow, assuming you as an individual know enough of what you are doing to rewire and replumb a house and meet building code inspections, then maybe one could buy said house.

 

It is $200.00 to turn on the electricity and it's billed over the first 12 months cycle. So $25.00 would be eaten up mostly by the cost of turning it on, then there is a minimum useage charge so even if you didn't use the electricity, you will still be charged for it. Heat...I know of not one single apartment in this area that can be heated for less than $100.00 a month. A house of any size, cannot be heated for less. One does not have the option of setting the heat low enough to consume only $25.00 in utility cost because all of the pipes would burst and the people inside might die of hypothermia. I supposed the ideal is to then live in south Florida. Where in south Florida one would buy a liveable home for $13,000.00 and have an electric bill of $25.00, I do not know. Aligator Alley with a tent pitched in the swamp????

 

The cheapest internet is $69.99 a month here.

 

PLPD and nothing else on an old beater car is $900.00 a year. Michigan is a No Fault insurance state so rates are higher.

 

Food, I could make due on $300.00 a month. I would not be doing that with pride. It would mean that most of the food was processed and unhealthy with limited produce. As it is, I have worked really hard to have it down to $500.00 a month just to help the boys see how much they prefer to eat and they think I'm starving them!

 

We take vitamins, ds sees the cardiologist once a year and our portion of that $1300.00 bill is $400.00, and I spend from May through October approximately $34.00 per month for me and $12.00 per month for youngest ds on allegra for the two of us. They had no budget for medical expenses. As for free medical insurance...living in dreamland. Just because they have it doesn't mean everyone can get one of the rare jobs that would provide it. We pay $500.00 per month or half of the $12,000.00 per year premium with dh's employer paying the other and I'm grateful to have it.

 

I can't buy clothing at thrift stores for the boys. Ds #1 as a 27 inch waist and 30 inch inseam...this does not exist in the men's department. I have to go to places like Old Navy, Kohl's young men's department, and JcPenney for his pants. I never see these brands in these sizes at the thrift store though sometimes I can buy shirts for him. DS #2 is 5'6" tall and ways 85 lbs....22" waist. I have to get boys size 16 slims that also have the adjustable waist and then pull them up as tight as they will go. I never see these at the thrift store either. Youngest boy is very, very similar in shape.

 

I could definitely shave some from our budget. Our electric bill is $150.00, almost $200.00 in the winter because of the duck waterers and the heat lamps on the lizards. If we had a major economic problem, we'd sell the ducks and lizards which would eliminate probably $75.00 in electricity (outside waterers are not cheap to run and electric is expensive here) and $12.00-15.00 in feed costs. If I could put up more food at harvest time, I could shave $50.00 a month off the food bill.

 

Gas for cars. It's a trade off. For many people, the cost of driving to work is less than living near their work. We would literally have to double our monthly budget in order to live anywhere near the corporate offices. That's WAY more than gas for a car.

 

We could give up 4-H and the rocket team. We sponsor a lot of kids in their science pursuits and it costs us roughly $2000.00 per year to do so. We could get rid of that expense. The question is, do we want to? The answer is, "No, not unless forced to do so."

 

We are 16 months from being debt free. So, for us, economically many things will change at that point. No house payment, no car payment, and no payment on the money we borrowed to make this church into a home...we didn't have enough working capitol and ended up borrowing. All of that will be gone. The day that last house payment is made, we will be having a very big party!

 

There is more to life than just congratulating oneself on being a succesful miser.

 

Faith

Edited June 4, 2012 by FaithManor

[LuvToRead]

Where is the budget for toiletries and paper goods? I wonder if that is included in groceries.

 

I live in a fairly low COL living area, and there is no way I could go that low. I pay $40/month for the privilege of having electricity. A $13,000 house in our area would need thousands of dollars of repairs just to make it livable. I spend more than $40/week in gas for the van. I just don't think this is feasible for the average family. Also, $75/week for groceries and I am assuming toiletry items would not go very far at all.

Edited June 4, 2012 by LuvToRead

[DawnM]

See, you need to move South.....my boys pretty much live in shorts, and will only put on long pants when they have to (like when they are told by Scouts they have to wear them!) Shorts are far easier to fit when you don't have to worry about length, you can even find them used!

 

Dawn

 

I can't buy clothing at thrift stores for the boys. Ds #1 as a 27 inch waist and 30 inch inseam...this does not exist in the men's department. I have to go to places like Old Navy, Kohl's young men's department, and JcPenney for his pants. I never see these brands in these sizes at the thrift store though sometimes I can buy shirts for him. DS #2 is 5'6" tall and ways 85 lbs....22" waist. I have to get boys size 16 slims that also have the adjustable waist and then pull them up as tight as they will go. I never see these at the thrift store either. Youngest boy is very, very similar in shape.

