Frugal LivingThe New Style is to Live on LessFrugal living has always been my lifestyle. Large families were common back in the early 50’s, when I was born; there were six children in my family. We were raised to make do with what we had. We weren’t poor, but money was scarce. Our lifestyle meant hand-me-downs were welcomed, whether it was clothes, furniture, or appliances. I remember my first job—babysitting for .25 cents an hour. That was a big deal! 
We had telephone party lines, which meant there were four households all on the same phone line. When you needed to call someone, you’d pick up the phone to “dial,” but if someone was talking, the line was busy!
Having a party line was great in one respect, because I could call one of my friends and another one could pick up her phone and we could all talk together—kinda like a party! (I believe that’s called 3-way calling today…) We didn’t have hair straightening gizmos in the late 1960’s. Given my thrifty lifestyle, I surely didn’t have one. So I slept with my long hair wrapped around soup cans to straighten it. (I actually got used to it.) There’s no doubt I lived a simple life back then—good old ‘rural living off the land’ on my families dairy farm where my dad grew hay, wheat and corn fields, and a plentiful vegetable garden. I still embrace simple living today. With the economy like it is, frugality has become the new normal. The New Style Is To Live On Less
Saving money is a subject found on the front pages of many major magazines and newspapers. Frugality is finally catching on. I do careful research on-line before making certain purchases and make my grocery list from what's on sale in the weekly ads. As part of the Baby Boomer generation, I have experienced decent financial times—in my own frugal way. But now, with the downturn of the economy, many of us have had to re-think our spending habits. A good mind-set is to “look at what you have—not what you had.”
 Frugal living is more than just being thrifty with your money. It also includes avoiding extravagance and unnecessary expense; take your own lunch to work and keep track of where your money goes are a couple of good places to start. We each have a responsibility to try to avoid problems before they happen. We should prepare for emergencies and to protect ourselves as much as possible from the trials and challenges that will come. What Skills Do We Need To Help Us Live Frugally
and Become More Self-sufficient? • Learn to prevent illness in your home • Establish a good work ethic that begins in the home • Learn accounting and bookkeeping to aid in budget planning • Understand the consequences of buying on credit • Acquire some cooking basics and learn how to cook • Education continues to be vitally important By living wisely and providently, you become more self-sufficient—a benefit of living frugally, that blesses you with peace of mind. Get my free Guide to Self-Sufficient Living to learn more frugal living ideas and the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. Frugal living doesn’t have to mean deprivation. It is possible to have sufficient for your needs without spending more money than you’d like to. It's just a matter of having great
money making ideas
and being willing to re-think and implement new ideas for living as part of your on-going family home makeover. If you want to learn how to save more money at the store with coupons, including how to use them WISELY, how NOT to use them, and how to FINALLY get them organized so you CAN use them, order your copy of "101 Coupon Tips" today! (This is amazing!) More Frugal Living Tips
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