Welcome to Frugal, Wealthy and Wise! Thanks for visiting.
During 30+ years together, my wife and I have experienced tight times as well as periods of prosperity. But we are reaping the rewards of frugal living. We have lived in the same modest house for 27 years. Since being married, we have only purchased one new car — the tale of that particular purchase will definitely be a topic for a future post.
For us, the rewards of frugal living have included: (1) attaining financial independence and freedom from financial worries (2) being able to give generously to charitable causes we believe in (3) seeing our children graduate from universities carrying zero student debt. In my mind, financial independence is the ultimate luxury.
You might imagine that a frugal lifestyle is a grim, hunkered down existence. Yes, we’ve seen a few of those days. But, frugality ultimately fosters a higher quality of life: getting the most bang for the buck as a savvy consumer. Being prepared for the future and life’s curveballs thrown our way. Not feeling compelled to ‘keep up with the Joneses’.
I have contemplated starting this blog for some time. Recently, I got the nudge I needed; I was informed that my employer no longer needed my services. For many 60-year-olds, a layoff would be a devastating setback. But for me, it has been an opportunity to break free of the mind-numbing corporate grind and undertake new pursuits – such as launching this blog.
My desire is to share my experiences (and mistakes) in frugal living: to benefit others and offer an alternative mindset to society’s relentless materialism. The frugal ideas to be presented in upcoming posts have the potential to save tens, hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. (Disclaimer: these ideas are not necessarily original but part of a compilation.)
The financial state of Americans today leaves me greatly distressed. We live in a consumer- driven society, awash in a tsunami of stuff. Meanwhile, many baby boomers are rapidly approaching retirement age with meager savings. Millennials are likely saddled with huge student loans, but they also have time on their side to right their finances. The poor are exploited by predatory marketing and financial services. I want to make a difference.
Granted there are already many, many financial blogs on the Internet already. I earnestly seek your input: help me find my voice and my niche and identify financial topics important to you.
Welcome onboard for this journey together! Starting out, I plan to post once or twice a week, as some articles will require a fair amount of research. You can be alerted to new posts via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can sign up for the email list or subscribe to the RSS feed.
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All the Best,
Paul