Today’s post comes from your favorite frugal husband – Travis – talking about our frugal life together. You may be wondering if I am as frugal as my wife. Was I always on board with the frugal lifestyle we daily live out? And how do we work together even amidst slight disagreements when it comes to frugal living? I wanted to share my perspective on working together as a couple towards a more frugal life together.
Equally Frugal?
To address whether I am as frugal as Somer, I cannot say I am. But seriously, can anyone compete with her in that category? I have, however, always been a saver over a spender, and I definitely lean more towards under consumption. Sometimes I desire to choose the easier option over the frugal option. Easy often equals spending. For example, I wouldn’t drive 30 minutes to a discount store or wait in line at Ruby’s Pantry if I was on my own. These options aren’t easier, but they cut down our grocery budget substantially. We balance each other out as I manage the money and credit cards because quite honestly, she’s a lost cause in that department. I am thankful we can work together as we figure out how to live this frugal life together.
Frugal Living Examples
Somer has opened my eyes to so many frugal tips and tricks over the years. She has always been dedicated to spending the least amount possible. I wanted to share a few ways she has shown me how to be frugal. First, as previously mentioned, she utilizes discount stores well. She rarely pays full price for food, and this is a huge factor in how we live like we do. And if she’s not at a discount store, you best believe she’s using coupons! I barely knew what a coupon looked like before I met Somer.
Second, she earns cash back on most of her spending. I always thought I had the weird wife who obsessively scanned receipts for fun. Over the years, I realized the financial benefit from scanning receipts or buying things through Rakuten. Now, I do all the scanning of receipts. I guess you could say I’m the weird one now.
Third, she is the queen of freebies. I used to score maybe one or two freebies during my birthday month. Since marrying Somer, we spend our entire birthday months eating free food. I love this new way of life! Companies also send us free food just because she wrote them an email and asked. Seriously, we’ve entered a whole new level of freebies.
Final Thoughts
Somer has taught me so much wisdom when it comes to our frugal life together. We have always wanted to live off one income and raise the kids at home until school-age. Now, thanks to the frugal lifestyle Somer has created in our home, we are fully able to survive off less than $50k a year. My job now is to make sure my wife spends a dollar or two on herself sometimes.
I hear couples say all the time, “there’s a spender and a saver in the relationship.” This is generally true. But once you commit your life to one another, its important to prioritize your life together. You’re no longer just online shopping with your own money. You don’t have unlimited free time to hunt, fish, and golf all the time. Nor do you have unlimited expenses to fund those hobbies. Talk about what matters. Talk about what your specific family wants to prioritize. And if you disagree, pray for each other’s hearts to be softened.
See ya around!
Leave a Reply