frugal life

Getting by without money in Spain

Posted April 27, 2009 - 05:39 by Philip Brewer

Frugal Living

Bus stop in Spain

The money economy is one of the givens of modern life. For the ordinary person with bills to pay, getting by without money is almost inconceivable. Even someone who tries hard to escape the money economy is faced with taxes, utility bills, and the like. Personally, though, I find the lure of non-money economies seductive. That's why I've been very interested in this Spanish site whose name means "without money."

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Finding joy in temporary frugality

Posted October 4, 2007 - 03:50 by Philip Brewer

Frugal Living

Wooded path with steps up a slope

If you read frugality and simplicity blogs for any length of time, you'll run into a lot of people who take great joy in having simplified their lives. Gradually simplifying your life is one obvious path for finding some of that joy for yourself. Let me suggest an alternative: temporary extreme frugality.

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Book review: Retire on Less Than You Think

Posted October 3, 2007 - 04:15 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance, Frugal Living

Cover of Retire on Less Than You Think

Halfway through Fred Brock's book Retire on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future, I was already drafting a review that would call it good but kind of basic for most Wise Bread readers. Then it clued me in to an oddity of federal law that could make the difference between keeping or losing my health insurance. That one bit is not only worth the price of the book, it could easily be worth my entire life savings. Actually writing the review, I realized the book is full of bits like that. I happened to know most of them already, but I've been studying this stuff for years. I have to say this is a must-read book for anyone who hopes to retire before they're 65.

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Frugality: a tactic, but also a goal

Posted August 23, 2007 - 02:59 by Philip Brewer

Frugal Living

Sundial with flowers

I was going to write a piece on how frugality was a tactic, not a goal. The point I wanted to make was that the goal is living the life you want to live, and that frugality is a tactic to help you reach that goal. As I've read more frugality blogs, though, I've realized that there's a diversity of opinion on this topic. For a lot of people, frugality is a goal.

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