Well, apparently the author bug has really bitten me, because I’ve already released another book for the Amazon Kindle!

The book, “Family Money: Easy Ways to Cut Your Family’s Expenses,” is a light-hearted how-to book on ways to drastically slash your monthly expenses without correspondingly affecting your lifestyle. Through years of writing on Saving Without a Budget I’ve found that the single biggest reason people don’t adopt a frugal lifestyle is because they think they’re going to have to live a life of self-deprivation. It’s not because they’re lazy or stupid; it’s because they falsely believe they’re going to have to drastically alter the way they live day-to-day.

The book offers well over 100 simple ways individuals and families can reduce their monthly expenses without ever really noticing a change in their lives. These money saving tips are broken down into different types, like utilities, clothing, and groceries; i.e. the major expenses in people’s lives.

Considering the price of the book is only $3.97, buying Family Money is certainly a worthwhile investment, especially when you consider following just a few of the tips for less than a day will save you much more than $3.97!

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

All too often I hear people complain about how hard it is to begin living frugally because they think they are going to have to live this terrible life in the World of No, meaning any impulse they have to spend money on something they’d like automatically must be shot down with a resounding no.

I’d like to think nothing could be further from the truth.

Yes, living a frugal life does require a bit of sacrifice and you are going to have to give up some of your guilty pleasures.  I’m not arguing that.  What I am saying, however, is that by choosing to live a frugal life you aren’t necessarily headed down the path of self deprivation either.  In fact, many people – myself included – feel their quality of life actually increases once they fully commit to living below their means and making a conscious effort to not get caught up in the rat race of “who can buy the most things.”

Frugal = Compromise

If you’re still having trouble with the concept I have a trick that may help.  Going forward, when you hear the word frugal and throw up in your mouth a bit, instead, use the word compromise.

Here is a great article by Meg Favreau of WiseBread, which, as its title suggests, gives you 12 Frugal Compromises you can make that allow you to avoid self deprivation while enjoying a life of living below your means:

When we talk about frugality, it can be easy to get into an “all or nothing” mentality. Our two options are to eat a big meal out or cook at home. To have a lot of stuff or pare down all of our possessions to the very basics. But the reality is that there are a lot of savings compromises that can be made — frugal things you can do that, while they may not save you as much money as other efforts, might also save you time, make you happier, or make your life easier. Here are 12 frugal compromises to consider.

Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of the article, which, again, you should read in its entirety.

1. Buy part of your meal already prepared
2. Hire moving helpers
3. Meet somewhere cheap for dinner
4. Buy new accessories
5. Drink cheap beer… or just one nice beverage
6. Hire a cleaner once a month
7. Don’t take the car… sometimes
8. Get take out instead of delivery
9. Rearrange the furniture and buy one new thing
10. Have a coffee treat day
11. Trim your own bangs
12. Use disposables alongside reusables

Obviously, all of these things are little splurges that won’t sound like much if you’re currently living a lavish lifestyle.  That being said, take it from someone who has been practicing frugality for a few years: a lot of these little guilty pleasures can actually help to keep you on the frugal path.

So, what are your thoughts on this?  What are some frugal compromises you allow yourself to have?  Leave a comment below and, as always, please share this post using the social bookmarking buttons below and at the top of the page – especially Facebook and Twitter.

• 99BRAB3
• 85JEAH2
• 43SGJC5
• 67PPLA6
• 96PBCG3
• 56TTDR2

You can use one of these codes on each rental, so conceivably, you could get six movies for free between now and August 26.

Enjoy and please share this with your friends!

• 27TGAF6
• 34BCRD4
• 62BRAB4
• 98ARDQ2
• 92JEAH8
• 29SGJC3
• 65PPLA8

You can use one of these codes on each rental, so conceivably, you could get seven movies for free between now and August 19.

Enjoy and please share this with your friends!

While driving home the other day, I heard the Bon Jovi song “Wanted Dead or Alive” on our local classic rock station – which, by the way, makes me sad that music I listened to as a child is now considered classic rock – and somehow became inspired to write a version of the song that would be good for Saving Without A Budget.

On that note (no pun intended) I came up with the following lyrics to “Wanted Debt or Alive,” which is about how many of us over spend using money that isn’t even ours to begin with.  So, because I’m not going to sing it to you, click play on the “Wanted Dead or Alive” video and read the lyrics as you listen to the song.

Enjoy!

It’s all the same
Only the stores will change
Everyday
It seems I’m spendin’ away

Another store
Where the sales are so bold
I shop all night
Because I’m easily sold

I’m a spender
On a Visa I ride
I’m wanted
Debt or alive
Wanted
Debt or alive

Sometimes I’m cheap
Most times it’s not for days
To the cashiers I meet
I’m glad to hand my pay

Sometimes you tell the day
By the bill that’s on the brink
And times when you’re alone
You buy everything but the kitchen sink

I’m a spender
On a Visa I ride
I’m wanted
Debt or alive
Wanted
Debt or alive

I’m a spender
On a Visa I ride
I’m wanted
Debt or alive

When I walk these streets
A loaded AMEX string on my back
I buy for keeps
‘Cause I might have to pay it back

I’ve spent everywhere
Still I’m spendin’ it all
I’ve seen a million offers
And I’ve bought them all

‘Cause I’m a spender
On a Visa I ride
I’m wanted
Debt or alive

I’m a spender
FICO’s not on my side
And I’m wanted
Debt or alive
And I’m wrong
Debt or alive
I still spend
Debt or alive

Debt or alive

What did you think?  Any good?  Worth putting together a YouTube video over?  Leave your comments below.

• 28PPLA9
• 98SGJC2
• 25JEAH6

You can use one of these codes on each rental, so conceivably, you could get three movies for free between now and August 15.

