Frugal Five Meet Rita from Minnesota

Rita   is a  single mom and nurse  in her late  30s from  Minnesota.

What is your financial life?

I was married in my late  20s and divorced the bum  by 33. My ex-husband was very controlling of money and it often caused stress between us.  Money problems  are often the cause of divorce and it was a main reason we got divorced. We have one daughter who is now 8 years old and the light of my life   I am  I purchased a condo 3 years ago with a 30 year mortgage.

What is your budget buster?
I love my condo but I probably overspent on it.  It is 35% of my monthly income. I am hoping my income goes up and I will have a little bit of breathing room. 

What is your favorite money saving tip?

Stay out of the store. I am a reformed shopalic I realized I don’t need to be at the mall every single weekend.   I would spend $200 a weekend on clothes.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

Luckily I don’t have any credit card debt but am still trying to build up an emergency fund. 

What is your best resource for frugal living?
I spent some time on Mary Hunt’s message board and they help keep me out of the store.  

Frugal Five Meet Lynn from Oklahoma

Lynn is a frugal momma living in Oklahoma

What is your financial life?

I am married with 3  boys ages 12,10 and 7.  I work part time while the boys are at school at a local property and casualty insurance company    I have been able to recently scream “ I AM DEBT FREE” like many other many others that follow Dave Ramsey money plan.  We had a lot of debt due to hospital and  medical bills  with my youngest son who had some major respiratory issues 3 years ago  that we owed to the hospital and doctors   We also had some credit card debt.

What is your budget buster?

Have you seen what boys eat! They are growing and growing.  My food budget keeps on going up.   I try to coupon as much as possible.  While we were in debt, it was  the medical bills that piled up.  Even with medical insurance there are a lot of co-pays and other out of pocket payments that you need to make.   We ended up putting a lot of the co-pays on credit card debt as well as felt that we needed to reward ourselves with a big  $5k vacation after he was finally ok. 


What is your favorite money saving tip?

I  would like to thank Dave Ramsey for his training, and for imparting in me  a "gazelle-like intensity" toward attacking our  credit card and medical debt. I would also like to thank the  boys for hanging in there and homemade snacks and sandwiches   at soccer, and ball games while all the other kids had nachos or hot dogs  from the snack  stand, but we would like to inform you that we still will NOT be buying those nachos.  Nachos  equals them getting their own ipads, itouches, tablets.  

It took awhile for my husband to get onboard with paying off the debt.  I had to be the “nerd” in the family with the math and the excitement.   Showing him the math really helped get him onboard. If you have a reluctant spouse  start it off yourself. 

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
Right now we are building up Baby Step 3 emergency fund.   We need to put 20k in it for our 6 month fund.  I still have the gazelle like intensity to get this funded. 

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I love all things Dave Ramsey. I am so glad I heard him on the radio one day while driving.  I download his podcasts daily from itunes and go on my daily walk.  

Frugal Five Meet Maggie from Southern California

Maggie is a frugal momma  of 2  teen age girls from Southern California

What is your financial life?

We are a 2  income family with 2 kids and 2 dogs. . I have always been fairly frugal due to my parents struggling with money growing up.  I kind of learned from them.  I told my husband when we were dating that I never wanted to really worry about money nor get into debt. We don't need the lastest toys or gadgets. I still have a simple flip cell phone  I feel like I can really stretch a dollar and never lived above my means.  Luckily my hubby and I have solid jobs and income which has really helped us through the years.

What is your budget buster?

My younger  daughter  13  just got braces.  I just paid it all up front in CASH and got a 20% discount.  My oldest daughter who is a junior in high school it is all about college right now so we are making sure we are saving some money for her as well.  

What is your favorite money saving tip?

I pay myself first.  My husband  is maxing out his 401k  at his job and I do 10% into my own 401k.    