 

I could definitely shave some from our budget. Our electric bill is $150.00, almost $200.00 in the winter because of the duck waterers and the heat lamps on the lizards. If we had a major economic problem, we'd sell the ducks and lizards which would eliminate probably $75.00 in electricity (outside waterers are not cheap to run and electric is expensive here) and $12.00-15.00 in feed costs. If I could put up more food at harvest time, I could shave $50.00 a month off the food bill.

 

Gas for cars. It's a trade off. For many people, the cost of driving to work is less than living near their work. We would literally have to double our monthly budget in order to live anywhere near the corporate offices. That's WAY more than gas for a car.

 

We could give up 4-H and the rocket team. We sponsor a lot of kids in their science pursuits and it costs us roughly $2000.00 per year to do so. We could get rid of that expense. The question is, do we want to? The answer is, "No, not unless forced to do so."

 

We are 16 months from being debt free. So, for us, economically many things will change at that point. No house payment, no car payment, and no payment on the money we borrowed to make this church into a home...we didn't have enough working capitol and ended up borrowing. All of that will be gone. The day that last house payment is made, we will be having a very big party!

 

There is more to life than just congratulating oneself on being a succesful miser.

 

Faith

[elegantlion]

 

There seems to be a LOT she is leaving out. Birthday and Christmas gifts, travel (do they never go anywhere?) Do her kids never go to birthday parties?

Do they never meet friends for coffee?

 

What about clothing? Do they buy clothing or are they nudists?

 

In short, I don't believe that this is all they spend.

 

Dawn

 

Well we avoided the above for a long while, still are in some respects. Birthday and Christmas gifts are cards unless they are for immediate family. Most people we give to appreciate a phone call and a heartfelt note over more stuff anyway. Ds's friends aren't having parties at this age. No, we can't meet friends for coffee, if I do I'm not buying a 5.00 coffee.

 

Travel? :lol: We adore traveling, but we just don't right now. Gas money has to be saved for getting to work. It sucks, but if you're living frugally you just don't some things that others take for granted.

 

We had to attend a wedding recently. It took all our extra money just for the gas to get there (not going wasn't an option). the gift? I repurposed part of an old door dh had cut up for me to use as projects. I made a tray. Cost? 5.00 for the handles I put on it. We had the spray paint. It was perfect for this couple. Even if it hadn't of been perfect for this couple, it would have been the gift because that is all we had.

 

Clothing? If you look around clothing can be a very minimal expense. Most people have clothes to start with and with the exception of children, you can make clothes last a long while. I don't think dh has had new clothes in two years. We did have someone give us clothes for ds, some of those fit dh. He doesn't wear out clothing either. Ds is still wearing shorts from last year. My parents bought him shirts for the summer.

 

Thrifts stores are abundant in our area. Even if you're picky you could create a decent wardrobe from that and shopping deep clearance racks. Come to think of it the only new clothes I bought myself this year were from gift cards I got for my birthday. Shoes for ds are our biggest clothing expense and thankfully he hasn't outgrown shoes before he wears them out yet.

 

I think the above is the emotional part of living frugally. What so many people take for granted as part of their everyday life, you just don't do. Living in a rural area is easier because the plethora of consumerism isn't in your face on a daily basis. I don't drive by a Starbucks because there isn't one in town. :tongue_smilie:

 

When you don't have a choice to cut back, you just kind of endure. But if you are making a choice you know that some people will end up treating you differently because of the choices you're making. I hang my clothes to dry on my deck railing. If we were in a suburban HOA neighborhood, I probably couldn't do that. In our town it's not an issue.

 

I have to turn down some invitations because of $. Right now it's our reality. If we were choosing to do this intentionally it would be harder for me to take.

 

As I look back this was one of the benefits of choosing to homeschool, we could control the expenses of his education. Previously he had been in private school and the requests for money were always there and usually wanted within a time frame that wasn't feasible for us, iow we wouldn't get paid before the money was due.

 

It can be very freeing to step out of the typical American consumer lifestyle, it can also be frustrating as you're figuring out personal boundaries and redefining what is truly important to you.

[Jenny in Florida]

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

 

Exactly.

 

Some of her numbers seem fine. For example, if I really, really had to do it, I could feed us on $300 a month, I think. Currently, I'm spending about $540, and it includes lots of luxuries (like soda and bakery items for my husband). It would be tight, but I could cut there if it were necessary.

 

And our water bill is similar.

 

But a lot of it is simply ridiculous. Like that $24 per month for utilities? We're one of those families who keep our thermostat at temperatures other folks here said would be too miserable to tolerate. I'm obsessed with turning off lights and that sort of thing. And our monthly electric bill is 10 times the Bushmans'.

 

Gas for the car? My husband drives a MINI, which gets pretty darned good MPG. But he commutes 40 or so minutes to work each way five days a week. Currently, it's over $40 just to fill up the tank on his car once. And he needs to do that at least three times per month. So, that makes our budget three times theirs.

