Articles by Frugaling

Announcing My First Book: “Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously”

After months of conversations, writing, editing, and preparation, I can officially announce the release of my first book, Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously! You can pre-order it on Amazon and it’ll be automatically delivered to your Kindle or supported devices on August 24th.

Today, I want to talk about the reasons why I wrote this book, the process, and share some special bonuses.

About six months ago a well-respected writer and blogger took an hour of his time to talk with me. As we talked on the phone, I picked his brain about simple living and frugality. We saw eye to eye about the need for people to live minimally.

At the end of the talk he emphasized that I should write a book. Between flattery, confusion, ignorance, and gratitude, I hung up and froze in my chair. For years I had been writing, but doubted whether I was reaching anyone — whether my writing was any good. I had thought about writing a book, but inner insecurities prevailed and prevented me from writing one.

But here was someone I respected, and he was pushing me to publish. Something clicked. I realized that Frugaling was about more than personal finance, and I needed to compile that into a book.

When I started Frugaling, I knew about student loans and credit cards. I had lots of debt, and could share my desire to be done with it. In those early days, my articles felt like a reproduction of other personal finance gurus’ advice. The solutions were simplistic: create a budget, get a good credit card, and don’t eat out as much. They weren’t necessarily bad suggestions, but they seemed to miss perspective and depth.

Unfortunately, despite good intentions, many personal finance gurus were missing large populations in need of help. And I had simply joined the herd of regurgitators.

Then I had a comically simple epiphany: we are all individuals. One set of bullet points, “tips,” and “rules” won’t ever apply to everyone. And frankly, many financial gurus and “experts” are white and middle class or higher. Their experiences will likely differ significantly from various diverse groups and economic statuses. I wanted to reach a broader audience and speak to many pitfalls and problems that systematically prevent others from succeeding financially.

That revelation motivated different directions in my writing. Coupled with the inspiration from a respected author, I decided it was time to write and publish a book. Additionally, I wanted to make it affordable because ideas about personal finance, simple living, and minimalism should be accessible to all.

Using articles from Frugaling.org, new material, and a bold premise of reaching diverse audiences through personal finance, this first book will help readers build a foundation, philosophy, and resistance. Together, these sections aim to provide readers with a healthy dose of encouragement to live well on less. Let me explain what I mean.

Saving more, spending less, and preparing for the future are usually the first steps that people take to become more frugal. The foundation section provides an overview for why I decided to pursue frugality, new ways to pay off debt, and savings experiments that can be started today.

But saving money isn’t easy in a culture that idealizes consumption. Society tends to favor those with material wealth over inner health. As a consequence, frugality can be challenging and trying over longer periods. That’s why I added a section about the philosophy of frugality. If you’ve ever tried to save money, but wondered why you should, this part’s for you.

Armed with a strong foundation and philosophy for going frugal, the last section helps readers develop a resistance to advertising, marketing pressures, and the systemic problems that hold people back financially. I want readers to get upset with how we’re portrayed as mere consumers.

Now, I want to segue into some bonuses for readers today. Rather than have you wait for August 24th to begin reading, I want to share a couple parts from the book today! Click here to read the first few pages and introduction.

Here’s what people are saying about Frugaling:

“Sam provides a fresh perspective into the world of personal finance. In a world of copycat books almost entirely focused on earning more and spending less, Frugaling invites us to find freedom by thinking different about our finances, our lifestyles, and the world around us. It is a must-read.”

–Joshua Becker, BecomingMinimalist.com

“I’ve been following Sam’s website Frugaling for six months now, and it’s clear that he is passionate about questioning consumerism. The methods in which he communicates his message are crystal clear, and I look forward to reading his posts each day.”

–Brian Gardner, NoSidebar.com

“Sam is a refreshing voice in the world of finance. Super authentic and upbeat, and I always leave happier after reading his thoughts. It’s like having (home-made) coffee with a friend :)”

–J. Money, BudgetsAreSexy.com

“Sam is candid in sharing his experience paying off student debt while pursuing an intentional lifestyle. He combines storytelling and his unique Frugaling philosophy with smart, practical advice for young adults looking to pursue the lives they want instead of being trapped by debt.”

–Anthony Ongaro, BreakTheTwitch.com

“Sam’s work will both challenge and inspire you to rethink your relationship with money and the world as a whole – to live a fuller, richer and more meaningful life.”

