I agree with this! It's something I had to learn from experience traveling through Asia. Unfortunately I rarely have long stretches of time to spend in one place, but when I go to a country now I at least try to remain in the same city. It sometimes takes so much time to for inner city travel that transit time eats up all your trip. However, a plus side is that you may get to see a lot of the inner regions and rural areas on bus and train rides!
Usually downsizing means buying a house that is significantly less money than the one you are currently in. Realtor commission doesn't really factor in unless you are under water and have to come out of pocket. I found a smaller home with big rooms, sold my family home and netted 240k after paying a buyer agent commission, and have only a $700 house payment, plus 7k less a year than I was paying in taxes and utilities.
Great tip about about not giving up at the first hurdle when applying for a credit card. It's easy to do that, but if as you suggest, you have a good great history with your existing lender or bank then you need to leverage that to get the best possible deal on your credit card.
I signed for an employee to have surgery for her dog. Little did I know that the bill would come in my name only. GE Capital Credit Care. Although a promise to pay was something I hear every month, I did not get it. I paid on this bill for a full 17 months until I retired. Once the interest kicked in the monthly amount went up. As a retired on a fixed income I could not afford the higher payment. Called and spoke with many people on how to get a payment without impacting my credit. Rude, nasty people and I got nowhere. I still pay the monthly amount I initially did but am always late because it is not what they requested. I do not and will not pay the late fees, the employee is still not paying and I know my credit is shot because of this one bill. Anyone got any suggestions?
In my house, we choose to be frugal about absolutely everything - except my son. He gets day trips and goodies that nobody else does.
Our friends and family think of us as the odd lot that decided to move out to the boonies - just deciding to live rurally is enough of a lifestyle choice that everyone gets it.
Choosing the right friends (and right spouse!) is key to being successful—not just successfully frugal, but successful in general.
And, yes, I think developing a style is really useful as a way to reduce the amount of brain power that goes into thinking about where you spend your money. At a larger scale, thinking deeply about what you really want is essential, but having a style means that you don't have to think so deeply about every single transaction.
"You are free to choose luxury in one area while choosing frugality in another."
Yes! They're only really luxuries if they stand out from your everyday items or experiences, right?
The fact that I have kids justifies a lot of my thrifty choices, especially furniture and other household items. Kids are just hard on things and there's no point in laying out $40 for a bath towel that's going to end up with tempera paint all over it.
I tend to splurge on things that will make or save me money, like our rooftop solar panels. That was a big expense I have never regretted.
It sounds like you and your wife have developed an authentic style of your own. Knowing what you want and how you want to use your resources is one of the keys to enjoying your life.
I agree with this! It's something I had to learn from experience traveling through Asia. Unfortunately I rarely have long stretches of time to spend in one place, but when I go to a country now I at least try to remain in the same city. It sometimes takes so much time to for inner city travel that transit time eats up all your trip. However, a plus side is that you may get to see a lot of the inner regions and rural areas on bus and train rides!
I look forward to being done with my husband's year-long battle with cancer (he is now cancer-free!).
i'm looking forward to possibly starting to try to expand our family ;)
Usually downsizing means buying a house that is significantly less money than the one you are currently in. Realtor commission doesn't really factor in unless you are under water and have to come out of pocket. I found a smaller home with big rooms, sold my family home and netted 240k after paying a buyer agent commission, and have only a $700 house payment, plus 7k less a year than I was paying in taxes and utilities.
I'm looking forward to really diving into my blog! I want to expand it and connect more with my fellow bloggers!
Great tip about about not giving up at the first hurdle when applying for a credit card. It's easy to do that, but if as you suggest, you have a good great history with your existing lender or bank then you need to leverage that to get the best possible deal on your credit card.
I signed for an employee to have surgery for her dog. Little did I know that the bill would come in my name only. GE Capital Credit Care. Although a promise to pay was something I hear every month, I did not get it. I paid on this bill for a full 17 months until I retired. Once the interest kicked in the monthly amount went up. As a retired on a fixed income I could not afford the higher payment. Called and spoke with many people on how to get a payment without impacting my credit. Rude, nasty people and I got nowhere. I still pay the monthly amount I initially did but am always late because it is not what they requested. I do not and will not pay the late fees, the employee is still not paying and I know my credit is shot because of this one bill. Anyone got any suggestions?
Some of these ideas are very ingenious and would work well...especially since most thieves only take a couple of minutes to ransack and get out.
To make sure that I pay attention to my health and spend time with family.
I am looking forward to having a more organized home and lifestyle in 2014!
In my house, we choose to be frugal about absolutely everything - except my son. He gets day trips and goodies that nobody else does.
Our friends and family think of us as the odd lot that decided to move out to the boonies - just deciding to live rurally is enough of a lifestyle choice that everyone gets it.
Thanks for the comments!
Choosing the right friends (and right spouse!) is key to being successful—not just successfully frugal, but successful in general.
And, yes, I think developing a style is really useful as a way to reduce the amount of brain power that goes into thinking about where you spend your money. At a larger scale, thinking deeply about what you really want is essential, but having a style means that you don't have to think so deeply about every single transaction.
I want to take a hold of my retire account and increase my 401k contributions
I look forward to traveling to Seoul, Korea!
I look forward to seeing my sons get involved with their sports activities!
Making more time for me and my hubby in this very busy world.
Looking forward to good health, happiness and spending time with my hubby!
Seeing what happens! 2013 brought me a lot of changes I never expected, both good and bad, and now I'm just open to whatever the Universe brings me.
I look forward to being healthy and not having any surgeries!
Looking to traveling more and staying debt free!
Starting everyday and ending every day happy.
I'm looking forward to spring break!
"You are free to choose luxury in one area while choosing frugality in another."
Yes! They're only really luxuries if they stand out from your everyday items or experiences, right?
The fact that I have kids justifies a lot of my thrifty choices, especially furniture and other household items. Kids are just hard on things and there's no point in laying out $40 for a bath towel that's going to end up with tempera paint all over it.
I tend to splurge on things that will make or save me money, like our rooftop solar panels. That was a big expense I have never regretted.
It sounds like you and your wife have developed an authentic style of your own. Knowing what you want and how you want to use your resources is one of the keys to enjoying your life.
In 2014, I look forward to my new career as a Pharmacy Technician! I am starting my training in about a week!!
I look forward to finding new ways to be frugal.