Hoarders!

I am a saver. a buyer of bulk. a stockpile-r. I am not a hoarder.

However, one quick glance at my bathroom closet and guest room closet, you may think otherwise-

In order to save money and become a frugal millionaire, it means I have to jump on the deals when I see them! Hence the 10 bottles of shampoo, 15 bottles of detergent, 7 bottles of Zyrtec and so on.

I have been questioned on this issue of couponing, buying in large quantities etc. and therefore having a lot of stuff! Let me take a minute to explain my thoughts on this matter...

Couponing and great deals are wonderful IF I am going to use the products, right? Right! So, things like medication, personal care products, paper products, detergents, batteries, canned goods have a great shelf life and are worth stockpiling! Eventually I will use the items, so why not stock up on them now while they are on sale, I have a coupon, and the money to buy them??

Tell me if this sounds like your home- you are in the bathroom in the morning and you realize, "Ugh, I am almost out of toothpaste and toilet paper. I will pick some up on my next shopping run." 2 days later and forgetting to pick up the said items above, you realize you are totally out and make a trip to the store just to get those items. You have now just purchased out of need (which makes us less careful about the price of the item) and made an extra trip at $3.59 a gallon! Sound familiar?

With a stockpile of things like shampoo, toilet paper, and toothpaste, you have it right there when you need it and you will have saved money in the process. I do this with all sorts of products that won't go bad within a week or two- Ziploc bags, pasta, canned goods, etc. For example, I get most of my shampoo for less than a dollar and at that price, I think 10 bottles in my closet is frugal not frivolous!

The next time you are at my house and you see cans of soup under the bed and paper towels in the guest closet, don't worry! No need to call the TLC show Hoarders- I am just stockpiling for the zombie apocalypse....

The Coveted Coupon

Have you ever been gambling?

I have...once. Dave and I were on our honeymoon on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We had a full day at sea and we were a little bored. So, we decided to each take $20 and go to the casino on board the ship. Now, mind you, I had never gambled before...ever! I decided to use the slot machines- looked pretty simple! Couple pulls of the lever and all of a sudden, "DING, DING, DING!!!" I looked in astonishment at Dave and said, "What did I do??" He laughed and smiled and said, "You just won!!" Within a matter of moments I had walked in with $20 and walked out with $120!!

Now, this is not my post on my secret to being a millionaire- gambling! In fact, I discourage gambling! It is a waste of money and the odds of you winning are slim...I just happened to get beginner's luck! And I haven't gambled since our honeymoon! But, that feeling of winning money?? I feel that every week!

My version of gambling? COUPONS!

In our house, coupons are cash. If it says, "$1.00 off", we have $1.00 in our hands! At first, Dave wasn't so sure about this whole coupon craze! However, after a couple of trips to the store with me, he was hooked! Just yesterday we were shopping at our favorite grocery store, Aldi! Every month on a random day near the end of that month, they will hand out coupons for $10 off $40 or more worth of groceries. And yesterday happened to be that day! We bought our groceries, were given our coupon, and quietly did a little happy dance as we walked out the door. Then, Dave looks at me and says, "Hey, do we have any money left from the grocery money we spent today?" I said, "Yeah, one dollar and some change, why?" He looks mischievously at the store and says, "I am going back in to buy something to get another one of those coupons!" 10 minutes later he comes out with ONE avocado for $1.19 and another coupon for $10 off!! YAHOOO!! We just WON!!

Let me break this down for you:

Our monthly food budget is $50 every week- or $200 a month. That is less than the government would give our family of 2 if we were living on welfare! That being said, every coupon is worth its weight in gold! When we get a $10 off coupon, we spend our $50 for the week and really get $60 worth of food! Or spend the $40, get $50 worth of food, and save the $10 from our weekly budget for something else! This is simple math, guys, and it works in my favor every time!

One of my favorite trips-see that change of 7 cents?? Yeah, that's from a quarter that I used to buy the pasta and sauce along with a rain check for free Ziploc bags!!

 



So, if you see me doing the happy dance as I walk out of the grocery store, you will know it's 'cause I just heard the "beep, beep, beep" of coupons being swiped and realized that just minutes ago I had walked into the store with $17 and walked out with $77 worth of items!

Yep, I just won!!

GPS

"Plan your work- then HUSTLE!"

This plaque was a loving gift from my grandmother and hangs above my stove- a great reminder as I prepare meals to PLAN and GO! Not much is gonna get done if I just hustle throughout the day without a plan!!

