Frugality Archives - Recovering Women Wealth

Shopping for Automobile Insurance

August 24, 2020 By Deanna 2 Comments

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Every six months our car insurance policies come up for renewal. Sure the easiest thing is to just renew it and forget about it. However, since my debt pay off journey and my general interest in personal finance/ financial independence began, I look for the best deals. Maybe shopping every 6 months is not necessary but I would argue that shopping your automotive policy once a year is a prudent exercise.

It takes a little extra time but it can be a worthwhile exercise. I had been with the same insurance company, Allstate, for years and I liked them. However, when I decided to shop them and found I could save over $100 for a new 6-month policy if I switched to Progressive. I made the switch.

Now, I shop it every renewal or at least once a year. Although, my progressive rates have remained competitive for three years so I almost didn’t shop it this renewal, but as you’ll read on, I’m so glad I did…

In Recovery, How do you Know When it’s Time to Work on Your Finances?

July 27, 2020 By Deanna Leave a Comment

Most recovery programs have steps and a specific order in which they are to be worked. There’s a reason for that. Some things are more urgent and need prompt attention; otherwise, the thing you are in recovery for might be in jeopardy.

This post is designed to give you some insight into knowing when to work intensely on your finances. Additionally, I’ll share some small ways to stop the bleeding now with your financial life. Everything I share is spoken from a place of experience. I share what worked for me as well as any mishaps I’ve had along the way. As always, I suggest consulting God for his directives and order of precedence on your unique journey.

How Frugal Minimalism Can Help You Repay Your Debt

April 13, 2020 By Deanna 16 Comments

Lately, I’ve become more interested in minimalism as I’ve been consuming Joshua Becker’s stuff. My first revelation of how little I need to be happy occurred while I was paying off my debt. During that time, I made many sacrifices such as living with my folks in my early 40’s, reducing my spending and consumption, and plowing most of my income to my debt.

I recognized I was making all of these so-called sacrifices and yet I was no less happy. The most important things to me, relationships, were still a part of my life. I simply removed the spending money factor from the equation. Sure it required some creative thinking on how to foster these friendships in new ways. However, spending time doesn’t have to cost anything

Over the past several years, I’ve enjoyed a minimalist Christmas. Additionally, as I’ve moved into apartment living, I’ve learned to live in smaller spaces and reduce the number of things I own. BTW, I’ve moved to a new apartment recently and it’s phenomenal. I owe you a post about the sweet deal I struck up!

Additionally, I’ve reduced the amount of clothing & shoes I own and am embracing a minimalist wardrobe. I love, love, love it.

So this article talks about how you can embrace minimalism & frugality together in an effort to pay off your debt. I think we are all a little stressed right now with the COVID-19 pandemic occurring. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever been through before. It’s hard in so many darn ways!

I would imagine that anyone who currently has debt and/or little or no savings and might be feeling the heaviness of this. I used to feel that heaviness, Every. Dang. Day., when I lived paycheck to paycheck.

However, now with the huge downturn in the economy, many folks are additionally facing layoffs. Ugh.

Good Nelly has written the following guest post for my readers on how she sees the intersection of minimalist and frugality being useful to use in paying off debt. Let’s face it, none of us is spending a lot of money right now. So, if you are able to engage in any of these strategies now for future freedom, more power to ya!

Enjoy and happy freedom to you. I’ve added my commentary in blue below too. 🙂

How I am Minimizing My Wardrobe

March 9, 2020 By Deanna 24 Comments

Recently I wrote a guest post on Joshua Becker’s site, Becoming Minimalist. In preparation for writing my guest post, I spent some time exploring Joshua’s information and his journey to becoming a minimalist. First, I spent many hours watching his YouTube channel.

Second, I spent time reading his blog and I found inspiration to minimize my wardrobe. These two articles started me off on contemplated just how I could do it:

Then I was directed to this post by Denaye Barahona about how she embraced a minimalist wardrobe. It was really her post, which is full of pictures, that gave me the final motivation to take the plunge and get rid of a bunch of clothes in favor of more simplistic decisions in the mornings. Additionally, I timed this with my recent move which is a fine time to declutter.