 

We rent a smallish, older house. But it still costs us $1,300 per month.

 

And $34 for internet and phone? Here the least expensive plan available for basic internet is more than that ($50), without so much as local phone service.

 

And, good grief, the music lessons? I don't know what they're doing for $100 for four kids, but that $100 wouldn't pay the going rate here for weekly lessons for one child.

 

Are there things we can learn from these kinds of blogs? Sure. But this one seems both unrealistic and dishonest (like not disclosing that some of what most of us consider monthly expenses are paid in lump sums from their tax refunds).

[Soror]

We've had to be frugal in the last two years because of unemployment and health issues. Thankfully we had taken steps to drastically cut our housing expense at the beginning of the crisis. We can and do get by on very little now, but most of that has to do with securing less expensive housing.

 

One point I don't like on the second blog is his part about fixing up the house. My dh is a carpenter, but only the labor is free. Material costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. We've been able to afford some through bartering, but if you're a DIY-er it takes some creative finesse to do home improvement projects when you can't just hop down to Lowe's and buy all your materials at once.

Yes, we've done a TON of home improvement and finishing here but materials still cost, even if you shop around. We've just done it as we could afford it. Most of the things you can find as well are more on the finishing end, it is pretty impossible to find something like sheetrock or such used as you cannot reuse it.

Those were fun to read. The Bushman one seemed WAY too simple for us. Sounds nice, but those numbers were WAY too low for our budget. The second one I'm going to start following. Yes, he has a lot of stuff, but he seems to have a great attitude about it and about money.

 

I sure wish I could get my bills as low as the first one! Wow! Property taxes for my house alone are over $6500/year! ACK! Car insurance (liability only) runs us $400 for a 13 year old minivan. And, then there are kids' activities! But, I am going to be going back through my budget with a fine tooth comb this weekend. I'll look to these blogs for help!

Glad it was helpful. I prefer the second one as well in tone, although a bit rough at times.

 

We learned the hard way about lowering our auto insurance coverage to liability only. Less than three months after we canceled comp/collision insurance on an older but good condition paid-for vehicle, a freak accident killed it. Was definitely not worth the couple hundred we saved, since we ended up having to replace that vehicle when we had a fourth baby.

 

Food is hard. Yes, I *could* cut back on our food budget, and I have in the past couple of years; we used to eat more organic, more grass-fed meat, stuff like that. I could cut down even more, going to beans, rice, and heavy grains, but that affects our health, so I'm not thrilled about that prospect. It's tricky to balance current needs with future concerns (like paying for expensive medicines because of what we do now).

We had a similiar thing happen with a car. The month after we reduced to liability our house w/ attached garage burned, the car inside. Thankfully we had already saved up to replace it, thus why we dropped it but I'd rather keep the full coverage up until the value drops way down(not that our vehicles are worth a ton as it is but about $6k each for 2 of ours)

 

We did a no-spend month at the beginning of the year - meaning, we only spent what we had to and paid cash for as much as we could. We saved about half of dh's income, which surprised us all. I honestly thought we were bare-bones before, but it showed us how much slips through. Some of it was put-off purchases (we bought printer ink the first of the next month!) but most of it went directly to help pay off the car (which, thanks to DR, was paid off in half the time!).

 

We do Dave Ramsey style budgeting, so we're now at the point where we build up an emergency fund to cover our expenses for 3-6 months. Right now, without a house payment, we could get by comfortably on $4500 for 3 months, but about $3000 would be bare minimum for food, car expenses, phone, etc.

Awesome, we've not had a complete no spend month but been pretty darn close. It is amazing what you can do without if you think outside the box.

 

Thank you -- I totally agree. Show me how to barter when your husband is already gone 60 hours a week, holding on to the job he is still blessed to have, plus spending time to mow the grass and maintain the furnace (which reduces heating costs), and he still has to sleep sometime, to say nothing of seeing his children and wife sometimes; there's just no more time for him to barter work for things.

 

I think the point is to start where you are at, nothing is feasible for everyone. That is why I like reading a wide variety of views.

 

Like electricity we have a very old non-energy efficient hot water heater but it would take forever to make a payback to replace it while it is still working. Dh has to drive about 25 miles one way to work each day, which means more in gas money. We did buy a little fuel efficient car last year to help but it still is about $150 a month just for his gas to and from work. There aren't any comparable jobs close to us though and we like where we live and there are other positives. We are able to do more to be self-sufficient where we live.

 

As I said as well it is a process. Dh had I both had a car payment when we got married. Dh sold his the day before the marriage as we know we couldn't afford it and I paid mine off in a few years and we never bought a vehicle with a payment after that.

 

I'm naturally frugal by nature and dh as well(although not to the same degree) so when we built we kept the loan really low. When you are already in the place of having lots of debt you are going to have to do a lot of groundwork to get anywhere near there. Plus, we all have to decide what is worth it to cut.

