Frugaling

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Two-Year Anniversary Of Frugaling!

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Manhattan Beach, California

Discomfort: The catalyst for change

Two years ago, I sat in my then-girlfriend’s apartment in Manhattan Beach, California. Only a couple blocks from the Pacific Ocean, I felt like it was heaven on Earth. Frankly, I hadn’t found any place more relaxing and beautiful.

But that May 4th, 2013 was complicated for me. I was powerfully distracted by student loans. The numbers continued to worsen, and I wanted to stop the bleeding. The debt was hurtling towards $40,000. I was afraid I couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to reduce it as a graduate student.

Everybody in my life said they were proud of me — of making it to a Ph.D. program and helping others through counseling psychology. And yet, I felt hopeless to do anything about my financial situation. Doing good didn’t mean money followed suit.

I told my then-girlfriend that I was nervous. I told her I didn’t know what to do. I told her that when I was younger I used to write, blog, and share my thoughts. Maybe I could do that again?

Neither of us truly believed that writing could suddenly pay off my student loans and credit debt. I was green and naive, but my eagerness and openness pushed me into action.

The start of something good

With trepidation and giddiness, we sat down and talked about the idea of starting a website.

She asked, “What would you call it?”

We played around with some ideas — back and forth. Nothing really stuck. Or, when we liked something the domain name was invariably taken. Darn it! Maybe I was just too late in the game to join the personal finance community?

Then, as we decided to table the discussion, I suggested “Frugaling.” The name danced across my vocal cords and tongue with a playfulness, which also acknowledged finances. And there it was: available. I bought it immediately.

Energized, I sat down at the kitchen table and coded the basic structure of the website. I found a theme and we designed a header logo. The site was rough around the edges and certainly wouldn’t have won any design awards. With her help and my passion for personal finance, I wrote my first article. Half a day had rolled by, but it was live!

Would you marry me?

Initially, I asked my readers, “Would you marry me?” The question was bouncing around in my head ever since I was asked how much debt I had. I worried that having tens of thousands in student loans might hinder my chances at a loving, long relationship. Questions such as, “How would you provide for children?” or “How would you afford a mortgage?” stopped me in my tracks. I felt awful. After all, monetary concerns often break up marriages.

When I published that first article, I had four readers: mom, dad, bro, and Lisa. Each of them read the article, and supported my decision to start this website. Albeit, there was definitely some skepticism from them.

When I hit that “publish” button, I was awash with a familiar, but dormant, feeling. It was a rush of excitement and energy, which reminded me of a brief foray into opinion-editorial writing at my college newspaper. It had been years since I wrote publicly, and I was instantly hooked back in.

Over the coming months, a torrent of articles flew through my fingertips and onto the screen. I loved the feeling of being a writer, editor, publisher, and advertiser. I was doing it all in the cracks of free time that graduate school occasionally presented. And few even knew I existed. The love was in the process of writing, not the paycheck.

Shifting ideals, writing styles

To summarize and contain two years of thoughts, critiques, and articles is nearly impossible. The time period is collected and framed on this site for all to see. It’s a time when I hurt immensely, and saw few ways out of tens of thousands in debt.

My first articles were rudimentary. Inspiration came from other personal finance websites and, mostly, well-tread territory. Sadly, I’m not sure that I was providing earth shattering revelations.

Despite my skill level (or lack thereof), I enjoyed the process of sharing openly about debt. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty about my choices in life. I was finally facing my demon.

As I continued to write, two things happened unintentionally:

First, my writing improved and developed a voice. I could write faster, and with greater clarity. My audience grew with every additional article. I learned how to write better by treating this process like a science. What worked? What didn’t? How could I improve my titles? How could I attract more diverse audiences?

Second, I noticed a missing element in the personal finance world. It centered on diversity. Many of the financial gurus and role models for debt-free living were white, middle-class, and had terrific educations. They didn’t represent the common person struggling with outsized credit and student loan debt. Writing about simple methods to save didn’t have the same caché. I wanted to appeal to an audience of disenfranchised and underrepresented. Suddenly, I took on more of a social justice role.

Look at how much I just made!

Steamboat Spring, Colorado

In late summer 2013, I climbed a popular trail in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I looked down off the majestic mountain and saw only beauty. The summer sun basked upon me, and I soaked up the moment.

I had been writing Frugaling articles for about 6 months, and was enjoying a nice break from everything — school included. But there was a surprise awaiting me when my cell service came back. I was $500 wealthier.

