We started analyzing our budget and cutting expenses. We decided to give our cell phone bill a hard look. The plan itself wasn’t too costly but the added “service fees” were killing us.

Why was our cell phone service so expensive? All we needed was to call, text, and have some data. I mean, we weren’t trying to save the world with our cell phone.

We felt that our company was overdoing it quite a bit in the service fee department.

So, we began a quest to find the best inexpensive cell phone service provider out there. We tested several companies before we landed on Red Pocket Mobile through a recommendation from a coworker.

We quickly learned that Red Pocket Mobile is an excellent cell phone service provider and their customer service is amazing!

We have used their service for years now and have been incredibly pleased. We even recommend it to everyone we know!

We switched based on your recommendation and now save $80 a month! We’ve had it 4 months now with no change in quality of service. Thanks for sharing about it!

my friend, Rebecca

Red Pocket Review quick version: You can get exactly what you have now: YOUR phone, the SAME network, the SAME amount of data…FOR LESS MONEY and NO CONTRACT! And you can turn your phone into a hotspot for FREE.

If you have questions about Red Pocket coverage, Red Pocket Plans and Pricing, How Red Pocket works, Red Pocket Deals, or How to activate your Red Pocket SIM card (among other things), this is the Red Pocket Review for you.

Now, if you’re ready to dig into all the details of Red Pocket Mobile and all its benefits, keep reading!

What is Red Pocket and who is this Red Pocket Review for?

Red Pocket is an inexpensive cell phone service provider.

They use the towers from the major US carriers to provide you with a more affordable cell phone service with the same coverage and data speeds

Red Pocket Mobile is great for anyone who seeks an alternative option to their current cell phone service provider.

If you budget, save money, have positive financial goals, are on the road to becoming debt-free, or simply don’t like to be taken advantage of, this Red Pocket Review is for you.

Is Red Pocket Mobile any good? Why Red Pocket is the best inexpensive cell phone service provider

We searched far and wide for a cell phone service provider that would meet our needs, not charge high prices and be upfront about their costs. We tested many low-cost, no contract cell phone service providers and Red Pocket exceeded them all.

Pros of Red Pocket:

You can use your existing phone with your current number.

No contracts.

No activation fees.

No overage fees.

Affordable plans.

We have found that the service is excellent, and the data speeds are fast.

I use my phone and data for personal and business purpose, and it had exceeded my expectations. In fact, I even use my phone as a hotspot to teach English to children in China!

Cons of Red Pocket

I have learned that the customer service wait times can be quite long on the phone. So, I typically choose to chat with them instead.

Is Red Pocket a MVNO?

Red Pocket is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that uses the major service providers in the USA to provide service to its customers.

That basically means that Red Pocket uses the towers of the big boys.

That also means that they can charge you less because they have less over-head.

This is a great option for the consumer as it allows you to choose the carrier that meets your needs. You can choose between: Version, Spring, AT&T, or T-Mobile.

How does Red Pocket work?

Use your existing, unlocked phone (more on that below…it’s easy) or buy one from Red Pocket.

Keep your phone number or get a new one.

Choose a service plan that fits your needs.

Choose a network you like.

Pay.

Then, they mail you a sim card to put in your phone (which can be customized to fit your phone- including standard, micro, and nano sizes).

Activate it when you get it and you’re all set!

Red Pocket makes their service extremely easy to use and if you have any problems during the activation process, just call or chat with them.

Personally, I prefer to chat. Their representatives have always been so helpful!

Which network does Red Pocket use?

Red Pocket Mobile uses four different networks. This means that they are compatible with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon devices.

Here is a breakdown of their networks and compatible devices according to their website:

GSMA: This network offers the largest GSM coverage in the US. This network works with most AT&T-compatible, GSM unlocked and CDMA LTE unlocked devices.

CDMAS: Bring your own Sprint LTE or 3G device and most CDMA unlocked devices.

GSMT:  This network works with most T-Mobile-compatible, GSM unlocked and CDMA LTE unlocked devices.

CDMA:  This network works with most Verizon-compatible LTE devices.

Red Pocket

Does Red Pocket support hotspot?

Yes! Red Pocket lets you turn your phone into a Hot Spot for free.

Other providers will charge you a fee to turn that feature on even though you are using the data you already paid for.

Just call them and ask them to turn the hotspot feature on.

I hotspot my cell phone so I can write this blog! I have found the feature to be extremely reliable and convenient.

Does Red Pocket have 5G?

According to the customer service representative I chatted with, as of the publishing date on this article, only their GSMT Network offers 5G service.

Red Pocket Plans & Pricing

When it comes to paying for cell phone service or anything else, I don’t like contracts.

I don’t like rates increasing without my knowledge.

I also don’t like high prices.

Now, I understand that I must pay taxes (which makes the prices a little higher). After all, I live in America. The Land of Taxes.

But what I really don’t like is hidden fees.

My favorite part about Red Pocket (besides the excellent prices) is that they don’t have hidden fees. You know what I’m talking about.

Other companies do it like this:

The service costs $50 a month (for one line)
+
Administration fees
+
Regulatory fees
+
Activation fees
+
Cancellation fees
+
Smartphone Line Access (seriously?)

And the list goes on.

Forbes states, “On average, Americans pay $225 per year above and beyond their wireless service charges.”

Paying high prices and hidden fees will not get you closer to your debt-free goals and it most certainly doesn’t help you control your budget.

I want to know what I’m paying for up front. If a company is going to charge me $50 plus all these other fees, then they should just go ahead and say it’s a $100 plan. Let’s not beat around the bush.

That is why I like Red Pocket. They aren’t like that. No secrets.

That’s what I want you to learn the most out of this Red Pocket Review. Their plans are extremely economical.

Affordable Service Plans

As of today, we are paying $20 a month for a service that would cost us over $50 a month with another carrier.

I even turn the phone into a hotspot so I can have WiFi to my laptop so I can write this blog! (We can’t have reasonable home internet here in the Bermuda Triangle.)

Red Pocket Pay as You Go Monthly Plans

My favorite part about Red Pocket is their pre-paid service plans.

You can pay monthly (pay as you go)or yearly. There is a small discount for paying yearly.

We just pick the plan we want, we pay for an entire year up front, and we don’t have to think about it for another year.

You even get to choose which network you prefer for the best signal in your area (AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint).

Check out Red Pocket Monthly Plans here.

Red Pocket Yearly Plans

Currently, Red Pocket offers several yearly (annual) plans.

They are offering the unlimited plan which is 3GB of data per month for $15/month (for a year).

Or, the ultimate plan which is 8GB of data per month for $20/month (for a year).

Finally, they are offering the XL plan (which I have). It is 20GB of data per month for $30/month (for a year).

Check out Red Pocket Yearly Plans here.

How to activate Red Pocket SIM card

Activating your Red Pocket SIM card is quite easy.

Visit redpocket.com/start and enter you SIM card number. You will follow the directions from there.

Personally, I prefer to call customer service and have them activate it. They can also help you port your existing number if you are new to Red Pocket.

You can reach Red Pocket Customer Service at: 712-775-8777

Where to buy Red Pocket SIM

Red Pocket offers a free SIM and shipping with your service plan. You can shop for Red Pocket SIMs here.

Most of their SIM sales are from their eBay store. So, don’t be surprised when their website directs you there! It’s completely legit and easy to order there.

Is Red Pocket GSMA or CDMA?

Both!

Actually, Red Pocket offers 4 different networks for you to choose from: GSMA, CDMAS, GSMT, and CDMA. You can choose the network that works best for you and your device.

Red Pocket Coverage

We weren’t sure which network would have the best reception/coverage out here in the Woods. So, we bought only one month of service using Sprint’s network.

I could only send a picture of the kids to my in-laws if I stood on the back porch with one leg in the air and my tongue sticking out. Clearly, that wasn’t going to work long term.

So, we switched to AT&T the next month to test it and it was perfect! We had no problems with their service whatsoever.

Once we determined which network would provide us the best signal, we started purchasing a year’s worth of service at a time because it’s cheaper that way. (Every penny counts, right?)

My advice is to try out the networks before you buy a yearly plan (if that’s your goal). See which one works best for you.

Customer Service

No Red Pocket Review would be complete without discussing the quality of their customer service.

Red Pocket Customer Service has always been excellent and extremely helpful. I prefer to use the chat feature instead of calling because their wait times can be several minutes or more during peak times.

I am a homeschooling mom to three kids, so I don’t have a lot of time to wait on hold. With the chat feature, I just start the chat and my phone alerts me when the customer service representative is live and has responded.

Their representatives are always friendly, knowledgeable, and quick to help.

Red Pocket Customer Service Number

You can reach Red Pocket Customer Service at: 712-775-8777

How to buy a phone from Red Pocket

Buying a phone from Red Pocket couldn’t be easier! Shop here.

If you have an unlocked phone, you can bring it to Red Pocket and use their service. Be sure to check with Red Pocket/ you carrier to make sure it is compatible.

How do you get your phone unlocked?

Getting your phone unlocked is easy.

Just ask your carrier to unlock your phone after you have finished your contract.

You can also get all sorts of new, unlocked phones online. Red Pocket sells them too! We even got a free, unlocked iPhone from Red Pocket through a promotion they were running one time.

Does Red Pocket data roll over?

No. The data, minutes, and texts do not roll over. I have used Red Pocket for years and was 100% sure I was correct, but I chatted with customer service to verify this information.

So, I always make a note in my calendar of when my data expires each month. Then, I let my 8-year-old watch drawing and art tutorials on YouTube OR I watch a few YouTube videos about RV remodels (which seems to be an obsession of mine).

Another good option for you to use extra data would be to watch my YouTube Channel!

Does Red Pocket Support Tethering?

Yes! Tethering (and hotspot) services are supported with Red Pocket Plans. According to their website, “Tethering and Hotspot service availability will vary depending on the network and device.”

You can read more about that here: Does Red Pocket Support Tethering?

Red Pocket Deals

Red Pocket often offers deals on their plans and products. So, always keep a look out on their website if you are in the market for a new cell phone service provider or a new iPhone.

Red Pocket also makes a point to take care of their customers. When the Covid pandemic of 2020 began, my husband started working from home.

All of the sudden, we needed more cell phone data. We signed into our Red Pocket Mobile account to see how much it would cost. That is when we noticed that they had already given us extra data.

I called them to ask about it and they told me that they had given all their customers extra data because they knew many people would be working from home during this time.

I was blown away.

Red Pocket Mobile Approval Score

I am giving Red Pocket a solid 9/10.

If their customer service wait times were shorter, I would give them a perfect 10.

To combat long wait times, try to contact them in off-peak hours.

Red Pocket Review Conclusion

It is completely worth it to switch to Red Pocket Mobile.

It’s the same service on the same towers with the same phone as you have now…it’s just less expensive.

We have loved using Red Pocket for years and I’m sure you will too!

I hope this helps you. Decently priced cell phone service shouldn’t be something we have to search so hard for, but it is.

If you have any questions about this Red Pocket Review or my experience with Red Pocket Mobile, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment.

All the best,
Lindsey

*This post contains affiliate links.

The post Red Pocket Review 2021- Best Inexpensive Cell Phone Service Provider appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

He knew how to stretch a dollar. He was not a cheap man. He was a frugal man and he knew the value of spending his money wisely.

