Q: You really should consider posting about how you two budget and save for your purchases and DIY. I’m constantly amazed at how you seem to never charge anything and how you consistently mention saving up for things. Now just tell us how you do it!! What about making the decision to replace something that still works? Is that a hard call for you guys? I never know when to live with something, replace it with something semi-cheap for the interim or save up for the big thing I actually want and go right to buying that instead of putting money towards a placeholder while I save. I’d love to know more about how you know when to save and when to splurge and how you live such a debt free life full of projects and home makeovers! -Barbara
A: First and foremost, John and I are super lucky to each come from families with famously frugal dads. So we both learned all about saving up for things, paying off our entire credit card balance, and never buying anything that we can’t afford on the day that we buy it. Of course it takes a decent amount of discipline (and it means that we’re constantly walking away from great deals & lovely things), but if we can’t afford them they’re not such good deals after all. So to honor our dads, we thought we’d post embarrassing old photos of them. Notice John’s dad’s tie- it was a Father’s Day gift John made using puffy paint… proof that paint doesn’t always make something better.
It’s funny because a lot of our stuff falls into the “simple and affordable” category (our dining table was around $150 from Target and we have a $25 thrift store chair in our den and a $30 consignment shop coffee table in the living room). So that really helps us keep money in the bank. We don’t believe in buying chintzy low-quality stuff to save a quick buck, but if there’s a chunky wood dining table at target.com with good reviews for a third as much as the one on potterybarn.com, we’re likely to go for the thrifty Tar-jay version (we’ve had our current dining table over three years and haven’t had one complaint yet).
But although we usually shop around for the best deal (and read reviews to be sure we’re not seduced by a lemon), every once in a while we do fall in love with the notion of something pricey and save for it like crazy (like our plush organic mattress or the new 2009 Altima that we saved for over the course of the past few years and then paid for in full on the day we drove it off the lot). But more on that a bit later. Basically, the key to our financial approach really is just to hold out for sales, use coupons, shop around, and aim for affordable items to mostly fill our home- and then devote a sliver of our savings to spendy stuff here or there (so we don’t feel totally deprived but also don’t drain all that money that we saved up overnight either).
Oh and living in Richmond helps! The cost of living is waaaay lower than it was in Manhattan, so years of dealing with those insanely inflated expenses makes it seem a lot easier to cut costs and save money here (since our mortgage is half of what we used to pay to rent two tiny NYC apartments). Our house was also completely affordable since it was a total fixer-upper (as in: less than 200K, you guys have seen the befores!). So we knew we could afford to put money towards fixing it up since we didn’t spend it all up front by purchasing a newly renovated casa to come home to (and since our monthly mortgage payment is a lot lower than it would have been for an already gorgeous new home in the area).
We also try to be frugal in other ways like by sharing a car, getting books from the library, making our own bagged lunches, and DIYing whatever we can (from tiling to haircuts) instead of paying an expert (you’ll see some links to other how-we-save-money posts at the bottom of this one). It’s not always glamorous, but the old a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-earned adage really rings true to us. So instead of making lots of money and spending it just as quickly, we choose to do what we love- aka: blogging- but live comfortably on less with a few simple switcheroos like haircuts at home and one dollar spaghetti dinners.
As for what we do when it comes to replacing something that works but still bothers us (like a functional old fridge that’s big and yellowed and probably not terribly energy efficient) we just save our pennies up if it truly makes us cringe. Once we have enough to actually afford a new one without putting it on a credit card that we won’t be able to pay off right away (which makes us feel so guilty that we wouldn’t enjoy the spurge) we go for it. Oh and we always sell the working thing that we’ll be replacing on Craigslist so we don’t send it off to a landfill. Plus then we get a bit of money for it (which we can mentally put towards our upgraded version, so it feels even more affordable in the long run).
We’ve learned that in our case it’s never smart to buy something cheap for the interim just to tide us over because we end up hating the fact that we spent money on something that’s just a placeholder for the real thing that we want (and we would rather have waited and put our money towards the forever-item instead of some temporary solution). This is a personal thing though, so if replacing your cringeworthy chandelier with a $50 version from Home Depot will help tide you over while you save for the $250 beauty that you’ll love forever, then it might be the best approach for you. Just think about what makes you happy and what you can honestly afford and try to weigh the pros and cons to come up with a plan that feels right for your situation.
We also always talk a lot before taking on a major room makeover to be sure that we’re both on the same page about how much we’ll spend. For example, after a lot of chatting and number crunching we guessed that we’d spend 3-5K on the bathroom remodel- and were totally surprised when we got it done for $1800 by doing all the labor ourselves and hunting down some amazing deals. So in the case of the big bathroom reno, we saved our pennies until we had 5K sitting there in our high yield savings account and ended up super happy to just spend the 1800- which meant we could move on to our nursery makeover with extra funds already on hand… which is always a bonus!
