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What was your first step in your frugal journey?

2K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  brenda67 
#1 ·
For me, it was making my own laundry liquid way back in 2007. I read something on a blog or a message board somewhere and couldn't believe that this was a product that could be made at home from simple ingredients.

I read all I could find about it and bought my first ingredients. My first batch was a success and I've been making it ever since. I remember thinking that the cost of the Borax, washing soda and bar soap was beyond my usual budget and feeling like it was risky.

After my success with laundry detergent, I started baking my own bread. Then, one thing led to the next as I gained confidence.

What was your first step in your frugal journey?

Thanks!

Respectfully,

Sally
 
#2 ·
I think my first step was being born into a frugal family. It's always been a way of life for me and I just learned a lot of it by example while growing up.

I've learned a lot of new tricks since the internet has come along though. Now when I want to figure out how to make something myself or repair something or DIY something in some other way, I can usually find instructions online. The internet is a gold mine for people who want to save money.
 
#5 ·
I think I had a tendency to frugality all my life. My father was a great example.

Hubby and I dated by going for walks or meeting in the college cafateria for breakfast or borrowing a movie at the library.

But I remember reading the tightwad gazette while pregnant with our first child. Made homemade wipes and sewed baby things. That started me down the frugal mother path.
 
#7 ·
Was raised with minimalistic parents...

Was told I HAD to go to the local university...Studied hard to get scholarship at school out of town but parents refused. I had Pell Grant first year and Dean's list. My father lost his job 2nd semester of Freshman year. President Clinton totally revamped 'Welfare' and revamped Pell Grant so needy people had 3+ kids by age 24, then they could get higher education. (I was not considered needy but I went to high school with many who were welfare people...These folks really had it hard. I was happy to have good job as kid.) So, I lost my financial aid. I had stable job at call center at time. The call center let us study at work and worked around school so seemed pretty good situation to me at time plus benefits if desired. I paid cash for remaining 3 years of Bachelors degree and finished without any debt. I applied for every dinky scholarship advertised on the bulletin boards at the school so I got assistance with about 40% of expenses but paying for university plus my own food, business clothing, gas, entertainment, toiletries was not easy...My father retired as no one would hire him with a limp/cane in his field as he did not have college degree and my mother worked 4 jobs. My call center job was just barely over minimum wage. I worked with folks who tried to survive on this as a full-time job many with several kids. Some coworkers married and shared a 1 bedroom apartment while trying to keep the car running so they could work 2nd shift (when bus here stopped at 6:30 pm here). My old cars got hailed on twice during this time, paying for some of the shortfall...Third year of college, call center started to pay a sales bonus so things were good. I also worked two jobs during my junior year for experience in my job field...college newspaper would hire me when the intern department at the college refused to allow me to work two jobs plus school. I refused to be unemployed during school breaks and call center had no flexibility on rehiring...I couldn't do internships with my parents in this financial state... (Now school requires an internship to graduate so the intern jobs locally no longer pay anything so I'm sure things have changed somewhat in regards to working 2 jobs...Interns earned $8-9 when I went to college in 1990s.)

Deciding I did not want to write for newspapers as I would have to survive on near minimum wage working professionally at small town paper for 2-3 years to get a job at city newspaper, I decided to try working as Administrative Assistant in company with lots of room for advancement and good pay. I moved into my own place 2 months into this new job...I could save $100-150 a month even earning $8.50 an hour by living simply...

I've had my trials following a nervous breakdown at 30 with terrible care worsening outcome...Unfortunately, internet drove my call center to close. New internet transactions were showing up inaccurate and workers were spending so much time correcting mistakes, no one was bonusing and many quit just to keep the lights on/rent paid. Only a couple of customer service centers now run locally and all are outsource situation with horrible lack of training on all supported company accounts and high turnover...
 
#8 ·
Wow, I'm almost ashamed to say that my first step was when I realized that credit card debt was going to be the death of me. I went on a quest to pay of $15,000 worth of debt, including my car. That required me to cut out most extras and focus all my "extra" money on paying down the debt. I did it, and discovered how much less I could live on and be happy. From that point on, I realized that no debt and a simple lifestyle was the way I wanted to live.
 