Old Fashioned Living

Grandpa understood old fashioned frugal living. Of course, to him it wasn’t “old fashioned frugal living”…it was just frugal living!

I remember one story he told about Grandma. They were a farming family and she would work out in the fields with him in the mornings. When it was lunch time, she would collect sticks on her walk back to the house so she could build a fire in the stove to cook.

Lessons from the Great Depression

Times were different back then. I think that is why I loved our talks with him and why I miss him so much today. Life was slower back then. Not easier, just slower.

They didn’t slide a frozen pizza into the oven for a quick lunch on a busy day. I don’t think Grandpa even had a freezer back then and even if he did, he would have known that homemade pizza was less expensive (and tastier) than a store-bought pizza.

I miss the winter nights we spent sitting in the living room of his country house. His reliable, white Ford truck would be parked outside near his old tractor. The cows would be bedding down for the night and the chickens were shut up into their coop to keep them safe. We would sit near the gas stove with a western turned down low on the TV because we were too busy “visiting” to actually watch it.

The only light on in his four-room house would be in the kitchen and it would spill over into the cozy living room.

There he would sit in his boots, overalls, and farmer’s co-op cap. Late into the night he would talk with us and answer our questions.

What did you do before you had a refrigerator, Grandpa?
How do you make your sweet potatoes?
What did Grandma say when you had to let a baby calf sleep in the living room on a cold winter night?
How did you train your horse to plow?
What kind of tomatoes do you plant?

There are many frugal living tips from the Great Depression that we could all stand to learn.

Man, I miss him, but before I start crying, here are frugal living tips with a big impact that we learned from Grandpa.

Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression

1. Cook from scratch

If you don’t know this already, then it’s time to learn. Cooking at home from scratch can save you hundreds on your grocery bill. Eating out is expensive and buying prepackaged meals at the grocery store will quickly increase your grocery bill and still leave you hungry. Buy staple ingredients, grab your favorite cookbook, and enjoy preparing a nice meal.

2. Eat at home

Eating out is one of the quickest ways to waste money. Restaurants are in business because they charge you more for your meal than what it’s worth. Cook at home and save money.

3. Plant a garden

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not much of a gardener, but I do try! This year, I have finally managed to grow big, beautiful tomatoes for my family. I spent about $10 in small plants and they have grown and produced large “sandwich” tomatoes as well as several bushes of cherry tomatoes. Not only have I saved my family money, but they also taste better.

4. Grow your own fruit

Several years ago, we bought blueberry bushes and since then, we have harvested enough blueberries each year to make ourselves and our three children incredibly happy. Plus, I make delicious blueberry cobbler from our homegrown berries. These bushes have saved us a lot of money over the years because quality, pesticide-free blueberries are not cheap to buy.

5. Forage

We live on 5 wooded acres. We have wild blackberry bushes that grow on our property as well as dewberries and wild onions. Each spring and summer we enjoy homemade blackberry cobbler, dewberry leaf tea, and savory meals with wild onions.

Keep your eyes open, do some research, and you might find that there are many things you can forage for in your own backyard! When we lived in town, we would harvest dandelion leaves from our yard (because we didn’t spray it with chemicals) to make salads!

6. Eat less meat

Meat is expensive and if you prefer organic meat like we do, it’s even more expensive. So, when you are trying to save money or pay off debt, the best thing you can do to save on your grocery bill is to cut back on your meat intake in your meals.

We did this when we were paying off our first and only mortgage. We paid it off in 13 months!

Some nights, we would have vegetable plates and other nights I would prepare Mexican food and replace the meat with black beans. It was so tasty!

7. Make your own specialty coffee

If you’re like me and you like a good cappuccino every day or maybe even a few dozen Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the Fall, you have to come up with a more economical way to get what you want. Learn how to make your own coffee.

8. Pack your lunch

This is a big soapbox for me! I know so many people who eat lunch out every day instead of packing their lunch and taking it to work with them. And you know what?

They also aren’t set to retire early like we are. Harsh but true. Pack your lunch.

9. Buy your food in bulk

We have bought our food in bulk for over 10 years now. Our favorite company is Country Life Natural Foods. We buy bulk oats, rice, beans, lentils, coconut oil, etc. We save tons of money and we’re prepared for anything…even global pandemics (for example).

10. Cook with simple ingredients

This is basically a Great Depression Survival Tip. When you’re on your debt-free journey, it’s not the time for salmon and avocadoes.

Instead, buy inexpensive fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, pasta, etc. and turn them into something amazing! I’ll never forget what Grandpa could do with a few sweet potatoes, a little brown sugar, and a pat of butter.

Related content: Debt-Free by 25 – How We Did It!

11. Learn how to make birthday cakes

I see so many people ordering birthday cakes from bakeries for their children. You can make them at home and save a bundle!

My children and I enjoy baking their birthday cakes together, then they get to decorate it themselves. When we do that, we make memories and cake at the same time.

12. Learn the cleaning power of vinegar

There are so many uses for vinegar. Years ago, I did a little research to learn how to clean my house with vinegar. I wanted to rid my cleaning supplies of nasty chemicals.

I learned that I could replace almost all of them with vinegar. I clean my floors, windows, bathrooms, kitchen counters, refrigerator, etc. with vinegar. It’s cheap and effective.

Now, when I shop, I only have to buy one thing instead of raiding the entire cleaning aisle.

13. Save plastic containers

If you open my fridge, you will find that I store leftovers in large yogurt containers. Why would I spend money on fancy plasticware when I already buy it from the store and it comes with yogurt in it?

Grandpa knew the money-saving power of reusing his plastic containers too. Except, Grandpa saved butter containers.

Tip: Don’t put these containers in the microwave because you should only heat your food in glass.

14. Wear an apron

My favorite apron is one my great Aunt gave me for Christmas several years ago. If you have ever watched the Andy Griffith show and noticed the style of apron that Aunt Bea wears well, that’s me. I’m all about some old fashioned living and my old fashioned apron!

I love it and it has saved so many of my shirts from being ruined. It’s much cheaper to replace one apron than it is your entire wardrobe. Plus, aprons don’t look bad with a few stains here and there but your favorite shirt does!

15. Buy used

When it comes to clothes, cars, toys, books, etc., we buy used. We let someone else take the hit on the full retail price. Then, we buy the perfectly good item from our favorite thrift shop at a fraction of the price. Except for our vehicles…we didn’t buy those there!

I would like to mention that even Millionaires buy used!

16. Hand-me-downs are a must

We have always bought our children’s clothes from garage sales or our favorite thrift shop. We buy quality, name brand clothes at a fraction of the price. We even buy their shoes at the thrift shop.

We can get an entirely new outfit for $5. Then, we hand it down to younger siblings when they grow out of it.

For us, we don’t do this because we have to. We do it because we’re smarter than retail stores want us to be. Did I mention that we’re debt-free and mortgage-free and set to retire at 45? This is one reason why.

17. Cloth diaper your babies

When talking about frugal living tips from the Great Depression, this one should probably be #1. This is definitely a frugal living tip with a BIG impact!

Currently, I am cloth diapering my third baby. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about the first one. I cringed the first time I put it on her because I knew I would have to wash it after she dirtied it.

But, do you know what? It’s not bad at all! A sweet friend bought me a diaper sprayer for a baby shower gift and that made the entire process so much easier.

Now, I know this is impossible for those of you who send your babies to daycare, BUT consider cloth diapering them in the evenings and on the weekends. We have saved so much money doing this.

Plus, I’m that nerdy mama who feels so accomplished when her babies are in cloth. I feel like I’m beating the system!

18. Learn how to make simple home repairs

Several years ago, we were getting ready to sell our house so we could start building our dream house and the garbage disposal jammed. I tried and tried but I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.

It just wouldn’t work.

We figured it was toast but in a last-ditch effort, I Googled the issue. Sure enough, there was an easy fix. “Just loosen the bolt on the bottom, rotate it once manually, then tighten the bolt back.”

I was skeptical but I gave it a try. It worked! I saved us the cost of a new garbage disposal AND the cost of a repairman to install it.

19. Line dry bath towels

At the heart of Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression is not wasting energy. Bath towels take FOREVER to dry in the dryer and it takes a lot of energy to get them dry.

However, a towel hung outside on a clothesline not only takes NO energy to dry it, but it also smells like sunshine when you take it down. Tip: Kids love hanging towels on the line! (As long as they can reach it).

I used to line dry the baby’s cloth diapers and my daughter loved hanging them out for me. She would arrange all the colorful diapers until they looked like a rainbow blowing in the summer breeze.

Related content: Money Secrets of the Amish

20. Layer in the winter

When winter comes, we don’t crank up the heat until we’re comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. We wear warm pajama pants and soft fleece jackets. This allows us to save on our heating bill and still lounge comfortably.

21. Get rid of cable

No, Grandpa didn’t have cable in the 1930s, but we can still apply his frugal ways to this topic. I have been on this soapbox too many times to count.

Paying for TV service is a waste of your time AND money. Get rid of it today. You’ll have more money to put toward debt and your future. Plus, you’ll have more time to read, play games, cuddle with your kids, and cook those homemade meals I’ve been talking about.

22. Get a library card

Our library is our favorite place to shop. They have quality books, movies, and iPads for the kids as well as, CDs, movies, and books for us. What more could we ask for?

23. Make gifts instead of buying

A homemade gift means so much more than a store-bought one. When someone gives me a gift that I know they have invested their time into, it melts my heart.

So, when it’s gift-giving time, think outside the box. Get creative. Put some thought into it.

24. Make more memories

We like to spend time with our family instead of spending money on our family. We cook together, play games together, read together, laugh together, watch movies together, learn together, and create together.

This is no different during the holiday season. You will not find a Christmas tree overflowing with gifts at our house. That’s not how we do things. Instead, you will find a binder filled with Christmas traditions that we do every year.

25. Be content with what you have

One of the best frugal living tips from the Great Depression is being content with what you have. Wanting what others have will only lead you into a black hole of debt and depression.

Look at what you have with an eye of thankfulness. Count your blessing because I know you have many.

Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression Wrap-up

We have used all of these old fashioned frugal living tips over the years and they have all made a big impact!

Old Fashioned Frugal Living helped us…

This type of old fashioned living is what helped us become debt-free and mortgage free by 25!

…and save our first (extra) $180,000 before we were 30.

…and pay off our first (and only) mortgage in 13 months!

If you have any more Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression, leave them in the comments!

Want to save money, pay off debt, and retire early? Start here.

All the best,
Lindsey

The post Grandpa’s Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

So many people have asked us how we did this. To us, being debt-free by 25 just seems normal but, after all the questions and comments over the years, it feels like we beat the odds. Maybe being debt-free by 25 isn’t normal.

Recently, someone said to me, “You’ve been debt-free AND mortgage-free since 25 without an inheritance or parental assistance? I find that hard to believe.”

Why is that so hard for people to believe?

I think it’s because (after much research) I have realized that this is not the path most people take. Debt is part of life for a lot of people and for most of them, it’s by choice.

This seems especially true for Millennials. There aren’t a huge percentage of debt-free Millennials out there.

So, how did we become debt-free by 25?

Let’s lay this all out.

