For those of you who didn’t make it through my last post, 5 Genius Ways to Save Money on Toilet Paper, you will be happy to know that it was entirely an April Fools’ joke. I have not gone off the deep end. We don’t ration toilet paper, make our own, or any of those other […]
Budgeting Lessons Learned from Limited Bandwidth
Just hearing the word “budget” probably gets your financial wheels spinning. You may even have a strong emotional reaction – a love or a hate – associated with the word “budget.” Do you ever think of things besides money when you think of budgeting? Any time we have a resource that is limited, we consciously […]
A Year of Expenses– 2014 Annual Spending Totals for the SixFiguresUnder Family
At the beginning of last year, I shared that we paid off $36,000 of debt in 2013. At first glance that seems impossible considering our income was less than $40K, but since it was our first year getting serious about our debt payment we had some savings that we could apply toward our student loans. Our […]
9 Wise Ways to Save Water– Conserving Water for the Wimpy and Hard Core
Originally published March 23, 2015 Whether you want to save water because you’re in a drought, you’re environmentally conscious, or you just want to save money, there are many different ways to conserve water. Some actions take very little effort, while others are more challenging. Whatever your motivation, you can find at least a few changes that […]
Empowering Our Kids to Be Financially Successful
Kallani, a woman from Bangladesh, and her family were suffering from poverty and hunger. The family owned a cow but it didn’t even produce enough milk for her own family, let alone enough to provide a much-needed income. Through the help of the global humanitarian organization CARE, Kallani learned the best ways to feed a […]
Insurance We Do and Don’t Carry– Our Cost, Coverage and Reasons
An essential piece of every financial safety net is insurance. Yeah, I know. Could there be a less exciting topic? Exciting or not, if you find yourself slipping off your financial tightrope, a well-planned insurance strategy can catch you before misfortune becomes catastrophe. Without insurance, a disastrous event could wipe out your savings, use up your […]
An Unconventional Way to Save Money on Student Loan Interest
Anyone who has paid attention to their debts (or investments), knows that interest adds up quickly! In fact, if you made the calculation to find the daily interest you accrue on your debt, you are keenly aware of exactly how much interest is costing you. Paying down the principle is the most obvious way to reduce […]
Things I Won’t Buy Secondhand
Before you purchase something new, do you consider buying it used? One of the ways that I am able to get the best deal on everything is that I always consider buying used first. The savings is tremendous! I have a really hard time paying “new” prices for things now that I am savvy about […]
A Calculation That Will Jump Start Your Debt Repayment
A few weeks ago, there was a discussion in our Facebook group: Making Frugality and Finance Fun about the cost of a day’s interest for your debt. It’s pretty eye-opening to calculate the amount of interest you accrue each day. If you (or your spouse) aren’t motivated to make headway on paying off your debt, breaking down […]
Baby Things You Can Buy Used or Borrow
Over the years, my perspective on what a baby needs has changed. I’ve learned that you can pretty much get away without buying anything brand new for your baby. I’ve always been frugal, but with my first, I was a little more naive when it came to buying things used instead of new. I have […]
Creating a Cash Buffer– Part of Your Financial Safety Net
A guest post by Mr. SixFiguresUnder. I’m not stressed about our finances. That doesn’t mean I’m not seriously focused on increasing income, paying off debt, and saving for the future. I think that’s healthy, motivating stress. It doesn’t mean there are no times that I feel overwhelmed by the size of the task and the […]
February 2015 Debt Repayment Progress Report
It’s that time of the month where we make our personal finances public! We report everything we earned, spent, and paid toward debt during the past month. Did February go fast or what?! I guess it is 10% shorter than January, so it’s not just me! Debt Repayment During February, we put $1,999 toward our […]
Learn New Skills for Free
I love learning new things. Just this weekend, I learned how to make a circle skirt thanks to several tutorials I found online. We’re having a 1950s sock hop activity at church, so now my daughter and I can go in poodle skirts I made just for the occasion. I’ve also been watching videos on tailoring […]
Why a Durable Power of Attorney is Part of Your Financial Safety Net
Last week, we introduced the series on Financial Safety Nets that Mr. SixFiguresUnder will be hosting on Wednesdays. Our first topic is one that might not even be on your list– your Durable Power of Attorney. There are three reasons I chose to start here. First, it expands the idea of the financial safety net beyond the simple […]
How to Start a Blog on a Budget
When I started SixFiguresUnder.com in the Fall of 2013, we were just starting our journey to pay off my husband’s student loans from law school (which totaled over $130,000). We had made lots of sacrifices (including living in my in-laws’ unfinished basement) and had a very limited budget so that we could expedite our […]
Financial Safety Nets
For months, Mr. SixFiguresUnder has been brainstorming ideas for a series he wanted to write for Six Figures Under. On our road trip this past week, I took over the wheel and let him get typing. I’m sure you’ll enjoy his great insights! On July 9, 2012, a Chinese acrobat sought a new world […]
Save Money by Potty Training Early
I always balk at the estimates of how much it costs to raise a child from birth to age 18. To someone who saves on everything, the figures just seem ridiculous. Between combining coupons and sales, stocking up on disposables of any size when prices hit rock bottom, and getting cloth diapers free or cheap, I’m […]
11 Ways to Save Money on Amazon
Who doesn’t love Amazon? With the convenience, selection, and even price, you really can’t beat them. In fact, there are probably ways to save money on Amazon that you haven’t even heard of before. Amazon is always coming up with new programs and promotions to make sure that they can give you the best deal […]
January 2015 Debt Repayment Progress Report
We just had our end-of-the month budget planning meeting, so it’s time to give our report! For those who are new here, we make our personal finances public each month by reporting everything we earned, spent, and paid toward debt. I enjoy these monthly posts because they keep me accountable. Readers like an honest peek […]
Celebrate Your Progress!– Frugal Fresh Start- Day 10 **PLUS Facebook Group Announcement**
Congratulations — You’re halfway through! Today marks the halfway point in the Frugal Fresh Start Challenge month. Let’s look back and see what we can celebrate. Taking time to enjoy and celebrate your progress is an important part of staying motivated, especially for a goal that could require a change in habits and some renewed […]
December 2014 Debt Repayment Progress Report
Debt Repayment During December, we put $2,342 toward our student loans. That’s the highest monthly debt payment in a while, which was pretty exciting! If you’ve been following along closely, you might notice that the total of debt remaining in the graphic above is lower than expected for the amount we paid this month. Our “debt […]
Frugal Fresh Start Challenge
The new year is a great time for setting goals and starting anew. Besides the classic goals for healthy eating and exercising, the new year is also a perfect time for financial goals. I often get emails and comments from readers who want to get started paying off debt or want to make headway on their […]
Should You Pay Off Debt Before Having Children?
For most people, finances are personal. Asking about salaries, debt and retirement savings is generally considered taboo. Deciding when to have kids (and when to stop) is even more personal than finances. Of course, as with anything else personal, you can share as much or as little as you want. You don’t need to answer […]
Guidelines for Giving Great Gifts
Have you ever felt like a lame gift giver? At times I’ve been caught up with the thought that a good gift was a gift with a high value, though I always made sure I got a great deal. Because I was so focused on giving something that was valuable without having to spend much, I […]
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