We actually find that we overestimate things a lot more often than we go over our budget- which we’re very thankful for- but we still like to save up all the money and make sure it’s in the bank just in case we don’t come in under budget (it would be super stressful if we only saved two thirds of what we needed for a project just because we assumed we were overestimating again). Oh and there’s a bonus to having our renovation dollars in the bank before we start. We’ve found that it takes a lot of stress and anxiety out of the equation, so the project is a lot more fun.
Take the nursery makeover for example, we went into it thinking that we’d spend around $1500 since we needed totally new furniture and accessories (like a crib, mattress, dresser, chair, ottoman, rug, curtains, chandelier, lamp, art, etc). But thanks to some deal hunting we’ve actually done everything from scoring a $20 thrift store chair and a $20 Craigslist dresser to hunting down a clearance rug and chandelier- which makes us confident that we’ll get ‘er done without reaching or exceeding our budget. Who knows, we might just come in substantially under if we’re lucky. It really does pay to spend the time pounding the pavement for the best deals and trolling places like Craigslist for solid well made furniture that you can refinish (a lot of which is much better quality than the cheap stuff that companies churn out today). See how the Craigslist dresser below turned out after we made it over with some stain, some paint, and some elbow grease.
All told, we probably spend between five and ten percent of our total income on home improvements (not bad considering that we’re pretty much constantly painting something or pulling up at Home Depot). But that’s just a rough approximation and it’s a really personal thing so each family should look at their bank account and their house to figure out what budget and home improvement priorities are the most important to them. Plus it’s kind of our job now (since I’m a full time home blogger we need to constantly take on projects to sustain our site). So because it’s such a high priority in our life, we go out of our way to save a lot of money in other areas, like by having just one car that’s fully paid off.
We drove a ten year old Maxima for four years with over 170,000 miles on it until we could save enough cash to fully pay for a safer-for-the-baby 2009 Altima, which we did a few months ago (yeah, that was a fun day). So making sacrifices and cutting costs in other areas has allowed us to save money which we use to pay things off completely (instead of continually laying out cash each month for a car payment or a credit card bill that we just can’t squash). And of course we do save a bundle on the transportation front by making the decision to be a one car household, so we can save all the money that might otherwise go towards purchasing, insuring and gassing up a second car.
We know the way that we save and pay things off is rare. And we know that there are probably people reading this post who have no idea how on earth two people like us could save up for renos before we do them or pay off a new car the day they drive it off the lot (hint: it’s not because we make a lot of money- in fact by national averages we fall way below the average income level, even in our area). So we’ll share this factoid about our spending habits. We’re insanely frugal in many areas where other “normal” people are not. A nice meal out for us is a once monthly trip to Chipotle. We probably spend about $10 a month on clothing (combined, and some months it’s zero). In fact I’ve spent less than $20 on my entire maternity wardrobe (thanks to generous friends and family members who have passed their leftovers my way). We’ve even begun to make our own cleaning products to save more money in that area and we already mentioned that we give each other haircuts instead of paying a professional.
So before you think it’s totally impossible to save a few hundred dollars a month towards some big reno goal or some dream furnishings that you’ve had your eye on, consider whether you can cut anything out at all (from that Starbucks coffee to that monthly haircut). And if you want to save even more, try going a whole month without buying clothing or going out to eat. All of a sudden you’ll see that it’s not that hard to save money once you really decide to make a major change. Heck, you can even downgrade from two cars to one (and start carpooling or riding your bike). Or you can even sell your expensive vehicle for something a bit older with more miles on it (trading car glamour for house glamour isn’t a foreign concept to us since we drove our last car into the ground and sold it to Carmax with nearly 200,000 miles on it when we finally had enough saved up to replace it).
In general our advice is just never to spend beyond your means and to take the time to save for items and projects that are truly important to you… instead of frittering away funds by grabbing a bunch of cheap accessories (but they’re on sale!) that you don’t need every time you walk into a store. Resist the urge! Really, if we don’t have the money in savings that we’re talking about spending then we just don’t spend it. Instead we use paint and other items that we already have around the house for some free mini makeovers to tide us over. And we’re always sure to take our time hunting down the best deals while our savings account grows (even doing things like hosting a garage sale or selling unnecessary items on Craigslist to make money to put towards our latest goal). And it seems to work for us- so we certainly hope that it does for you guys as well. Happy saving (and smart spending) to you and yours!
Oh and we’d love to hear how you save your pennies (any envelope system peeps out there?) or how you live well on less income. Share and share alike!
