Frugal Living Tips and Tricks

 The Question: My water prices have increased from eight dollars a quarter to over 100 dollars a quarter due To some new process that Has to be done at a new chemical plant to filter out some toxins or something that’s “higher Than acceptable levels”. I feel so embarrassed to ask this question. I have a neighbor who asked to use my hose bib because his is on the side and mine is in the front of my unit. I knew it would be my water he was using but  I figured it would just be once in a while. Apparently he loves a very clean car and washes both of their SUVs every single weekend. It’s driving me crazy and I just feel terrible because I feel like I’m an generous person and believe in abundance but at the same time I feel so stressed about it. I have to look up my water bill and actually see if there was a significant increase but even if there is I can’t say myself saying anything to them. Please don’t bash me for being so cheap sounding but I’m not working right now and money i...

 The Question: I am not that frugal but I do try. I refused to buy an expensive house and I drive a 2011 Jeep that we bought used. We live in a small town in Nebraska that is not as expensive as most places. Now, we are moving to St. Louis for my husband’s job. He is a charter pilot and flies out of the Spirit of St. Louis airport. He wants to live fairly close to there and possibly on a lake. The houses there are very expensive but I think we can afford one if he gets a raise. I would like to get a newer vehicle if I am going to be driving across Missouri to see my kids in Nebraksa. Hubby says I need a nice one to fit in with the neighborhood like an Audi. I disagree. What would be a frugal, good vehicle to buy? I want all wheel or four wheel drive, a six cylinder engine and I don’t want it to be too small that it would be dangerous on an interstate or too big to pull in and out of stalls at Walmart. Frugal suggestions? What did people say? ⇒ Brittany: Absolutely a Subaru! They a...

The Question Long post but need advice please.. I'm divorcing and I can keep the house with a 60K buyout. Interest rate would be about 7% and monthly payment would be about $600. Heloc is only option, no home equity loan, I've called around. Which is a great deal for me because we have 237K  equity in this home at 2.3% interest rate. 223k outstanding on the mortgage & home value about 460k. 3/2.5, pool, 1800sq ft. Or we could sell but interest rates around 7.5% and new mortgage total in this area would be about 320k.(2100-2500 monthly). Renting a 2 bed in SW FL is about $2200/mo. Total housing cost for me would remain about the same rent vs buy vs keepv the house. We had a van that is no longer needed due to splitting. I would take on some marital debt as well considering the low buy-out amount comparative to equity. Van has 27k payoff, KBB value about 17-20k. I bring home about 4200 per month after health & car insurance, retirement savings, etc. Now, income would come...

The Question: I grew up poor. Like not having electricity, running water and only eating at school for stretches at a time poor. I broke the generational curse of poverty and it’s been 20+ years since I’ve struggled but because of my experience with poverty, I abhor waste and always feel  the need to be prepared.  Because of this when we bought our home we bought in the country and I made sure it had its own water source and abundant wildlife. I learned to can food and make all our meals from scratch (because it’s healthier and cheaper) and we save and eat all the left overs. I still hunt around for the best prices on everything and I can’t bring myself to buy a new car. (We have used cars we have kept running for almost two decades). The thought of spending thousands on a vehicle  makes me physically ill to even contemplate. Expensive vacations  give me the same anxiety. We’ll spend the money to visit our daughter who is active duty military, wherever the military m...