Did you catch the Yahoo article featuring a 26-year-old who paid off 26k in debt within two years by living frugally.

What an inspiration. Of course, some of his extreme tactics are fine for a single guy but I can't see putting young children through some of those measures such as skipping meals.

It makes me think seriously about our lifestyle and how we can use frugal living to pay off our debts.

I'd love to know what some of his extreme measures were!

Hi Jilly,

Here's the link to the Yahoo article:

26 Yr Old Pays Off Debt

Some of the "extreme" measures were, I believe, not eating or skipping meals (which we tend to think of as extreme, but we do it all the time when we're too busy to stop for lunch, etc.)

Nothing in the article was too extreme for my taste. He did not resort to dumpster diving, for example.

But still, it's ok for a single person but I would not subject my children to shivering in the winter and not eating when hungry!

Thanks for the link. I will read that next!

For sure, the choice to have children is an expensive one. I couldn't do most of the things I do, with kids.

Interesting article. I have to agree with Lori that I would not have wanted to do some of the frugal things that were explained in the article while having children.

It definitely makes me think about how I can be more frugal. But going without eating or heat in the winter just would be too extreme for me.

It just goes to show, though, that if you are motivated, you can accomplish a lot.

Still, one can eat less, or more cheaply. Food banks are everywhere and offer really great, healthy food choices, these days. CVS offers money back for buying sundries that you can spend on more food for free.

It's a pet peeve of mine that people who eat out every week - sometimes multiple times a week - cry poor. That's not being poor. That's a choice they made of where to spend the money they have.

I have family who do this and it drives me crazy. Make eating out an occasional thing, a festive and special treat. Don't just take the crew to Chilis or the Chinese Buffet every few nights because you're 'in the mood for it'. Argh. These are choices!

This is so true, Jilly. We don't really understand what being poor actually is until we have nothing. Nothing.

If you have your good health, you're not completely poor.
If you have some education, you're not completely poor.
If you have extra change to share, you're not completely poor.
If you have a roof over your head, you're not completely poor.
If you have friends, loved ones, you're not completely poor.
If you have God in your life, you're not completely poor.
If you have hope for a better day, you're not completely poor.

Even when I don't have any money at all in my bank account, I don't feel poor.

Poor is a state of mind as well as a state of finances.

That is excellently written, Lori. Did you make that up right now? Love it.

And it's also true.

Maybe in first world countries we have an entitled sense that we should be rich? Sometimes I wonder about that. You can work hard, but it still doesn't mean you 'deserve' to eat out, or have a Mercedes. I am not sure where that sense of 'deserving the best' comes from. It's unrealistic and unnecessary.

Lori -

Thank you so much for sharing that. It is so true that most of us could trim a little from our budgets if we really had a new priority. For example imagine we were told that the person most important in the world to us had a serious medical condition and somehow could not afford a $500 piece of equipment to save him. I bet that we could somehow twist and turn and earn or get that money. We would find a way. It's all about the priorities we set.