Pssst- To learn more about how we pinch pennies here at Casa Petersik check out our Save It series (read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here) and find even more money saving ideas right here. Oh and this post about living with less (along with this one and this one) might help too.
Brynea says
I love this post! Its right on with what my husband and I are doing. We also are Dave Ramsey fans…we do his Total Money Makeover program, which helps us budget our fluctuating income and pay off debt as fast as possible. We have everything but one school loan and our mortgage paid off, and in one year we will have the loan paid off as well. We use cash and debt card for almost everything. We use a Southwest Rewards card for big purchases and and our monthly tithe to get the credits toward flights (we love to travel so we try to find as many ways to save on trips as we can), and pay it off right away. We aren’t big on cooking (maybe once or twice a week), but we use coupons as often as possible and we don’t eat fancy, my husband always tells me I’m a cheap date. Now that I’m back in school we are budgeting that in every month too. Until all our debt is payed off we intend to live like no one else, so that we can really LIVE like no one else later!
sarsk624 says
YAY for a fellow Nissan owner! Although, technically I don’t own my car yet. Major kudos to you for being able to pay for your car in cash. I wasn’t able to do that right out of college.
But I can tell you I am on my 4th Altima (my parents are big leasers) and we’ve never EVER had a problem with them. They are awesome cars with great gas mileage.
I don’t have too much to add that anyone else hasn’t already said (pay off credit cards each month, ING savings etc.). But I would stress how great I’ve found Mint.com to be. The husband and I are just finally adjusting to merging our finances. We’ve got a nice emergency fund built up and are moving on to starting small savings accounts for vacations and the like.
We can take some inspiration from your eat out once a month philosophy. We are foodies to our own detriment. We cook a ton and always bring our lunch and dinner. But Saturday we love going out to dinner.
Anne-Marie says
I really, really like this post. I think you have a financial plan to emulate, and I appreciate you sharing it with the world. Being frugal and debt-free isn’t super-hip, but it sure is sensible.
Your lifestyle reminds me of the book “Your Money or Your Life.” Have you read it? It’s about prioritizing your spending, so you can devote your life to the things that are personally meaningful.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Anne-Marie,
We actually haven’t read it but we’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion!
xo,
s
Emily says
Great post. I get so frustrated by other people that live completely outside their means. The expensive car? Loan. Expensive purse and shoes? Credit card. I can’t imagine living like that.
Most of the things you mentioned are very similar to what I do: My car is completely paid off and it feels great. People ask when I’m going to replace it and my thought is, “why?” I do, however, have money automatically sent to a special savings account just in case something happens and I either need a new car or have some work done on the one I currently have. When I bought my first house in October, I didn’t buy the most expensive one I could, I bought one that I knew I could afford and still live comfortably – not month to month. Most of the furniture is from Salvation Army, Craigslist, or donated from friends & family. Except the bed, that’s new, because ewww…
So it is super refreshing to see that their are others out their living within their means.
renee says
Sherry & John-
Please do us a favor; call your parents up and thank them for raising you to be so financially stellar. You will teach the Beanette and further Petersik Beans the best way to live, thus ensuring you have a strong, healthy family tree. I am old enough to be your parent(although I would have been a teenage mom!) and I couldn’t be prouder of your decisions to live in such a mature and powerful way.
Lots of love & gratitude!
Keeley says
I love this post. I admire your lifestyle.
Money is such a personal topic, so thanks for sharing. My husband and I are one of those 30-ish couples with student loans and a bit of old debt. We don’t regret borrowing money for college – our families couldn’t afford to help us and the degrees we earned have increased our salaries, but student loans can be a beast. I wish we could live with one vehicle or work from home, but since that’s not an option we drive old cars (we’re a Honda family) and keep them until they become a liability (10+ years old, 200k+ miles).
I’ve read most of the comments and I think that people need to decide what they can live without and think twice before overindulging. There was a time when I thought we “needed” to go on a cruise or we “needed” to go to expensive restaurants. I know today that we “need” to build up our savings and pay off our debt. We have professional jobs, so our wardrobe has to be maintained (at a cost of more than $10 month), but we shop sales and we keep our clothing in good condition so it lasts for years. We can all find ways to save money, even if its not to the extent that you two are able to acheive.
I’ve said this before, but you two are so realistic. I appreciate that. You are very fortunate to be so wise at a young age.
Laura says
I couldn’t agree with your message more. I too am a frugal person and am living a fairly debt-free life (nevermind the mortgage) and it seems so much more liberating than what I imagine being in debt must feel like. I love saving up for a big purchase and finding ways to pinch pennies (like couponing at the grocery, packing a sack lunch and letting my employer buy my transit pass). And I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything except for higher interest rates on my money :). So, more power to you and everyone else who is living within their means.
Colleen says
LOVE this post!