Something must’ve gone wrong, I thought. How’d I just make about $500?! What happened? I checked my website and saw increased traffic to some key articles. People were actually taking up my advice and buying a product I was recommending. Four people had actually used my links!

I freaked out, and called the company that handled my ads. I immediately questioned the staffer, “Is this number right? Do you see this amount? Is this real money?” He calmly replied, “Yep, it looks good. We’ll just have you fill out some tax information because you’re going to be earning more than $600 this year.”

Over the next 12 months or so I would go on to make tens of thousands of dollars, repay my student loan debt, begin investing in retirement accounts, and create an emergency fund. My life was and will continue to be forever changed by this money. It felt like winning the lottery, and was completely unexpected.

The amount of money felt comical. Here I was, a naive, green graduate student with this crazy idea to start a website and write about my student loan debt. And the endeavor had rewarded me.

My out-of-debt mood

When the debt was squashed, my mood lifted. I saw my future with greater clarity, but more importantly, I recognized the importance of the present — this moment. The debt was this cloud that followed me around. I hated owing companies money.

Freedom comes to mind, but that’s too simple. Getting out of debt cemented a logic and rule change: don’t ever lend someone your future. I never want to be beholden to a behemoth bank again. From mortgages to car loans, I’m done.

Take your “age-old” advice and wisdom and shove it. That’s not for me. I’m a Millennial that has been caught up in a business-based system of higher education for too long. The debt that can incur is dangerous and restrictive. I don’t see “good” debt anymore. No, I just see debt.

If you forego the “features” and “great benefits” of debt-inducing products, life can be a bit more reserved and boring. I don’t travel often, I sold my car, and I tend to eat out once a month. Before my journey began, I was a crisscrossing world traveler, with a stunning car (and hefty loan), and ate out for the majority of my lunches. All on the take — with the interest running against me.

Debt is too frequently a cyclical problem that people unintentionally enter — myself included. Without debt, the cyclical problem cannot occur. Life will be restrictive for certain, but I won’t be working countless hours to pay back the moments I have now. And that’s worth focusing on.

Featured and published in big-time blogs

In time, Frugaling picked up steam. The traffic and subscribers increased as a result of featured articles and influential writers. Additionally, a massive viral article made the rounds of Reddit. There were over 100,000 views in a day! But even greater was the incredible honor of being shared by two of my favorite sites over these two years: Becoming Minimalist and The Minimalists. They were both inspirational in my writing.

The site is now growing exponentially. It’s rare to see a day with less than 1,500 visitors. There was a clear shift that occurred, where 5,000-visitor months became 5,000-visitor days.

I have an incredible group of over 1,000 email subscribers who contribute, comment, and email me. They’re involvement and commentary is vital — they keep me going. From Facebook to Twitter, people write their responses and experiences with depth and clarity. I’m impressed by their input, and humbled that they care to share.

Looking to the future of Frugaling

Frugaling has constantly been my “work in progress.” It’s never finished, I’m always tweaking the site and my writing style — trying to see what works and sounds best. The future of Frugaling is something that brings me great joy to think about.

Over the coming months, I will be announcing my biggest project yet for the website. I’m hoping you’ll subscribe to see what happens next, and help share the news when I announce it.

I’m excited and grateful to have an outlet like this, where I can share my thoughts, opinions, and lessons with an incredible audience. Thank you for being one of them. It’s a home for me to sharing about social justice, making and saving money, and avoiding the traps of debt.

We only have so much time in our days and lives. Your time is precious. I want to thank you for taking the time to read, subscribe, and comment.

Your friend,
Sam

Frugal Articles of the Week

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Reading Nook Photo

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!

This millennial yurt is nicer than my apartment by Nitasha Tiku
The yurt. It’s a bizarre, unique, and pretty cool testament to simple living. The round base and slanted ceilings provide space for a terrific home. In this article, a young couple shares their decision to do more with less, while being environmentally conscientious.

8 Reasons Successful People Are Choosing to Wear the Same Thing Every Day by Joshua Becker
There’s a growing theme in the minimalist community on uniforms and standard wear. Frankly, I’m loving this new movement. It’s simple, better for the environment, and helps people focus on what’s most important.

Burdened With Debt, Law School Graduates Struggle in Job Market by Elizabeth Olson
Plenty of articles have highlighted the oversaturation of those with law degrees; yet, the talent pool is busier than ever. Jobs, unfortunately, are still very hard to find. One sad soul now has over $300,000 in student loan debt between undergraduate and graduate school. With a rough job market, it’s hard to imagine how debt can ever be paid off completely.