Also  Mary Hunt of Debt proof living  rocked my world with a little concept called the ”Freedom Account which has really helped my budget.  The Freedom Account is a separate checking or savings account that you set up for irregular expenses. This is different from your emergency fund that I automatically transfer money each month.   Mary Hunt’s idea is to calculate your irregular expenses (the ones that are not  monthly) like auto insurance, clothing, medical expenses, car maintenance, , etc. and then divide the amount by 12. That amount is what you should be depositing into the Freedom Account each month . She suggests automatic withdrawal from your paycheck so you don’t have time to decide if you are going to spend it on something else.  I was able to take money out of the freedom account to pay for the braces.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

We are planning a  family summer vacation up to San Francisco this year. This year might be our last summer to travel as family for all of us since my daughter will be heading off to college in  a year and half.  

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I love forums for people who are living a frugal life. I have learned so much from reading how others save money or are paying down debt. I enjoy Mary Hunt's forums. 

Frugal Five Meet Melissa from Arizona

Melissa   is a wife, mom   of one and works at home living in Arizona. 

What is your financial life?
I am married  for 2 years  with a one year old girl. I stay home full time but also work at home doing call center work. My husband is a painting contractor right now and picks up odd jobs.  We have a bit of credit card  debt that we are trying to pay off with some really high interest rates. My work at home job is primarily to pay off the credit cards 

What is your budget buster?

The credit card debt is hurting us-we have over 15k of debt that I am trying to pay off. I am trying to use Dave Rasmey baby steps. We have 1k as our baby emergency fund and are currently on step 2 right now.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

My   most important money saving strategy is to buy secondhand. When I  need something, first I check to see if we can get it secondhand, and if we can't, then we get it new. I shop at a large consignment  store and also at several thrift stores. In my opinion, privately owned stores tend to be too expensive on many items, charging almost as much for used things as they would be new on sale. I get almost all of our clothes used, the only thing I won't buy used is underwear or socks .  My daughter has brand names at really good prices and I hope to be able to “sell them them back.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I would take $1000 and put it towards the credit card debt. I have one debt that I can completely wipe out.

What is your best resource for frugal living? 
When I decided to quit my job to stay home with my daughter   I started searching the internet for tips and websites like thefrugalmom.net and savingadvice.com  were a big help to me.

Frugal Five Meet Michelle from Pennsylvania

Michelle  is a frugal mom from Pennsylvania in her late 30s

What is your financial life?

My husband and I started with about $50k in debt 4 years ago.  We were working very hard and even with a new baby we were making huge dents in it.  We even weathered my husband's cancer when the baby  was only 7 months old without adding more debt.  My snowball went towards that.   However we had another baby and I stopped working.  I didn't do a good plan on trying of keeping my snowball.  I recently started working part time and that money will be going towards our debt again.  

What is your budget buster?

The medical bills my husband accumulated during his year of cancer treatment. I am very thankful that he is now healthy but still is a number of prescriptions.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

Stay out of the grocery store!  Your idea of grocery shopping is a few quick trips to the store during the week, no list, no coupons, no meal plan, no savings. Solution: Get in the habit of planningfrugal  meals,clipping coupons and making a list! Take it one step further and plan your meals around the grocery store sales.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I am focusing on the Dave Ramsey financial peace plan and so I would put $1000 towards my credit card debt

What is your best resource for frugal living?

, my two fave places for sharing money saving tips are llnnoe.com - and www.savingadvice.com

If you would like to be profiled send an email to info @ budgetdial.com

Frugal Five Meet Faith from Washington

Faith is a working mom from Spokane Washington  that within the last year gotten her act together financially.

What is your financial life?

I am a 42 year old mom and have 2 teen age boys  13 and 15 years old.  I have been married for  just over 16 years to my husband.  My husband has worked with computers for years and I have worked odd part time jobs over the years primarily in retail.  We were introduced to Financial Peace University at our church and I really pushed my husband to start taking these classes with me because   I didn’t feel like we were getting any place financially since we were living paycheck to paycheck.  It has  been a year this month since we started this and I can not believe how much easier our finances have become (seriously loathe using even my debit card)  since I got on a budget and I could breathe better.