Thank you sooooo much for opening that up to the www.
My husband and I are also trying to live like this (buy things when we have the money, say no thanks to the credit card) and today, this was just the encoragement I needed (yeah leftovers, no to eating out).
C.
Sara says
It’s so nice to see another young couple that is into living the frugal life. It gets frusterating watching friends take expensive trips and buy new cars while we try and save as much as possible.
One thing I haven’t seen you address is retirement savings. I hope this is getting to personal, but I was wondering what you do as far as retirement savings. Since you work at home do you have a Roth or do you just save more through John’s 401k? It’s something we have worried about if I ever quit my job to be a stay at home mom because I would lose the awesome company match I get in my 401k now. (We don’t have kids yet, but are planning on it soon.)
Sara says
Oops, I meant that I hope I wasn’t being TOO personal!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sara,
Yup, when I became self employed I set up a SEP account (sort of like a Roth IRA) which is a tax free way that I can save a good percentage of my income towards retirement. And of course John has a 401K set up through his office. We use the “automatic method” with both of these accounts- a payment automatically comes out of our paychecks each month so we never see that money- and we’re never tempted to spend it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly P says
This is music to my ears! I am a reformed over-spender who sometimes bristles at the idea of eating yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich (seriously – every single day! gah!) But, on the other hand our home is 80 years old and needs so much work that we have made it our priority. That means almost no eating out, no new clothes (boo!), and couponing like my life depends on it. 2 1/2 years in I’m still adjusting to these spending habits, but I see the rewards in our house. Thanks for your sharing – it feels good to know I’m not the only one in a one car family trying to renovate an oldie, but goodie house :-) I just wish I could fully adopt your attitude about it. I still find myself wanting things I know we can’t afford. I think it will come in time though :-)
Carla says
I love all the things you have written. I feel like you have summarized my own philosophy so nicely. I have spent a bit on clothing lately (but I am trying to find a new job as mine ends in May) and I probably go out to eat more than once a month. But I hardly ever feel like I can’t do the things that I need to do (which included paying for a whole trip by myself to a conference filled with networking possibilities).
I also like using something until it’s all gone. Not opening something of the same kind before the other thing is completely empty.
Thanks for a nice post. It is nice to know that I am not the only one out there living without credit card debt and still making it.
Tia says
I’m always jealous of people with no school debt because it is such a rarity now. My husband and I finished off schooling with $144,000 between us for 2 bachelors, 1 masters, and a second bachelors in nursing. In a year we’ve gotten that down to $120,000 and paid off our car, but it feels never-ending! Thankfully we have zero credit card debt.
Admittedly I do feel torn about not splurging (within means) occasionally when you’re young. We’re traveling a ton now. Let’s face it, once those kids come your life is never “foot loose and fancy free” again. I don’t want to look back and regret not taking that Alaskan cruise or European trip when I had the ability (and good health) to travel freely. We just make sure we travel on the cheap too! Recently booked Alaskan cruise was deeply discounted with $175 in room credit and a free fancy dinner.
tasha roe says
Great post! Love to hear other people and families that don’t feel it is necessary to charge everything or go into debt to look great. Congrats on the new car purchase and paying cash for it! We are huge fans of Dave Ramsey and are quickly paying off student loans and cars. Cant wait to pay my house off in a few years!!!
Patti says
Great post! I commend your Dads on passing down the frugal gene, but many of us with frugal parents went the other way in terms of spending, so kudos to you both for keeping the tradition. I think that’s the key to your success, you’re both on the same page when it comes to money. As for me and my hubs, I’ll just say it’s a work in progress.
kelsey says
you guys are amazing!!!the fact that you paid in full for you car,very few people can say that!! thank you for posting all of your wise advice!! oh and i cant wait for another nursery post! hint hint….
:)
Allison says
You guys are an awesome inspiration to those out there who are still learning how to save and be frugal. We are just like y’all. And with my husband between jobs and me looking for one too, times do get very tight. But we always manage to make it work(thanks to savings and learning new lessons on penny pinching). Goodwill is my new best friend! We have a great one near us and I even sometimes buy clothes there(something I thought I’d never do).
Until I was out of college, I don’t think I even knew you could NOT pay off your credit card each month. It’s really a shame that more parents aren’t teaching their kids these financial skills. It also makes me wonder why such an important life skill isn’t being taught in schools. I don’t understand what the big mystery is on how you and John do what you do. It’s not rocket science. If you don’t have the money…don’t buy it! We don’t use credit cards at all(except online purchases which is more secure). If any readers out there are interested in taking an at home, common sense, old school lesson on finances, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Well worth the money to buy the kit. We are taking the course right now and have learned so much, even though we thought we knew most of it already. He teaches you how to make a monthly budget, how to get out of debt, how to invest and save, and still buy the things that make you happy.