 

We buy grassfed and local meat as well and some organics. I'm continually looking for ways to cut costs though and still keep up with that. Right now my avg for this year is about $400 for groceries and should actually go down a bit(as it is up right now from just purchasing most all of our meat last month and this one). I buy a lot in big bulk, do a lot from scratch and keep it simple. Dh also hunts and we are trying to raise our own as well, but that takes a while it is not a simple or quick process and there are some initial investments a lot of time. So, we do a bit at a time as we can and try to focus on things that will give us the quickest and biggest payback.

 

My bare bones budget right now is about $1500

House, Taxes and Insurance- $645

Electricity(all electric w/ well- levelized bill is avg for yr each mnth)-$118

Paper/Cleaning(we use all cloth except tp and make simple cleaners)-$5

Groceries-$300

Gas-$200

Car Repairs-$100

Car Maintenance(dh does himself)-$10

Car Insurance-$70

Personal Care(I buy very, very few things)-$5

Misc-$45

Car license(one yr it is 1 vehicle, then 2 and then none)-$0- $5-$10

$1498

 

We've been living pretty close to that this year already so we can save as much as possible. When the house is paid off we will knock $400 off the monthly budget. My goal is to get it to where we can live off unemployment if need be which would be about $1200 a month. We also have an emergency fund BUT I want to be prepared as neither of us would be surprised if dh's employer up and closed. They've already closed other locations and his place has had 20% laid off. The thought of losing your income is a big motivator!

[DawnM]

Well, I don't know their income and she doesn't state it, which is a bit frustrating, but she does say they have a healthy savings account for a future home and for some other things......in that case, they do have some extra and could do some of the things listed. I can't imagine not allowing your child to attend a party because you need that $8 so that you can keep your blog at an impressive level.

 

Believe me, we buy used clothing and shoes, and we are more than willing to take hand me downs for free! We have no issues with that at all! But, we still need something of a budget even for used items.

 

We do live modestly. I won't say frugally because we do have the income to support living decently. But we do find the cheapest way to do things and we do have a budget, and we do follow Dave Ramsey.

 

Dawn

 

Well we avoided the above for a long while, still are in some respects. Birthday and Christmas gifts are cards unless they are for immediate family. Most people we give to appreciate a phone call and a heartfelt note over more stuff anyway. Ds's friends aren't having parties at this age. No, we can't meet friends for coffee, if I do I'm not buying a 5.00 coffee.

 

Travel? :lol: We adore traveling, but we just don't right now. Gas money has to be saved for getting to work. It sucks, but if you're living frugally you just don't some things that others take for granted.

 

We had to attend a wedding recently. It took all our extra money just for the gas to get there (not going wasn't an option). the gift? I repurposed part of an old door dh had cut up for me to use as projects. I made a tray. Cost? 5.00 for the handles I put on it. We had the spray paint. It was perfect for this couple. Even if it hadn't of been perfect for this couple, it would have been the gift because that is all we had.

 

Clothing? If you look around clothing can be a very minimal expense. Most people have clothes to start with and with the exception of children, you can make clothes last a long while. I don't think dh has had new clothes in two years. We did have someone give us clothes for ds, some of those fit dh. He doesn't wear out clothing either. Ds is still wearing shorts from last year. My parents bought him shirts for the summer.

 

Thrifts stores are abundant in our area. Even if you're picky you could create a decent wardrobe from that and shopping deep clearance racks. Come to think of it the only new clothes I bought myself this year were from gift cards I got for my birthday. Shoes for ds are our biggest clothing expense and thankfully he hasn't outgrown shoes before he wears them out yet.

 

I think the above is the emotional part of living frugally. What so many people take for granted as part of their everyday life, you just don't do. Living in a rural area is easier because the plethora of consumerism isn't in your face on a daily basis. I don't drive by a Starbucks because there isn't one in town. :tongue_smilie:

 

When you don't have a choice to cut back, you just kind of endure. But if you are making a choice you know that some people will end up treating you differently because of the choices you're making. I hang my clothes to dry on my deck railing. If we were in a suburban HOA neighborhood, I probably couldn't do that. In our town it's not an issue.

 

I have to turn down some invitations because of $. Right now it's our reality. If we were choosing to do this intentionally it would be harder for me to take.

 

As I look back this was one of the benefits of choosing to homeschool, we could control the expenses of his education. Previously he had been in private school and the requests for money were always there and usually wanted within a time frame that wasn't feasible for us, iow we wouldn't get paid before the money was due.

 

It can be very freeing to step out of the typical American consumer lifestyle, it can also be frustrating as you're figuring out personal boundaries and redefining what is truly important to you.

[Jenny in Florida]

See, you need to move South.....my boys pretty much live in shorts, and will only put on long pants when they have to (like when they are told by Scouts they have to wear them!) Shorts are far easier to fit when you don't have to worry about length, you can even find them used!

