< head>
  • About
  • Toolkit
  • Blogs Worth Reading
  • Income Investing
  • Privacy
From Frugal to Free
Frugal adventures on the road to financial freedom.

debt

  • Personal Finance

An Anxious Day

Posted on August 19, 2016September 7, 2016by Kara

I woke up yesterday morning earlier than expected. I’m home for a week, and I expected to sleep in later than I usually do. This is, after all, my vacation. I couldn’t do it though. I woke up, and I was awake. Mind alert, energy flowing, anxiety pumping. I was up, I was mildly freaking […]

Read More
16 Comments
  • Personal Finance

Present Bias And Debt: A Match Made in Hell

Posted on July 20, 2016February 5, 2017by Kara

A few weeks ago I was talking with a new college grad. I shared my journey out of debt with him, and stressed that the best thing he can do for himself now (at age 22) is to start paying down his own student loans.  He listened, very politely, to my story and agreed that […]

Read More
7 Comments
  • Personal Finance

A Financial Guide to the Wild Personal Finance Blogosphere

Posted on July 15, 2016September 7, 2016by Kara

When I first got involved in the personal finance blogosphere I was binge reading blog posts. I couldn’t get enough of it all. I started with tips to pay down debt, and success stories of people who had reached debt freedom. I found MMM.  I was introduced to a whole new world, and I couldn’t […]

Read More
15 Comments
  • Personal Finance

Reflections on One Year of Debt Freedom

Posted on June 16, 2016February 3, 2017by Kara

Life has been so busy that last week when my one year anniversary of debt freedom came, it also went pretty damn quick. I blinked and poof! It had passed me by. Still, June 5th 2015 was one of the most important days of my life.  Even though I’m eleven days late, I do want to take […]

Read More
14 Comments
  • Personal Finance

The Privilege I Have Despite Being Broke

Posted on May 30, 2016July 11, 2016by Kara

Privilege is a funny word. It gets thrown around a lot these days but few people I’ve met seem to really understand what it means. People seem to think privilege means ‘no problems ever!’ when in reality it means that you simply started out in a better place than some other people. It means certain […]

Read More
26 Comments
  • Personal Finance

Learning to Work Smart, Not Hard

Posted on March 21, 2016July 18, 2016by Kara

On March 1st I tweeted ‘March is going to be a roller coaster. Right now it’s like “LOOK MA NO HANDS.” Two weeks in will be more like “i think I’m gonna be sick.’ Well, I’ve made it through the no hands part, but I’m still riding the ‘Am I gonna puke?” part. March is my […]

Read More
12 Comments
  • Personal Finance

Post-Debt Spending: How to Do it Right

Posted on February 25, 2016July 18, 2016by Kara

I’ve been debt free for almost nine months now. It’s a glorious place to be. No student loan payments hang over my head. I’m much more financially secure. I’ve stepped up my savings rate substantially. All these things are the direct result of paying off my debt. Navigating the world of post-debt spending has been […]

Read More
No comments yet
  • Personal Finance

Turns Out I Saved 73% of My Income Last Year

Posted on February 18, 2016June 29, 2017by Kara

It’s been in the 80’s for the past week here in Austin. It feels like spring has sprung, even if the calendar still says February. While it’s not quite spring, it is tax season! I’ve finally got all my W2’s in hand, and so I calculated exactly how much I earned last year. I earned $32,242 before […]

Read More
11 Comments
  • Personal Finance

FIRE Advice for Noobs: Steve from ThinkSaveRetire

Posted on February 11, 2016July 18, 2016by Kara

Do you have a dream? A numero uno, want it so bad you can taste it, dream? Mine is to reach FIRE. I want to truly own my time and money. I don’t want to have to depend on a job for my income, and I don’t want to spend my days doing something I […]

Read More
13 Comments
  • Personal Finance

How I’m Paying off That $1,200 Credit Card Bill

Posted on February 3, 2016July 27, 2020by Kara

Last week I went on a mind blowing spending spree. I spent $1,200 in a matter of three days, all in the name of earning credit card rewards. It was actually really fun and kind of freeing in a way. Having spent the last year and a half in extreme frugal mode, where even spending on […]

Read More
4 Comments

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts

SOCIAL

Frugal’s Financial Guidelines

Start with these simple guidelines to save money and invest in your future:

  1. Write down own the top three reasons you want to save money. Post it as a reminder to keep on track with your goals.
  2. Learn to budget. Then do it, diligently.
  3. Cut costs. Reduce spending by 10% across all categories.
  4. Direct deposit 10% of every paycheck directly into savings. Build up an emergency savings fun with a minimum of $1000. Aim for six months of living expenses.
  5. Maximize retirement savings. Contribute as much as you can, especially if you have an employer-matching plan.
  6. Begin investing in small ways. Use apps to begin investing with just a tiny amount of money. Learn how it works.
  7. Build credit wisely. Use a credit card for monthly expenses. Pay it off on time every month.
  8. Learn to communicate about money. With everyone. The better you get at talking about money, the more you’ll set yourself up for financial success in all areas of your life.

Popular and Favorite Posts

  • The Business of Starting a Business: Organization Tactics by Kara
  • Bankroll‌ ‌Betting -‌ ‌How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Turn‌ ‌a‌ ‌Profit‌… by Susan Paige
  • The Real Difference Between The Rich and Poor by Kara
  • How Much Do Golf Clubs Cost? A Price Guide by Susan Paige
  • How Much Interest Does $1 Million Earn a Year? by Kara
Activello Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress