Clean Slate

I just paid off all my non-mortgage debt, $800, down from $6,000 earlier in 08. Kinda scary. After steadily building a savings/emergency fund, I wanted to keep it above a benchmark number. It made me happy, to see it there, growing. Earlier, I thought I would pay the debt in installments while reaching a savings goal. I surpassed the goal and still owed on this balance. Nonsense. I'd rather not pay a fee while they hold my debt.

Reading a few personal finance blogs was all the motivation I needed. It's great to celebrate and relish in an accomplishment, but I needed to detach myself from the importance of maintaining this account balance and take action. It requires courage. The end result was as satisfying as the monetary goal!

If it's on the card, it wasn't my money to spend. Sure the promise of miles seemed sweet, I managed a trip to Portland for my friends wedding. But when calculated, I received only 1 stinking percent, of what I spent, back! It's just a weapon of mass consumption! Try spending only cash for a week and see if you notice a down tick in accumulation. And don't buy online. It's too easy to click a few buttons. There aren't enough barriers, psychological, physiological, whatev's.

The card will be relegated to exceptional situations or when I plan to quick pay. Now, I can focus on getting the savings back and not be throwing pennies at my debt. Gone. Poof. Hooray! Back in black.

Let's get thirfty together, baby!

It just hit me the other morning. I very much enjoy being thrifty. I extra love sharing any bold new tip or success had with my adventures in accounting. Sometimes I get the occasional strange or disbelieving look. I brush it off, determined to stealthily undermine their consumer habits that prevent them from maximizing their paychecks. Being cheap can be quite the coup. There are raw deals everywhere - overpriced this, hot scam that. I loath both. If you're like me, you don't like being played for a fool.

Most of my life has been spent on the frugal side, my mom was very clever with very little. She found cheap housing in great school districts, filed reams of paperwork to get us scholarships for summer camps (partially to have a break herself!), accepted hand-me-downs and shopped resale. I never felt ashamed, more an observer and player in a great economic theatre. To not be beholden to those who wish to part you and your money and keep you in perpetual debt, is very liberating and self-validating. And some of us have no other choice because we are, financially, hanging on by a thread.

There also exists green and political motivations towards this type of lifestyle that we must investigate. This blog is to inspire you to look for alternatives and define your own path to financial freedom and independence. We'll be skipping all the way to the bank.

And I DO enjoy life even if I don't buy into the latest fad (unless it's about living on the cheap, duh!), eat out at every chance or giddily join gyms, clubs and subscriptions. I endlessly hunger for more tricks, tips and hints. The thought of thoroughly calculating and researching variables to decipher the lowest cost of living with the highest standards puts honey in my cup. I value my health, humor and experiences and am determined to live long and prosper like a any good daughter of Spock who only makes rational, logical decisions. Well...some of the time anyways;) Therefore, I am going public and taking anyone, who's game, along.

I carefully considered the name of my blog to capture a feeling and my particular circumstance. Frugality is a way of life that most would associate with drudgery and blandness, but I find it to be an interesting challenge, a great comfort and full of indulgences.

Additionally, it is never too early or late to begin this process. Yesterday would've been better, last year, phenomenal, but since we cannot reverse the clock, today will do. In the spirit of having fun and being carefree I think it's best not to act like misers and spinsters but enjoy lives as a darling Miss, not mess! I have great plans for my granny days. They usually involve a villa, the mediterranean, martini's and paintbrushes. That's why we must begin NOW

My blog will focus on things that interest me most and pertain to my readers and I. Health - diet and fitness, fashion, travel, entertainments, mortgages, energy costs, maintenance and repair, crafting, DIY, beauty, charity and fun. Not all of these may or should be implemented at once, more so gradually merged with your current lifestyle. It's hard not to feel deprived or overwhelmed by a sudden, major overhaul. You can glory at each small gain and make improvements and innovations as you go along.

This summer, I plan to volunteer in my friends gardens (we don't have much sunny garden space at my house) and learn to can together. I have a wish list to support my newly embraced pioneer girl lifestyle, that I plan to collect at estate and yard sales, resale and barter. I've amassed a good stock of durable plastic 5 gallon buckets (currently used for composting and grain storage) and smaller food storage units (storing dried beans and homemade ricemilk) from my waiting tables job, just as much to prevent them from going straight to the landfill.

Ultimately, I am a city girl for all that is great about a city - the culture, the diversity, the density, the economies of scale, the freedoms, the styles, the noise and grit, the skyline at night, the intrigue and drama, and, oh, the freaks! All this can be had for relatively cheap, I promise. I find many correlations to a life lived in the country, but I'll save that for when my nightlife dies down. As for my suburban ladies, short of having you move downtown, you may have to be more covert in your tactics. Suburban areas are notorious for their use of suppression and conformity to provide a greige existence check out some predictions for the future of suburbs. My husband once got a ticket for his grass being too long! Though I can sympathize, there are plenty of arguments against obsessive lawn maintenance, unless you're tending to your fledgling crops.

That being said, welcome to my first post of what I hope to be many more!