Debt-Free by 25 – How We Did It

I once read about someone who said that becoming debt-free by 25 had a lot to do with luck. Actually, it has a lot to do with planning and determination.

We did 13 simple things that allowed us to become debt-free Millennials by 25.

Let’s go…

1. I Paid Off My Student Loans Quickly

I graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a moderate student loan bill. I mean, ANY sized student loan bill is substantial for someone going into the teaching profession but, that’s a soapbox for another day.

So, after I graduated, I moved in with my parents for my first year of teaching so I could focus on paying those loans off.

A college friend had given me the advice to just pay $25/ month for the rest of my life and forget about it. “As long as you are paying something, there is nothing they can do,” she said.

I don’t know if there is any truth to that or not but, I knew I didn’t want that to be my story.

I did everything I could to knock it out.

Once I received my paycheck each month, I would deduct tithes, car payment, and my cell phone bill. I would allocate money for gas each month and a microscopic amount for incidentals.

Everything that was left went straight to my student loans.

It drove me nuts and often left me discouraged because I felt like I worked hard and still ended up broke the day after I got my paycheck. I mean, I was a first-grade teacher. I worked my tail off with those little ones!

However, I enjoyed checking my student loan account online and watching the balance drop…slowly but surely.

As it turned out, my first year of teaching was also my last year of teaching.

I met my husband in April of the Spring semester, we were engaged by May and married in August.

Although I loved teaching, I was very excited to be a homemaker (and eventually a homeschooling mom) for the next chapter of my life.

I worked at a daycare that entire summer before we married so I could continue chipping away at my student loans.

To say that it was a horrible experience would be an understatement. That had to be the worst summer of my life, but I was able to apply quite a bit more money to my loans.

By the time my husband and I married, I only had a balance of $2,000.

I didn’t want to bring debt into our marriage, but I had done all I could do.

My husband paid the balance right after we married, and I said “goodbye” to those horrible student loans forever!

2. He Said “No” to Lifestyle Inflation

When I met my husband, he had a great job with great pay, but he was living in a small, run-down rental house on purpose, and paying only $600 a month in rent. He even chose to keep the same truck he drove all through college when everyone else would have bought something brand new.  

Now, why would he do that when he was making good money? Because he had a mission.

He started renting that house when he was hired at his company right after college. He was making good money and could have lived anywhere, but he chose a cheap place in an old neighborhood so he could grow his savings account to buy a house with cash.

His wise choices set us up for success from the very beginning.

3. We Bought a House Well Below Our Means

A few months after we were married, the government offered a First Time Home Buyers Incentive. (This was circa 2009.) The deal was that you could get a rebate of up to $7,000 on your taxes IF you met certain qualifications.

The qualifications were pretty basic. One of them required that the home had to be your primary residence and you had to live there for at least 3 years.

We decided 3 years was something we could commit to. We began considering buying a house instead of losing money on rent each month. We found a small, inexpensive house as our “starter house” and devised a plan to pay it off as quickly as possible.

There were three main reasons why we decided to buy a house instead of rent:

1. My husband was paying $7,200 a year in rent for our small rent house (which I know is cheap but still…)
2. He had been saving intensely for the two years before we were married, and it had amounted to $35,000-$40,000. We knew that if we bought a less expensive house, a down payment of that size would go a long way.
3. If we paid the house off quickly, then the $7,000 buyer’s incentive would cover the interest we would have to pay on the mortgage, and we would probably have some leftover for savings.

It was very important to us to buy a house that was well below our means. We could have gotten a mortgage for three times the amount we applied for, but we knew that would be an extremely poor choice.

Nothing is certain…not even a good job. People get laid-off all the time. We wanted to keep that in mind as we looked for a house to buy. We wanted to buy one that we could pay for even if my husband lost his job and had to find another one making less money.

Thankfully, we live in a state with many great neighborhoods that have reasonably priced homes. After a couple of weeks of looking, we found a 1200 sq. ft., 3-bedroom home near his work.

The price? Only $73,000.

It can be tempting to buy a house that is your dream home from the beginning. However, just because you can scrape up enough for the monthly mortgage payment each month, doesn’t mean you can actually afford it.

We knew that just because the bank said we could “afford” a big mortgage doesn’t mean that would be the best choice for us. We didn’t want to begin our marriage in bondage to an overwhelming mortgage.

4. Paid Off Our Mortgage in 13 Months

After we found the perfect house, we went to a local bank and applied for a mortgage. The bank officer seemed shocked when we told her we were going to put $30,000 down and we only needed to take out a mortgage for $43,000.

We also asked her several times if we would have to pay a penalty for paying the mortgage off early. It was a 15-year mortgage, but we had no intention of keeping it that long.

We planned on having it for only 2 years… Tops.

Our monthly mortgage payment came out to only $400 a month. That was less expensive than rent! Even if Timothy were to be laid off, we would have to live SOMEWHERE, and $400 was less than any rent house we would have found. So, we felt safe taking out a mortgage.

Each month, I would make 10 to 13 months’ worth of principal payments. The first payment would be the standard $400 monthly payment. Then I would include at least 10 more months of principal-only payments.

Thirteen months later, we were mortgage-free.

5. We Did Some Crazy Things to SAVE Money

I’ll be the first to say that paying off debt can be a ton of fun if you just look at it the right way!

We were always looking for frugal ways to save money. We were on a path to be debt-free by 25 and nothing was going to slow us down!

We wanted to be debt-free Millennials FAST!

I am a homemaker, so we set out to accomplish our debt-free dreams on only one income. That meant that it was my job to find ways to save us money!

So, what crazy things did we do to save money?

I cooked EVERYTHING from scratch.

For every recipe that called for milk, I substituted water.

In fact, we learned how to save HUNDREDS every month on our grocery costs.

We had no paid TV service (and still don’t).

We took home all the leftovers from family Thanksgiving meals…shamelessly.

My husband brought home all the extra (unopened) containers of food from company parties. I mean, who doesn’t love a full barbeque dinner that lasts for several nights that they DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY FOR?!

We downsized to only one cell phone (I loved the quietness of not receiving texts all day!).

We searched until we got the BEST inexpensive cell phone plan available.

We took advantage of cheap/free events in our community (art festivals, discount plays, craft fairs, Dollar Day at the Zoo, etc.)

I still look back on those 13 months of paying off our mortgage and remember all the fun we had! All the people who jumped right into a big mortgage for 30 years have no idea what they are missing.

We had a blast and I would do it all over again.

We paid off our $43k mortgage in 13 months then went on our first Caribbean cruise.

Stepping on that cruise ship felt so good. It was an awesome reward for our hard work and determination!

Side note: Cruising turned out to be one of our FAVORITE things to do. As of today, we have been on 10!

6. We Did Some Crazy Things to MAKE Money

Since we seemed to be racing against ourselves to set a world record in paying off a mortgage, we also made efforts to make extra money when we could.

We had garage sales and sold TONS of stuff.

We also sold some of our higher-priced belongings on Ebay.

However…

I mentioned that I am a homemaker, so we were accomplishing our “debt-free by 25” goal on one income.

We were doing great and on track to accomplish those goals, but I still felt bad that I wasn’t contributing monetarily.

Then, an idea fell into my lap.

I had been cooking from scratch since my husband and I married.

I would pack amazing, home-cooked meals for his lunch at work. He would warm up his lunch and his co-workers would always comment about how good it smelled.

They were always asking him what I had cooked for him that day.

Most of them didn’t cook from scratch and neither did their spouse so a homecooked meal like that was like gold!

One day, one of them said, “Lindsey should sell lunches!”

So, I did.

I would make up a little menu each week and send it to work with my husband. He would pass them around and bring home the orders.

I would get up each morning and cook lunch for 8-10 of his coworkers. He would come home at lunchtime, eat his lunch quickly in the kitchen, then transport the to-go boxes of lunches back to his office.

It was so much work!

I only charged $5 a lunch but most of it was profit.

Since I was using simple ingredients, my cost was exceptionally low.

It was fun to help with our mortgage pay-off!

I cooked for his co-workers for several months then took a break so we could move out of our rental house and into our first house.

His coworkers started getting restless and asking when I could start cooking for them again.

So, I started my little side hustle back up even though we weren’t even unpacked yet!

I did it for several more months then eventually quit because my workload at home was growing.

We had a lot of projects around our new home that needed to be done and I simply didn’t have time to cook for an additional 10 people each morning.

It was fun while it lasted!

7. We Lived frugally

Becoming debt-free by 25 has everything to do with how you live your life and the financial choices you make every day.

For us, living frugally has allowed us to accomplish things that most people think are impossible.

Here is a simple fact: we are willing to cut things out of our life that a lot of people just aren’t. We have always “lived differently” than most people.

From the outside, we look like average Americans but it’s those small, seemingly insignificant, daily choices that set us apart.

For example, we have never had paid TV service, we buy used cars, we don’t enjoy buying “stuff”, we have always shopped for the best inexpensive cell phone plans around (more on that below), we don’t have home internet (we hotspot our cell phones), we don’t eat out much, and I don’t frequent the salon or spa…just to name a few.

When you adopt a frugal mindset, it changes how you look at everything….even though I’ll admit that we’ve had some hilarious frugal fails.

Read: Grandpa’s 25 Frugal Living Tips From The Great depression

Why do people spend so much money on nonsense stuff? Because they don’t choose to tell themselves “no” AND because they choose not to tell their kids “no.” Most of the time, if they stopped to think about each purchase, they would realize that they are wasting a lot of money each month.

In my adult life, I have learned that people love instant gratification.

If they drive by Sonic, they feel like they need to treat themselves.

When everyone else in their office is going out for lunch, they feel like they deserve to eat out too, so they go.

When the neighbor drives up in a brand-new car you know they can’t afford, some people think they need to do the same thing.

I encourage people not to get caught up in this game. Before you start shopping on Amazon, ask yourself a few questions: “Am I shopping because I’m bored? Do I NEED anything?”

You might be surprised at your answers.

Many of us have homes filled with more than we need anyway. How many magazine articles are focused on minimizing our stuff? YET, people keep hitting “Buy Now.”

It makes no sense.

I know it leaves them wondering, “Why is it so hard to get out of debt?“

We think about every purchase before we make it because our money is valuable to us. We work hard for our money so everything we consider buying has to earn our money.

We aren’t those people who say, “It’s only $10. I’ll just get it.”

This mindset also enabled us to save our first (extra) $180,000 before we were 30!

Read: Money Secrets of the Amish

8. We Created a Budget

We created a budget and posted it on the front of the fridge. We wrote EVERY expense on that spreadsheet and evaluated it each month.  

If we got a little crazy one month and spent unnecessary money on eBay, Amazon, etc., we corrected the mistake the next month. We consulted our budget daily and corrected spending mistakes.

Remember: Your budget isn’t your enemy. Consider your budget your friend. It isn’t restricting. It’s actually freeing. It’s like a written set of goals that prevents you from having to continually repeat them in your mind. With just one quick glance, you can stay on track.

Don’t forget to pad your checking account!

9. Inexpensive Cell Phone Plan

About that inexpensive cell phone plan I mentioned…

We have never been the people who take things at face value. When we want a cell phone and a service plan, we don’t just walk into the nearest AT&T store and buy it.

We shop around. We ask questions. We get the most value for our money.

