By ERIN TURNER
This is the 1st in a two-part series about living a frugal life. Stay tuned next week for part 2!
I used to believe being frugal meant you were poor and led a really boring life. Now that I’ve crossed over and entered into the “Frugal Life”, I know better. Yet as my family and I have quickly learned, not everyone sees frugality like we do. You, like a lot of our friends, may be asking why we want to be frugal? Well, being frugal has simplified our lives and given us a deep sense of peace and security which we didn’t find we weren’t as frugal.
So, what does frugal really mean? Does it mean our family scrimps by each month and we don’t do activities or go places? Absolutely not! It means we are financially smarter and make sure we are getting the most value for every hard earned dollar we make. We are in charge of our financial destiny instead of being slaves to it.
Just because we are frugal doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the nicer things of life….in fact, we do enjoy a nice home and nice things but we get more enjoyment out of those “things” because we either a) got a great deal on it, or b) worked hard at saving enough cash to pay for it in full. Because of our buying habits, we never have buyers’ remorse or a future credit card bill!
Frugality isn’t about being cheap or being bare minimalists. It is merely about handling your money wisely and sensibly, while still enjoying life and being financially responsible, too. Being frugal has allowed us to be more generous with our resources and more conscious about caring for the environment. It also gives us more time to value the relationships in our lives.
Our frugal lifestyle really grew from our desire to live a more pastoral lifestyle. We love farming and having livestock. It is a simple and refreshing life…one which is rooted in gratefulness and gratitude. Physical labor, nurturing life and the earth, eating food we grew and sharing this love with our children has made us healthier, younger and happier than ever before. Oh yeah….and we’re never bored!
Neither my husband nor I have the desire to be imprisoned by a job we hate and enslaved to a paycheck which dictates how we are to live our lives. The financial freedom we have created by being frugal allows us to enjoy a lifestyle full of richness.
Now, when I speak of richness, I’m not talking Versace bags, BMWs and exotic trips. I suppose we could have those things, but they have little value to us.
I’m talking about the richness that comes from thing important to us: time with our family and friends; amazing family vacations in our RV; the ability to help those less fortunate; the joy of watching our children nurture our farm animals and develop a love of the great outdoors.
Money can’t buy any of those things or replace the precious years of our boys’ childhoods. My husband decided many years ago being a dad was more important than being a car dealer. So, he has sacrificed many profitable sales just so he could make it to school for his sons’ class activities, attend every parent-teacher conference, and coach the boys’ sports teams. Twenty years from now, what do you think will be valued more? A profitable car sale or time dedicated to his sons’? I’ve stated it before in my blogs, but I truly believe time is our most precious commodity in life.
No need to feel guilty if you’re not completely ready for the frugal life yet. We still have lots of learning and haven’t quite reached all of our goals either. But that’s okay… learning about and gradually practicing frugality is part of the process and how you learn what works for your lifestyle.
Every frugal household looks different. Some people downsize their homes while others upgrade to solar and energy efficient homes. Some people use coupons ruthlessly while others grow their own food and invest in quality food vs. quantity. There is no perfect way of living frugally. The bottom line is creating a lifestyle where you experience freedom, happiness, simplicity and serenity.
Tell me: are you living frugally or want to have a more frugal lifestyle? I’m hoping there are lots more “frugalites” out there! Do me a favor. Speak up. Be sure to “Like” this blog below or leave a comment. Thanks!
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Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques and trying to maintain a well-run, happy and organized home for her family.
What good insight & reminders for both the young families and the “older” families. Thanks, Erin.
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Erin, I like this very much and agree with you in pricipal…we have always had the philosophy vis a vis Nintendo etc that as long as there are people in Missoula who don’t have enough to eat we are not spending hundreds of dollars on toys. But you must realize, your lovely home, your animals (and their care) and your RV do cost money. It has to come from somewhere. And many people, including me, have seen their incomes depleted or eliminated in this economy…being frugal is great; a simple lifestyle, unfortunately, does not eliminate the need for food and shelter.
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I hear ya, Ann. Our basic needs must be met first before we’re able to seek simplicity or happiness. You are completely right about that. These are hard times for lots of folks and putting food on the table has to be priority above all else. Being frugal and living simply hopefully will give anyone faced with this economic challenge the ability to get through the lean times a little less unscathed. Thanks for your comment!
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Tough times can be a wake up call. I’m not trying to diminish the pain and worry that I know are troubling many families in these days of layoffs, unemployment, and increasing expenses. Basic essentials MUST come first. And for those in that spot, you simply do what must be done to get by.
In our particular case, a downsizing meant a loss of substantial income. While not putting our family in crisis mode, we knew that drastic changes would have to be made. Like too many families, we had little set aside to cover a time like this. And yes, those too often used credit cards came back to haunt us. That was change #1 — no more credit card use!
We also put pen to paper and accounted for every single expense we had going out. That meant big items like bills, groceries, the mortgage, etc, and also those “little” expenses that can really add up. We quickly realized that $10 – $12 a couple days a week (per person) for lunch out added up to a hefty sum each month. So did those $4 lattes, snacks from vending machines, and the list goes on. With new information in hand, we realized how much money was truly being spent that was not really necessary at all. Cutting way back on all those things came next.
