Comments on: The Correlation Between Frugality And Debt Repayment

By: Abigail

Abigail — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:30:57 +0000

I was a chronic coupon-forgetter. So now I just keep the coupon organizer in my purse. There are still times when I space out and forget them. Since I have health issues, it’s usually not an option to run back home and get them — doing that means I probably won’t go back out.

So, when I forget coupons, I try to get only what we absolutely need, and come back for the other specials the next time I have the energy to go. (Usually one to two days later.)

I’m definitely celebrating the small payments. I finally got paid from Ebates.com, and am pretty close to a couple more payouts. It’s always nice to stack them in a deposit and know you have an extra $20 or so to put against debt.

It’s still frustrating at times. My husband is on unemployment; I’m on disability and only able to work a few hours a week. If even one of us could work full-time, we’d pay off the credit cards in no time. But for now, we just chisel away at it with whatever we have.

By: Jeff@MySuperChargedLife

Jeff@MySuperChargedLife — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:58:01 +0000

It definitely takes an adjustment to one’s lifestyle to become debt-free. This adjustment can be a little painful, but it is amazing how fast you can clean up years of bad financial behavior with intense focus. You obviously have this focus. Frugality definitely puts you on the fast track to financial freedom!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:06:54 +0000

I keep my coupons in a notebook with baseball card holders. I try to arrange them like the layout of the store so I can flip through as I
go.

I used the GG for a while but it got to where the best deals were gone or not available in my store and there was just so much junk food or female oriented product’s on the list. It was good at teaching me about sales and coupons.

I did end up with about a years worth of shampoo for free though.

I do miss the Triple .75 from Albertsons though. It’s nice to have to buy a candy bar at check out to keep from going negative.

By: DD

DD — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:57:44 +0000

Good for you!

I think coupons is the next step in my “debt-free” progression. But for some reason I can’t get into them.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:01:16 +0000

It bugs the youknowwhat out of me when I forget the coupons or savings coins– I try to keep them in the car as well.

I also forget the shopping bags too (you get a discount of a nickel a bag). I got them more because I am so sick of the millions of plastic bags. Yes, we reuse them as garabage liners in the bathrooms, but we have so many– enough for a lifetime.

As for the car congrats– I have a coworker who still doesn’t understand my obsession with crushing car notes (mine last year ad my wife’s by December– fingers crossed).

By: Frugal Urbanite

Frugal Urbanite — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:44:42 +0000

I won’t set foot in the store without my coupons and list because I know some expensive treat will find its way into the basket if I don’t exactly what’s on my list and nothing else. (The list also means I know what treats are on sale and okay to get, so we actually have more yummies, more often because of the strictness of the list.)

We’ve saved about $500 over the last two months of GG, which was a nice chunk of change to send at our car loan. When looking at our weekly savings, it didn’t seem like that much, but when we checked out the end of the month budget, our jaws dropped.

By: Small Steps to Health

Small Steps to Health — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:38:46 +0000

We paid of our cars a few years ago. When my shopaholic friend found out, the first thing she asked was “if you do not have a car payment, what do you do with all your money?” I am ashamed to say that I made up a bogus excuse about have tons of student loans that we need to pay off. I could see that she was re-evaluating our relationship based upon how much debt she has and how little debt I have. I do not relish the idea of having her tell me “but you can afford it” when I pass on something in the future.

By: Neal@Wealth Pilgrim

Neal@Wealth Pilgrim — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:37:10 +0000

Sometimes I feel like the little pig who built the house made of bricks. I was pretty frugal and were lucky enough to pay off our mortgage recently. I feel about 10 years younger now with all the pressure off.

So I took – and take heat because I’m very mindful of where the money goes but it really pays off so keep it up!

By: Miranda

Miranda — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:26:15 +0000

It really is amazing what the “little” things can accomplish when you add them up to pay off debt. Thanks for sharing this story. It’s a good reminder to be prepared, and it’s a good reminder of how even something seemingly small can make a big difference.