What is your financial life?
I live in NY with my husband and two children, ages 4 and 2. We rarely carry balances on credit cards unless it is 0%, and we currently have two paid-for cars. One was bought with cash and the other was paid off two years early. Our biggest debt is our student loans - almost $20,000 combined, as my husband just recently went back to school and obtained his Masters in Education.
What is your budget buster?
Gas. We travel a lot both for work and to see my husband's family. The price of gas really hits our pocketbook.
What is your favorite money saving tip?
You would be surprised at what you can get free when you ask (try Freecycle.org or "putting the word out" when you need something). If you can't find it free, buy used whenever possible. You will discover that buying secondhand clothes, toys, books, furniture, etc. will save you 50-90% off most "new" prices. Of course, there are always things that you need to buy new (i.e. car seats), but most things can safely be bought gently used at garage sales or thrift stores. Half the fun is in the hunt!
If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
I would put it into our Roth IRAs so that we can fully fund them for the year.
What is your best resource for frugal living?
I love savingadvice.com for support and tips. The best book, in my opinion, is The Complete Tightwad Gazette
by Amy Dacyzyn. Reading this book is what changed my entire mindset about money.
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