We searched far and wide for a cell phone service provider that would meet our needs, not charge high prices and be upfront about their costs (nobody likes hidden fees).

We tested many low-cost, no contract cell phone service providers and Red Pocket exceeded them all.

Here is how Red Pocket works:

Use your existing, unlocked phone (Red Pocket can tell you how to unlock it…it’s easy) or buy one from Red Pocket.

Keep your phone number or get a new one.

Choose a service plan that fits your needs.

Choose a network you like.

Pay.

Then, they mail you a sim card to put in your phone (which can be customized to fit your phone- including standard, micro, and nano sizes).

Activate it when you get it and you’re all set!

You can get exactly what you have now: YOUR phone, the SAME network, the SAME amount of data…FOR LESS MONEY and NO CONTRACT! And you can turn your phone into a hotspot for FREE.

Read: Red Pocket Product Review- Best Inexpensive Cell Phone Service Provider

10. We Used a Credit Card to Our Advantage

This subject is a little touchy because so many advisors say that people need to stay as far away from credit cards as possible.

I completely agree with this if we are talking about a person who is not going to be wise with their credit card.

However, we have learned that we can use a credit card to our advantage.

We put every purchase we make onto our credit card each month.

Those purchases include health insurance, car insurance, groceries, gas, etc. We even bought our (used) minivan on our credit card!

Here is the trick though: we pay the balance in FULL each month.

We have NEVER left a running balance on our credit card.

By using our credit card this way, we have been able to rack up tons of rewards points!

Over the last 10 years, we have been on 10 cruises and half of them have been free because of our credit card rewards points.

Being debt-free by 25 (or anytime!) is about using services to your advantage.

Credit cards are usually a pitfall for many people. They are tempted to rack up debt that they have an extremely hard time paying off.

However, we have avoided the pitfall and came out on top.

Read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading This Debt Blog

11. Learned to Say No

We became debt-free by 25 by learning to say no.

“Do you want to go out to eat with us?” No, how about you come over to dinner instead.

“Do you want to upgrade that?” No.

“Do you want anything else with your dollar burger?” No.

We have learned to say “no” to ourselves and others. Now, I don’t mean this in a negative way. We don’t deprive ourselves and we don’t withhold generosity to others.

But, when the subject involves wasting money or spending money on things we don’t need, the answer is always “no.”

Read: 12 Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home

12. Never Thought About the Joneses

We have NEVER compared ourselves to anyone else.

There have been people who have gotten to where we are today faster. I mean, they have nice vehicles, their dream home, and all the awesome vacations.

But, here is what I know for a fact: they aren’t debt-free. So, it’s not as sweet as what we have accomplished.

I know that sounds harsh but it’s true.

Having your dream home but going to bed each night thinking about the mortgage payment that’s coming in the mail each month isn’t satisfying.

Driving your new car to work each day isn’t pure joy when you’re working hard to pay for that baby.

That’s why we don’t compare ourselves to others. We know that we are on a completely different path. We’re on a path that few have been on. We don’t work for the “American Dream.”

How many people can say that they have been debt-free since 25, paid their first (and only) mortgage off in 13 months, saved their first $180,000 before they were 30, bought 15 acres of land, and built their dream home with cash all while having/raising three kids and going on ten cruises?

I can’t think of anyone besides us.

13. Surrounded Ourselves with Financially Wise People

In my experience, there are two kinds of people in this world. There are those who will make fun of you for being frugal and there are those who will join you.

We have always chosen to surround ourselves with those who join us.

We have close friends who are on the same financial path as us who we can bounce ideas off. They live frugally, they save, and they have achieved great things too.

Being around them helps us to stay focused.

If you are trying to pay off debt, save, and live frugally, hang around people with your same goals. Otherwise, you will constantly be tempted to waste your money with those who have no control over their finances.

Read: How to Become Debt-free

BONUS Content:

I’m always saying that living frugally and choosing to swim upstream pays off. For us, it has paid off in many ways. One HUGE way was being able to build our dream home debt-free and plan our retirement at 45.

We Built Our Dream Home with CASH

After saving and living frugally for about 6 years, we finally had enough cash to buy land and build our dream home. I was 29 and pregnant with our second child.

We contracted our house ourselves and did as much of the work as we could.

We even drew our own house plans.

Our house is 2300 sq. ft, with 5 bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and an attached 900sq ft garage. (We use it as three bedrooms, a sitting room, and a man/game room.) The house includes 5 walk-in closets, a FEMA approved concrete safe room, a clubhouse under the stairs for the kids, an area for homeschooling, and a screened-in porch overlooking our land. 

It appraises for OVER DOUBLE what we spent on the house and the 5 acres together. We could sell it today and make a HUGE profit!  

It was a huge accomplishment to buy land and build our dream home at such a young age WITH CASH.

All our frugal living and smart money choices literally paid off.

Put Money in 401ks and Retirement Funds the Entire Time

During all our time of paying off our first mortgage and saving for our dream home (and all those cruises), we never stopped saving for retirement.

It has always been very important to us to never drop the ball on our future.

We have always had a goal to retire early and we’ve never lost sight of that goal.

We have continued to put money into our 401ks and retirement funds so we can retire when we’re 45.

We save like millionaires.

What are we doing now?

We still practice living frugally even though it’s been over 10 years since we paid off our mortgage. It’s a habit. We just can’t help it. However, we also enjoy it!  

We have built our dream home (with CASH) on 5 wooded acres near my husband’s work. We also own 10 acres in the Western part of the state near my husband’s family where we hope to live one day. We own our vehicles (which we bought used, naturally) and our UTVs.

We owe no one for anything.

We carry no balances on credit cards. However, we have a Capital One card that we charge all purchases on so we can get the bonus points. We pay the ENTIRE balance each month. We have bought and sold 2 campers over the years before we decided we didn’t like camping.

You can read about the first camper adventure here. (It was a 1970s camper and a really odd shade of pink…)

Read: I’m Debt-Free. Now, What?

As of today, we have been on 10 Caribbean cruises. The first one was a celebration of paying off our mortgage back then!

We actually went on 4 cruises in a year one time because we got crazy. However, we can now afford to be crazy because we have no debt, and we continue to put money away in savings EVERYweek.

We enjoy continuing our money-saving habits so we can max out our 401k, Roth IRAs, etc. to prepare for early retirement when we’re 45.

I even started a side hustle with VIPKid to pay for my blogging habit…just so I could prove to myself that I could do it without dipping into the family funds.

What Is It Like to Be Debt-Free?

Being debt-free is amazing for many reasons.

I don’t fret about the mortgage bill coming in the mail.

We save more now than ever.

We plan for the future/ early retirement.

We don’t worry about layoff or loss of income.

We travel a TON.

We have more cash on hand for things. Because, it’s true…money talks.

When we finally found the land we wanted to buy to build our dream home, we were told that someone else had already made an offer.

But…

We had cash and the other person who had also made an offer on the land wanted to do owner financing.

Guess who got the land?

We did.

The owners of the land didn’t want to get into an owner-finance situation. We were able to buy the land at a slightly lower price because we had cash in hand.

Debt-Free by 25 – How We Did It

If you have questions or comments about how we became debt-free by 25, I would love to hear them! Just fill out the comment box below.

Remember to subscribe on YouTube to catch all my videos, like me on Facebook so you’ll never miss a beat, AND follow me on Pinterest because I pin the best stuff!

…I know…It’s a lot.

But you can do it!

All the best,
Lindsey

The post Debt-Free by 25 – How We Did It appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

With a VIPKid job, you can work as much or as little as you want. It’s flexible, fun, and rewarding.

My husband and I have been debt-free and mortgage-free since we were 25. We are on a path to retire when we are 45.

We save like millionaires and invest so we can achieve this goal. So, when it came time to fund my blogging adventure, I decided to do it myself.

I am a homemaker and homeschooling mom so my income is…well…nothing.

That’s why I became a VIPKid Teacher. I didn’t want to take one cent away from our early retirement goal and my VIPKid job has made that possible.

Maybe a VIPKid job is just what you need too!

First things first…

Is VIPKid a scam or a great opportunity?

VIPKid is a great opportunity!

I’ll admit. I was reluctant at first. It just didn’t seem possible that I would be able to teach from home (in my pajama pants), earn as much money as I wanted, completely customize my schedule, AND have fun.

It just seemed too good to be true.

Then, I found out a friend that I graduated from college with had been teaching for VIPKid for several years after she left her public school job.

She was making a great income from home while homeschooling her children.

That gave the company credibility to me.

I decided to apply and see for myself.

I am here to tell you that a VIPKid job is an excellent opportunity and very fulfilling.

VIPKid Teacher- How to Become One

Becoming a VIPKid teacher is very easy. You will need to hold a Bachelor’s degree from a University but it does not have to be in teaching.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education so getting a VIPKid job just seemed natural.

However, people with all backgrounds teach for VIPKid. Through the initial online training, you will meet fellow teachers with business backgrounds, art backgrounds, etc.

All you have to do is click here and apply!

VIPKid Job Application Process

The VIPKid application process involves several steps.

Step one: Apply

Step two: Demo lesson

In this step, you will record a short 5-minute lesson to an imaginary 5-year-old. VIPKid provides you with the materials. Make sure you have a great background and a few visual aids.

I was extremely nervous about this part!

However, it turned out to be very easy. If you do well, VIPKid will approve you to move to the next step.

If you don’t pass this step, you can try again. Many teachers have to do this step at least twice before they get it right.

Personally, I didn’t want to go through the trouble of recording again so I gave my first try everything I had and I passed.

Step three: Training & Mock Classes

In this step, you will have online training with certified VIPKid teachers, and you will also teach a mock class to a live VIPKid teacher. This teacher will be pretending to be a child.

Step four: Sign Your Contract!

In this step, you will sign your teaching contract. Currently, contracts are for 6 months with the option to renew.

You will also upload your degree certificate, ID, profile pictures, bio, and a short intro video.

If you have a teaching certification, you can upload it to avoid taking the TESOL foundation course. I have a certification but I have not kept it current, so I still had to take the TESOL foundation course.

It was easy to do!

How much does VIPKid pay?

With VIPKid, you can make $15-$22/hr. This all depends on the certification courses you take. Currently, I am making $15/hr simply because I haven’t had the time to take the additional (free) certifications but I really need to get on it!

The additional certifications are quite easy to get (which is why it’s ridiculous that I haven’t done it!) and they look great in your portfolio.

They will increase your pay and attract new students.

VIPKid Schedule

Having a VIPKid job is amazing because it’s incredibly flexible!

I can work as much or as little as I want.

If I’m having a super busy week at home, I will just open a few time slots a week. When things slow down, I’ll throw my schedule wide open.

You don’t have to “ask off” for important holidays or worry about saving up enough vacation time. Just don’t open your time slots for the days you want off.

Currently, I’m only teaching 2 classes a day. I teach at 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. This allows me to make the extra money I want and still be done before my kids wake up.

Occasionally, one of my students will request an evening class and I’m happy to accommodate! My husband gets extra one-on-one time with our kids while I go upstairs to my nest (I mean, office corner) to teach for 25 minutes.

It’s very simple and quite fun!

Note: VIPKid frowns heavily on teachers who cancel classes with short notice or do not show up.

