I really enjoyed the guest post by Frugal Granola which was posted on Getting Freedom this week. I think you’ll be inspired by it, too. Here’s a snippet:
During the early years of our marriage, we had our share of debt. It started with school loans, then the addition of medical bills, followed by the expense of a car, a mortgage, and the cost of having a baby.
Through those years, feeling the burden of debt, I would often hear financial suggestions, such as “Skip the cup of coffee,” or “Entertain at home instead of going out.” These are certainly wise suggestions, but I would shake my head in dismay; we were already doing these things!
We were meeting our daily expenses and bill payments, but were exhausted by the amount of time working and our lack of family time. It certainly didn’t feel like we had the freedom to live out our values. We were “living to work” instead of “working to live.”
We finally realized the steps to our financial freedom needed to be more extreme.
Read the full post and ways that this family decided to become more extreme in their measures to get out of debt.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some of the “extreme measures” we’ve taken to stay out of debt.
Mommy Cow says
I really enjoyed that. We already gave up (or never did in the first place) so many of the common “things to cut back on” and were getting to the point where we didn’t think we could cut anymore. Then, we were faced with a 20% salary reduction (better than a lay off!), and were forced to find even more. It’s amazing where you can save once you start looking.
Karen Rucker says
Jennifer M.,
Rinsing hamburger meat can take away some of the flavor if the meat is older or fattier. On fresh lean meat it doesn’t make much of a difference. You could maybe take a test run by rinsing a small amount in a slotted spoon.
Starving Student Survivor says
I always feel that way when I read an article titled something like “47 Hot Ways to Save Money!” I feel like I’m telling the article, “Yeah. Bring it on. Just TRY telling me something that I don’t already do!”
chelsea says
@Starving Student Survivor,
Haha SO true!! Especially in magazines, I’ll read things like “get down to one credit card” or “only eat out 2x a week” and I’m like- who has more than one credit card?? And eats out multiple times a week?? It gives you a lot of perspective though, because for someone with a lot of debt from out-of-control spending, it probably IS a big deal to cut out the daily latte. So I’m glad those articles help them.
chelsea says
@chelsea,
Ok I realized how snobby I sounded after I posted that! Oops. We definitely have areas in our life that we work on to save money, whereas someone else might not struggle at all in that same area.
Struggling says
I appreciated her article so much! I read the entire article on her site. One thing she mentions is mama quitting her job. I found it interesting because that is exactly what my husband and I decided that we were going to do. I even “work from home” running a small family daycare. I have seen over the past 3 years how much that has taken its toll on my family. I watch 5 to 6 kids all 4 and under. I am thankful that it has allowed me to be home with my two girls, but my husband and I both believe that I needed to quit. We have had to make some other drastic decisions, too, but this was definitely one of them.
Katie says
Whoops – meant to say . . . turkey baster to get the GREASE out.
Katie says
For the ground beef – you can use a turkey baster to get that meat out! Deposit it in an empty can, chill it, and then toss it.
Bad for the drain to have that grease in there.
Amanda says
@Curious – in reference to draining ground meat, we don’t use paper towels at our house. I’ll tip the pan up, push all the meat up to the top, then spoon out as much as I can with a large spoon in to a jar. In the past I have taken a paper towel to blot the excess but not all the time. Also though, we tend to use lean ground turkey so there’s not as much grease as you would have with ground beef.
Rhonda says
I have had to become very creative in learning to live on less over the last couple years though we have never had an above middle class salary. Refusing to buy new clothing not just by resale/yard sale shopping, but actually remaking some of my own clothing into smaller sizes for them.
Making just about everything from scratch has saved me lots of money as well as growing a garden and canning/freezing much of it.
