Being Broke Sucks!
You know it. And I know it too.
Somehow, though, we've been trained by the most successful financial advisers in the world that we should accept it. They don't actually want us to be broke, per se, but their highest goal for us is to put off living now, so we can retire with loads of money later. They want us to give up our dreams now, so we can reach our dreams later.
To us here (at Frugalogical)... this is the part of being broke that we REALLY hate.
Why?
Well, you don't start living when you hit 65, or 67, or some magical age when you are finally able to collect your retirement. In fact, if you put off life until then, you haven't really ever lived. Our advice to you... Stop living according to this advice from the finance gurus.
Giving up your life NOW is the part of being broke that we are determined to overcome with you, and with everyone who is currently being forced to live broke.
The journey to frugality
Hi, we are Al and Christy Speer (the Speer's). Thanks for taking the time to visit us today! We appreciate having you here! And we would love to hear any thoughts you might have about what you are reading.
Our frugal journey, as a family, began long before we knew each other. Extra cash that would have funded our Hollywood style dreams never existed. What's that you say? You had the same dreams as a kid? And you never had the extra cash to make the dream a reality either?
Of course we can't all be Paris Hilton, can we?
But, from those early days, we both learned some valuable life-lessons about how to live on less.
Those strategies helped guide us through the early days of our marriage, 15 years ago. We kept at it, even as our kids came wandering into the picture.
However, in 2007, we hit a wall of indifference and apathy in our lives, which challenged us to uproot from our Oregon home and re-locate to Florida. Where we have lived ever since. It turns out, that was the exact same time the Great Recession crashed the U.S. market.
That change, in '07, caused massive repercussions for our lives. And led us down a path to the creation of this site.
Why this site is different from other frugality webshites
Here's why this site is different from every other frugality webshite. And why this website should matter to you if you're trying to live a frugal lifestyle on a tight budget. Other financial strategists have these main goals:
- Getting you out of all consumer debt. And keeping you out of debt.
- Saving every cent of income into your retirement account, each month, for the next 495 years.
- Getting you to retirement with $1 stupillion dollars in your account, so you can 'finally' retire, and enjoy your life as it was meant to be.
When you look at that list, do you see a gaping hole missing in the equation?
Here's a hint...
YOU are not even close to retirement yet. What in the world are you going to do with your life, your family, your health, your goals, your dreams, your aspirations, and yourself over the next 495 years, until you retire? Do you just sit on the couch and watch re-runs? Do you lie in bed, sucking your thumb each night, hoping dawn will arrive so you can head into the office and add money to your retirement?
Uhh... NO! You don't!
You still have to go on living, while you wait for those retirement years to arrive. We want to help you actually 'live' while you wait for those years to get here. Those are years you may, or may not, ever see.
So, yes... we want you to get out of debt, and stay out. And, yes, we want you to save for retirement as well. However, we want to offer specific tips, strategies, and advice so you can live a great life now, as well as living the good life later.
Al and Christy... what exactly are you meaning?
Ok... since you asked, we want to give you an example.
Pretend you were planning a family vacation. You saved up one or two thousand dollars to take a trip together. Before you go, you want to get some advice from a financial planning expert. So, you might ask him if you should spend the money and go on the vacation, or just stay at home and save it.
Are you with us so far?
What's the financial planner going to say? Any guesses? Yep, he is going to tell you to suck it up. Stay home. Watch TV. And save the money for your retirement. In fact, this is one of the exact scenarios that we have listened to on live radio. One of America's top financial experts offered this advice to a phone caller. This may be a good suggestion for your retirement and your pocket book. But, these advisers are not giving any value to your life right now. And they are not giving proper balance or value to your family right now either.
We are not saying to go out and blow all your money in a tourist trap, and then dip into your credit card account to finance a gambling splurge. Not at all! But, we are saying, You are NOT DEAD nor RETIRED yet!
With all that said... now, we have to offer up the idea that your life can be different from the typical American Dream. Life doesn't equal a nice 4 bedroom/ 5 bath home, 3-4 cars in the garage, 2.4 kids, and 40-50 hour work week jobs, as almost every financial planner will suggest.
Most of us envision this as the life we will have to live for the next 495 years. However, that simply doesn't have to be the case. To NOT live this lifestyle will be a radical concept for most of us, because we have been trained and brought up living within the walls of this system. However, your life does not have to look like that. And if you want to truly live now, that American Dream lifestyle, probably won't work for you.