If you need to cancel a class, you will need to provide proof of your circumstance.

What equipment do I need for a VIPKid job?

So, teaching with VIPKid requires a minimal amount of equipment.

You will need a reliable computer with good internet, a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a good background.

I teach on my laptop and use the webcam that it came with.

VIPKid Classroom Background

VIPKid wants you to have a nice, clean background that is child friendly.

When I first started, I was using a make-shift space in our upstairs sitting room so I just tacked a large piece of fabric to the wall behind me. It was colorful fabric with Dr. Seuss characters on it.

Now, I have upgraded my space to something less temporary.

I have a nice painting and a lamp behind me.

It’s not distracting for the student and it’s pleasant for me.

Some teachers go all out and create an entire classroom on the wall behind them. It’s super cute and so much fun! I don’t do this because I also use my office space for my YouTube videos and Facebook Lives.

I’m not sure that any of my YouTube subscribers would take me seriously with Dr. Seuss characters on the wall behind me.

By the way, you can follow my new series “How to Save Like a Millionaire” on YouTube. Also, follow me on Facebook to catch all of my Facebook LIVES!

Does VIPKid provide the curriculum?

YES!

VIPKid does all of the work for you! Just sign in to your portal, click “classroom” and start teaching!

You will want to review the class slides before you start teaching so you won’t be lost.

No one likes a teacher with a blank stare.

There are notes on the sides of all the slides to tell you exactly what to teach on each slide.

VIPKid has made the courseware very intuitive!

I’ve been teaching with them for a while now so if I don’t have time to review the slides before class, I typically still know what I’m doing. I have most likely taught that lesson before.

What is a VIPKid Class Like?

Ok, so here is how it works.

For example, if you have a class at 6:00 a.m., you will want to sign in to your VIPKid app on your computer 15 minutes early.

That way, you can make sure everything is in order.

I won’t tell you about the time I missed class and got charged $10 because I missed class and couldn’t get my internet to work. Actually, my internet was working fine. I just forget to connect my computer to it. I will blame it on the migraine I had that morning.

…but, I won’t tell you about that because it’s embarrassing.

Anyhow, remember to connect your computer to the internet and sign on.

Your teacher portal will come up and show you all the classes you have booked.

Click “classroom” next to your 6:00 a.m. class.

A new window will appear. That is your “classroom.”

At the top will be a window for your live feed and next to it is a window for your student’s live feed. Below that is the slides you are teaching. You also have a chat window in case you need to spell something out for the student.

Can I travel and teach?

YES!

YES!

YES!

As long as you have a good internet connection and a quiet place, you can teach from anywhere. I read a story once about a VIPKid teacher who backpacked across Asia while teaching. It was incredible.

Some teachers who travel and teach take a large piece of colorful fabric with them. They can then tape the fabric to the hotel wall, guest room wall, RV wall, etc. for when they teach.

Just make sure you don’t damage any walls!

Can I teach from my phone?

No, you cannot teach on your phone. You must have a PC or an iPad to have a VIPKid job. VIPKid does have a mobile app for checking your schedule, opening teaching slots, reviewing class slides, checking payments, etc but it does not give you the option to teach through the app.

Can I teach with VIPKid on a hotspot?

It is recommended that you have DSL internet. However, there are many teachers who teach with a hotspot. Just make sure you pass the internet speed test (which is easy). If your hotspot is strong and reliable, you are good to go!

The bottom line is that you want to provide a good experience to your students. A bad internet connection means that they cannot learn from you properly and you are doing them a disservice.

Make sure you have reliable internet before you begin.

Who is Dino?

Dino is a cute, yellow, cartoon dinosaur who is the mascot for VIPKid. All of the students love Dino!

VIPKid or VIPKids?

Many people call the company “VIPKids” and this is incorrect. VIPKid stresses that their name is not plural because they focus on one kid at a time. When you are teaching, your focus is on that one student and making them the best English speaker possible. So, it’s not “VIPKids.”

Remember, each class focuses on ONE VIPKid.

Is teaching with VIPKid fun?

YES!

Honestly, you will have those students who just don’t pay attention but, most of the time, you will have very sweet students who genuinely want to learn.

In fact, I was teaching a little girl this morning who is one of my regulars. She is adorable. I have a duck puppet and she has a rabbit puppet. So, this morning, we played puppets together for a little while. I creatively tied this into the lesson, so it was time well spent.

Another one of my regular students loves to draw. So, I try my best to incorporate art into the lessons by letting her draw on the screen and get creative.

Sometimes their whole families get involved!

With several of my students, I have met their parents, siblings and even the family dog!

I get to teach them while their baby brother sits next to them in his highchair or while they eat their supper of noodles.

I get to cheer them up after they have had a tough day at school, and I consider that a privilege.

VIPKid Job Questions

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will answer them for you!

What are you waiting for? Apply now!

The post VIPKid Job – How I Make Extra Money appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

But that’s not real life for most millionaires. Self-made millionaires know better.

If you want to be a millionaire, then you need to know how to save like a millionaire.

“From my research, I discovered that daily habits dictate how successful or unsuccessful you will be in life,” Thomas C. Corley- “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.”

Business Insider

Related content: Debt-Free by 25 – How We Did It!

How to Save Like a Millionaire

Many millionaires are intensely frugal people. After all, they work hard for their money.

These millionaires know where their money came from- their hard work. It takes a lot of work to earn a dollar. It takes a lot of work and determination to earn a million dollars (or more).

You won’t often find a millionaire bragging about expensive things they have bought. Many of them clip coupons, live in modest homes and shop at discount stores. They drive used cars and have a limited wardrobe.

They do all these things by choice because their money is valuable to them.

…and probably because they don’t want to be like those professional athletes you hear about sometimes who have blown it all and are now standing on the side of the road holding a cardboard sign.

How We Saved Our First $180,000 Before We Were 30

Now, we aren’t millionaires…yet. But, we know how to save like a millionaire. We’ve been debt-free and mortgage-free since we were 25 and we have a plan to retire when we’re 45.

Working until we’re 70 just isn’t in the plan. We don’t work for the typical “American Dream” of a big mortgage, new cars, and little league expenses.

We saved our first $180,000 years ago by doing a few simple things like not having paid TV service, only buying used cars, having a (VERY awesome) inexpensive cell phone plan, and a few other tricks.

It’s amazing how much you can save (then put in the bank) by just living differently than the people around you.

Those people who eventually become millionaires typically don’t get there through sheer luck or by making one life-changing investment. Rather, they work hard, live below their means, and start saving early on.

Money CNN

Related content: We Don’t Work for the American Dream

Money Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know

There are many money secrets they don’t want you to know. But, first…

Who are “THEY?”

They are the companies that want you to buy their stuff. What they don’t want you to know is that you don’t actually need the stuff they are selling.

They don’t want you to know how to save like a millionaire because if you weren’t buying their products then they couldn’t become millionaires off of your dime.

Do you need to pay $1,200 a year for TV service? No. Will you survive without it? You bet.

Do you need to spend $200 a month for a cell phone with a data package? Especially when you can get the same thing for much less? Umm…no.

Ask yourself this? Why is Jeff Bezos so stinking wealthy? Because you keep giving him your money.

Bam.

Mic drop.

Millionaires know better. They know these money secrets.

They know how to avoid these money pits (and lures from expensive products) so they can save money and put more of that green paper in their pockets.

Related content: Why I Won’t Buy a Roomba, Keurig, Apple Watch, or Yeti Anything

Rachel Sherman of the New York Times wrote an article in 2017 about interviews she conducted with 50 affluent parents.

“Nearly all were in the top 1 percent or 2 percent in terms of income or wealth or both,” she said. What she noticed was that none of these “rich people” were ever proud of spending a lot of money or having pricey things.

The people I talked with never bragged about the price of something because it was high; instead, they enthusiastically recounted snagging bargains on baby strollers, buying clothes at Target, and driving old cars. 

Rachel Sherman, New York Times

Money Lessons from a Millionaire

There are many money lessons from a millionaire that we can learn but the most important is that saving money is a must.

No matter how much money you make, you must save.

…You must spend less than you earn because anyone can spend it all. So whether you make $50k a year or $500k, you need to spend less than that. Turns out millionaires are great at saving no matter how much they make.

ESI Money

Millionaire Money Habits

Did you know that millionaires are notoriously frugal?

Yep. They sure are.

If you want to be a millionaire, then you need to act like a millionaire.

No. I’m not talking about that small percentage of people who got rich from who knows what and they blow all their money during their reality TV shows.

I’m talking about those self-made millionaires who work hard, save hard, and make smart money choices.

I’m talking about the Millionaire Next Door (which happens to be one of my favorite books, by the way).

I’m talking about that guy who has been driving the same old truck (because he likes it) even though he can afford a Ferrari.

Yep. That guy.

He didn’t become a millionaire on his middle-class income by spending frivolously. In fact, you probably won’t find him eating out much. You probably won’t even find his wife hanging out at the spa getting a pedicure with her fur coat and wearing diamond-studded sunglasses.

That last part was a little crazy, but you know what I mean.

Let’s call him “Joe Ordinary.”

Joe Ordinary is a millionaire because he knows how to save money like a millionaire. He has adopted millionaire money habits that have gotten him to where he is today.

Joe Ordinary doesn’t act rich (even though he is).

For example, let’s talk about Warren Buffet.

Despite his status as one of the richest people on earth, he still lives in the same modest home he bought for $31,500 in 1958, doesn’t carry a cell phone or have a computer at his desk, and once had a vanity license plate that read “THRIFTY,” according to his 2009 biography.

INC.com

Warren Buffet could have anything he wants. But, he doesn’t want.

That’s the secret sauce.

Those are the millionaire money habits to takeaway.

1. Don’t act rich.
2. Don’t want for things.

Poor people act rich and get poorer. Rich people act poor and get richer.

“My life couldn’t be happier. In fact, it’d be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don’t need any more because it doesn’t make a difference after a point.”

Warren Buffet, INC.com

How Much Do Millionaires Make a Year

So, all these celebrities are always all over your TV. They are actors, singers, sharks, etc. They look like they are LIVING. IT. UP.

Then, you start wondering, “How much do millionaires make a year?”

Well, I can’t speak for those people. I mean, they are in a class of their own.

What I can tell you is that you can become a millionaire on just $56,000 a year.

Yes. You heard me.

So many people think that the title of “millionaire” is only for those celebrities or the occasional person who wins the lottery.

But, that’s just not true.

If you know how to save like a millionaire, then you can become a millionaire on even a middle-class income.

For example, I recently read an article from CNN Money that explains how you can become a millionaire with a salary of just $56,000/ year. They explain that if you save and invest $458 a month starting at age 27, then you will have $1.4 million by the time you retire at age 67.

When many of us think of millionaires, we picture high-powered executives cruising around town in chauffeured limousines. But you don’t need to earn an extraordinarily high salary to join the ranks of the wealthy. In fact, if you play your cards right, you can become a millionaire on a fairly ordinary salary — just $56,000 a year.

CNN Money

They chose to use $56,000/year as their example because that was the median household income in 2015.

That means that the title of “millionaire” doesn’t have to be reserved for the Jay Lenos of the world.

It’s also something that you and I can achieve.