When you get serious about getting out of debt, you can say no to a lot–I won’t even buy a latte unless I have a gift card for it:) Over the last 2 1/2 years, we have paid off thousands of dollars of business debt and we intend to see it finished in one more year. It is brutal to live at a poverty level just so you can meet a goal like becoming debt free, but we’re doing it and can’t wait to reach the goal:)
Kathryn says
Tackling any debt is just skimming the surface…one has to really look at what caused the debt to appear in the first place. If you don’t nip the “why” part in the butt, the end result (debt) will just come back. I am cautious about using the term “extreme measures” especially in our “self absorbed, over consuming society” we live in. Since so many folks went overboard on spending, indulgence, etc., cutting back to what would be considered “normal” or “contentment” would be considered extreme to since they were out of control in the first place. For those who have integrated discipline in their life, that “extreme” is “just right” for another.
Andrea Q says
@Kathryn, You make a very good point. I didn’t see anything all that “extreme” in the article. Don’t get me wrong, it has some great suggestions. I was expecting to see suggestions like “become a freegan” or “eat at soup kitchens”.
sara says
@Kathryn, So true. My husband and I have student loan debt, but of biggest concern (and most difficult to manage) is our consumer debt. We realized that 90% of it occured in one 18 month period: my husbands’ deployment orders and the subsequent 15 months in Iraq. We were definitely freaking out about that when we signed on for the *second* car note…. Still, I am so thankful that the worst consequence of his service is debt- no medical bills. We are safe and healthy and lucky people! And now we know not to buy cars when under duress. You always think that you can still make good decisions- nope!
Amber Howard-McGinnis says
I agree that most “money saving” articles that offer “skipping your daily latte” as a means to saving money, or “track your spending” (when you have no money to spend in the first place) are not very helpful. Somtimes you do have to get really “extreme”. We were able to get our debt under control by having me work nights at a bar and my husband worked days at his job. Because of our flip-flopped schedule we didn’t have to pay childcare that way and I was able to cook all the meals from scratch during the day. In case your wondering when I slept……it was from 3am-7am…..now that’s what I call “extreme”! : D
Curious says
Just curious . . .
We are trying to go without paper towels, but I find it hard to cook ground beef with out them. How do you soak up extra grease without paper towels?
Karen Rucker says
@Curious,
You can use an old clean dry washcloth (which you can then wash and reuse for the same purpose) or put them on a grilling rack to let them drain, or you can actually rinse ground beef under hot water in a colander. My SIL learned that trick in the Navy.
Dani says
@Karen Rucker, I actually rinse my hamburger meat with water to get out the extra grease. I just do it in a strainer. Not sure its the best way but thats how we do it at my house!!
Amanda says
@Dani, I do this too sometimes 🙂
Jennifer M. says
@Dani,
I have always used a colander or strainer to drain meat. I assumed everyone did! But I don’t rinse it. Doesn’t rinsing the meat take away much of the flavor?
Dani says
@Dani, It takes away a little bit of the flavor but usually when I do this is when I am using it in something else, like tacos or hamburger helper, which has seasoning so after thats added I don’t notice some of the flavor missing.
Andrea Q says
@Curious, This might not be an option, but I try to buy ground meat with less fat. I rarely use beef anymore; lean turkey tastes just as good and I don’t bother to drain it (6 to 7 percent fat).
Adrienne says
@Curious, If you boil your hamburger in a little water, and then drain it after…it’s leaner and you can forgo the paper towels! Just be sure to break it up into the desired-sized pieces as you cook it. When you drain it into the sink, wash it down with a little soapy water so it doesn’t clog your drain.
Andrea Q says
@Adrienne, Putting grease down the drain can damage your septic system (if you have one).
Adrienne says
@Andrea Q, That could be true, but the company that cleaned our septic tank this year actually recommended that we put organic matter in the drain to help it decompose. He said that one of the farmers in the area puts uncooked bacon into a newly-cleaned septic tank. I guess I will have to check this out further, but I’ve been doing it for over 15 years with no problems so far.
Heather says
@Curious, I’ve never used paper towels for ground beef. Just move the beef to one side of the skillet, tip it so the fat drains to one side, and use a large spoon to scoop it out. Place it in a nearby bowl, and discard later when it cools.
Lauren says
@Curious,
me too, on the strainer thing. I’ve never heard of using paper towels, lol!