 

We live in Florida. Most of my son's friends (including the one who's 6'2" and measures about 25 inches around the waist) wear shorts year round.

 

My son won't leave the house in shorts. For the last two years, he's tried manfully to convince me it's acceptable to wear sweat pants for swimming.

[FaithManor]

See, you need to move South.....my boys pretty much live in shorts, and will only put on long pants when they have to (like when they are told by Scouts they have to wear them!) Shorts are far easier to fit when you don't have to worry about length, you can even find them used!

 

Dawn

 

 

Dawn, I'm deathly allergic to Florida. A number of the pollens kill me! We lived in Port St. John's area on the Atlantic coast (near NASA) for one year when dh worked there and I couldn't leave the house. There wasn't enough prescription allergy med or injections to keep me going. He promptly found another job up north here where my allergies are only seasonal and very controllable! As for the shorts thing, the ds's would be in 7th heaven!

 

I did think about clothing since I posted. DH works a corporate job. He does get to work from home 4 days per week, but once per week he drives into the city to the offices and he's expected to be Mr. well dressed. That's the deal...Now, we manage his clothing without being totally extravagant but it isn't easy. His meetings are with high ups in the company and a Sears brand suit isn't going to cut it! However, clearance racks have been wonderful. He recently needed one more suit for his trip to Germany because he has to wear a suit everyday and the negotiations on the contract are steep...he can't repeat. I found a Ralph Lauren three button NWT on ebay in his size, unhemmed pants to I can make them the perfect inseam, etc. delivered to our door for less than $75.00. Even on casual days which would indicate polos and chinos...the clothing can't have a hint of fading. So polos rarely last more than a year because even the best of brands can only be laundered so many times before he can't wear them to work or be accused of "sloppy".

 

In our area the school teachers have a dress code and so one would have to have a clothing budget. While some things could be purchased at thrift stores, the reality is that our local ones are very, very poor. Nice suits, ties, womens' dress wear, etc. not to be found unless it is 30 years old. Our banks even have tight dress codes for their employees. So, I think that for people with these kinds of jobs, they would have to maintain a decent clothing budget...maybe they live somewhere with cheap use clothes that will fit the bill, but not every area is going to have that so the "no clothing budget" or "nearly no clothing budget" won't work for everyone. Shoot, I even have a dress code for working at the quilt store. No denim, nothing faded, no t-shirts. I haven't been able to find a pair of pants at thrift store that fit me right in more than three years!

 

Oh, and my dad expects his employees - the ones doing installations - to provide steel tipped boots with insulation, leather, insulated work gloves with no holes, etc. Since they come into contact directly with customers, they have to look neat despite wearing construction type clothes. So, he'd pull the plug on worn out stuff and boots that had seen better days. Soooooo many jobs have requirements for appearance. I've NEVER seen a pair of these kinds of boots at a thriftstore.

 

Faith

Edited June 4, 2012 by FaithManor

[DawnM]

Oh my word! Really?

 

Our friends tease my kids and call them the California kids because they hate wearing pants. They just hate it. I have to make them wear jeans if we will be outside for any length of time.

 

Dawn

 

We live in Florida. Most of my son's friends (including the one who's 6'2" and measures about 25 inches around the waist) wear shorts year round.

 

My son won't leave the house in shorts. For the last two years, he's tried manfully to convince me it's acceptable to wear sweat pants for swimming.

[KirstenH]

Maybe if we really tried, we could knock back our budget to $3500 a month. No eating out, no buying new stuff. Our only real debt is our mortgage, but we have two paid-for cars to fuel, insure and maintain; two hungry boys to feed nutritious meals; and an electric bill, cell phones and high-speed internet to pay for (a necessity if my husband wants to remain employed). We also pay a small portion of our family's health insurance plan (DH's employer covers the rest).

 

I have no interest in cutting things down to the bone, but we could tighten things up for sure. Restaurant meals alone are running us like $500+ a month. We really need to stop that.

 

I didn't see any mention of health insurance on the page that was linked. What happens if they get sick? I had cancer surgery this year and the bill was over $50,000, which (thank God) was paid by insurance. Does their extreme frugality result in their having that kind of cash sitting around? Somehow I doubt it, since they are bragging about living on a single part-time income. Illness doesn't care about your budget.

 

ETA: Oh, I see in the comments on that post that the part-time employer pays 100% of their insurance. That is unheard of and if it's true, they are INCREDIBLY lucky. Most people I know with really good full-time jobs don't even have 100% of their insurance paid for by their employer.

Edited June 4, 2012 by KirstenH

[DawnM]

I really get far more help from

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338819564&sr=8-1

 

It is a bit outdated, so you have to add in inflation costs (I think she got jeans for .25 at yard sales. I rarely find them for less than $2 in good shape)

 

But she is far more practical than just posting some budget that leaves people guessing as to how she does it.