Consider this: A 21-year-old liberal arts graduate making an average starting salary of $36,000 would need to save only $25 per week in an IRA to retire comfortably at 65. -The Penny Hoarder

The Penny Hoarder

Millionaire Money Saving Tips

Ask any self-made millionaire about money-saving tips and they will talk for hours. After all, they have money because they know how to make it and save it.

The best millionaire money-saving tips involve staying on a budget, buying used, avoiding credit card debt, and investing automatically

Millionaires can be surprisingly frugal. They’re not necessarily big spenders. They live below their means so they can save and invest the difference.

Insider

Millionaires Always Self-Educate

Read more. Watch less.

I could also say, “Read more. Spend less.”

The more you watch on TV and the more you scroll on your phone, the less you are learning and the more likely you are to spend money.

The rich would rather be educated than entertained.

Business Insider

How Much Do Wealthy People Save?

Wealthy people (including millionaires) tend to save at least 20% of their income.

If you want to achieve financial independence (or even become a millionaire!), make it a game to see how much you can save of your income while not depriving yourself of important things.

Make your coffee at home, pack a lunch, buy used, and quit comparing yourself to others on social media.

Corley recommends putting 20 percent of your monthly net pay, or what you take home after taxes and other deductions, into savings.

CNBC

How to Save Like a Millionaire

The most important idea to remember is that anyone on an average salary can save the majority of that salary to achieve financial independence.

Self-made millionaires are wealthy because they save, live frugally by choice, invest, and budget. Saving like a millionaire is less about your salary and more about what you do with your salary.

You have to be willing to tune out those around you who wallow in their overspending.

You have to choose to be different, look past the Joneses, and set your goals.

Happy saving!
-Lindsey

P.S. You can also find me on YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest!

The post How to Save Like a Millionaire appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

But what if you want cheap things for self-care at home without missing out on anything?

I’m here to tell you that it can be done because I’ve been doing it for over 10 years! Today, I will tell you about my favorite cheap things for self-care at home so you can feel like a million bucks.

So, the next time you are practicing Self-Care Sunday (or any day for that matter) you’ll know exactly how to pamper yourself!

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #1:

Exercise with a Personal Trainer for LIFE for Under $15

Exercise doesn’t have to mean a gym membership. I have never had a gym membership and I work out nearly every weekday. All you need for an awesome workout is a set of hand weights, a mat (if you’re working out on a hard surface), and Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred DVD.

I’m telling you; I work out with Jillian Michaels 4-5 days a week and she will kick your tail. Her 30-day Shred DVD has 3 different levels. So, if you feel like you have mastered Level 1, you can move on to a more challenging workout. I’m here to tell you though, that Level 1 is no joke.

All throughout the workouts, Jillian explains how to customize the workouts to your specific needs. For example, I’ve learned to be careful with my knees. My family has a history of knee replacements and I don’t want to enter the ranks of those who have been through it. So, I alter some of the movements to be easier on my knees.

It’s literally like having a personal trainer in my own living room. The best part is that I bought the DVD one time and I can use it over and over. There are no reoccurring fees.

Get yours here: Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #2:

Good Sleep is Free

If you want to take care of yourself then you need to get good sleep. You’ve heard it a thousand times but it’s true. As a mother to three, I know what it’s like to lose sleep. Not to mention that I get up at 5 a.m. to blog every morning (you’re welcome!). I’ve spent more nights than I can count with restless legs while pregnant, rocking a baby to sleep for the 15^th time, or sitting up wide awake because I can’t calm my mind down.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to set up a restful and calming sleeping environment. According to GetMoSleep.com, there are 5 things you need to do to set up the perfect sleeping environment.

How to Set-Up a Restful Sleeping Environment
1. Keep the Bedroom a Place of Rest
Don’t allow the bedroom to become an office, a playroom, or a TV room.
2. Ideal Temperature
Keeping the room at a constant, ideal temperature will help you get and stay asleep.
3. Comfortable Bed
As with most anything in life, what’s “right” for you (and your back, your posture, your comfort) is specific to your body. However, research has shown that supple mattresses may be more conducive to a good night’s rest versus a firmer one.
4. Keep the Clock Out of Sight
If a clock is visible, you may find yourself staring at it or waking up periodically to look at it.
5. No Lights
Remember that a dark bedroom can help your body “know” it’s time for rest.

GetMoSleep

Read the full article from GetMoSleep here. They have tons of insight into how to create the best sleeping space possible.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #3.

Eat Healthy for Cheap

You hear it all the time. The best way to practice self-care is to eat right.

The best way to practice self-care without raiding the entire expensive organic section of the grocery store is to eat as healthy as you can for as cheap as you can.

This means you need to eat the Clean 15 and avoid the Dirty Dozen.

Eating like this enabled us to pay off our first and only mortgage in 13 months. We save HUNDREDS on groceries every month.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #4

Drink What You’ve Already Paid For

Here’s the deal: you already have water coming out of your tap at home. So, drink it. If you want to take a bottle of water with you, PLEASE don’t buy bottled water. I mean, honestly.

Buy a stainless steel reusable water bottle, fill it up, and be on your way. Don’t be fooled by expensive water bottles either. All you need is a good quality bottle like this one.

We prefer to filter our water with a Berkey Water Purifying System. It’s cheaper per gallon than using a cheap Brita pitcher and filters out so much more. We have had our Berkey for over 11 years now and we have only replaced the filters once.

A Berkey is a higher upfront cost than a small pitcher filter, but it will give you better water and cost you less over time.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #5

Be Proactive About Your Health

When cold and flu season sets in, we don’t sit around waiting for sickness to hit us. Instead, we choose to be proactive, take care of our bodies, and stay healthy. Because of that, we haven’t been sick in a looooong time.

So, what can you do to help your body stay healthy through those sickly winter months?

You can make homemade elderberry syrup and take garlic!

If you’re like, “Whaaattt?”

You can check out the full scoop about elderberry syrup here. Just buy the berries, make the syrup, and enjoy. It’s that easy. I have a full post about how to make homemade elderberry syrup and why you should. It’s totally not complicated. I promise. As a homemaker, homeschooling mom to three kids, a blogger, and a freelance writer…I don’t have time for complicated.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #6

Make Homemade Bath Salts

I’ll be the first to say that sometimes only a hot bath can fix how you feel whether physical or mental. I have spent so many nights awake with restless legs through pregnancy or aching from working so hard while building our debt-free dream home, that only a hot bath with homemade bath salts can help my tired body.

My favorite recipe is from Mommypotamus. I have trusted Heather from Mommypotamus for years and her homemade bath salts recipe does not disappoint! She will even tell you the science behind why these homemade bath salts help.

Yep, this recipe is backed by science.

Homemade bath salts are very simple to make and are very effective. They are the perfect way to practice self-care on a budget. They are also one of the BEST cheap self-care ideas out there!

You can check out my favorite recipe from Mommypotamus here.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #7

Easy Yogurt Face Mask

I’m not the frequent face mask type. I think they have always seemed too complicated to me.

You know when you see ladies get those green face masks on the movies and they put cucumber slices on their eyes? Then before the scene is over, their face mask is drying and cracking and everything just seems so unpleasant.

I think that’s where I got turned off.

However, I have discovered something new! Easy Yogurt Face Masks! This tops the chart for the best cheap self-care idea!

The only ingredient is organic plain yogurt. You can add a little honey if you want but this frugal gal won’t…unless I get to eat it, I won’t be adding my precious honey!

So, when you’re relaxed in your hot bath with the homemade bath salts from above, gently cover your face with organic yogurt.

It will moisturize, hydrate, and exfoliate your skin! It even reduces inflammation.

Oh, don’t forget to wash it off…

Read the full benefits of a Yogurt Face Mask here.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #8

Homemade Sugar Scrub for Your Hands and Feet

I don’t know about all of you, but Winter is terrible on my hands.

It’s sad to say but they get so dry then they crack and bleed. I can assure you that it doesn’t look very feminine!

The ONLY things I have found that fix my terrible hands are my homemade sugar scrub and raw shea butter.

This is how I made my Homemade Sugar Scrub:

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup oil
essential oils if you want (I like lavender)

Mix it up and store it in an airtight jar.

To use it, get your hands wet then get about a tablespoon of the sugar scrub in your hands.

Rub the sugar scrub all over your hands thoroughly then rinse off.

You will LOVE how soft and moisturized your hands feel afterward!

BONUS: Pumpkin Pie Scrub

I found an awesome recipe for Pumpkin Pie Scrub over at Suburban Simplicity. Check it out here!

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #9

Whiten Your Teeth with Activated Charcoal

This is one of my favorite hacks. It should actually be at the top of the “cheap things for self-care at home” list.

Seriously.

Did you know you can make your own teeth whitener?

That’s right! You don’t have to use those nasty chemicals or strips you see at the store.

I have used this recipe and it’s fabulous! One Crazy Mom has everything you need to know. Check her out here!

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #10

Sugar Cookie Lip Scrub

Y’all. Honestly.

What more needs to be said about this sugar cookie lip scrub besides SUGAR. COOKIE. LIP. SCRUB??

We love this scrub!

Winter is so hard on our lips. My kids have an especially rough time. I’m working hard to convince them that licking their lips only makes it worse.

As an adult, I know that. But, it doesn’t change the fact that the dry winter air makes my lips feel terrible.

That’s why I reach for this lip scrub!

Wellness Mama has my favorite recipe. You can check it out here!

Lip scrubs really help to exfoliate the build up of dead skin that gives lips that crusty, gummy feel. Not only are you getting rid of the gunk on your lips, but the oils and honey in this help to nourish the delicate skin on this facial area.

Wellness Mama

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #11

The Best Bar Shampoo

Buying a shampoo that’s good for you instead of detrimental to your health is essential.

I have been using organic shampoo for over 10 years. However, recently, I became unhappy with the cost vs. quantity ratio.

I wanted MORE shampoo for my money.

I did a little research and came across J.R. Liggett’s Shampoo Bars.

I LOVE these bars. The cost is about the same as what I was paying or organic shampoo BUT they last longer AND they have less ingredients.

I have long hair so you can trust me with this shampoo recommendation. If I say it’s good, then it’s good!

So, what are you waiting for? Go grab a few bars here!

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home tip #12

DIY Manicure and Pedicure

Now, don’t you know that Martha Stewart can tell you EXACTLY how to do a DIY Manicure and Pedicure at home?

Of course she can! She has an entire slide show all about it!

I can’t personally recommend any of the products that she references because I haven’t tried them. Plus, if they aren’t frugal purchases, I wouldn’t recommend them anyway. BUT, her methods are excellent.

You can view her awesome slide show here.

Cheap Things for Self-Care at Home

If you have anymore ideas, drop them in the comment box below!

All the best,
Lindsey

#cheapselfcareideas #selfcaresunday #bestcheapselfcareidea #cheapthingsforselfcareathome

*This post contains affiliate links.

The post Cheap Things for Self-care at Home appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

Elderberries have been used to improve health for many years. According to healthline.com, Ancient Egyptians used elderberries to improve their complexions and heal burns. Native Americans used elderberries to treat infections.

Elderberry Article on Healthline.com

Upon doing more research, I learned that in health studies, elderberry syrup has even proved to help people with flu symptoms get well earlier.

