Well, we are in a position where we live somewhere more expensive than we should have (in hindsight) and we have not generally been good with money.
However, we have a pretty set goal in 2 years time to move to a specific location that will both be difficult without paying off things we owe, but will also require available funds (to pay for moving). The exact location doesn't matter, what matters is that we are getting locked in to live as frugally as possible without being miserable.
I like challenges in any event, we just completed a 30 day "mostly no buy" and we definitely saw some opportunities going forward.
The biggest drawback is that we don't have any huge expenses to easily eliminate: For example we only have one vehicle and it fits our needs perfectly, so we cant easily cut hundreds of dollars that way.
But we DO have a lot of wasteful habits to tackle like junk food, hobbies where I often buy crap I dont end up really using and just generally being wasteful with food and things going unused.
So looking forward to getting stuck in, both in our leisure life and with our necessities.
If any of you have been in a situation where you had a set goal in the future, please share a few uplifting stories 🙂
Got 2 years to get as gnarly as possible with frugal living to hit an end goal
byu/WesternZucchini8098 inFrugal
Posted by WesternZucchini8098
8 Comments
I relocated once with very little saved. However, my job gave us personal days every year on top of vacation. I was also able to comp some Saturday hours throughout my time there. I left and cashed out hundreds of vacation hours. Ended up with about 6k extra on my last check. I used that towards new relocation costs.
On another note, I am making extra now on DScout and Prolific. Using this to help with grocery costs and pay off credit cards faster.
Wishing you the best of luck with your goals!
Look up libby and other library apps. If you don’t care about keeping up with latest shows you can totally ditch streaming, music, magazines and books.
I lived in enforced poverty for that long and then increased my income but continued the enforced poverty except for getting some needed clothes.
As a result, I was able to purchase a new car and do some home improvements, because I had invested the savings.
It was definitely a grind. Putting every penny away. Using every app, every cash back, every coupon…
Spending time researching stocks…
It was a lot of work and a lot of deprivation.
In my opinion it was worth it.
If you haven’t done so, go see what’s available at your local library. Many libraries have not just books and movies to borrow but museum passes, craft & cooking supplies, tools, etc. Also classes, clubs, etc.
I just made a big move to another country, and one thing I’d do differently if I had more time would be to start selling my things earlier. I don’t know if you’ll be taking all of your belongings with you, but if you have items that have some value, you’ll actualize more of that value if you give yourself more time to sell it. I ended up letting vintage toys, vinyl records, name brand clothing, and even a camping trailer go for very cheap because there was too much on my plate as the moving date got closer, and selling things online can take some time.
When we were without income, our frugal staples (in the US) were our local Buy Nothing FB group and going to food banks. And make sure you look into your library (and it’s associated branches)’s offerings, from State Park passes, to museum passes, to free vegetable seeds, online access to language learning courses or ebooks, and free classes and entertainment
Not an uplifting story, but I’m looking to lay out meals for the next year as frugally as possible based on what we have, what we will absolutely need, etc.
It might be tedious and my family might not like it, but sometimes the grit and discipline pays off.
I know a couple that got a second part time job together and used that as date night in order to afford living where they wanted. This seemed to work really well for them.
Do you keep savings in a high yield and purchase everything with a good cash back card? Do you have debt and can it be consolidated to decrease the interest burden or can it be partially placed on a zero percent card in order to pay it down sooner with no interest on that portion? Can you use a TV antenna instead of streaming services? Are you able to learn basic automotive and home repair skills in order to same on bills for the rest of your life. Learning about investing and finance is another great hobby you can even paper trade with stocks for free practice obviously the safer investments are your priority at this time. Rice and beans or protein rich pasta are cheap and go a long ways when portioned properly.
There are so many options and angles to approach this. Best of luck.
Check out local buy nothing groups on Facebook.
You can find anything and everything eventually with enough time and consistently checking. I furnished my house for free and started free Xmas for my family lol it’s fun and surprising