#10 ·
I've always been a thrift store shopper, but true "frugality" probably hit around 2002 when my hubby was laid off & we were pregnant with our youngest -
I discovered the Tightwad Gazette (love that thing!)
Started making homemade cleaners, etc.
Ordered freebie samples of anything/everything
 
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#12 ·
Yes! Tightwad Gazette really changed my perspective as well. I remember how excited I was to get the newsletters every month in my mail box. I picked up the books as they came out and even put a copy of the 3-in-one complete guide in my daughter's hope chest.
 
#16 ·
Remember the 80's? It was a heady time. Inflation was out of control. Financial experts were advising people to put everything on credit cards because you were paying back the credit card companies with money that was worth less than when you purchased the product or service. Hubby and I were living and working in the fast paced Silicon Valley, CA. We both worked in hi-tech with full time professional incomes. In those days if you didn't switch jobs in order to get higher pay every three years then you weren't keeping up your skills. People were starting businesses or getting stock options and making fortunes over-night. In some areas, houses that used to be considered starter homes were now considered "mansions".

When I married hubby he was divorced with children from his previous marriage. His ex-wife believed she should never have to work (seriously - this was her belief) and was taking us back to court constantly in order to try to get more and more child support to support her lifestyle. At one point we took a loan from my 401k at work to pay for our attorney, we had a mortgage and I think a car payment (maybe 2), we were paying child support, we were paying 50% of our income in taxes (at the beginning of the Reagan presidency taxes were very, very high - people forget that now), my father-in-law died so we were helping to support my mother-in-law, and we had so much credit card debt we had no money to live on after all the bills were paid. We were seriously drowning.

One day it clicked. I was owned. Everyone owned me. I no longer owned the benefits of my own hard work.

Something had to change.

Our first step was to stop the bleeding.

We had to stop the spending. We had to stop charging to the credit cards. OMG, that was the hardest because back then debit cards weren't really used (we had ATM cards but not debit cards). To pay cash in an environment where you were judged by the color of your credit card was very hard.

I also used to get the Tightwad Gazette newsletter. What a revelation! I had no idea that we could live without a mortgage prior to retirement. Around this time we visited my husband's sister and her husband. They had just moved and bought a house in northern (rural) California. And they paid CASH! My sister-in-law told me that they had always paid cash for their houses. Because they moved so often it was just easier. I was in such a state of shock, you could have knocked me over. Here I was used to the idea of having credit card with credit limits so high you could CHARGE an upscale new car or house, but to actually pay cash for a house amazed me.

I'm sure I did a lot of things in the early days of our frugal journey - washing ziplock baggies is a vivid memory - but the one that really stands out is I limited spending on clothing to $5 per item. Back then clearance sales were really, really great (you could count on racks and racks of clothing for $1.78). I often dream of going back to that spending limit practice.
 
#17 ·
CookieLee, I loved reading your story! Yes, I remember that "advice" to put things on credit and pay it back with "cheaper dollars" because of inflation. Never mind that a family had fewer cheaper dollars to spread around because of the inflated cost of the basics--food, clothing, etc.
 
#18 ·
Wont go into explaining my background of insecurities..but having some money in the bank,shelter,food and electric bill paid sure made me feel good as a single parent this is where I first started to become frugal.

When my dh and I reconciled I got heavy into couponing..I had just went back to work after my 2nd son was born...I worked not because I had too but ...just because I wanted to ( liked my independence) so by using coupons just put more money into my pocket for more other things..

I love being frugal in many ways..when I make my homemade laundry soap I know I just saved us roughly $120 a yr..making my own copycat of Dawn dish soap saves us roughly $40 a yr...the list just goes on and on...everything I do to save us money adds up to the $1000's each year..its a addiction for sure..but I learned that I needed to splurge and enjoy our life also..
 
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