4 Reasons to Continue Living Frugally Even After You No Longer Need to

One of the biggest obstacles people face when trying to solve their personal debts is understanding that being frugal doesn't necessarily have to be a lifelong strategy. If you've got a hefty credit card debt that you need to eliminate, you may only have to resort to clipping coupons, turning down the heat an A/C, and eliminating most entertainment expenditures until your debt is gone.

Once

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Success in the Frugal Journey

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying.."I will try again tomorrow."
~Mary Anne Radmacher

I�ve been looking forward to this day and dreading this day.

I look forward to today because I realize that I have finally feel that I know how to ride my figurative bike without training wheels. When I first started Frugal for Life, back in 2004, there

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7 Steps to Forming Financial Habits

What are your habits?

Do you eat from the vending machine each day, go to the same place for lunch with your co-workers, and fall into bed at the same time each night?

Maybe you've made a habit out of spending on impulse, avoiding a budget, and staying up as late as possible.

Someone famously said:
�Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch

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My 4 Rules to Food Safety

Nothing freaks me out more than seeing meat or poultry thawing on the counter. I'm always asking how long an item has been out and no matter the answer, I usually end up tossing it in the fridge to keep the bacteria at bay.
The USDA states:
Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Even though the

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Planning Ahead: Free Children's Activities

Now that I'm an aunt for the first time, children's clothes, activities and behaviors now catch my attention as I try to understand the mystery of growing up from the outside now. I'm regularly asking my sister what activities my 7mos. old nephew is doing. It is too early to figure out his interests yet, but it is fun to wonder if he will be a DIY builder, a weird scientist concoction mixer or if

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Random Thoughts: Gyms, Costco and Can Ethics

Since starting the new job I've been trying to find out every little way I can save money by using discounts through the company I work with. I usually work within the telecommunication industry and with that I receive whatever item they sell for free or at a greatly reduced price. Additionally, they have connections with other companies that provide discounts for computers, car rentals, hotels

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Online Learning: The Neverending Study

Monday I put together a very basic understanding of bonds and what I had learned from them. While I was reading I found that there was so much more that I didn't understand and could have added to my learning.

Having written about frugal living for the past 6 years, I have found that the personal finance side of frugality is the part that is harder to learn. To me, it is easier to find ways to

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Frugal Web: Forehead Tattoos and Library Songs

Previously I've daydreamed about winning the lottery. But recently a British survey (pdf) gathered people's opinion on what they would do for a million pounds (~$1.6 mill. USD). The options were not typical.
Be Photographed naked for a national newspaper (31%)
Have no human contact for a year (18%)
Have sex with someone you find physically "repulsive"(17%)
Give up a kidney (15%)
Not see sunlight

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Codename: Bond Basics

SchoolhouseRock - Tyrannosaurus Debt
TOUR GUIDE: And this is the U.S. Treasury. It sells Treasury Bonds, bills, and notes, and savings bonds to finance the debt. The U.S. government promises to pay the owner interest plus the value of each bond at a future date.Up to a few days ago, if you asked me what a bond was, I would tell you it was a way to make some interest on your money through the

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5 Obstacles to Financial Fitness

You want to be financially fit. You know all about buying generic and what needs to be done to start a budget. You know what is involved in starting your retirement fund and how much to sock away. You can even picture a future with fewer stresses and possibly an early retirement.

So why aren't you on the road to that frugal success you read about?
Simply put, there are life issues that block

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