I’m always talking about the state of the economy so the other day my friend, Nikki, asked if I had any ideas about how to spend less money.
I thought, “Sure, I do!” so I decided to start this blog to share the money saving strategies that have (or haven’t) worked for me as I work toward my ultimate goal of paying off my student loans.
Without going into all of the depressing details, student loan debt has pretty much ruined my life. That is why I am so hell-bent on finding a way to get out of it, and the only way to get out of student loan debt is to (a) make more money; (b) spend less money; or (c) do both. (I would have included option (d) die, but I thought that was too negative. Seriously, though, student loan debt is only dischargeable upon death; it will not be "forgiven" through bankruptcy.)
I’ve spent five years trying to make more money and have been completely unsuccessful, so I’ve decided to concentrate my efforts on spending less and saving more. As David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying, writes, “It’s not what you earn that makes you rich or poor; it is what you spend.”
This blog will focus solely on my thoughts about the economy, consumerism, and ways to save more money and spend less. A majority of blog posts will focus on the following five topics:
(1) Living Below Your Means;
(2) Ridding Yourself of Clutter;
(3) Being Organized;
(4) Going Green; and
(5) Looking for Freebies.*
*Even if you’re not in debt or struggling financially, you may enjoy this section! I mean, who doesn’t love free stuff?
Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal or financial advice in any way.
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4 comments:
I have recently started my own blog on wordpress, hoping to find a community to share ideas with.
I look forward to reading your future posts.
Check me out at http://2livesimple.wordpress.com
I�m certainly not an expert at this, but I am learning by experience.
Thank you so much for stopping by! I would love to share ideas with you. I am not an expert at this, either, but I’m definitely learning from my mistakes.
Hi chica! Love your new blog. Especially the artsy drawing on top :)
Thought I'd share a money-saving tip which is something I do sometimes. I dunno if you'd ever consider it, but try visiting the food shelf periodically! I only made $17k last year (yes that's below poverty level) and although that is like NOTHING, I still was able to survive and not get evicted, keep my sanity and not go hungry and chew my own arm off!
Finding your food shelf depends on what county you live in, but you can Google your county then type in "community services" or "foodshelf" to find one near you. If John doesn't claim you as a dependant and you basically have no employment income to speak of, you qualify for the food shelf!
I am allowed to go every 31 days (although I probably only go a few times a year), and as a single person househould I'm allowed to pick out food from the shelves and get 20 lbs. worth. This is not a lot, but it is when you consider it's free. A 2-person household is allowed 40 lbs, 3 is 60 lbs, and so on.
I try to stretch out by allotted weight by picking dry goods in bags and boxes vs. grabbing heavy cartons of milk, juice, canned goods, etc. At my local food shelf, there is an abundance of lighter-packaged items, such as Rice-A-Roni, cereal, granola, noodles, mac & cheese, sauces and gravies, packets of oatmeal, and the like. There are also *somewhat* healthy options, but are a bit hard to come by at my food shelf. They usually let you pick out 2 meat/frozen items, and whatever produce they have is very slim pickings and usually needs to be eaten that day or thrown out.
However, since you live in Suburbia, MN, the food shelves are bound to be wonderful, as opposed to the ghetto area I am in where donations are slim and not of the best quality. Though, there a usually quite a few SuperTarjet items such as Archer Farms stuff, breads from Lunds/Byerly's bakery and other places which have foods of more gourmet quality.
They typically require you call for a schedule or to make an appointment, and then when you visit they may ask for a piece of mail no older than 30-60 days as proof of address, and your photo ID or license.
Remember that food shelves are for anyone and you don't have to be homeless or anything, to qualify.
Hope that helps you and/or your readers who may be interested!
oh please - you know you want to give us free legal and financial advice!!
lol
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