Like anything in life, having a goal is great but without a plan, that goal will never come to fruition. Athletes have a goal to win...and a plan to get there. Pilots have a goal to get to a destination...and a map to get there. Students have a goal to graduate (or at least pass a class!)...and a plan of studies to get there. When I have a goal to be somewhere on time and no clue how to get there...I use my GPS! A wonderful gift from my husband when I moved from the country of South Carolina to the city of Philadelphia, PA!

And a GPS is exactly what I use to get out of debt- Goal, Plan, Save!!!

The P of my GPS can sometimes be the hardest part- 'cause plan equals BUDGET!

Before Dave and I were even married, we both separately kept track of what we spent for 2 months. At the end of two months we came together and compared how much we spent on what. It gave us a rough idea of what to plan for when we got married. Once we were married, we made a budget. And when I say budget, I mean budget! Every penny has a job! We make our money work for us instead of us working for our money!

About every 6 months we will sit down and reevaluate the budget. A budget should be mobile. fluid. not set in stone. However, in order for a budget to work, we have to stick to it. No more money in "Entertainment" for the month? No eating out. No more money in "Food" for the month? Become creative in the kitchen.

 



 In order for us to have our budget at our fingertips, I have it ALL on paper. That's right! Good ol' fashioned pen and paper! When you write it in ink, it makes it sink in a little deeper! I have binder with a piece of ledger paper (like that thing in your checkbook that no one...except for me...uses anymore) behind each tab. Any time something is purchased in that category, it is written in the ledger. Remember, every penny has a job!

 

 

And, in order to make my money work for me, I need to know how much money I have. So, we use Crown Financial and Dave Ramsey's systems- the cash or envelope system. Every two weeks, the budgeted amount of cash goes into the envelope and when the envelope is empty...well, it's empty! No swiping the card, no putting it on credit, that category is closed.

 

Now, like I said, a budget is fluid. It needs to move with changes in life. If an emergency comes up, we have an emergency fund. But unless we stick to the plan, we will never reach our goal!

 

Today, I am going to follow my GPS, make my plan, then HUSTLE!

Debt Free!!

DEBT FREE!!

In our house, we like to set goals.

 

My husband is Type A. I am Type A. And yes, we feel bad for our future children!

 

If you don't know what Type A is, it means you aren't that type, so no need to worry!

 

In order to live a frugal lifestyle, you have to have a goal! 'Cause, let's be honest, who wants to clip coupons their whole life? Not me! One of my favorite quotes (quoted often by my mother) is, "If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it every time!"

 

Your goal does not have to be getting out of debt! It could be 1)saving for a future purchase or trip; 2) saving for future retirement; 3) saving for your kids' college education; 4) or just having more to give more! Whatever the goal is for living a frugal lifestyle, make it and stick to it!

 

Remember what I said about Type A???

This picture hangs on our fridge and is our visual reminder of where we are in our debt free goal and how far we have to go. Can you guess what our reward is for being debt free?? Yep, a trip to Australia!
Every time we make a payment towards the loans, we fill in Australia just a little bit more. There are numerical amounts on the side- from highest to lowest. When Australia is full, the debt is empty! This is also a great idea if you have kids! When you say no to toys, eating out, or big vacations, this little tool can help remind them of the bigger picture and goal!

If you are saving for a car, pick a car picture. If you are saving for retirement, pick a map of Florida!

You get the idea.

Now, go! Make a goal! And start the journey to becoming a frugal millionaire!



The Frugal Millionaire

The Frugal Millionaire

 

Frugal.

 

A word that in today's language sounds boring. no fun. cheap. inexpensive.

 

What if I told you that frugal could be fun? inviting? cost effective? and the path to becoming a millionaire??

 

Okay, okay, I know what you are thinking. Clipping coupons, cutting dryer sheets in half, eating rice and beans- yeah, there is no way I am going to be a millionaire from just that. I gotta win the lottery or something!

 

You are right. I won't become a millionaire from doing those things. In fact, I will probably never be a millionaire. So, if you were looking for a way to find quick money, you can quit reading this blog now!

 

But, if you want to find ways to strive towards better money management, ways to save money, get out of debt, and plan for the future, then this blog is for YOU! In the end, you probably won't be a millionaire, but I can almost guarantee you will feel like a millionaire!

 

My journey started when I married a wonderful man who had lots of school loan debt (more about that later!) We planned very early on in our marriage that we didn't want that debt ball and chained to us for long. So, we have planned to do whatever it takes to get rid of that debt...as fast as we can!

 

In our house, frugal is innovative. fun. challenging. and our key to getting out of DEBT!

 

Believe me, when that debt is gone, I am going to feel like a millionaire!

 

Join me on this journey as I become a frugal millionaire!