The other day I got to thinking about that old adage “necessity is the mother of invention.” I’m certain that it’s true - and I believe that fully understanding this adage can help all of us learn to be more responsible with our money.
One recent example of a technique which has been invented to respond [...]

The idea that you can’t live cheap in an urban area seems to be very widespread. I won’t argue that living in an urban area isn’t generally more expensive than living in the country or in the suburbs, because in my own experience, it is. But that doesn’t mean that certain things aren’t actually cheaper [...]

This blog is about living cheap as a means of attaining financial freedom - that is, the ability to do what you love and to do it when and how you choose. I’m all about the nitty-gritty stuff that you have to do to get to that point. I’m not interested in idle dreaming. I [...]

Today, for a little change of pace, I’d like to tell you how to ruin yourself financially. Why choose financial failure over financial success? Well, there’s one main reason: it’s so much easier!
In fact, achieving financial ruin takes only one easy step: hope. All you have to do is hope with all your heart that [...]

The particular money-saving idea I’m about to present is a timely one. It’s beginning to get warm outside. Soon, the prospect of turning on the A/C will begin to nag at even the frugally-minded. So I’m just going to jump right in and make a suggestion some people might think is crazy:
Stop using the A/C.
I’m [...]

Among the many things I enjoy in life, opening up bank accounts takes a spot pretty close to the top. Huh? you say. Just what kind of sicko are you?
Well, okay, it’s not really that I enjoy opening up the accounts. It’s not really that I even enjoy having the accounts. It’s not that I [...]

I was walking down the street the other day when I passed by a bunch of newspaper vending machines and one particular headline caught my eye. “Affluent Gen Xers, Ys spurn lavish life,” the headline read. Fascinating, I thought. I wasn’t aware that there was any tendency toward tightwaddery in my generation. I felt like [...]

I think you already know this if you’ve glanced through my blog before, but I’ll say it once more: I’m cheap and proud! I think living cheap is beautiful and freeing and tons of fun. But cheapness does have its limits, and there are a few isolated things I won’t skimp on. Here’s a list [...]

I’m really into sweating the small stuff. Big stuff is worth sweating too, but you know, a bunch of small things put together make a big thing. This explains why I bother with online coupon codes, why I book and rebook my airline reservations, why I bought an Entertainment Book, and why I do a [...]

Personal finance commentator Dave Ramsey says that “responsible use of a credit card does not exist,” and advises consumers to cut up their credit cards. Check out his article “The Truth About Credit Card Debt,” in which he elaborates on these views, here.
In general, Dave Ramsey offers solid financial advice, but I humbly disagree with [...]