Financial Health and Frugal Living

Saving Money, Feeling Better, and Saving the Planet, too. 

It's hard to think about staying healthier without thinking about money, spending habits, green living, and eating habits. We have the ongoing goal of being healthy, but we also want to be financially healthier. This blog post is about the dual goal of eating even better, living sustainably and saving money all at the same time. 

Confession: we have been only semi-conscious consumers with pretty bad habits like drinking way too much bottled water, using too many paper towels, and generally consuming and spending on convenience. We have made a few recent changes. Over 2014 Jeff and I have done much better with eating in more, cooking lots of greens, and using almost no paper products. We have gone paperless, printed next to nothing, and we bought much of our new furniture at estate sales and garage sales. These habits have made us feel better physically. We have also been walking several times a day, getting fresh air and spending time with Dexter the Westie.

Here are a few recent habits we are working on. Besides getting healthy and having fun working on goals, we both really really really want to pay off our own respective mortgages (Jeff's condo in Dallas, which is currently rental property, and my own condo in Austin which is also rental property) as fast as possible. The target for Austin condo payoff is 7 year payoff but it's possible to pay it in five or six years with extra payments towards the principal through some disciplined savings and frugality. We are motivated. 

1. I am switching from coffee to inexpensive tea. Pods are expensive and depending on one's "habit" these can add up. They also possibly clog landfills so switching to tea is beneficial finanically and for "green living." As someone diagnosed with acute tachycardia (which I believe is situational and influenced by the mind/body connection), less caffene or lower doses is always helpful. I used to get drive-through coffee at Starbucks twice a day! No more! I only go 1-2 X a week currently. This saves loads of money that adds up over time.

2. Keeping the maximum heat in the townhome set to 68-70 degrees. Heating and cooling 1,700 square feet of indoor space isn't cheap in the winter. This will save money and use less electricity. We have plenty of warm socks, hats, blankets, throws, and sweaters! Money saved goes to more mortgage payments! 

3. Eating more greens. I know that pre-packaged bagged salads cost more, but we are not fully getting away from convenience. This is all a transition and like I said, we had previously been dining out daily, white flour products, dessert, and all. 

Jeff loves to cook! 

4. No more paper towels! We used way too many paper towels. These things are expensive! What a waste of money! We'll be using these hand towels much more often, especially in the kitchen. 

5. Getting back to low-cost legumes and freezing leftovers. We both used to cook things like lentils and other types of dried beans/legumes in our college days. It's great to get back to this type of cooking because it fits the budget. 

Other money-saving goals: scaling back and eliminating bottled water through water filters, light bulb replacements, weather stripping on doors (as needed), less shopping at retail stores, use the public library resources (books, digital resources). 

We are learning more about healthy living and being financially healthy! Stay tuned for more blog posts. Feel free to leave comments or tips for us!