What is your budget buster?
We were spending so much money on  eating out.   Since I have worked retail, I would often have my husband and the boys order a pizza  or grab McDonalds.    I would eat out at the food court in the mall.  

What is your favorite money saving tip?
When we were doing our budget at our first financial peace university session, someone mentioned their crockpot for their busy lifestyle.   I thought crockpots were for the 1970s.  If  I am working  a swing shift now I will put chicken or a pot roast in the crockpot.  I have also started doing some bulk cooking. I now bring my meals to work and use their microwave.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

Since  I do Dave Ramsey’s  plan and we are in baby step 3 I would put it towards my emergency fund.   


What is your best resource for frugal living?

I joined Dave Ramsey’s site and also follow llnoe.com  which is  live like no one else.   It keeps me on track when I visit it 2-3 times a week.  If you have the opportunity to take Financial peace university I highly recommend it!

Frugal Five Meet Maggie

Maggie is a frugal mom with 2  kids ranging from   21 and 16 years old from Rhode Island 

What is your financial life?

I have been primarily  stay at home mom to 2  boys  and have a great husband that I have been married for 22 years. For many years, my husband and I lived on one  income. It  has been a challenge and we've struggled a lot along the way. We do have a mortgage and believe in paying cash. Things are ok now and I'd like to keep them that way and "save for a rainy day" While I don't believe in using credit cards, I have never really saved money.  I have only been back in the workforce for the past 5 years working in a doctor's office. that money has really gone towards my oldest college money.  He lives at home and goes to the local state college. He is pretty good about contributing as well. I don't want him to get student loans.   My main concern is retirement we are still 20 plus years away from that  but I feel that we don't have enough money saved and are behind the 8 ball. 

What is your budget buster?

Feeding 2   growing   boys! They eat eat and eat! I am always looking for healthy and filling recipes. 

What is your favorite money saving tip?

Pay in cash. If you can not afford it  Don't buy it.  I am a huge fan of Suze Orman and love her Can I afford segment on tv 

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I would put it towards my emergency  fund. 

What is your best resource for frugal living?

Living bellow  your means I follow a frugal mom message boards. I keep a calendar  and write on it if I spend or spend "allowable" or no spend. It helps keep me accountable. The first month I did it, I was surprised how many times I spent on a whim.  Each month I do better, last month I only spent on allowable items (groceries, things I have budgeted for). I'm still working on my extra spending like eating out for lunch, but I am a work in progress and I try not to be too hard on myself. 

Do you want to be featured on the Frugal Five  contact us through our facebook page 

Frugal Five Meet Mary

Mary is a frugal mom from Pennsylvania in her late 30s

What is your financial life?
I am married have been for 10 years. My husband and I have 1 son age 8. We have recently remodelled our kitchen and bathroom in the house we bought a few years back. Luckily it is a 30 year fixed mortgage with a good rate. My husband works the family business which is commmerical painting. I work part-time in a local insurance office for the past 2 years.

What is your budget buster?
Groceries, utilities and gas . Both are getting higher and higher. Seems no matter how I try to cut back, conserve, etc. I am spending more and more.

What is your favorite money saving tip?
Bring your own lunch to work! This is a huge money saver for my husband and me. You can easily spend between $6.00-$9.00 on lunch a day.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
Since we have recently remodelled, I would like to add the finishing touches.


What is your best resource for frugal living?
My favorites places for saving money are www.hotcouponworld.com and www.savingadvice.com

If you would like to be profiled send an email to info @ budgetdial.com

Frugal Five Meet Patricia

Patricia is a frugal mom of 2 and 1 on the way from Virginia.

What is your financial life?

I'm a stay at home mom to two boys aged 4 and 2, with a baby due in June. My husband brings home a reasonable income but we have a lot of credit card debt and also have to run two cars because we live in the middle of nowhere. This makes life pretty expensive and things are tight at the moment. We have some considerable expenses coming up related to the new baby - like a bed for the 2 year old, car maintenance issues, and a double stroller. At the moment, these look impossible.
I also need to continue to menu plan and keep a tight rein on groceries/other household expenditure.



What is your budget buster?