–Stefanie O’Connell, TheBrokeAndBeautifulLife.com

“Sam writes with a genuine, thoughtful voice on topics of minimalism, frugality, and life improvement. He brings great insight to the issues he covers and challenges readers to question their own assumptions about our image-obsessed culture of endless consumption. A must-read for anyone grappling with the questions of what it means to chart a life that’s outside the ordinary and not focused on following the herd.”

–Mrs. FW, Frugalwoods.com

I want to say thank you to all of these authors for their praise, encouragement, and help along the way. Please visit and check out their sites. They’re all fantastic writers and evangelists for saving more, spending less, and living well.

Lastly, I want to say thanks to you! I really appreciate your readership and hope you’ll support me on this first book. Be sure to share it spread the word on Twitter (#savelivegive) and Facebook. If you’re an Amazon Prime and/or Kindle Unlimited customer, the book will be free for the first 90 days. Otherwise, the book is $2.99.

Click here to go to Amazon.com and pre-order today!

Your frugal friend,

Sam

Who’s Responsible For Poverty?

By Frugaling 12 Comments

Banksy I Hate Mondays Art — *Art: Banksy*

Picture this: a dirtied, scraped up, penniless homeless man holds up a cardboard sign pleading for pocket change. Perhaps he wrote well wishes and a message of gratitude for giving what you can. Most people who pass him don’t know where he’s from, his name, or how he came to be homeless.

As humans, we tend to fill in the blanks. Unless you’re chauffeured from a gated community to a private jet, and refuse to look out the window in daily travels, it’s nearly impossible to miss these questions of responsibility. We tend to explain the inexplicable with simplifications. People deserve what they deserve.

These mental shortcuts enable us to quickly pass through our day and “understand” the world around us. It’s complicated out there, and we have limited brain power. We can’t worry about everything, can we? Dwelling on uncertain ideas of responsibility might result in something scary: feeling lost, stupid, or flirting with pointlessness.

When we think of the causes of poverty, it can be natural to blame individuals. For instance, that the person asking for change on the street corner is too lazy to work, wants to feed their alcohol addiction, and/or doesn’t care to shape up. If only they would take responsibility for their actions, then they wouldn’t be homeless, right?

That’s the simple conclusion — and it’s possible — but today I want to encourage us to take a step back. Let’s think about some alternative conclusions. Those alternative conclusions harbor a truth that’s larger than one simplistic answer. It encapsulates the range of possibilities and diversity of lives.

Capitalism tends to encourage individual responsibility for actions. We have a penal system that punishes individuals’ actions as if they are divorced from difficult upbringings and environments — separate and isolated incidents. We have enormous financial markets, which encourage individual college students to major in business, computer science, and engineering. We congratulate and honor people for “their” work and individual contributions to science, politics, and bravery. When we seek answers for homelessness, poverty, and even wealth, the scripts have been built for us. As I’m a visual person, I’ve created a pie chart to explain responsibility in capitalism.

In this first chart, capitalist ideals suggest that individuals bear the responsibility. Pretty simple, right? When I was younger, I enjoyed the efficiency of more libertarian — individual responsibility — principles. If you work harder, you’re rewarded. The world is yours, if you earn it.

Those capitalism-infused libertarian values of responsibility eventually shifted. The best explanation was an active decision to expose myself to diverse reading material and cultures. Suddenly, the responsibility for homelessness, poverty, and wealth became complicated ideas. I needed to wrap my head around the chicken or the egg — what came first — of finance. Did the poverty cause lethargy or did laziness cause poverty?

Obviously, these pie charts aren’t scientifically exact. They’re meant to be illustrations of my thought process, as I consider where to assign blame and responsibility when I see poverty and wealth. The more I thought about what might influence and shape an individual, the more complicated it became. Certainly, it would save me time to write off the impoverished and say they are welfare grubbing lifesucks, but I choose to represent a different point of view. We are each born into this world with different characteristics — monetary, racial, SES, etc.

If we reexamine the aforementioned homeless man, responsibility becomes murkier with new variables. Suddenly, we see the man beyond the exterior and our previous assumptions. Perhaps the reality is that he was born to a single-parent household in a disenfranchised neighborhood. Perhaps he was a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from the losses of fellow soldiers and improperly/untreated posttraumatic stress disorder.

Or, perhaps we are all incredibly complex, diverse beings. We’re born with unique genes, environmental upbringings, educational opportunities, and parents. Heck, those listed here are but a small fraction of all the variables we could include.

If we quickly judge that someone bears the responsibility for being destitute, we are the lazy ones. We are the ones we often hate, despise, and discount. Carefully examining responsibility is challenging and not without errors, but we avoid incorrectly concluding that someone failed and deserves the punishment of poverty.

