America's Cheapest Family

Can you imagine being a family of 7 people and living on a post-taxes annual budget of $35,000 per year? Seems borderline impossible, but it seems there is a family who has done it out in Arizona as detailed in the linked post over at The Digerati Life by Silicon Valley Blogger, who does some really nice takeaway tips from looking at this amazing family.

The one that jump out at me most (since it is where I think I hit my own personal wall) is the notion of organizing yourself properly to attack a life of greater frugality. Oh, as if any words could ever be so true as this! I think of all the times where I spent more money than I needed due to just not planning ahead:

• Not packing a lunch and then blowing money on an overpriced meal at the company cafeteria (which just ticks me off all the more because the food is less-than-delicious)
• Wasting food (especially fresh vegetables) I bought because I got caught up in doing too much during the week and it goes bad
• Buying something I saw in the store the first time I see it when, chances are, it's much cheaper on-line

In fact, I think when it comes to eating, that is where I run into the biggest issue. I like the idea of cooking a lot at once so I have tons of food on hand whenever I am ready to eat... but for reasons that continue to elude me, I don't do a great job of putting it into practice.

My baby steps goal is to getting in a bunch of weekend cooking and store it all away for the week. It's just one step, but one that will avoid a lot of last minute stops at places that are overpriced and (lest I forget) 100 times less healthy than what I can whip up myself.