 

Dawn

[angela in ohio]

That's funny... "Look at our low monthly budget!!!!! (Oh, but we pay most of our bills yearly.)" Their budget is impressive to start with, but they lose me at the point where they aren't honest about their actual monthly expenses.

 

If dh lost his job, we could live on a lot less, of course. We could get down to just one cell phone (cheaper than a land line,) propane, auto insurance and gas for one car (they are paid off and we could sell one,) electricity, groceries, and our already-low mortgage (which includes taxes and insurance.) Internet could come from the library, and dc would go to public school. Our fixed expenses are already pretty low intentionally.

[DawnM]

She says her part time job covers insurance.

 

Maybe if we really tried, we could knock back our budget to $3500 a month. No eating out, no buying new stuff. Our only real debt is our mortgage, but we have two paid-for cars to fuel, insure and maintain; two hungry boys to feed nutritious meals; and an electric bill, cell phones and high-speed internet to pay for (a necessity if my husband wants to remain employed). We also pay a small portion of our family's health insurance plan (DH's employer covers the rest).

 

I have no interest in cutting things down to the bone, but we could tighten things up for sure. Restaurant meals alone are running us like $500+ a month. We really need to stop that.

 

I didn't see any mention of health insurance on the page that was linked. What happens if they get sick? I had cancer surgery this year and the bill was over $50,000. Does their extreme frugality result in their having that kind of cash sitting around? Somehow I doubt it, since they are bragging about living on a single part-time income. Illness doesn't care about your budget.

[elegantlion]

Oh my word! Really?

 

Our friends tease my kids and call them the California kids because they hate wearing pants. They just hate it. I have to make them wear jeans if we will be outside for any length of time.

 

Dawn

 

We were in the south for five years, ds lived in shorts. Even though we're back in the midwest it takes a long cold front for him to put on pants. I do miss that aspect of living where its summer most of the time.

[Soror]

re: clothing - as adults most people could get by for many, many years without buying anything out of need. For the kids we don't buy a lot of clothes and if we do they are used. Most of the time they are around the house so only need a few outfits that are nicer anyway, which makes things easier.

 

re: gifts- We don't go to a lot and don't do extravagant for our own here. I usually find things on clearance for supercheap when I see them and that would go in misc for me. Dh and I never buy for each other.

 

Also, for me I'm talking about bare bones here, if dh loses his job we sure as heck aren't going to do anything but necessity certainly no parties, vacation etc.

 

For me I like to see what we can do without and still live fully. I think a lot of what our culture attaches to necessary spending for a "good" life is not necessary at all. We've been traveling locally and doing staycations. There are lots of free things as well out there to do.

[elegantlion]

She says her part time job covers insurance.

 

And how many part time jobs cover insurance? Very few, right?

[Jenny in Florida]

:lol:

 

That kind of sounds like my husband. He hates shorts for some reason. I don't get it. I wear them whenever I can get away with it.

 

Me, too! I've asked him many times over the years why he hates shorts, and have never yet gotten an actual answer.

 

The funny thing is that the kid is a dancer. From about age six, he's gone on stage in front of hundreds of people in tights. But shorts? In his own neighborhood? No way!

[Soror]

I really get far more help from

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338819564&sr=8-1

 

It is a bit outdated, so you have to add in inflation costs (I think she got jeans for .25 at yard sales. I rarely find them for less than $2 in good shape)

 

But she is far more practical than just posting some budget that leaves people guessing as to how she does it.

 

Dawn

 

I love the Tightwad Gazette. In defense of the Bushman lady she does have other posts talking about things they do to cut costs, that was just one post. The same w/ the other blog I linked. I already do all the basic things though and I like looking at the extreme for new ideas.

 

Here is another one I've liked for really hard core frugal ideas:

 

http://www.pennilessparenting.com

 

She lives in a different country so not everything is applicable but it challenges you to think outside the box.

[KirstenH]

She says her part time job covers insurance.

 

Yeah, I just saw that and edited. Seriously, how many people can find a part-time job that pays 100% of their entire family's health insurance?

Edited June 4, 2012 by KirstenH

[Soror]

Fwiw not everyone is even interested in cutting costs obviously. But for us it is security and we are far from living a life of deprivation. We are so far from doing without, even with cutting things back we are so rich in many ways.

[sillymommy]

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

 

:iagree: as a former resident of NoVA, I totally understand what you mean!

[Kathleen in VA]

I love the Tightwad Gazette. In defense of the Bushman lady she does have other posts talking about things they do to cut costs, that was just one post. The same w/ the other blog I linked. I already do all the basic things though and I like looking at the extreme for new ideas.

 

Here is another one I've liked for really hard core frugal ideas:

 

www.pennilessparenting.com

 

She lives in a different country so not everything is applicable but it challenges you to think outside the box.

