Tag Archives: one income

Positives and Negatives of Stubbornness

Some qualities have a positive as well as a negative side to them. Stubbornness is one of those. The person who is stubbornly set in their ways and so rigid in their thinking that they never listen to anyone else, or consider the needs of others is hard to deal with and hard to live with. I’m inclined to think we all have a little stubbornness in our make up but it is hard to maintain a relationship with a severely stubborn person. However the areas where we need to be stubborn in our marriage is in our commitment to … Continue reading →

Stay-at-Home-Mom Says Record Game Show Win “Lessens Guilt”

It took three long seasons, but finally, someone landed the top prize on “Deal or No Deal.” Just a few days ago a 27-year-old pregnant stay-at-home mom became the popular game show’s first-ever million-dollar winner. Jessica Robinson, from Sandee, Utah picked the lucky briefcase on Monday’s show and made herself a millionaire. Two things struck me when I saw her follow up interview: A.) The reason she chose the briefcase she did and B.) The reason she tried out for the show. Let’s look at A. first: According to Robinson, she had a winning strategy from the start. The enthusiastic … Continue reading →

What’s Most Important?

Author Mem Fox has created a furor recently by declaring that putting infants in child care is tantamount to child abuse. Of course the comments received critical reaction from working mothers. Recently I was reviewing a book called Before your Teenager Drives you Crazy, Read this! Author, clinical psychologist and parenting expert from New Zealand, Nigel Latta said ‘who we are at 3 years of age is who we are at 26, and odds on at 56 and 86 as well.’ In other words, a child’s personality is shaped during those early years. Surely that should convince couples to make … Continue reading →

Can You Live on One Income? Calculating Food Savings

In the first part of this article, Can You Live on One Income? Food Costs, I talked about the statistics for eating out versus cooking at home and did some initial calculations. Now lets take a look at calculating the savings from being able to cook at home and through smart food shopping. We’ve now spent $270 a week on eating out, or $1080 for the month. Remember that this a conservative number and doesn’t include meals for the times you aren’t eating out. Analysts tell us that eating at home costs 50 percent less than eating out, on average, … Continue reading →

Can You Live on One Income? Food Costs

See also: Can You Live on One Income? Child Care; Can You Live on One Income? Insurance and Auto; Can You Live on One Income? Taxes Explained Food is a necessity, whether you are one one income or not. Not matter what else you may give up to stay home, you will still need to eat. Food can account for a very high percentage of your budget. The good news is that staying home can significantly reduce this expense, requiring less income to feed your family. And, it isn’t all about just eating beans (although go ahead if you want … Continue reading →

Can You Live on One Income? Child Care

Many people decide to give up working for a living to stay home with the children. This may require you to live more frugally than you have in the past. But the difference a reduced income makes to your family may not have as large of a financial impact as you might think, especially if you do some careful planning. With one income may come less expenditure. I have been examining how you can calculate the reduced expenses that may occur when one partner stays home. This, when compared to your income, should give you a good idea about whether … Continue reading →

Can You Live on One Income? Insurance and Auto

Living on one income and having one partner stay home is a dream for many families. And sometimes living on one income can actually put you ahead in terms of savings and expenses. Could you live on one income? In this continuing series, I’ll talk about some of the factors, such as reduced standard expenses that will help you consider this important decision. If you missed the first article, just click here: Can You Live on One Income? Taxes Explained. Insurance: You may reduce your health insurance payments with a second income. How? Well assuming that the stay at home … Continue reading →

Snowflake Your Way to Savings

Using the snowflake method, you can save enough money for vacations, private school for the kids, groceries, holiday gifts, or your emergency fund. You can snowflake to build up your stockpile or be a stay at home parent. You can even snowflake to buy an iPod. Many people use the snowflake method, whether they work outside of the home or not. it is easy to do, and you can earn as much or as little as your time allows. What is the snowflake method? You basically find ways of making small amounts of money (the snowflakes) in short bursts of … Continue reading →

Top Frugal Blogs of 2007

I hope your new year celebration was joyous and fun! Think of all of the good things that happened in your life in 2007 and look forward to all of the good things to come in 2008! Did you save a lot of money this year? Did you put into place some frugal practices that you can keep for life? The new year is always a time for a new start. So if you have a financial goal, such as paying for a vacation, becoming a stay at home parent or just using your resources wisely, the Frugal Living Blog … Continue reading →

How To Frugally Live Through Lifestyle Changes

There are dozens of ways that our lives change daily, but sometimes major events occur and our lifestyle changes drastically. This can really put a damper on our budget if we have been living that way for awhile. There are ways to help conquer the problems that we face and help us continue to live more frugally. Recently I found myself a homeschooling parent again. I absolutely love homeschooling, so while it is a major life change, it is not something I regret at all. It did however, require some altering in our budget and our spending habits, to ensure … Continue reading →