Lisa says
Living in NYC and expecting our first child at the end of June, I can totally relate to the “astronomical cost of living” comments… and since my husband got laid off in December, I am continually asking myself if we’d be better off moving out of the city, although my family is in Pittsburgh, where I doubt either hubby or I would be able to find stable, good-paying finance/strategy jobs, just because the market there is skewed toward health care and technology. That said, I am trying to save pennies wherever and whenever I can for the little mister who is on the way… my latest score was Lifefactory glass bottles marked down to $7.99 each for the 4 oz. size (reg. ~$12) and $12.99 each for the 9 oz. size (reg. ~$18) at Destination Maternity. I got mine online but they did have some at the store here, too. I know you are into eco-friendly stuff so figured you might be buying glass bottles for the beanette and thought you might want to check it out!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lisa! We actually already got our glass bottles for the beanette but thanks for the tip. It’ll probably come in handy for someone else!
xo,
s
Molly says
Great, GREAT post! So many people are inspired by the two of you… and it’s great to hear how you save, use coupons, DIY, etc. Seriously, saving is a foreign concept in this country. There are SOOOO many other design/DIY blogs out there that I love…but it always makes me wonder how they can “afford” all the stuff they are constantly buying.
Chelsea says
When you talk about saving money on your eating habits. They would be a good post. Share some of the staples you have in your kitchen and recipes you make with them often.
Do you eat only organic food?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chelsea,
We actually don’t eat much meat so we save a lot of money there (dinners can be anything from organic Amy’s Pizza to cheap-o spaghetti or even veggie dumplings or pancakes if we’re feeling festive). If we’re trying to be fancy we’ll toss some garlic and shrimp in our pasta (which still isn’t too expensive when you have a 50 count bag of frozen shrimp on hand) or we’ll make homemade pear and provolone pizza (so simple, just top with those ingredients and bake the dough). Meal planning has really helped to keep us focused at the store so we don’t buy a bunch of processed crap we don’t need, and we also like to try to use up nearly everything in the house before going food shopping again (so we don’t have cans of beans or frozen pork chops that just sit around for months since we’d rather eat something else). You really can stretch shopping trips out if you eat what you have until it’s gone! Oh and we try to eat organic when we can but we’re by no means only-organic eaters.
We’re definitely not chefs- not by a long shot! And this blog is really dedicated to our true passion: home improvement and DIY. But we do find a ton of amazing recipes here: http://www.youvegotsupper.com/
Happy hunting!
xo,
s
Livvy says
A penny saved is *more* than a penny earned. For example, if you are in a 25% tax bracket, you’d have to earn about $1.33 to save $1.00 ($1.25* 75% = $1.00). If you’re lucky enough to be in a higher tax bracket — and keep in mind that you need to include federal tax, state tax, social security tax, and for some, alternative minimum tax — you might have to earn $2.00 or more to save $1.00.
I recently figured out that I “earned more” by painting my house and taking care of my kids than going to a job and earning a salary that would be taxed half away. As I told a friend, it’s not what you make… it’s what you keep.
Amber says
i couldn’t have my hubby cut my hair… lol… I cut his though!
Leigh says
My husband and I are learning the value of knowing our priorities, and not spending $$ on items that aren’t that important to us. We also just implemented a no-credit rule, UNLESS we have the money saved up, but get a 0% interest loan, and keep the money in a high yield savings account earning us interest – then it makes us money in the long run to take the no-interest loan.
We’re also learning that it pays to re-evaluate our habits regularly and make adjustments. I usually do my own taxes, but this year because of a LOT of items that we could deduct, it really paid off to have a professional take a look.
brooke says
wow!!! thank you so much for this post!! i am trying to change our very unfrugal life to one that is so that i can quit my job at the end of may and spend the summer with my two little ladies and then be a stay at home mom…it is proving VERY difficult for me, but it is something i want so badly!! this is the exact motivation i needed to get my bum in saving shape!! i wished my small town was better receptive to craigslist but they just don’t get it…so to ebay i go with a house full of stuff to list…i am a little overwhelmed but again this post makes me what to do it all!!! I CAN DO THIS!!!
thanks guys…always such an inspiration!!
Jacci says
Wait a minute? Did Sam and I write this post?
We’re totally with you guys – on nearly everything – except we spend waaay more on food & clothes (4 kiddos and we like to eat out on dates). Our house project budget runs around 10% of our monthly income, too. And, like you guys, our initial mortgage was considerably less than what we could technically afford to buy – so the “surplus” basically makes up our house budget.
