Guest post from Alexis of Clip Your Cash
If I had to pick three words to describe myself, “frugal” would definitely make the list. In fact, when it comes to what my family eats, how we entertain ourselves, and the other things we buy on a regular basis, money, and more specifically how we can save money, almost always plays a part in my decision-making process.
This mindset has allowed my family to spend less, save more, and try new things. But I am most thankful for the fact that it has given us the ability to make important life decisions regardless of the financial impact they will cause.
The biggest example of this benefit happened years ago when my husband was finishing up his law degree…
After years of schooling and more student loan debt than I care to admit, my husband finally realized something: he did not want to be an attorney. In fact, he did not want to have anything to do with the law and instead, he wanted to take an entry level position in a completely different field.
Given my frugal ways, when my husband came to me with his discovery, he was a little uncertain of how I would respond. From a strictly financial perspective, this was a huge blow. My husband wanted to take a job that would be a dramatic cut in pay, even though we were just about to start paying back a huge student loan debt.
However, despite the financial implications, after learning just how much my husband was dreading his legal job (and his excitement over this new opportunity) I knew that leaving the law field was the right choice. And although it was definitely not an easy time in our lives, the fact that I knew how to keep our daily expenses to the bare minimum gave us the ability to make this decision despite the financial blow it caused.
Once our decision was made, I started working even harder to cut corners wherever I could. I used coupons, cut the cable, turned off the A/C, and more. Within a year, my husband got his first promotion and the financial strain started to lift.
It has now been about seven years since my husband switched careers, and I can definitely say it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. He loves his job and has excelled in his new field.
Even though frugality may not be that exciting in our consumer-driven world, I am so thankful for this mindset. I know that by saving on our day-to-day expenses we have the financial freedom to make the right choices on important life decisions.
So while clipping a $1 coupon or skipping a morning run to Starbucks may not seem like much, rest assured that in the long run, these actions can make a huge difference in your life!
Alexis is a stay-at-home mom of a four year old daughter and two year old son. When she is not building Lego houses or playing with Play-Doh, she blogs about strategic couponing at Clip Your Cash.
I am so impressed with your faithful diligence. I can only imagine the discipline you have developed, and I am sure this skill affects other areas of your lives and the character of your two sweet kids.
Can’t regret following a dream. Thanks for sharing!
Alexis congratulations what an example you are for your children-a husband and wife that works together to accomplish a goal.
I agree with the freedom frugality provides. We are empty nesters, we are seeing the days when physically we will be unable to do our jobs. As the house is paid for and the children are on their own, we are looking at retraining ourselves in areas that might enable us to work until we are really ancient. I have frugality lessons via Dave Ramsey to thank for the opportunity to have choices.
Thanks Mary! My kids are young, but they are already fully aware of my frugal lifestyle which is a great thing to me. I always get a kick out of taking my daughter to the store because even if she sees something she wants, she assumes we have to wait until we have a coupon for it. 🙂
Congrats to you on having your house fully paid off. What a great accomplishment! That is our big goal right now because it can bring the opportunity for choices just like you mentioned. I am also thankful for Dave Ramsey. When my husband and I first got married my mom got him Dave’s book for Christmas and he jumped on board the savings train!
Great story. My husband also decided not to pursue his field after getting a master’s degree in it. The first couple of years were pretty low pay, but he did great work in his chosen career and his boss has rewarded him with generous raises. And yes, frugality helps so much. I joke that we don’t just eat beans and rice, we eat dried beans and rice bought in bulk on sale. 🙂
Diane,
It is great to hear that your husband has been rewarded for his hard work. I think a person can really excel when they enjoy what they are doing.
BTW, I love your joke! Not surprisingly, I can definitely relate 🙂
What an inspirational story – thank you for sharing! I think it says a lot about you that you supported your husband’s decision fully, even though it meant leaner times for your family for a while.
Thanks so much for your kind words Amy. It means a lot to me that you found it inspirational.