My weakness is picking up little treats when on school run etc. This needs to stop. Last month I did it almost every day.


What is your favorite money saving tip?

Menu planning has been very helpful to me! I actually enjoy making menus. It keeps me from running to the grocery stores!

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

Right now it would go towards the new baby expenses.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I am still learning about being frugal after many years of spend spend spend!

Frugal Five Meet Gina

Gina is a frugal momma to be from Nebraska

What is your financial life?

I am 28 and pregnant with my first baby due in early July . I currently work from home part time My husband has a full time job in construction where he makes good money in warmer months. My husband and I have been stupid about using credit. We have totally paid off our credit cards several times in the past few years with big bonuses that he gets and then we charge them right back up again like idiots! We both know what bad deals credit cards are, we just get greedy about wanting something right now, I guess. Well, I have seriously had enough. We make a very nice income and I'm tired of feeling "Where the heck did our money go?". I want to be spending less then we earn, saving !



What is your budget buster?

It has been the credit cards! Hopefully we now got it under control!


What is your favorite money saving tip?

Stay at home! My plan is to not go out. While I do plan to get out of the house (walks around the neighborhood, maybe trips to the library), when I am out, I spend. I also plan for me and dear husband to eat all homemade meals. I also plan to put away the credit cards I have and only carry my debit card, I am also going to have my husband put away his credit card. We actually do not use our credit cards that much but we do not need them, I don't want the temptation.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

If I had an extra $1000, I would use it to put aside to use when I have the baby in the summer.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

The internet is so full of money saving ideas. However my favorite place is www.savingadvice.com

Frugal Five Meet Single Guy

Single Guy is from Atlanta, GA who is trying to fix his past money mistakes and has a goal of paying off his non-mortgage debt by December 2009. He shares his informative financial journey at www.singleguymoney.com

What is your financial life?

I am single, 30 years old with no kids. I have a mortgage on my primary home and a mortgage on my rental property. I do have one income and rental income. I have no credit card debt besides current month charges that will be paid in full next month.


What is your budget buster?

My biggest budget busters are eating out. I used to eat out every day and
sometimes twice a day. I am now starting to take my lunch to work and I am
already noticing the difference in my budget.


What is your favorite money saving tip?

My favorite money saving tip is not paying bank fees. I make sure all my
bank accounts are free to use and maintain. A monthly bank fee may not seem
like a lot but it certainly adds up.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

If I had an extra $1000, I would use it to reduce the principal balance on
my car loan. This is the debt I am currently working to pay off.


What is your best resource for frugal living?

My best resource for frugal living is maintaining my personal finance blog @
www.singleguymoney.com. Maintaining a finance blog helps keep me
"accountable". I am also a member of the M-Network which is a network of
personal finance blogs that have joined forces to bring readers the best
content possible. There are a total of 9 blogs in the network. The M-Network
can be viewed at: http://www.moolanomy.com/m-network.

Frugal Five Meet Anna Marie

Anna Marie calls her self a frugal newbie really trying to get her act in gear and is in the learning stages

What is your financial life?
I have three children from my first marriage that live with us full time. My husband has a daughter who lives with her mom. I work part-time while Dave works full-time in construction. Both of us had messy divorce messes and we are trying to pay off our credit card debt. We would like to buy a house but we are currently renting a 3 bedroom condo.



What is your budget buster?
I have been way overspending for a very very long time. I am a "bargain" shopper and have trouble resisting a good sale. I generally buy items on clearance but still tend to buy more than we need.

What is your favorite money saving tip?
Stay home and make your home a haven. You don't need to go to the mall or to the movies to have fun. I try to keep our entertainment budget reasonable and stay at home.



If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I would put it towards our credit card debt!!


What is your best resource for frugal living?
http://www.frugalmom.net/ is a great resource of frugal living!

Thanks Anna Marie for sharing all of your story! Let us know if you would like to be profiled in the Frugal Five

Frugal Five Meet Martia

Martia a homeschooling stay at home mom to two boys (7 & 9) and two girls (2 and 5), living in Northern rural New York.