Great post, as always! Listen to John and Sherry, guys :)
Oh, and by the way, the info in this post is basically *exactly* what we say when people ask how we get by with one income so I can stay home with the kiddos. I know it’s not possible for everyone, but many of these cutbacks make a HUGE difference!
~Jacci
amanda says
We’re an envelope couple, too! Except, we use Mvelopes.com (similar to Mint.com, but works on the envelope system.)
Thank you for a great post!
Stacey Halphen says
This is a great post that more people my age need to hear! My husband & I are lucky to be able to pay for everything in cash. By no means do we make a lot of money! We still go on vacations, take nice dinners out, go to the theater, etc.
It is definitely less stressful to know you are living within your means.
One thing we have not done, is pay for our car in full. I admire that you were able to do so. That is something I will definitely strive for in the future!
Amy says
I don’t know if you answered this, but how do you only spend $10/month or less on clothing? That’s like basically dressing for free? How do you have clothes? I’d love the secret- I am very frugal when it comes to clothes, but stil spend more than that (and I’m talking TJMaxx, Target, etc)- what are you wearing??
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
Good question. Well, first of all we’re both minimalists (check out this closet post to see what we mean. I currently only own just three pairs of jeans, one pair of black pants, two skirts, two pairs of pajamas, one pair of painting clothes, etc. I also get a ton of things as hand-me-downs from friends and family (especially maternity clothes, which I mentioned) so that always helps. And stemming from my NYC days I like to wear simple black tops (many of which I can get for $9.99 at Target) with jeans and some fun earrings and shoes (I have so many shoes and so much jewelry from my working-in-NY days that I never need to buy them, like ever). So having a uniform that relies on a few simple staples (many of which I can wear for years at a time before replacing them) makes things relatively brainless. We also always ask for gift cards to places like Gap, Banana, Target, and Old Navy when our b-day or Christmas rolls around. For example on my birthday two weeks ago I got three $25 gift cards to Banana Republic and one $25 gift card to Old Navy. So I’ll use those to get a few spring/summer staples and then use the ones we get for Christmas to get some fall/winter items. Of course we also get a lot of coupons in the mail that we love to use (especially from places like Gap/Old Navy/Banana) with deals like “save $25 when you spend $50” – so combining those with my gift cards really helps them go a long way. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Karlee says
I really appreciated this post. It gave me some encouragement to continue trying to live frugally. My biggest downfall is shopping for clothes. (Don’t tell my husband! jk) But it was a good reminder to live within our means.
Sarah says
I love you guys! I just got married and I am teaching my husband to live just the way you have described! I have always understood the vaule of saving before buying and my husband now is starting to understand that when you do the stress of money goes away!
anne says
Great post! Thanks for sharing all of your good tips.
Tiffany says
We also follow a lot of the same advice in our spending. We save for what we love-traveling and dining out-and save on the other things-such as clothing (I’m still wearing things from middle school and that was over 10 years ago), music, movies and books from library, etc. Thankfully we have been blessed with great jobs. We still like to have fun, but on the cheap-we entertain often, but keep the cost at less than $50 for the party-which is what our annual wine tasting party runs as well as our murder mystery party.
Amanda says
Great post! We have similar ideas when it comes to money management and I thought it was interesting how you both mentioned your parents. My parents taught us great spending habits, but my husbands… not so much! So, after I took over the finances before we got married he got his very first allowance in his own account and everything. It was the best financial decision as well as marital decision we’ve ever made lol.
chacha says
You guys are more frugal than me! But I suspected you were when you I read you were sharing one car :o)
Tricks? Well, I go so far as to redeem all my recycling even from the cans I drink at work (we get very discounted drinks 25 cents, otherwise I wouldn’t buy it). At 5 cents a container, it’s worth it to me.
We also use a low cost mobile carrier (T-mobile) and don’t have dataplans or snazzy phones. No extra cable packages. Don’t use heat or A/C unless absolutely necessary (i.e. less than 60 or higher than 82 in the house). Buy in-season veggies, buy in bulk at Costco, matinee movies, etc.
Bridgit says
Great post! I love thrifty saving tips!
Do you have advice on ways to save with cell phones and services? I currently have an iPhone and am looking to downgrade because of all the added fees… and we want to do some work on our house!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bridgit,
Here’s an old post about how we attempted to save some money on our phone (along with some other utilities around the house): https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/01/three-phone-calls-590-saved/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Diane says
I want to say that I enjoy reading your posts everyday.
thanks for sharing the nursery reno.
This blog makes me smile!
Ana says
It’s good to have positive role models when it comes to financial guidance. My parents and grandparents have always been pretty frugal, so a lot of that mindset was imprinted on me at an early age. When I was a kid and my parents needed to make a pricey purchase, like an appliance, there was always a big discussion on whether they should put it on The Credit Card. (The way they talked about it in serious tones always made me envision it as being capitalized.) They’d pay it off quickly anyway, but they stressed the importance of being able to afford the things you bought and to save up as much as possible. I’m grateful to have had that kind of example to follow — it makes my financial life so much less stressful.