Want a Steady Income? There’s an App for That by Anand Giridharadas
It’s difficult budgeting and accounting for how much you can spend each month when you have a variable income. This fluctuation is a hallmark characteristic of construction workers, freelancers, and self-starters. One company is aiming to help people navigate the good and bad financial times.

$200 Frugal Food Budget For April!

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vegetables on cutting board

We all need a catalyst, this was mine

On January 1st, I set out to reduce my monthly food budget. Quick estimates of previous spending were atrocious. I was embarrassed and it was definitely the weakest part of my monthly spending. Frequently, I’d be away from home — overcome with hunger — and get whatever I could find.

For anyone who’s struggled to restrain themselves from eating out, the convenience can be captivating. Busy lives offer a perfect excuse for spending the extra money, as there’s less to clean up and a quicker time to satiety. The gratification of fast food, restaurants, and quick junk feels good when you’re always on the go.

Those moments of, “Oh, just this once” or “I better get a quick something to eat,” add up. At least, they did for moi. In some months, every lunch was “out.” $6, $7, $10, and $12 here and there. $500-600 later, I felt horrific guilt. Everyone knows that eating out is expensive, and I was failing at this part.

Finally, I lit a fire under my butt and started the $200 frugal food budget experiment. At the beginning of the year, I was renewed with a sense of purpose to this test. I wanted to push my limits and find a way to hold myself accountable. Frugaling was the perfect place to share that journey.

fruits on cutting board

April food budget breakdown

As in previous months, I’ll share a complete list of days and spending. Everything food and drink-related is included — nothing gets spared. That means that if my good friend has a birthday party and I treat him to a drink, I’m putting it in here. My hope is to illustrate where much of my money goes each month, and to highlight obvious problem areas.

One thing you’ll notice about this month is a hefty increase in sweets and pizzas. From candy bars to donuts here and there, you might be shocked to know that I’ve been plowing through food — good and bad. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly is “causing” the cravings, but it might have to do with exercise levels.

I bike around 30-45 minutes per day and lift weights about 2 to 3 times per week. Together, the calories burned and needed muscle repair seem to be affecting my nutritional needs; in turn, my restlessness for certain carbs.

april-food-budget

Noticing emerging patterns

I have failed to meet the $200 food budget experiment every month thus far. This April I spent over $240 on food and drink. I feel embarrassed that I keep saying that, and I struggle to lower it much further. Even though I haven’t reached this goal, I’ve noticed consequences, which is often necessary before change.

Life’s ups and downs are directly correlated with my budget

This month was challenging for me personally. The first week of April often serves as a remembrance for someone who died by suicide. As I navigate that period every year, I try to honor that person’s life in whatever way I can. Interestingly, during this period of April, I was eating healthier options. Later in the month, some of the spending faltered as the stresses of school mounted.

Greater raw food intake

After listening to The New York Times’ columnist, Mark Bittman, speak about the importance of raw foods, I definitely incorporated more. From fresh fruits to vegetables, I sliced and diced my way through the month. While it certainly helped me save here and there, the time it took to prep all that food was challenging when graduate school’s demands heated up. That’s when I turned to more processed foods. Ugh!

Becoming a lazy vegetarian/pescatarian

Meats tend to be expensive. As a consequence, I tended to avoid buying any meats and made a lot of vegetable stir-frys with rice. The combination is frugal, and probably a healthier choice. Although, every now and then I defrosted a piece of salmon for some omega-3s and protein. A secondary reason for this lazy vegetarianism centers on this concept of eating animals. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy eating another lifeform — something that feels pain.

Exercise undeniably affects mood, food cravings

As much as I try to “be prepared” for the food/mood cravings associated with lots of exercise, I can’t seem to carry enough. I’m on the go all day — from school to work to the homeless shelter. I run and bike everywhere. Moving around all day necessitates a greater caloric intake, but also limits how much I can comfortably carry around. I’m not particularly interested in sacrificing my physical health and back for a frugal month.

Hundreds of dollars added to savings

This portion is the greatest consequence of the entire journey. Over the last four months I’ve socked away cash. In fact, I’ve been able to save about $1500-2000 this year already! While much of these “savings” are artificial, as I’ll need to spend about $1600 on on a summer graduate course, I wouldn’t have had that money if my old eating-out habits were still active. That’s revolutionary for me! I’m happier than ever about my ability to save.

Where do I go from here?