What is your financial life?

We would like to move out of New York closer to family in the Carolinas. We need to fix our house up to eventually sell, and need to come up with the money for the small house projects that need doing. If I can squeeze $100/month for this it would help. I also want to get more adept at crunching our budget with the way prices are going up. I want to conserve now and get to where it feels normal not to spend before we hit a crisis. We also have some credit card debt to pay down. Despite my best effort, a chunk of it was from Christmas shopping, I am embarassed to say.



What is your budget buster?

I am lazy when it comes to planning. I end up running around to buy things last minutes rather than shop for bargains. Also I am a homeschooling addict.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

Find free things to do at home or in our neighborhood so we don't feel the need to spend money "doing" something. We use our local library-it is a wonderful resource. It has a ton of DVDs-documentaties


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

Credit card debt!!

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I love reading frugal blogs. I try to pick up a ton of ideas. Also www.violition.com has some good frugal forums.

Frugal Five Meet Crystal

Crystal is a frugal mom with 3 kids ranging from from Pennslyvania


What is your financial life?

I am stay at home mom who also homeschools my 7 yr daugter and 6 year old twin sons. My husband works full time and makes a decent income, but in taking a new job this past summer he took a pay cut and we are struggling. We have a big mortgage that we took on before his job change, and we also have credit card debt, and some other debts that we are working on paying off. Six more months of disciplined payments and we will be OUT of credit card debt.
And we don't have any savings--at all. We need to start up dh's 401k, now that he qualifies again, and start setting aside a portion of each paycheck into our savings account.


What is your budget buster?

Those credit card payments!!

What is your favorite money saving tip?

Stock up on necessities only when shopping--no spending off the shopping list


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

Since I do not have a saving account, I am would put it towards that.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

"Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine. I found her book inspirational...she doesn't give practical tips, but rather points out some of the hardships that are involved in deciding what is necessary and what are not.

Frugal Five Meet Shelley

Shelley is a frugal mom with 5 kids ranging from 16 to 2 years old from PA.


What is your financial life?

I am a stay at home mom to 5 kids and have a great husband that I have been married for 17 years. Living on one income has been a challenge and we've struggled a lot along the way. We do have a mortgage and believe in paying cash. Things are ok now and I'd like to keep them that way and "save for a rainy day" While I don't believe in using credit cards, I have never really saved money.


What is your budget buster?

Feeding 3 teenage boys! They eat eat and eat! I am always looking for healthy and filling recipes.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

If you are ca not afford it, don't buy it.


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I would put it towards my rainy day fund.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I am always searching for recipes online cooking.com is very helpful in helping me do my dinner planning. I also belong to a budgeting yahoo group that helps me keep things in check.

Frugal Five Meet Wendy

Wendy is a frugal mom from Wisconsin who is working hard to pay off her debt- Dave Ramsey style! She shares her journey at Debt Freedom fighters

What is your financial life?

• 16 years of marriage and debt. Coincidence??
• Double Income that varies month to month.
• Still owe over $70K as of 1/1/08 including 1 car (which will be paid for in half the time of the original loan) 4 credit cards with balances ranging from $900 to $16K & our "creative financing" HELOC.
• One teenage son who is working to help support his own spending habits.
• Entering 6th month of our Total Money Makeover (book by Dave Ramsey) and free of NEW credit card debt.

What is your budget buster?

Right now, it's getting my real estate taxes back into my budget. I had a surplus of funds in an account for taxes when we made the decision to get out of debt in gazelle mode. I stopped auto transferring money into that account and started my first zero based budget without it so there was more money to start the snowball rolling. Now, with the new year, I have to figure a way to get $300 back onto the budget and still maintain our CASH ONLY standing.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

I have two:
1. If your bank has an auto transfer to savings program -- DO IT. If you have to purposely take money and deposit into savings you won't. If it comes out automatically it becomes a BILL and you will have savings.

2. Get to know your grocery store's coupon policy & reward card policies and take full advantage of both of them. You'd be surprised how many shoppers are clueless on the basic rules of couponing. I've saved 1000's at the store combining sales and coupons this past year.