Katie says
I agree with a lot of what’s already been said, but I haven’t seen anyone mention eco-friendly tips for saving money. Little things like leaving the lights off when we’re not in a room, installing dimmer switches, turning off the faucet while we’re brushing our teeth, not washing clothes till they’re actually gross, etc. help keep our utility bills super low. We proved how effective all these tactics are when our sister-in-law and her three kids came to stay with us for a weekend and our utility bill doubled from that short visit!
Jennifer S. says
I love that you are frugal. By nature, I, too, am frugal, but now that I have young kids (elementary to high school age), the expenses are way more than I imagined. Have you seen how much a teenager eats? And food is expensive these days. Not to mention school tuition if you don’t live in a “good” district for public schools. And shoes! My god! Kids feet grow fast! We are a frugal family, but I am so looking forward to the day when the kids have flown the nest and I can slow down the spending.
Amy says
Hi Sherry!
I have been checking out your blog daily now for about a month – I love it!
My boyfriend and I are currently renting (kinda far away from you – by the seaside in Australia!) so although we can’t really do any of the home reno stuff yet, it is really interesting to read about. I have taken onboard some of your decorating tips, gardening tips and most definitely your saving tips!
We are 23 and 27, i have been working full time for 2 years since university and my boyfriend has been teaching for 6 years. Up until last year we hadn’t really thought about what we spend – but now we have booked an overseas trip for next year, away for 10 months and only planning on working for 6 of that! So we are trying to save up madly. Your tips have been perfect timing for me! And it is funny, but once you start saving up – it is almost addictive to NOT spend money!
Ways I have cut back include – planning out out meals for the week, using what I can from the pantry and our herb garden and only doing one shop a week. We also carpool to work, taking my car which uses less petrol. Luckily where we live we barely use heating and as our house is two storey and double brick – downstairs has been staying nice and cool over Summer. We have a coffee machine which has really cut back on those takeaways in the morning. I also put away a third of my pay automatically on payday and whatever else I can at the end of the week.
Thanks for sharing your ideas – I am finding them very motivational!
Meghan says
I agree with EVERYTHING you said above. My husband and I pay cash for everything. Purchased a fixer-upper for 175,000 and drive cars that we own outright. Plain and simple, we live within our means. We don’t have cable or fancy phones. We rarely buy clothes. We save for retirement. I find more pleasure in being secure financially than I think that I would ever have with having stuff.
Ann says
I really like hearing how other people save money. My dad told me at a very early age “If you can’t pay cash, you can’t afford it”. Investing in a house or an education didn’t fall under that rule.
Laura J says
Great post Sherry and John! My hubby and I seem to live much the same as you do and only buy what we have the money for RIGHT then. I don’t use credit cards at all but my hubs does sometimes but then pays it off at the end of every month. We do still have some debt – student loans from graduate school and our house. We each have a full-time job and he has a part-time job and I have 2 part-time jobs. We work like crazy so that we can pay more each month on our house and student loans so that we won’t have that debt for years to come. It’s easy for us to work so much because we don’t have children though.
I have a question for John. I know that you are a runner and seeing as though you are frugal, I’m wondering if you prefer a specific brand of running shoe that’s affordable but comfortable? I’m in the market for some and although I like some that are $100, I really can’t justify spending that much for shoes. Is this one area that you slurge on? Any suggestions? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hi Laura,
I love Asics and usually buy them online to save money. I google around for the lowest price- along with any coupon codes- and usually end up buying them on Amazon.
-John
Cris says
We collect our change. Seriously. At the end of everyday, we ather up all our coins and dump them in a container in our closet. At the end of every year, we take it to a Coin Star and use the money (generally between $400-$500) on a special splurge. For example, last year we purchased an elliptical machine and free weights so that I could work out at home.
Jennifer says
Love reading your blog, it is so inspiring. Each day makes me think about something new to do with my home, how to decorate, organize or rearrange. I am a newlywed and I am slowly converting my hubby’s one bedroom, one bath house into our little palace. We are both teachers, so we are definitely on a budget and live frugally too!
It got me thinking when I was reading about money saving tips….do you have any tips on how to buy ingredients for meals that you can use the next night? For example, my husband loves tacos, and I like an occasional BLT for dinner, so I usually buy the lettuce, tomatoes, onion and cheese for both those meals in a week. It works so nicely because I never have a ton of produce going bad. I am wondering if there are any other double duty recipes that you or anyone out there knows of?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer,
Good question! We meal plan so we just buy what we need for each meal (which keeps us from grabbing a bunch of random ingredients and snacks), but we wonder if anyone else out there has suggestions for multitasking foods/recipes like your taco-BLT example. Feel free to chime in everyone!
xo,
s
Michele Daggar says
John & Sherry,
I have no doubt whatsoever that you guys will be able to continue your fantastic frugal ways once the baby (& future babies!) arrives.