In one placebo-controlled, double-blind study conducted by Israeli virologist Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, 93.3% of the people taking an elderberry preparation reported significant improvement in influenza symptoms within 2 days of starting it, compared with the 6 days it took for the placebo group to see improvement.

pharmacytimes.com

See the full article from Pharmacy Times here:

Pharmacytimes.com: Elderberries

The first batch of elderberry syrup I had was given to me by my sister-in-law many years ago. She had made a batch and generously shared it with us. I was a little skeptical. Could this “home remedy” really work? Besides that, could it possibly taste good? Things that work RARELY taste good! (Am I right?) I’m glad my initial skepticism was proven wrong. Since that time, I have made many batches of homemade elderberry syrup because I know how well it works!

Maybe you have been thinking..

“Can elderberry syrup prevent me from getting sick?”

Let me tell you a quick story. It was four days before Christmas circa 2019 (seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?) and I could feel a terrible cold coming on. I could feel it starting in my chest. I could feel a little shooting pain in my ears and my tongue was swollen. I know a swollen tongue seems odd but apparently, that’s how my body always initially reacts to sickness.

I just couldn’t let myself get sick but what I wanted to do was go to bed for a few days. I just felt sick and exhausted but Christmas was in a few days and I had a lot to do. There were pies to bake and presents to wrap. There were menus to plan and games to play. If you have read my post about our Christmas Traditions then you know that Christmas is a busy and super festive time for us!

So, what was I going to do? I couldn’t get sick because my whole family was counting on me. Plus, you know how it is when one member of your family is sick. It just puts a damper on the holiday festivities. Also, it would put the rest of my family at risk of getting sick as well (which is not something I’m willing to risk with young children).

I decided to pull my dried elderberries out of the freezer and make a batch of homemade elderberry syrup.

Y’all. It worked. I took a teaspoon full three times a day for four days. That sinking sickness feeling I was having stopped. I wasn’t “sinking” anymore. I was staying just above the water.

I could tell the sickness was still there but the elderberry syrup had boosted my immune system and my body was fighting! After those four days, I was as good as new and it allowed me to feel good enough to do all my Christmas baking and participate in all of our Christmas fun during those four days also.

My homemade elderberry syrup helped prevent me from getting sick. It saved our Christmas! I’m not being dramatic. I’m completely serious. The elderberry syrup kept things from getting ugly.

Elderberries boost your body’s immune system so if an illness strikes, you will be ready to fight it off.

So how are elderberries thought to work as an antiviral? There are probably many mechanisms of action, but a prime one is that elderberries contain hemagglutinin protein. This protein has been shown to stop a virus’ capability to replicate by inhibiting its ability to penetrate the cell wall, thereby preventing the virus from causing infection if taken before exposed. If elderberries are taken after infection, that keeps the virus from spreading, which reduces the duration of influenza symptoms.

pharmacytimes.com

I know you probably have a few questions. No fear! I have answers for you and they’re SIMPLE!

First question:

“Should I buy elderberry syrup or make it myself?”

Let me tell you, making it yourself will save you TONS of money. Buying elderberry syrup can be quite expensive. However, for the price of one already prepared bottle of elderberry syrup, you can make many batches of your own HOMEMADE elderberry syrup.

Next question:

“Where can I buy elderberries?”

Follow this link to Amazon and buy your dried elderberries

Starwest Botanicals Organic Elder Berries, 1 Pound Bulk

I know it seems pricy but that is a whole pound of dried berries and it will make MANY batches of syrup.

That was easy, wasn’t it?

Related Articles:
How to Clean Frugally and Save Hundreds
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
Grandpa’s 25 Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression
5 Money-Saving Hacks to Get Your Bank Account GROWING TODAY!

Final question:

“How do I make homemade elderberry syrup?”

No problem! It’s easy!

Here is my recipe:

1/2 cup dried elderberries
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup raw honey

Boil the water. Remove from heat, add berries and cover.
Let steep for 1 hour.
Bring back to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
Cool.
Pour through a fine mesh strainer.
*Be sure to smash elderberries in strainer to release all the liquid.
Stir in raw honey.
Refrigerate

*I don’t always simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. I leave my syrup a little runnier (is that a word?). I have found that it’s just as effective and it goes further in our family.

Elderberry Syrup Dosage

Standard dose is ½ – 1 teaspoon for kids and ½ – 1 tablespoon for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

wellnessmama.com

Your homemade syrup should last about 2 weeks in the fridge.

Now, what are you waiting for?! It’s time to order your berries and get cooking! It’s too easy to pass up.

*Always make sure you do not eat raw elderberries or their leaves and bark because they are said to be poisonous and can cause vomiting.

Remember to like Big House in the Woods on Facebook so you’ll never miss a beat!

All the best,
Lindsey

*This post contains affiliate links.

The post How to Make Homemade Elderberry Syrup appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

I have noticed that for so many Americans, it’s hard to understand frugal people. Many Americans just aren’t naturally frugal. That’s why credit card companies are so wealthy. People spend their paycheck to the max then get a credit card. I have heard so many stories of people who have/had seven or more credit cards. Honestly, I can’t even fathom that. I don’t understand why people don’t see the warning signs when they max out the first credit card.

Spending money is just a way of life for so many people. Consumerism is at an all-time high. Someone is always wanting you to buy something.

Most often, when a person buys something, they then post about it on social media. People like to brag about what they buy even though they know they shouldn’t have bought it. This causes a ripple effect. When people see their friends spending money, it often causes them to want to spend more money themselves.

8 Reasons Why Your Frugal Life Makes People Mad

1. They get mad when you don’t compete.

People have a need to “keep up” with each other.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we separate the men from the boys.

Frugal people are different.

Frugal people aren’t concerned with keeping up with others.

Frugal people march to the beat of their own drum.

Frugal people are often frugal because they want to be; not because they must be.

And I’ll be the first to tell you that it annoys people to no end.

The world does not understand when you aren’t impressed by their manicure, new car, big mortgage, expensive vacation (that they paid for on their credit card), endless trips to restaurants, and theme park season passes.

Honestly, it makes them mad which leads me to the second reason why your frugal life makes people mad

2. They get mad when you aren’t impressed by overspending.

Over spenders want you to be impressed. After all, that’s half the reason why they bought all that stuff in the first place. They just wanted people to look at their social media posts and say, “Wow. Aren’t they cool?!”

I’m a frugal (and debt-free) person and I can honestly say, “No.” I’m not impressed.

Here is what is impressive.

People who live below their means (on purpose) to they can achieve something greater than credit card debt are impressive. People who are confident driving their same old car because there is nothing wrong with it are impressive.

3. They get mad when you put up boundaries.

Recently, I was reading an article about boundaries on Psychology Today. The author was talking about something I know to be very true. People don’t like it when you set boundaries.

Perhaps you are a person who previously enjoyed shopping days with your friends or frequent nights out on the town which left your bank account drained. Maybe your friends overspend on their fishing or hunting hobbies and continually seek out the newest gadget. What happens when you pull back and set boundaries?

What happens when you say,
“Let’s meet at my house for dinner instead of going out.”
“I can’t go on anymore expensive hunting trips, I need to cut back.”
“I’m going to skip the ‘girl’s weekend’ this time because I know it will cause me to overspend.”

Hopefully, your friends/ family will understand that you are setting boundaries so you won’t be tempted to spend money that will push your financial goals farther away. However, sometimes, you might be met with anger. When you set boundaries and change your course, people can get upset. They want you to continue the path you were on because it makes them comfortable.

If you are overspending with them then they know they aren’t alone in the poor choices.

So, what do you do when your boundaries make people angry?

Psychology Today explained it perfectly.

The first thing you need to learn is that the person who is angry at you for setting boundaries is the one with the problem…Maintaining your boundaries is good for other people; it will help them learn what their families of origin did not teach them: to respect other people.

Psychology Today

You are setting boundaries so you can improve your life and there is nothing wrong with that. You aren’t shutting people out. You are simply saying that you need to change the way you are spending money and being involved in the activities that you previously enjoyed is too tempting on your wallet.

4. They call you cheap because you are different.

People are going to roll their eyes when you show up in your minivan with only three rims (that’s me and I do it on purpose).

People are going to assume you’re a snob when you bring your lunch to work and you don’t join the rest of the crowd for an expensive lunch out.

And people are going to think you must have a very boring life.

They are going to call you cheap even though you aren’t.

There is a fine line between cheap and frugal. We are frugal.

People who are cheap think of only saving money no matter the cost. They won’t leave a tip at a restaurant even though the waitress did an excellent job. They will buy a product that is poor quality simply because it’s cheap instead of spending a few extra dollars to get a better product that will last for years.

“Cheap people are driven by saving money regardless of the cost; frugal people are driven by maximizing total value, including the value of their time.”

USNews

Related articles:
We Don’t Work for the American Dream
Grandpa’s 25 Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression
5 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading This Debt Blog
How to Become Debt-Free
Money Secrets of the Amish and What You Can Learn

5. They believe the lies about money and you don’t.

Many people believe that you can only be happy if you are spending money.

I think that is so sad.

Money can give you financial security, but it cannot make you happy. People shop and buy things for the thrill of having something new. But, at the end of the day, they are deeper in a financial hole and that “new thing” that they bought won’t seem so new in a week.

Have you ever bought a new car and been thrilled with the new car smell? Have you ever noticed that the wonderful smell doesn’t last very long?

Once that new car smell wears off, your new car doesn’t seem so new anymore.

Then what do you have?

A very expensive “old” car.

Frugal people know that money doesn’t buy happiness. They know how to rise above the feeling that they need something new to satisfy themselves. They know that a shopping spree won’t make them feel better.

6. They don’t see the point.

Frugal people respect money. That is the key difference between people who overspend and people who are frugal. If you work to earn that dollar then why don’t you respect that dollar and the time it took to get it? When we consider making a purchase, we think about the cost of the item and if it’s worth our money. Most of the time, it just isn’t. Frugal people have a completely different mindset that allows them to think clearly about their actual wants and needs instead of buying out of impulse.

Here is the point for us; we want to retire early. We want to retire very early.

I think a lot of people roll their eyes when I say this, but we will be able to retire when we’re 45.

It’s true.

We live the way we do because we work for our freedom, not stuff. We like to spend time with our kids, travel and explore. We don’t want to pile payments on ourselves and push our freedom further away.

We have never slacked in saving for these dreams. We have always put the max into our 401ks, made sound financial decisions, and lived frugally (and happy).

Understand that people will see they point eventually. In time, all over-spenders look back at us frugal people and they understand everything. Things will become clear to them when they see that you have paid off your debt, saved money, built up a hefty 401k and parked yourself on the beaches of Grand Cayman.

7. They know they can do better.

When people see you living a frugal life and achieving your goals, they naturally start looking at their own lives. They know they can do better with their financial choices but they won’t. They see the irresponsible decisions they make everyday and it hurts.

So, instead of addressing their issues, they get mad at you because you are the one who (unknowingly) shed light on their problems. If you would overspend like they do then they wouldn’t feel pressure to do better.

This is not something you can change. If they ask for help, be ready with kind advice but don’t get upset because they are mad at you for something that is not your fault. Their poor personal finance choices are their poor personal finance choices.

And, last but not least, one of the main reasons why your frugal life makes people mad is…

8. They have “woe is me” syndrome.

When non-frugal people see the accomplishments of their frugal friends and family, they often get “woe is me” syndrome.