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

I'd put 3/4 of it towards my lowest debt and the other 1/4 I would use to stockpile my pantry and freezer of our basic use items.

NOTE: I would LOVE to take a weekend vacation, but right now - the money is best served into my current pickle.

What is your best resource for frugal living?
LLNOE, other blogs in my blog roll, and my LLNOE mentor, Pam

Frugal Five Meet Jackie

Jackie is stay at home mom from Nevada who is very new to the frugal lifestyle!

What is your financial life?

I am a stay at home mom to a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son, we have ALOT going on right now money wise with an credit card debt, student debt, and car payments. Not easy with one income so I have to keep more control of our money and where it goes!


What is your budget buster?

Debt repayments especially the paying off the credit card bills.

What is your favorite money saving tip?

I am a recovering shopaholic so staying out of the stores and particupating in no buy challenges.


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
I would put it towards the credit card debt.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I have only really gotten into frugal living the last couple of months. I started readng Mary Hunt's books from the library. I know I needed to do something.

Frugal Five Meet Daisy

Daisy is a frugal stay at home mom of 2 girls. She has a blog Learn to Live Well without spending a lot of money where she shares her frugal advice as well as tips on how she makes sure extra money to be able to be a stay at home mom.

What is your financial life?

We are a one income family with 2 kids and 2 dogs. We accrued some debt when my husband went back to school to get his Masters degree. I had to become very frugal, very fast or risk going back to work! I didn't want to put my kids in daycare, so we made LOT'S of changes and are doing just fine.

What is your budget buster?

Our biggest expenses are: Braces for our oldest daughter , State taxes, which are $8,ooo this year.

What is your favorite money saving tip?
Meal Planning! It is an absolute must! It keeps me on track with my budget and keeps me from making extra trips to the store!! (I agree frugal meal planning is a must to keep to a budget)


If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
Put it in our savings account for those unexpected emergencies that can ruin the budget.

What is your best resource for frugal living?

I love forums for people who are living a frugal life. I have learned so much from reading how others save money. My favorite is Pinchingyourpennies.com

If you would like to be profile send an email

Frugal Five Meet Caroline

Caroline is a frugal single women in her mid 30s from Rhode Island

What is your financial life?
I was married in my early 20s and divoreced by 30. My ex-husband was very controlling of money and it often caused stress between us. I purchased a condo 3 years ago-luckily I was smart enough to do a 30 year fixed rate. It is my largest expense but I can well afford it. I work as a financial analyst for a mutual fund company. I am currently going to my MBA at the URI. I do have some credit card debt I am still trying to pay off

What is your budget buster?
Going out with friends on the weekend. I am trying not to drink as much and do more potlucks suppers with some friends.

What is your favorite money saving tip?
Stay out of the store. I am a reformed shopalic I realized I don't need 50 pairs of shoes (yes I did have that many at once time and they were not the payless type)

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?
I would put it towards my credit card.

What is your best resource for frugal living?
Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living: got my off my shopping habit and made me realize that I need to start thinking about money.

Frugal Five Meet Val

Val is frugal mom to 2 girls from Atlanta, GA

What is your financial life?

I am a working mom who waited until I was almost 40 to have my first child. . I have 2 daughters 6 and 9 years old. I work as a business analyst in the insurance industry. My husband also works in insurance more in the marketing side (we met at work 15 years ago). Our finances are pretty stable-we do not have any credit card debt and have 2 paid for cars. We did recently splurge on a vacation home that is almost paid off. Our home is almost paid off, we don't have one of those McMansion . It would be considered a smaller home but most people in our income bracket $200,000 but we both wanted a vacation home instead.

What is your budget buster?
The cost of upkeep on a second home


What is your favorite money saving tip?

Don't overspend. If you do not have the cash, you can't afford it.

If you had an extra $1000 what would you do with it?

It would go towards the vacation house payoff.


What is your best resource for frugal living?

I enjoy reading many messages boards including Women in Red msn message boards.