 

The problem for me is that I don't trust her to have anything valuable to say after reading the first post. There are only so many hours in a day and if I'm going to spend them hunting down budget advice, this would be one blog I'd ignore for the sake of efficiency. Perhaps she does have a tip here or there that might actually be useful, but I would never get that far. I need to know someone is walking at least part of the way in my shoes before I lend credence to their advice.

[DawnM]

Even when we were getting out of all debt and still working on funding our emergency fund, we still went to Disney! :D We were very frugal about it and can do Disney for $1,500 including gas, food, and pet sitting.

 

I realize that still isn't in the budget for some, but I am of the opinion that there must be a cheaper way to get the job done.

 

When my kids were little we did clearance toys and even yard sale toys. Now that they are older they are more specific in their "toys." If we couldn't afford it, we wouldn't.

 

re: clothing - as adults most people could get by for many, many years without buying anything out of need. For the kids we don't buy a lot of clothes and if we do they are used. Most of the time they are around the house so only need a few outfits that are nicer anyway, which makes things easier.

 

re: gifts- We don't go to a lot and don't do extravagant for our own here. I usually find things on clearance for supercheap when I see them and that would go in misc for me. Dh and I never buy for each other.

 

Also, for me I'm talking about bare bones here, if dh loses his job we sure as heck aren't going to do anything but necessity certainly no parties, vacation etc.

 

For me I like to see what we can do without and still live fully. I think a lot of what our culture attaches to necessary spending for a "good" life is not necessary at all. We've been traveling locally and doing staycations. There are lots of free things as well out there to do.

[Scarlett]

Re the Bushman blog: $13,000 for a house? You couldn't buy a bathroom for that in my area. Blogs like that aren't really all that helpful because right away I have dismissed her advice as ridiculous. I don't see it as applicable to the lives most of us lead. Who has the luxury of working from home? Not many of us, I dare say. Show me someone's budget who has to drive an hour to work and back every day in an area where fixer-uppers are going for $200,000. Then maybe I'll consider your advice credible.

 

I agree, I want to see relevant advice.

[LuvToRead]

 

ETA: Oh, I see in the comments on that post that the part-time employer pays 100% of their insurance. That is unheard of and if it's true, they are INCREDIBLY lucky. Most people I know with really good full-time jobs don't even have 100% of their insurance paid for by their employer.

 

My husband's employers still pay 100% of our insurance premiums and it is very rare these days. It really is a blessing that most people don't have.

[Wabi Sabi]

The first blog just doesn't add up, IMO.

 

She states that she's a classical homeschooler and uses Math Mammoth, SOTW, etc. Where does the money for her supplies and curricula come from? I imagine she uses the library extensively and probably uses quite a bit of free stuff, but I still see no category in her budget for the things that we all inevitably have to purchase- Paper? Toner/ink? Pencils? Crayons? Folders?

 

Also, there are several home improvement projects on her blog. Even if it's a low-cost project the money has to come from somewhere. None of that is reflected in her budget either.

 

It's great that people can live on so little and I certainly don't begrudge her that, but there's just so much missing from the picture that she's trying to paint. It's misleading, IMO, to say "Oh, look at my low, low budget...oh, but no, it doesn't include this, that or the other..." In reality they have to have a much larger budget to homeschool with the resources/books/curricula listed, do their home improvement projects, etc.

[ssavings]

Our tax return wouldn't cover all our insurance (house, car) for a year, most likely. Certainly wouldn't cover housing taxes.

[Soror]

The problem for me is that I don't trust her to have anything valuable to say after reading the first post. There are only so many hours in a day and if I'm going to spend them hunting down budget advice, this would be one blog I'd ignore for the sake of efficiency. Perhaps she does have a tip here or there that might actually be useful, but I would never get that far. I need to know someone is walking at least part of the way in my shoes before I lend credence to their advice.

Ya, I get that I've been perusing a lot of blogs and most of them I find useless for me. No big deal I just posted a couple of examples that I thought were a bit at different ends.

Even when we were getting out of all debt and still working on funding our emergency fund, we still went to Disney! :D We were very frugal about it and can do Disney for $1,500 including gas, food, and pet sitting.

 

I realize that still isn't in the budget for some, but I am of the opinion that there must be a cheaper way to get the job done.

 

When my kids were little we did clearance toys and even yard sale toys. Now that they are older they are more specific in their "toys." If we couldn't afford it, we wouldn't.

 

We enjoy the free stuff though. I think I'd rather be shot than go to Disney, it does not appeal to us at all. We love hiking and camping and such.

 

Dh and I realized as well if we really cut back for one year we could get this house loan done and over with, that is worth it to me. For some it is worth it to work hard 5-10 yrs and save a ton and then retire early.

 

We all have to find the balance that works for us and we are challenging ourselves to see what we can cut while living well. Focus on spending on what does matter and not on what doesn't. We have goals for self-sufficiency as well and those little toys don't get us closer to that goal.