They say things like,
“Well, I could have saved money if…”
“I would have been closer to retirement but…”
and my all-time favorite
“Obviously you are financially independent because you got an inheritance.”

Oh, brother.

Here is the fact: most people can save something, but they don’t choose to. They piddle their money away one dollar at a time on useless things they don’t need then they get mopey when they see your accomplishments.

I don’t have an answer for this one because that’s just not something you can do anything about. Personal finances are personal, and everyone must make their own choices.

So, what do you do when your frugal life makes people mad?

You keep on living your life anyway. It took me a long time to learn that you can’t control when people are mad because you are doing something right.

Remind yourself of your goals and why you live like you do. Continue being kind to people and inviting them over for coffee instead of going out.

Maybe reconsider who you hang around. If your friends can’t get over your new frugal self, maybe it’s time to consider spending more time with people who have the same goals.

Shine on frugal people. You might be misunderstood sometimes but it’s still worth it and you know it. Eventually, people will want to know how you have achieved everything that you have and then you can tell all!

You are holding the golden ticket.

Faithfully frugal and extremely happy,
Lindsey

The post 8 Reasons Why Your Frugal Life Makes People Mad appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

We knew the cost of each cup of flour and I substituted water for the milk in the recipe. We couldn’t tell a difference in the taste and it made the meal cheaper.

Recently, someone asked me what else we did to save money on our food bill because it takes more than just pancakes three nights a week to get you mortgage free quickly (or whatever your goal is). So, I’ll share all our meal planning secrets with you!

Tip #1: Eating out is a no-no.

That means no “Sonic runs”, no Starbucks, no cheap hamburgers, no sit-down restaurants.

If you have big goals, then you have to make big changes.

Lets think about this for a minute. Maybe you’re saying, “Come on now. What’s the harm in one Starbucks coffee a week?” Well, let’s say, for example, you get one Caramel Macchiato a week (because why would you get anything but a Caramel Macchiato?). According to my Google search, that will cost you $3.75 for the tall. I said, “According to my Google search” because I haven’t had a Starbucks coffee since possibly 2008. It’s not worth it. That Caramel Macchiato once a week will cost you roughly $212 a year including tax. If you go for the Grande, you’re talking $252 a year.

You can make coffee at home for PENNIES a cup and I’m not talking about in a Keurig, y’all. Get out your coffee pot.

A Keurig is a gimmick. Not only does it make your price per cup more expensive, it also means that very hot water is passing through that little plastic cup and leeching chemicals into your coffee. Now, don’t give me that “I don’t drink much coffee so I just need to make a single cup” spill. You can buy a single cup french press. It’s not hard. Making a single cup of coffee in a Keurig will cost you more than 10 times the cost of making it in a french press. If you already own one of those re-usable type Keurig cups then you still have to consider the whole “plastic leeching” problem.

For all my single-serving coffee drinking friends, here’s a good French Press for you:

French Press Single Serving Coffee Maker, Small Affordable Coffee Brewer with Highest Filtration, 1 Cup Capacity (12 fl oz/0.4 liter) (Silver) (Silver)

Our favorite brand of coffee is around $35 for a 5lb bag. It tastes wonderful and it happens to be ORGANIC. With that, you can make a tasty cup at home and keep your $212 a year.

5LB Cafe Don Pablo Subtle Earth Organic Gourmet Coffee – Dark Roast – Whole Bean Coffee – USDA Organic Certified Arabica Coffee by CCOF – (5 lb) Bag

Maybe you don’t think that’s a big deal. What if you kept getting your Starbucks coffee each week, and a burger here and there…and a Sonic cherry limeade on Fridays (because EVERYONE has a cherry limeade on Fridays, right?). You could be paying around $435 a year in fast food. Our first mortgage was about $400 a month. Giving up restaurants paid for an entire month of living. (The mortgage was only $400 a month because my husband had been diligent with his paychecks before we got married and he had already saved up half the cost of the house. It was a little, cheap house and we loved it.)

If you added the cost of an actual “sit down” restaurant to this scenario, then your talking about lots more wasted money.

$100 a week spent on restaurants, sodas, coffee shops, and non-essential grocery purchases would cost you over $5000 A YEAR!

Now, wouldn’t you rather have that extra $5000 to put toward paying off debt OR saving for your next big goal?

I thought so.

I hope you get the picture that if you are saving money for a big goal…eating out is a no-no.

Tip #2: We (mostly) gave up meat for a year.

Why? Because meat is expensive. Maybe you’re a “meat and potatoes” kind of person. Well, if you are trying to save money for a big goal then you need to be a “beans and potatoes” kind of person for a while. This might be different for a hunter but you still need to figure in the cost of a hunting license, gear, ammo, and processing (if you don’t process it yourself).

Tip #3: Sodas are a waste of money.

Drink only water, coffee, or tea. If you shower each day, that means you’re already paying for water. Drink it. Coffee and tea are a nice treat that are also cheap. Sodas are bad for your health and expensive. If you are buying them, you might was well throw your money out the window…while you’re on the way to your doctor (or dentist). You’re going to waste money and end up unhealthy. Period.

Tip #4: Eat as healthy as you can for as cheap as you can.

So, I told you we ate pancakes three nights a week for supper. What about breakfast? Boxed cereal can be expensive so a good alternative is oatmeal. Not the little packages, either. Buy the canister of off-brand quick oats. Put a little pat of butter in a bowl, add a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon, and half a cup of oats. Pour enough boiling water in the bowl so it just covers the oats. Cover it with a small plate so it can steam. In only 5 minutes, you have breakfast!

Obviously, you need some fruits and vegetables in your diet also. The best thing to do here is avoid the “dirty dozen” and eat the “clean fifteen.” Because organic food is not in your budget right now.

What’s the “dirty dozen”? I’m glad you asked. It’s 12 of the most heavily sprayed (with pesticides) fruits and vegetables.

They are as follows:
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Peaches
Cherries
Pears
Tomatoes
Celery
Potatoes

I’m sorry. I know you really wanted some kale but you’ll have to wait until you can budget for organic.

Instead, let’s shoot for the “Clean fifteen.” These are fifteen fruits and vegetables that are said to contain the least amount of pesticides. That means, you can feel good about eating these fruits and vegetables even though they are not organic.

They are as follows:
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Frozen sweat peas
Onions
Papayas
Eggplants
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbages
Cauliflower
Cantaloupes
Broccoli
Mushroom
Honeydew melons

You still have to be careful with that list because some of the items on there are expensive if they are not on sale or in season. Avocados, for example, can run you $1.50 each sometimes. Once a year, we have found them on sale for .25 cents each. That is the only time we buy avocados.

Also, pineapples generally go on sale once a year for $1 each. When that happens, throw yourself a pineapple party. Stock up and get your fill of pineapples because they probably won’t go on sale for another year.

Here’s the basic principle: In our quest to pay off our mortgage, we mostly bought beans, rice, potatoes, oats, flour, and the cheaper fruits and vegetables from the “Clean 15” list.

We also did not buy cheese during that time. To us, cheese was a luxury and it was expensive. When we sent in our final mortgage payment, we took a trip to the grocery store and we bought a specialty cheese to celebrate.

My MiMi used to chirp “cheap cheap” when she was around us. She was playfully and lovingly doing it because the truth was, she was proud of us for our choices.

Tip #5: Pack a Lunch

We are debt-free and my husband has a good job yet he STILL cannot bring himself to by a Starbucks coffee. He has gone to the location near his work several times with the intent to treat himself on a hard day. He walks in, looks at the prices, then heads back to the office to make some in the coffee pot on his desk. Once you get started with this mindset, it’s hard to stop because you keep seeing the rewards.

My husband takes his breakfast and lunch to work with him each day. Several of his coworkers walk in each morning with their expensive coffee and they go out to lunch each afternoon. But he knows that taking his breakfast and lunch each day means money in the bank. If for some reason, he HAS to buy lunch, he will get a $5 foot long from Subway. He’ll cut it in half and have lunch for two days. Also, there is a cafeteria-style restaurant near his work and he can get a plate full of food for around $2. BECAUSE he buys vegetables, NOT meat. It’s cheap to buy a plate of ginger carrots, seasoned green beans, herb potatoes, and a roll.

Tip #6: Avoid Temptation

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Big hat. No cattle”? It means “someone who is full of talk that is more impressive than that which one actually possesses or is able to do.” “Big hat” means the Western cowboy hat. “The term is often applied to ranchers. On the theory that if you’re going to wear one, you’d better be a cowboy and not just dress like one, you should be able to produce a head or more of livestock. If you couldn’t, you were just full of hot air.”

Maybe you’re looking at the people who drove their expensive SUV to the store. There they are, walking around in their $90 Chacos with their cherry limeade and bagging up their (out of season) $1.50 avocados. As you stand there with your shopping cart of beans, rice, oats, and cheap bananas, just remember…”Big hat. No cattle.” YOU are the one winning here. You have a goal and you’re getting there. It will pay off. And, most of the time, the people who LOOK like they have it all, the people who LOOK like they have money in the bank…don’t. They just spent their last $4 on that limeade.

Tip #7: Enjoy the Benefits of Your Hard Work

We continued with these frugal grocery habits for 6 years. Yes, we paid off our first mortgage in 13 months. However, we had a bigger goal in mind so we couldn’t stop there. We were saving for land and our Dream House. After 6 years of being frugal and saving, it all paid off. We were able to buy 5 beautiful acres near my husband’s work and build our Dream House. I can confidently say it was all worth it.

We have no debt, we have our dream house on land we love (we also have an additional 10 acres in another part of the state), but we still continue these practices. Not to the full extreme that we once did while we were saving for our Dream House but we still do it. It enabled my husband to stay home for a while after each of our children were born and we have been able to take them on many trips. Anyone else who has done this knows that delayed gratification is worth it.

Victory is Sweet!

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” I mean, A PENNY. Everyone has different financial situations. Some people can eat beans and rice and manage to save a few dollars each month (by the time they pay for other bills). Others can do the same thing and save more. It all depends on your income. However, I want to stress here that both people in that scenario are winners. It may take longer for one person to reach their financial goal than another but the key is to keep going. “Just keep swimming” as Dory would say. If you keep to it, you can consider each day a victory.

Each lunch you pack and carry to work with you is a victory.
Each time you pass a restaurant and don’t stop, it’s a victory.
Each time you buy the cheap bananas instead of the expensive oranges, it’s a victory.

You can do it. I know you can.

Remember…

Disclaimer: I know some people make just enough money to get by and there is no shame in that. However, I also know that most of you who are reading this are not in that position. You may think you are in that position but you are not.

I will cover some of this in later posts but if you buy: coffee on the go (ever), fast food, sodas, new clothes from a store, have paid TV or a contract cell phone… you have room for improvement.

Happy saving!
Lindsey

This post has an affiliate link.

The post How to Save HUNDREDS on Your Grocery Costs appeared first on Big House in the Woods.

You download this printable of course!

Here are 50 Ways to Have Cheap Fun that will keep you entertained for a LONG time!

You’re going to thank me for this.

Have fun!

-Lindsey

The post 50 Ways to Have Cheap Fun appeared first on Big House in the Woods.