Enjoy and please share this with your friends!

It’s no secret that saving money requires some degree of sacrifice and, many times, sacrifice is far from fun. That being said, living a frugal lifestyle doesn’t have to be synonymous with living a dull lifestyle.

If you can spice up the ways you save money and take a different approach to frugality, you can actually make the act of saving money an enjoyable experience – and not just for the money saving aspect of it.

Here are seven simple ways you can make saving money fun:

The cheapest family in America has fun... saving money!

1) Start small. If you start off with the goal of slashing your monthly spending by 75% you’re going to fall short, become frustrated, and quit. Instead, take an incremental approach to saving. Maybe you save an extra $100 the first month. When you do that without a problem, you increase the monthly savings to $150. Before you know it, you’ve dramatically slashed your spending without any of the frustration!

2) Take the glass-half-full approach. Instead of dwelling on what you’re cutting out of your life – the premium cable package, the unlimited data plan on your cell phone, etc. – focus on how great it’s going to feel when you’re able to pay off your credit card bill, rebuild your nest-egg, or retire early. Taking this viewpoint will make you realize you’re gaining something far more important that what you’re getting rid of.

3) Incorporate some low-stakes gambling. Make a bet with your significant other (or a friend if you’re unattached) to see who can save the most money in a week. The loser has to cook the winner’s favorite meal. Having the chance to have turkey tacos waiting for me has definitely given me extra motivation to keep my credit card in my wallet!

4) Make it a family activity. If you’re a parent, involve your kids when you make your budget or clip coupons. It’s a great way to spend family time, and it’ll get your kids thinking about saving money. Plus, they’ll feel proud when they point out a great deal at the grocery store!

5) Keep one-upping yourself. Turn coupon clipping into a game by always trying to save more money from coupons every time you go to the grocery store. Before you know it, you’ll have slashed your grocery bill by 30 to 60 percent! That being said, don’t buy something for the sake of using a coupon, that sort of defeats the purpose!

6) Be  an active saver. Don’t save money simply by sitting on your butt and not doing anything. Go out and take a walk around the park, volunteer somewhere, or grab a book from the library. There are plenty of free or low cost activities you can do, so take advantage of them!

7) Reward yourself! What’s the point of saving all this money if you never spend it. Since you’ve done so well at saving money, indulge yourself with something small. It’ll be a good incentive to keep you going, too.

Do you have any simple ways to make saving money fun? Leave your comment below and, as always, please share this post by using the social bookmarking buttons below – especially Facebook and Twitter!

Back in 2006, An Inconvenient Truth was released, and everyone went nuts over it.  “Going green” became the cause of the week, and the documentary’s “star,” Al Gore, stopped being former Vice President Al Gore, and became mainstream hero Al Gore.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize, the documentary won an Academy Award, and generally, everyone thought Gore was the greatest thing ever for warning us about being at a tipping point on the path to (environmental) disaster.

Our nation's financial house is not in order.

Fast forward to 2008. I.O.U.S.A., a documentary about dangers of the massive debt of the United States government, was released without much fanfare.  It’s “star,” former Comptroller David Walker, didn’t win an Oscar or a Nobel Peace, and didn’t become a mainstream hero even though he, too, was warning us about being at a critical tipping on the path to (fiscal) disaster.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Al Gore shouldn’t be widely hailed for helping to change environmentalism from a “hippie topic” to something that we are all well aware of and care about (well, most of us anyway).  What he did was important.

What I am saying, however, is that David Walker deserves the same sort of recognition and acclaim.

When Walker first started shouting from the mountain top about how bad things could get if we didn’t reign in spending and do something about our tax code and entitlement programs, our national debt was “just” $9 trillion.  Only three short years later, our debt as ballooned to over $14 trillion dollars, we are running annual trillion dollar budget deficits, and, on August 5, 2011, the United States’ debt was downgraded for the first time in history.

It’s clear that if we – and by we, I mean the people we elect to run amok in Congress and the White House – are running out of time to restore fiscal responsibility before we face terrible consequences like slashed governmental services, a devalued dollar, high interest rates, higher taxes and massive inflation.  But, anyone who had been listening to Walker was already aware of this.

Maybe it’s because the environment is something a little more tangible.  We can see dirty rivers and pillaged forests, and that seems to have a rather dramatic affect on us.  Plus, with the environment, we can feel like we’re doing our part by recycling, and reducing use and waste.  With the nation’s debt problem, we can’t touch it or feel like we are active participants in the act of fixing the problem.

Or, maybe it has something to do with the fact Gore was more of a household name, with being the Vice President for eight years and nearly becoming President in 2000.  I guess being U.S. Comptroller General for ten years isn’t quite as sexy.

That being said, our national something we should have taken just as seriously as environmental issues.  But, unfortunately, as evidenced by Gore’s celebrity and Walker’s general anonymity, we didn’t.

Get free movies from Blockbuster using these codes!

Today was kind of a rough day.  The stock market tanked, there wasn’t any good economic news, and everyone’s mood in general seemed to be pretty down.

So, in an attempt to cheer everyone up, here are some free rental codes for Blockbuster Express.  These codes expire August 8, so use all five and have a free movie weekend!

Here are the codes:

• 86TGAF3
• 77BCRD6
• 53JGMM7
• 82BRAB7
• 88ARDQ5

Take full advantage of these coupon codes and have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Here are some coupon codes for a free one-night rental at any Blockbuster Express kiosk.  You can use each code once, so theoretically you could entertain your family for the week for free.

These codes expire August 5th, so be sure to use them soon!

• 46SVEM9
• 38TGSF7
• 23BRCRD3
• 75JGMM3
• 38BRAB5
• 78HLG5

Enjoy!