[Scarlett]

Our house is for sale and we are trying to get moved to the city dh is working in. One of our goals is to take my equity and buy a house for cash. One of the things I've discovered is that closing costs on cash deals are almost nothing. It is amazing.

 

But, what we can get for cash will be a real fixer. Our plan is to make it livable quickly (old carpet out, popcorn off ceilings, fresh paint and decent appliances) and then take our former mortgage money (approximately $1000 per month) and spend it fixing up the house to our liking. It is not my desire to live in the middle of a remodeling project...but the prospect of having a nice/modest house paid for makes me nearly giddy.

 

We have minimal debt, but after dh being underemployed for a year our savings is almost gone. Thankful to have health insurance again though and we are determined to use this time of good employment to get in the best place we can financially---getting a house to live in and getting our other expenses down.

 

The expenses we can't escape at this stage of our life is gas for visitation transportation. When we get moved both of our kids' other parents will be 1 1/2 hours away. That driving adds up.

[Scarlett]

Ya, I get that I've been perusing a lot of blogs and most of them I find useless for me. No big deal I just posted a couple of examples that I thought were a bit at different ends.

 

 

We enjoy the free stuff though. I think I'd rather be shot than go to Disney, it does not appeal to us at all. We love hiking and camping and such.

 

Trouble is even hiking isn't free anymore! Decent shoes are expensive, gas to destination is outrageous....some hiking trails charge a fee...even packing a lunch adds up. I know it isn't WDW prices, but it sure isn't free. We can't take our 3 boys to the lake for the day (no boat, just swimming) for less than $50 and that is if we skip a meal out on the way home when everyone is starving.

[DawnM]

Well, Disney was just an example. For us (ME!) , that was important. :tongue_smilie:

 

We also have family who live far away. One lives far enough that a plane ride is necessary. The other live far enough that a $400 gas bill ensues when we visit.

 

If we had to, we would give up all of it, but we do have the income to support it, so we keep it in the budget.

 

Ya, I get that I've been perusing a lot of blogs and most of them I find useless for me. No big deal I just posted a couple of examples that I thought were a bit at different ends.

 

 

We enjoy the free stuff though. I think I'd rather be shot than go to Disney, it does not appeal to us at all. We love hiking and camping and such.

 

Dh and I realized as well if we really cut back for one year we could get this house loan done and over with, that is worth it to me. For some it is worth it to work hard 5-10 yrs and save a ton and then retire early.

 

We all have to find the balance that works for us and we are challenging ourselves to see what we can cut while living well. Focus on spending on what does matter and not on what doesn't. We have goals for self-sufficiency as well and those little toys don't get us closer to that goal.

[mrsbushman]

Thank you so much for linking to my blog. Reading your comments has helped me see what people find helpful and also perhaps misleading/confusing about my blog. I hope to address some of these concerns in the future.

 

For now, I am happy to address some of your questions/concerns.I am also happy to answer questions people have at bobbie@budgetingwiththebushmans.com.

 

I understand that people are skeptical about our lifestyle. I know I am lucky to have a part-time job with insurance. I also know it was a great find to get a house for $13,000. I also know that my husband and I worked very hard to pay down all our debt before embarking on this lifestyle. We each worked two jobs and paid off $62,000 in four years. We sold a four bedroom house with a mortgage and most of our stuff with it. We were craving simplicity.

 

I am telling the truth about our utility bill. In fact, I'll post a picture of the next one on my blog. We heat with wood which we get for free and we don't have air conditioning.

 

As for homeschooling supplies, we have been homeschooling for two years so I had an initial start up cost. Now, though, I just sell our old stuff to buy "new" used stuff. We also share curriculum with other local families, lowering the amount each family needs to buy.

 

For birthday parties, we bring homemade or used gifts. We get the used items from the consignment store where I trade in old things we don't need for store credit. We can then use that credit to buy things we want/need. Or my kids give something of theirs that they no longer need. We've never had this received negatively and many other families have adopted our used present giving strategies.

 

If we really need something, we buy it. If we have an emergency, of course, we address. But otherwise we are committed to trying not to spend money. My income is roughly double our budget so we try to save 50% of our money.

 

I am also going to post our exact expenses in the month of June as part of my "Write It Down Challenge". So, if you want to see what exactly we spend, check back in.

 

I know we are extreme. My family has found such freedom in living a debt-free lifestyle. My only goal is to encourage others to do what they can to live a simpler life, if that is their desire. I don't expect everyone to do exactly as we do. Thank you for reading,

 

Bobbie Bushman

[mrsbushman]

Someone said we have four kids. We don't. We have a family of four so we only have two kids.

 

I also want to say that my family and I feel like we have an abundant life. We used to live a fast paced and expensive lifestyle and we didn't find joy in it. So, please don't feel like we are sitting around depriving ourselves. We have fun, we play, we learn. We just do it for free whenever possible.

 

:001_smile: