Frugal Articles of the Week

Every week I like to feature a few frugal articles that caught my eyes. Curl up in your favorite reading nook and enjoy. Hopefully these encourage you to live frugal lives!

Where the poor and rich really spend their money by Max Ehrenfreund
As the gap in income and wealth widens between the rich and poor, clear patterns in spending behaviors have emerged. Noticeably, the poor are far more likely to spend income on housing as a percentage, when compared to middle and higher income groups. The effects on eating habits can also be massive, as “the poor and the middle class all spend about 19 percent their grocery budget on fruits and vegetables, about 22 percent on meats, and about 13 percent on breads and cereals.”

Gravity Payments CEO Will Live on $70,000 Worker Wage, Thinks His Life Will Be Luxe Enough by Susanna Kim
Dan Price isn’t like many CEOs. His internal compass seems to point him towards spending, owning, and making less money. Despite being the CEO of a successful credit processing company, he decided to take a large salary cut to model strong leadership. Price makes it clear that he doesn’t want overpaid CEOs to take his place someday, while jeopardizing regular employee’s positions. What a model for the entire corporate sector.

ALDI Is A Growing Menace To America’s Grocery Retailers by The Hartman Group
ALDI’s stores serve a different clientele and follow a unique business model. The market places food palettes in the center or aisles, they don’t usually take credit transactions, and often have only one brand to choose from. ALDI’s is also the parent company for Trader Joe’s. All of these factors combine into healthy savings for shoppers.

How to plan for retirement by Joshua Fields Millburn
Joshua tackles an important money issue for many: saving enough for retirement. He takes all his experience with simplicity and minimalism, and bundles it into a helpful guide for the masses. The important variable that he doesn’t acknowledge, unfortunately, is that how-to guides don’t apply to everyone. Retirement savings can frequently be a luxury in a world bogged down by student loan debt. Either way, Joshua offers some sound tips for starting your nest egg!