Having kids doesn’t mean shelling out big bucks. I stayed home with my kids for 10 years. My husband’s graphic design annual income fluctuated between $36,000 and $52,000. We had 1 very old truck and 1 very old 2-door car. I drove a 2-door car until our youngest was 3! It was an adventure getting a toddler and a baby in and out of their car seats, but completely doable!
When my kids started school we actually made the decision to send them to a Catholic school. I worked there 15 hours/week as a lunch lady (as glamourous as it sounds!) Their school cost us almost $6,000/year. I made minimum wage.
We were able to pay for school, our mortgage and student loans on about $54,000/year. Most people aren’t willing to sacrifice their cable tv, yearly vacations, big SUV/van, etc. Our kids education is worth the sacrifice. We do a lot of frugal things like using the library to get DVD’s, buy clothes from Goodwill (love that place, great home decor stuff too), garage sales, borrowing items instead of buying. It takes getting used to but the satisfaction of being debt free feels better than a new pair of shoes.
P.S. We even managed to take the kids on that old staple of American life (TRIP TO WALT DISNEY WORLD) We saved for 2 years to pay cash for a week for the 4 of us at Disney. In the 13 years since we had kids it was only the second vacation we went on.
Amanda says
I love clothes and, unfortunately, not in Sherry’s minimalist way! But I have figured out how to dress myself, two kids, and a husband for about $200/year. With a combination of hand-me-downs, yard sales, thrift stores, Freecycle, and clearance racks, no one ever believes me when I tell them what I pay. You would not believe what you can get at yard sales for 25 cents. My best find, clothing-wise, was a pair of Cole Haan heels that had never been worn. I couldn’t resist the urge to find out their retail price – $245! Whenever I wear them, they make me smile, and not just because they look great! I paid about 1/1000 of retail!!! But patience is key, just like Sherry said. Don’t buy a junky shirt just because you “need a shirt.” Plan ahead and save the money so when the amazing deal falls from the sky, you have the cash to snatch it. Like my $7 thrift store all silk Ann Taylor dress – gorgeous!
Jackie Gibson says
Hey guys! I guess this is technically a comment on your link to homemade cleaning supplies…but I was curious how antibacterial all of those cleaners are. I am a germ-paranoid house cleaner, and I am wondering–could any of those products end up compromising clean (antibacterial) for eco-friendly? Do you feel safe wiping down your kitchen with the homemade products after, say, working with raw meat or other really germy things? I would love to convert to completely all-natural products, but I’m a little curious about the actual antibacterial strength. Thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jackie,
Just read the comments on that cleaning post for more info on that subject (many ingredients like tea tree oil have natural antibacterial properties). And studies have shown that regular old soap and water can eliminate nasty things like e coli so as long as you do a good wipe down with whatever cleansers you use it should be a-ok. We’ve lived with all natural cleaning products for at least two years and haven’t had a single incident of a food related illness or anything like that. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Ruth says
I am totally impressed with y’all saving up to buy a car. I work hard to save money to get the bigger ticket items. Though their are times when I just can’t wait. :) I take my lunch to work each day. I shop the grocery store ads each week. Since we have two in the area i check to see which has more of what I want on special. And of course pull out those coupons. I managed to save $32 yesterday when I went with store specials and coupons. I aslo found that I can load coupons to my Kroger card at shortcuts.com
I hit the sales for just about everything else too. Right now I am down to student loans and mortgage as of 1 1/2 years ago and am still so proud. I put the extra away for upgrades and towards a down payment on my next home.
Amy says
I REALLY appreciate this and am going to share it with my fiance when he gets home!! We have been together 2 years and are reforming impulse shoppers. We were bad, like brand new four wheelers, 2nd laptop for no reason bad. Well, I decided to go to nursing school full time and leave my job so fiance is right now carrying the brunt of the financial situation, and we’re paying for a wedding in 7 months. But we have really started to save and be more frugal. We really want to have a large cushion in savings for emergencies and special purchases so saving is the goal. And we also avoid buying on credit at all costs. BTW… Western NY (Buffalo and surrounding counties) is VERY inexpensive. We got a 50’s ranch that was structurally PERFECT and needing only cosmetic upgrades for $89,000!! And that’s normal around here. I actually had a friend who built a 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath with attached 2 car garage, 2 bonus rooms, and full basement in a beautiful area for less than $160k.