Earning

The frugal life really baffles some people. How can anyone be satisfied, or even be happy, living with less? Recently we received the following e-mail, which posed a significant question that bears pondering:

Q. Linda Eagleson from San Jose, California wrote: Living in Silicon Valley, and having been through the tech downturn, I think an article on “Surviving Unemployment” would be helpful. Many employees never expect to be laid off. My nephew’s wife in Dallas recently walked into her office and was told that 90 percent of the employees were being terminated. She was in shock!

It’s summertime and every weekend you’ll see the signs—“Huge Garage Sale,” “Monster Yard Sale,” “Moving Sale” or simply just “SALE” scrawled across neon-colored poster board. More than 60 million of us shop at garage sales, spending close to $1 billion each year. We’ve hosted dozens of garage sales—single-family, multiple-family and huge fund-raiser sales. Each time, we’ve fine-tuned our strategies and improved our execution. You can make money, but without careful planning and preparation, you’ll spend more than you’d like to pay physically, emotionally and financially.

Is thrifty living only for people who can’t afford to pay retail? Of course not! Is it only to be employed during times of financial distress? Nope. Is living cheap just for those who are retired or on a fixed income? Sorry, the answer is no to this one too.