Looking forward, I’m concerned about the $200 food budget experiment. I want to reach this value that’s escaping me. At the same point, we are entering summer in Iowa and farmers markets will be opening up. I’m eager to support locals who are kicking butt and raising terrific produce. It tends to be more organic and cared for, as opposed to grocery store options. If I shop more frequently at the farmers market, I’ll cut down on waste, support local farms, and have better food, but I will have a harder time reaching $200.

At the heart of this internal struggle is a desire to be greener, healthier, and kinder to my environment. I want to care for the earth around me. From my increasing interest in vegetarianism to farmers markets, I want to assimilate these hopes into a frugal food budget.

But Walmart’s (insert your local big-box retailer here) big, bright lights are calling. The stores have “always low prices,” and the produce can often be cheaper than in small co-ops and shops. But what are the consequences? Does frugality compete or cooperate with socially and environmentally responsible choices?

My hope is that if I can prepare even more meals at home, I can justify the farmers market purchases. Additionally, I’m concerned about the amount of treats and sweets I take in. My goal in May is to find more foods that can fill me up, while also providing glucose (more rice, perhaps?).

As always, I’d love for you to join in! Your contributions, comments, and questions certainly help me reflect on my goals. If you’ve done it before and met the $200 food budget, how’d you do it? If you haven’t, why not try it this month?

A Nerd Learns To Resist Early Upgrades

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New Apple Macbook - Photo by Jun Seita

Defenses are weakening as devices age

My smartphone is aging. The screen doesn’t always respond to my finger, the camera is mildly fogged over from scratches and dust on the inside, and the metal bits have little divots from drops. Sometimes when I press the “home” button, nothing happens.

My laptop is sluggish, too. The U key is sticky, the processor is beginning to struggle amidst a wealth of recent programs, and certain features aren’t available to my 4-plus-year-old computer. Every now and then the computer freezes up and I constantly have to be vigilant.

I’m a massive tech nerd, and when I begin to see cracks in performance and usage, I immediately jump to one conclusion: time for an upgrade. I can quickly rationalize the “need” for new. Look at all of these aforementioned faults and — hey! — I’m a digital writer/blogger. I need these things, right?

Lusting for the latest

In college I upgraded computers about every year at great expense. Smartphone upgrade plans didn’t matter to me. I spent the full price when necessary and negotiated early upgrades when possible.

The smell of freshly molded plastic was a beautiful sensation. I lusted after that unboxing process — from the plastic wraps to physical perfection. Hundreds — no, thousands — were spent to maintain this status and newness. I couldn’t stand to keep something that no longer was the point of affection for others. The commercials had changed to newer, “better” devices, and I unconsciously moved in unison.

Juxtaposed with my love for the latest and greatest was a powerful disgust that developed for the old. That technology became embarrassing and frustrating for me. But now, I’m holding back for the first time in my life.

Learning to resist the urge to upgrade

Admittedly, this process of buying less and refusing to upgrade early has been slow. After years of buying conspicuously, I’ve turned a new leaf. I don’t want to buy new immediately anymore. Here’s what keeps me grounded:

Value comes in time — it’s not a flash in the pan.

I want to purchase devices that last and take advantage of that worth. And there’s a lot of time to take advantage of lasting material goods. Think about it, life expectancy for those in the U.S. is about 78.7 years. That only leaves a set number of devices, objects, and material possessions over the course of a lifetime. Make them count.

Climate change is worsening

There are other reasons to resist the spending. Constant changes in technology and devices contribute to far greater climate change. Those electronics and material goods are likely made in China, shipped or flown across the Pacific Ocean, and trucked and trained to their final destinations. From the packaging, production, transportation, and actual purchase, tremendous amounts of energy must be used. And most of it is from fossil fuels — the kind that contributes to climate change.

Forever young only exists in music lyrics

I cannot help but notice that the same magazines, newspapers, and websites that advertise beauty products also share the latest gadgets. The beauty culture encourages us to stay young; forever, at great cost. Similarly, our beauty culture has disconnected and made us feel fearful about aging. Our devices are no longer timeless investments — they are planned for obsolescence. Be wary of these messages that try to subtly obliterate your older device.

That money can go to a million better places

If the preceding reasons weren’t enough, it costs a lot of money to upgrade constantly. Save the money, put it to work in the stock market, donate it to charity, or fix your bike. Nearly anything is better than spending it on a slightly newer device.

Can our devices get worn in, and could we actually begin to appreciate this character and value? How did we become so fearful of having something old?

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