Three years ago I sat at my then-girlfriend’s kitchen counter, which looked out at the Pacific Ocean. The panoramic window looked on beautiful condos and homes nestled along the California coast. The weather was perfect, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Amidst this perfection, my heart sank with the weight of tens of thousands of dollars in debt. It was something that could stand in the way of relationships, compromise my job prospects, credit scores, savings, investments, retirements, and giving to others. I wanted to excise the morass of debt, but didn’t know how.
I started writing Frugaling as an aspirant — a mere amateur in the financial planning world. What could I know about saving money, making money, and changing my prospects? While I didn’t have all the answers, I had hope.
I could never have predicted what happened next.
By cataloguing my story, sharing my triumphs and travails, and being open the entire way, I benefited financially and emotionally. The former included about $40,000 in revenue. Something that would allow me to pay off almost all my debt. The latter permitted me to regain my breath — to relax once more. I was able to let go of most financial uncertainty stress.
Three years of Frugaling flew by faster than I could have ever expected. It’s hard to fathom where I was then and now. Much has changed. Here’s what I’ve learned:
The rules don’t apply evenly across populations
We don’t all start from $0, the same educational prospects, families, or social networks. We aren’t all born the same race. We aren’t each afforded a $1 million loan from our fathers.
Finance, while personal, goes beyond “personal finance.” After writing for years, it’s clear both in comments, criticisms, and critical thinking that society has great power in affording people the opportunity to succeed.
Whenever we talk about financial management, we need to consider multiple stories — not just our own.
People care deeply about food concerns
Some of the most popular articles have been about food. And I don’t think it’s an accident. When people look at their budgets, one of the highest lines is for food.
Food is often an area where people look to cut back on. Maybe you eat out too much. Maybe you eat too much. Maybe you spend too much on coffees.
More importantly, any little change in your food spending instantly affects your total spend for a month. Reduce the regular visit to your favorite restaurant, make a meal at home, and you can immediately see the benefit to your wallet.
Simple living, minimalism, and frugality are deeply intertwined
If we imagined a venn diagram, these three concepts would greatly overlap.
Those who enjoy canning, meal planning, and living simply are usually following the frugal life, too. Minimalism directly affects budgets, too. Reducing the urge to fill closets, cabinets, and stuff the remaining areas can help you save money every month.
I’m inspired from each of these concepts. I read — mostly checking out books at the library. I cook (or attempt to) at home. And I constantly look for ways to reduce extra stuff and refuse impulse buys.
Debt can suffocate its victims
Swimming in debt made me struggle for air, space, and time. How long would I have to live this way? How long would I be able to negotiate this rat race? I felt choked by the burden.
Many live like this — even middle-income earners. One way or another they find themselves in great debt and/or living paycheck to paycheck — always on the precipice of a missed house payment, medical bill, or job loss. Every day is a struggle.
Debt has a sneaky way of controlling lives and forcing people to work more, save less, and reduce time spent with loved ones. Debt can impact marriages, relationships, and family members. And oftentimes, it’s inescapable until the final dollar is paid off.
These lessons have taken years to understand and conceptualize — to convey them today. I’m honored and humbled you’ve taken the time to follow along, read, subscribe, tweet, and share.
Cheers to another three years!
Your frugal friend,
Sam
Congrats, Sam! You’ve inspired so many of us! And I can’t wait to see where you’re able to go in the next three years!
Great Job!!
Many many congrats Sam, and thanks for sharing – every bit of inspiration I read on your blog and others like it have pushed me along and helped me to minimize and now achieve a debt-free life, in just about the same time as you. Breathing easier is worth all the hard work and focus along the way!
Thanks for the candor and insight. So true about debt causing us to work more and spend less time with loved ones — often instead of spending less and taking some time to reassess what is really important in life.
Sam, congratulations. I’ve been thinking of writing about food and food budgeting for the past month. I see this article as a sign to go for it!
Keep up the great work. I love coming here to find something interesting to read.
Congrats Sam! You have been inspiration to the many who have followed, myself included. Once my husband and I realized that simple living, minimalism, and frugality go hand-in-hand with our ideas of a free and happy life everything changed. It’s amazing what that realization can bring. Here’s to another 3 years of learning and growing!
Congrats on 3 years that is really amazing. Debt is so terrible and I’m going through it right now, one of the first things you need to do when going down a path is find those who have already gone down it and learn from them. Thank you for being one I can learn from.
Great post–I just found your site via the Slow Your Home podcast. Looking forward to delving into the archives soon. Your story is very inspiring!
Congrats man!!! 3 years is amazing in the blogging world – love that your heart’s still very much in it 🙂
Food spending is an issue close to my heart because I see people waste money on food and it drives me a little crazy.
In a weird way, being poor makes me healthier than my wealthy brother. I live in a food desert so just getting to the grocery store is a chore so I have to be super efficient and organized when I shop so I buy the right food for my needs.
Because there is very little disposable income in my budget ($30/week) I don’t eat out. It also means there is no room in the budget for food like chips, cookies or convenience foods. About 95% of my meals are planned and cooked from scratch. Not a lot of snacking for me. The benefit of this is that I eat a healthy diet, avoid food cravings, maintain my weight (save money by not having to replace my wardrobe) and I avoid the illnesses that are associated with a poor diet. My brother can afford to (and does) eat out 5-9 times a week but sadly he’s a 100lbs overweight and the race is on whether he develops type II diabetes or has a heart attack first. He knows the risks but prevention is not something my family is very good at, they rather wait for crisis mode. Of course crisis mode means the extra expenses of missing work, medical costs not covered by health insurance (I live in Ontario but not everything is free) and the psychological difficulties of having to radically change your lifestyle under duress.
So food spending can cost you in ways you might not imagine.
Just found you on Frugaling, thanks to LinkedIn. It certainly is true that we all start from a unique place…look at you…. bright, talented, articulate, motived, inspiring, entrepreneurial and Frugaling! Congratulations!