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Dear Reader,

The other day, my wife said to me, “I kinda like this frugal thing. We’re not being frugal just to be frugal. We’re not just penny-pinchers. We’re trying to be good stewards.” I could not agree more. Previously, even though we thought we were being pretty good, we were never really frugal or even careful with our expenses. We had some culturally “abnormal” practices, like never having cable, and currently we don’t even have a T.V. But we compensated in other areas and brought expenses right back up.
Mrs. Scott is doing a fabulous job at bringing down expenses. I have the job of determining the budget (and sometimes I feel like I’m being pretty ruthless), but I would say she has the harder job of making it work. There have been some strong habits we have needed to break, and fast! And she has done all this with a great attitude. She said, “As long as I know there is a purpose to getting out of debt.” There’s definitely a purpose. We have a debt free future ahead of us. We’ve been so busy trying to catch up with the life we have lead while getting into debt. Now with our new mindset we will be able to accomplish so much more.
We have said good-bye to a few creature comforts in our decision to put all those extra pennies towards debt. No more eating out for now. We have a small amount to use for that, just in case, but we’ve been so enthusiastic about our goal and busy with life that we haven’t used it in the past three months. We cut down expenses in entertainment and anywhere else that just didn’t make sense to spend. We really have enough to entertain us here at home for the moment. And it helps us connect on a more personal level when we have to get creative.
The biggest cut, and originally the biggest challenge, has been the grocery budget. We have cut that almost in half from what we used to spend. At first we were wondering how we were going to feed everybody. Well, with a little tweaking and a little help from the Hillbilly Housewife and others, we have been eating very very well-I would argue, better than when we thought we were eating well. The last few meals have been very tasty, quite filling, and there have been plenty of yummy leftovers for lunches. You’ve heard Dave Ramsey say, “rice and beans, beans and rice.” That’s exactly what we’re doing. This combination is very tasty, filling, healthy, and inexpensive! I have a feeling as we become debt free and eventually financially free-that meal will find a special place in our hearts.

If you haven’t already, would you be willing to take the jump with us and become frugal with a purpose? It’s a serious step, but it can be fun-especially if you have someone to team up with.
Do you have any favorite beans & rice recipes, or maybe a resource for living frugally? I know you “frugal hackers” should have something to share.

“Frugality without creativity is deprivation.” - Amy Dacyczyn