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My husband and I started our marriage nearly $20,000 in debt. I used a settlement to pay most of it off and within a year we were back where we started. It took us two years to pay the debt off and we have managed to avoid it since then by doing several key things:
First, we have no credit cards. We each have a checking and a savings account that we can both access, and we manipulate the monies as we see fit (my paycheck goes into my account and his into his) I use my savings to save for the holidays and for large ticket items that we want/need. Each of us has a debit card for our checking account, and we only have one card for each account (no accidental overdrafts). If we want something, we save for it.
Second, we only purchase clothing two to three times a year. Unless we need something specific for a particular function (which is rare), we wait until our usual buying time to purchase. It sounds silly, but it does work, and it helps keep track of what we spend on clothing. So spring and fall (usually, and sometimes one trip for winter) we hit the sales and purchase things we need. Underwear and socks and such come from either the dollar store or from the outlet store. We buy tshirts, jeans, everyday sort of clothes, and replace worn or outgrown clothing on those trips. We're both large people, and finding sizes can be difficult, but we have been lucky so far. Internet shopping can help, too, and we save on shipping when we're purchasing a larger amount. We actually saved over $100 the first year we tried this method. It used to be the only thing we kept credit cards for, but we even gave that up as it was just as cost effective to save the money and keep to a particular budget. Mind you, we both occasionally see something we "must" have, but we save enough each year buying "staples" this way that we can afford to splurge once in a while.
We also each have a rule for those "splurges". If I see something I want, like a shirt or jeans or shoes, I have to mentally catalogue exactly what I will wear it with, or decide right there if there is something I need to discard or give away to make room/justify the purchase. The same goes for crap for my house. If I can't think of a use for it, outside of my one collection luxury, I don't buy it. Neither does he. This simple rule has saved us hundreds of dollars on purchases that we don't need.
We're both particular on food, so I don't have any tips. We also both work in the service industry, so we don't cook at home much, simply because we do it for a living and sometimes find it hard to stand in the kitchen even a second longer than we have to, even to feed ourselves. On the other hand, my hubby's done some great trades for gift certificates to other restaurants using gift certificates to his establishment. It helps make eating out so much a little more affordable.
Finally, we ultimately decided that if we want to continue living the lifestyle we lead, comfortable and able to afford the things we want and need when we want and need them, that we had to choose between our life as it is and kids. We know a lot of couples who've had children just because its what's expected here in the very religious/procreation happy catholic/fundamental christian south. This isn't exactly advice for frugal living, but it is part of how we've structured our lives to ensure that we are living well within our means and not beyond. We have chosen (for more than just financial reasons, of course) not to have children. Perhaps one day we'll want them, and when we do, we'll adopt or foster. But for now, children are beyond our means. *shrugs* Not meant to be judgmental of people who've had kids... But for us, it isn't the right decision.
There are other ways we manage to live well. Unfortunately, we also don't have much in the way of long-term savings, though my husband's choice of career doesn't offer much in the way of future planning anyway, and I'm in school and my future career will have some savings options, and retirement. We will eventually have to think about future planning, but for now we're ok... and would be for a while if anything happened.
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“When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
~Sinclair Lewis
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