It was hard at first. Change is always tough. But in the end, we’ve found, like Erin, that living more simply can often be much more rewarding. I’ve found that I appreciate that occasional latte much more now when it’s a true treat, rather than when it was more a “routine” expense. We enjoy movie night in — with hot chocolate and home-made popcorn — rather than spending far, far more going out to the movies.
Now that things are getting better financially, we are keeping many of our “frugal” living habits. (Yes, can you believe it? Frugality has become a choice!) Our goal is to be debt-free and to use our savings from frugal living to pay for things that our family will truly enjoy (something special for the home or yard) or do (a great family vacation) that will make memories for years to come.
Thank you, Erin, for shedding light on the many wonderful blessings that come with living in a more financially frugal way. It can be a rich life indeed!
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Thanks Jean for sharing your comments! I can sense your joy in your lifestyle choice!
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I always enjoy your insight – and have from the day I met you & Jon (pre-boys even). I have alwayes chosen to live frugally but have a mother that thinks I am cheating myself out of “things”. she doesn’t own anything but she doesn’t owe anybody either. not me. I came to MN with my husband’s first paying job & a student loan payment….I wanted to live simple like we had been in MT but I was viewed as being difficult & selfish. I didnt buy the biggest house we could have afforded, I didn’t buy a new car until we had to, I encouraged my husband to come home for lunch to see his boys instead of dining with the co-workers he saw so much of anyway.
we would grow our own food & raise our own animals if we could. Something to consider if we move again….the big oak trees provide too much shade for most gardens! I do what I can because I want to…not because the economy has forced me to do such. I am a controlling person – I know it & I embrace it. I want to control where my money goes and what food & entertainment choices my boys have. somethings are out of our control & it takes me time to adjust — like my 2 youngest have only 6 wks of summer this year. they will start year-round school on 8/1 and my summer vacation was just cut in 1/2. now I will have to do most of the harvesting at the community garden plot we plan to use this year.
As a teen of a single mother I HAD to be frugal. As a mother of 3 boys and a husband that works hard for his money, I CHOOSE to be frugal instead of being employed full time. I commend Jon for missing sales to be with the boys. Ted rearranges a lot of meetings to be at everyone’s events and is the Cub Master for his boys in scouts (he really does it cuz he loves the outdoors but don’t tell him I said that
Lucky for me – my mother-in-law is also frugal and never questions our finanical decisions. She has money now that she is retired & I hope I too can retire with money so I can spend time with grandkids when I want not because I’m needed as a babysitter.
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Great life lessons Erin. Awesome to see other families adopting the “live within our means” mentality–and avoid debt! I for one am a huge Dave Ramsay fan–and have lived debt free except my house for several years. Reminds me of the Mel Gibson yell…”F-L-E-A-D-O-M!!!!!!!”
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I use to listen to dave ramsey every afternoon but on 1/1 the radio station moved it to 6p…..not a good time for me so now I listen to it on the computer while I am at my 9hr/wk job. I don’t always get all the conversations but I get the reminder that I too can live like no one else so I can live like no one else w/o sacrificing my simply lifestyle & time w/ the boys.
I’m still learning when the best time is to buy things….so when erin gets to that part of her savings I’m all in.. furniture, clothing, candles, etc. the things I’d like but not willing to pay full price for. Guess I don’t want them THAT bad.
Ted & I went a church rummage & had our morning date w/ coffee & spent less than $10 on things we were really looking for – football shoulder pads for next fall & matching wine glasses to our 2 remaining ones (this was such a great find). I take him to keep me honest with my spending but he actually spends more than I usually.
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Thanks everyone for your comments! This is a great topic to be discussing these days! The recession has caused us all to stop and re-evaluate how we’ve been living our lives. I feel it is a positive aspect of a negative situation! I am finding more people simplifying their lives–whether they are forced to or because they want to. When shows about hoarders begin showing up on our TV, I think it may be a sign our society needs to stop the madness! Stay tuned next week for a continuation of this topic!
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Hi Erin! Random question for you . . . Do any grocery stores in Missoula accept double coupons? There were several stores in the larger cities I lived in that accepted double face value of coupons but I’m not aware of any stores in Missoula that do so. If I’m missing an opportunity, I’d love to know! Thanks in advance!
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Hi Lauren! Yes, Albertson’s has double coupons. They call it “Twice the Value” coupon and usually you will find them in the Sunday paper as a single, semi-glossy ad sheet. They typically are good from Sunday-Tuesday and double any manufacturer coupon up to $1. You will want to watch Albertson’s weekly ad though because occasionally they will have the double coupons in their Wednesday circular and will be good for the whole week. I have only seen that once or twice, but it’s good to always be watching! Albertson’s had double coupons last Sunday so they probably won’t be out again until right before Easter…but keep your eyes peeled! Great question…and welcome to Missoula!!
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[...] this blog? You might also like Erin’s previous posts on Saving with menu planning, Frugality as a lifestyle, and [...]
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