Frugal = Fun!

Now that we’re into the swing of our new routine, it’s time to return to our frugal mindset.

Over the last few years especially, we've both become 'gazelle intense' frugalistas. We really enjoy saving our money and watching our bank account grow. As an added benefit, we've discovered that we really enjoy scouting out the best deals and finding little ways to spend as little as we can for our everyday needs. We make a game of it and honestly, it's FUN!

Then ... we had to move. As you all know, moving is horribly expensive. Between rent & deposits, moving expenses, paint, hardware, service transfer fees (for electricity, gas and the like), and meals eaten out because you're just too darn tired to cook ... well, all of those things add up. Quickly!

Though we’ve bought some new things for the house, we’ve done pretty well re-purposing what we have instead of buying new. Our cute new dinette set was a gift from Mom & Dad (thanks Mom & Dad – we love it!), and we did buy a new rug for the kitchen and one for the dining room. And we did have one major splurge: we just purchased a ventless fireplace! It will arrive in about two weeks and it’s the final piece we need to make our home the coziest. Other than that, we've done pretty well at re-thinking what we have and making small changes - where an item is positioned, perhaps, or giving it a fresh coat of paint.

Another discovery in getting all of our things put away is that I have enough craft supplies to last for a very, very long time! I've promised Kevin that I won't even consider buying anything in this realm. For any craft project that comes along, I will find something from my stash that fits the bill instead of running out to buy anything. Really ... I will!

With all of those things in mind, both Kevin and I have renewed our committment to frugality. We will help keep each other honest and on track about what we spend. To support this effort, I'll be sharing our thoughts, ideas, tips and success stories along the way. If you'd like to join us in our effort, please feel free to share your tips and ideas -- or as a one of our staff members at work always says: Each one, Teach one. Stay tuned!