Frugal Living On One Income
| April 30, 2012 | Posted by thecheapskatemom under features, frugalphilosophy, interviews, money-management, philosophy |
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Bobbie of Budgeting with the Bushmans by The Cheapskate Mom |
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Two years ago I was one person living on one restaurant manager's income. I thought that was a stretch. I'm not proud of this, but I felt sorry for myself when I had to decline the occasional ski trip or buy the non-organic carrot juice. One year ago, my new husband and I were two people living on one income. Then, my worries were that our cars were too old….our used or ikea furniture not showroom enough. For right now, with the baby, we are three people living on one teacher's income. This learning experience has been incredible…. first I found it incredibly stressful. Then I found myself getting creative to make do. Months in now, all I have to say is that it has been eye-opening and transformative. I know now I will never go back to the wasteful spending I was doing before. When we have extra money again, I want to save it, invest it, and donate it.The Bushmans are a family of four living debt-free on a part-time income. Yes, they are really doing this. Though their level of frugality may not be for everyone, the example they are setting can be a lesson to us all : stop spending so much, stop wasting so much, and start focusing on the things that really matter – peace, true comfort and happiness.
I was so happy that Bobbie agreed to an interview so I could find out more about what she and her family are doing. I found her advice to be both simple and inspirational. |
 Q:You live debt free as a family of four on a part time income…. Tell me: have you always been incredibly frugal? I'm always interested in why people decide to shirk debt, live differently and gain financial freedom. Tell me about when and why you became so frugal – or were you raised by frugal parents? |
 A:I have always been responsible with money although I didn’t become what I would call frugal until after my husband and I came into unexpected medical debt about five years ago. We had just bought a big house with a big mortgage and I had a series of surgeries not covered by the medical insurance we had at the time.Feeling the weight of all that debt served as a wake-up call for us. We each took two jobs and paid off that $30,000 in medical debt in 1 ½ years. You can read our full story here.I grew up with very frugal parents. Both my parents worked at factories all day and raised beef cattle. They are hard workers who are also savers. I grew up seeing the value of frugality but also knowing that I didn’t want to work a job I hated or spend lots of time away from my family. Now, I think my parents really appreciate the frugality that my husband and I practice, but they do not understand the living on one part-time income (especially my dad).
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Q: Sometimes I find that when people make really different lifestyle choices (for example, I'm a vegetarian), it can be threatening or hard for other people to understand. So…. do your family or friends ever give you a hard time for having such a different lifestyle? What challenges have you had?
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A: I am vegetarian too! We have had some real negativity surrounding our life choices from family members. Specifically, we’ve had negatively with regards to our decisions to homeschool our children and to move to a rural area. Some extended family members have actually ceased contact with us! One of the reasons I started my blog was to show people that our choices aren’t so weird and that, just like everyone else, we are trying to live out our values and do what we think is best for our family.
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Q: What were the most important choices you made that enabled you to pay off a mortgaged home and pay off 30,000 in debt?
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A:I would say the single most important choice is to put mainstream thought aside. Once we looked at what our family really needs, without thinking about the expectations of others, we could make those dramatic lifestyle changes that helped us become debt free. I mean, even the goal of being debt-free is considered weird so you have to be okay with people thinking you are at least a little nuts. The things that helped us pay off debt quickly were working two jobs each, taking in a renter, only spending money on absolute necessities, and selling our mortgaged home. As soon as we paid off the debt, we realized we didn’t want to spend our whole lives working for other people. We wanted to spend time together, as a family. We quickly realized a simpler lifestyle was the way to do this.
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Q:If I may ask : Having children, do you ever have a hard time explaining to them why you make different financial decision from other families?
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A:I asked my children this question and they said, “No. We think its fine to be frugal.” I think the reason they can say this is because we keep frugal company. Our two biggest lifestyle changes that helped our kids feel normal about our family’s frugality were:
1. Homeschooling. Homeschooling put us in contact with other families who live on one income, eat homemade foods, wear used clothes, and do a lot of similar things that we do! 2. Giving up TV. Giving up TV meant our family stopped inviting advertising into our home. Advertisements are designed to make people (even children) feel like they are inferior unless they have a certain thing. This is just how advertising works—you must have X product to be cool. I found that my kids were very susceptible to these messages and ridding our home of them made our life feel abundant instead of lacking. I also talk to my kids a lot about finances. I think many parents don’t talk enough about this. Even my own frugal parents didn’t talk about the hows and whys of frugality. I tell my kids that, often, the people with the most stuff have the least money. Most importantly, I talk about the connection between time and money. Our kids remember when Mom and Dad worked a lot (to pay off debt) and they didn’t like that. They would rather have time with us and a leisurely lifestyle than lots of stuff.
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Q: Clearly you have a great mind for frugality: Would you mind sharing a couple of your favorite frugal tips ?
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A: I have several money mantras: Never buy anything you can get for free. Don’t buy new when you can buy used. You don’t save money by spending money.
I think our consumer culture has done a good job of convincing people that problems can be solved through purchasing a certain product. I try to buy an item only as a last resort. If we need something my first approach is to make it, barter for it, trade for it, borrow it, etc.The most important aspect to being frugal is to avoid debt like the plague. Debt limits your choices and keeps you from using your money in a way that benefits you, instead of benefiting your lender.
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Q: You run the blog "Budgeting with the Bushmans". Tell me what it's all about!
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A:Budgeting with the Bushmans is the story of how our family of four lives debt free on one part-time income. It is the journey of our transition from a typical middle class lifestyle to one of voluntary simplicity. Some of our future plans include starting our own business and building our own natural home. We learn most things as we go and we want to share our journey with others!I am passionate about debt-free living and the freedom it has given our family. I hate to hear about people who feel stuck in their own life circumstances. I want to inspire people to think outside the box, follow their own dreams, and pursue financial independence!
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