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From Cath's Desk - March 2018
Hello Cheapskaters,
It's been a long time since Disaster Struck us. It took us a long time to get back on our feet - over three years. But once we made the decision to live the Cheapskates way life was good. We paid off our debt, built savings and a hefty emergency fund and we were living the life of our dreams.
Life was good. We were happy, our children were grown and starting to live their own lives. We wanted for nothing and were blessed to have all our needs met.
No one knew just how hard it was for us; just how much we scrimped to get by each month. No one knew of the nights we'd sit at the kitchen table after the children were in bed and go over and over and over our budget to find an extra $1 or $2 we needed.
I've mentioned before how I'd sit and add up exactly how much the groceries for the month would cost to the cent, because we didn't have even one spare cent, and if something cost more on shopping day then it had to go or I had to find a cheaper alternative. That's how tight money was for us back then.
Mums at playgroup and other friends would wonder how we managed to stay so happy and contented and maintain our lifestyle because they knew we were both unemployed, they knew we had a mortgage to pay and babies to look after.
It wasn't a secret. We quickly realised that our attitude would be the deciding factor in whether or not we'd survive to thrive through disaster. We chose to not talk about scrimping to pay the bills, giving up anything or going without the things we thought we wanted.
Instead, we chose to talk about the things that were important to us, and how we could afford them, even on a very tight budget. We talked about ditching the stuff that wasn't important to us so we'd have the money to enjoy the things that were. And we talked about those important things: time together, time with our babies, our home, our friends and our faith.
That kept us from wallowing in self-pity and drowning in depression as we started to make the lifestyle changes we needed to live the Cheapskates way.
So, if you're thinking it's too hard to live the Cheapskates way, trust me when I say it's not. Baby steps, one-by-one, using everything you learn from this website and the Journal and the weekly newsletter, and a tiny shift in attitude will get you there.
I know, because I've done it and you can too.
Have a great month everyone.
It's been a long time since Disaster Struck us. It took us a long time to get back on our feet - over three years. But once we made the decision to live the Cheapskates way life was good. We paid off our debt, built savings and a hefty emergency fund and we were living the life of our dreams.
Life was good. We were happy, our children were grown and starting to live their own lives. We wanted for nothing and were blessed to have all our needs met.
No one knew just how hard it was for us; just how much we scrimped to get by each month. No one knew of the nights we'd sit at the kitchen table after the children were in bed and go over and over and over our budget to find an extra $1 or $2 we needed.
I've mentioned before how I'd sit and add up exactly how much the groceries for the month would cost to the cent, because we didn't have even one spare cent, and if something cost more on shopping day then it had to go or I had to find a cheaper alternative. That's how tight money was for us back then.
Mums at playgroup and other friends would wonder how we managed to stay so happy and contented and maintain our lifestyle because they knew we were both unemployed, they knew we had a mortgage to pay and babies to look after.
It wasn't a secret. We quickly realised that our attitude would be the deciding factor in whether or not we'd survive to thrive through disaster. We chose to not talk about scrimping to pay the bills, giving up anything or going without the things we thought we wanted.
Instead, we chose to talk about the things that were important to us, and how we could afford them, even on a very tight budget. We talked about ditching the stuff that wasn't important to us so we'd have the money to enjoy the things that were. And we talked about those important things: time together, time with our babies, our home, our friends and our faith.
That kept us from wallowing in self-pity and drowning in depression as we started to make the lifestyle changes we needed to live the Cheapskates way.
So, if you're thinking it's too hard to live the Cheapskates way, trust me when I say it's not. Baby steps, one-by-one, using everything you learn from this website and the Journal and the weekly newsletter, and a tiny shift in attitude will get you there.
I know, because I've done it and you can too.
Have a great month everyone.