Buying The Ticket And Taking The Ride

By Frugaling 15 Comments

In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ben Stiller’s character races across the globe in search for an adventurer, played by Sean Penn. The ensuing travels take Walter on a psychological rush. Suddenly, his life is full of excitement and uncertainty. But before he jumps — takes that chance — Walter is stuck at the office. He’s afraid to leave. His life is a boring repetition of the same cycle of work.

Recently, I’ve noticed a similar dissension within me. While I enjoy my work immensely and have deep passion for helping others, this delayed gratification of graduate school prevents me from engaging in a fundamental, eye-opening experience: international travel.

Seeing another culture has been shown to aid in the development of empathy. Intuitively, that finding makes sense, as we often live blindly to those in difficult life circumstances. Immersive cultural experiences such as travel and reading help people become rounded.

Sign me up for the discomfort of having to negotiate a car rental without speaking the language. I’ll find a way. Sign me up to confront class differences between cultures and peoples. I’ll question my assumptions. Sign me up to try the exotic foods and push my boundaries. I’ll open my stomach and heart.

With these values and ideas in mind, I’ve been fantasizing like Walter Mitty. Days go by in work and writing, but I secretly imagine a getaway — daydreaming my way to Denmark, Egypt, France, Israel, and Russia. Sometimes I picture dropping everything and running; after all, we only have these moments. Each time I dream big, I slowly regain composure and repeat simple mantras: “must save, later will travel” or “must work, employer needs me” or “once I get my PhD, then I’ll travel.”

But moments of lust for flight keep hitting. Nowadays, the fantasy occurs every time I’m in an airport. If the flight is delayed, cancelled, or I’m flying standby, I look at Kayak.com for the cheapest flights to… anywhere. From hundreds to thousands of dollars, I wonder if I could just go — without fear or restriction.

One of my greatest regrets has been my failure to develop fluency in a second language. Travel could’ve aided in language acquisition. As a frugal person, I can’t quite afford it yet. I’m stuck on saving a little egg that can protect me and someday empower me to travel. I find that terribly frustrating.

My guess is many people are like me. We’re busy working away during the week and the money is helping us get by. If you’re more frugal, you can sock away a little more, too. We’re hardly rolling in the dough, though.

If we could cheaply travel, we would. And yes, there are ways to travel more affordably. You can get a credit card with a signup bonus, buy tickets well in advance, look for student/senior discounts when possible, stay at hostels, and travel light. But at the end of the day, travel requires time off work and savings. It necessitates a certain safety net, unless you’re willing to risk homelessness because of the desire to travel. And there are classes and cultures right here at home that cannot and will not travel — ever — despite whatever desire they have internally.

When my head and heart race, I slow down by remembering my consistent goals. I want to be able to provide for others, give healthily to charity, avoid nasty loans, save for retirement, and be prepared for an emergency. Travel will come, and as much as the daily drools of quotidian life will never appeal to me, I do recognize what I’m building here. Frugality is a philosophical aspiration where I realize that life can be grand with less. Eventually, I’ll buy the ticket and take the ride.

Frugal Articles of the Week

By Frugaling 5 Comments

I’m back with another terrific group of articles! Hope you enjoy and share widely.

How We Pay Ourselves First by Our Next Life
I’m a big fan of budgets, but if you struggle to make or stick with them, there’s another way to stay frugal. The authors at Our Next Life propose “paying yourself” first. That means taking the money out of the bank account, and out of your hands before you have a chance to spend it. It’s a great psychological trick and well worth a read.

5 Awesome Dates That Won’t Break the Bank by Elliott Bailey
Frugal dating has sometimes been a struggle. I’m always open to new ways to save. Elliott Bailey may have come up with five of the most unique date ideas I’ve seen. And the best part? They’re all frugal friendly!

How Much Is Your Time Worth? by Stefanie O’Connell
Time equals money; at least, that’s the old adage. I’ve frequently thought about that and realized that my “worth” varies according to my work demands. If I have more free time, I’m less valuable. If you’re a freelancer, this is a great question to keep in mind.

Emotions and Food: How to Deal by Laurie
Vulnerability surrounding food decisions is exceptionally admirable. Laurie acknowledges a past of eating mistakes. Now, she’s turned a new leaf: eating well and staying frugal. Props to her and her family!

Announcing My First Book: “Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously”

Here’s what people are saying about Frugaling:

Buying The Ticket And Taking The Ride

Frugal Articles of the Week

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