Debt free and mortgage free for years. Retired at 55. Such a mental relief. I admire anyone that strives to better themselves. Thank you for being a great example.
One thing my husband and I did when we were younger is when we did get a debt paid off…such as a car payment, we then used that amount to pay additionally on something else. I think some people call this the “snowball method”. It really helped a lot, and we also became debt free by being savvy with our expenditures! Great video, Christine!!
We are a debt free, mortgage free couple. I retired in March at 51. My husband is retiring in Dec at 55. Living frugally gives you freedom. We will travel and spend quality time with family and friends. Looking forward to this next chapter.
You guys need to make it down here to AZ! We hike, camp, mountain bike (well, I hike while my partner goes on rides with his buddies), and paddle board. People think we're constantly traveling and that we live this lavish life. Nope, we sleep in our tent, I make all the food ahead of time, and we enjoy the outdoors! Now, I just need to get a handle on my grocery budget so I can start paying down my car loan and I'll be on track. Thanks for all your videos and for sharing your life here with us!
That was my question too...healthcare..premiums, copays, coinsurance, deductibles as well as home maintenance, car maintenance, vet costs, emergency fund...retirement saving and college costs (or a part of) for the kids,,,these are all items that need to be built into monthly budgets..
Yes, health care is huge even with insurance thru your employer. We are healthy and spend quite a bit for premiums thru employer and still spend more money for dental, vision and basic care.
It's lovely that you're still young and in good enough shape to enjoy all these active vacations! They're a treat after all your hard work to save all year. Smart thinking!
Great tips. But what about pet food en care? Medical bills? Kids activities? Going out as a family (movie, museum,…)? Gifts for family and friends? Home maintenance and renovations? Hairdresser? (Summer) camps? … Seems like I have so many extra categories in my budget 🧐
Good morning Christine! My husband and I are also debt-free! We have been for a couple of years now. Like you we choose to cook our meals at home. We only eat out occasionally. Our splurging usually is some sort of do-it-yourself project. Our date night is every week where we watch a movie on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn or some other snack that we fixed ourselves. Our kids are grown so we also have no diapers LOL. We also buy them bulk when things are on sale . And because we have done this for the last 5 years the inflation prices of the food hasn't really hit us . Thanks for sharing the video. Sending love and blessings from Washington State.
I am debt free 🎉 I don’t make a ton of money because I took a pay cut when I changed jobs and started working from home, but it has been so worth it. I save on so many typical expenses, and my peace of mind is PRICELESS!!
Undoubtedly, experiences make the best gifts! Quantity and quality time with the people we love and care about can have an eternal impact that a material possession never could.
We have recently basically cut out all eating out. It just costs so much when you think about it.. I can cook the food at home and usually it tastes better! I just have gotten to where I hate the idea of spending that much money on prepared food just for the convenience (especially when I think of what that one meal could have paid for!) Thanks for sharing! Inspirational/encouraging for sure!
I always buy food at the grocery store to cook when traveling -so much cheaper! You have given me an idea to look at daily costs instead of yearly/monthly costs. I agree it feel very “freeing” to have no debt!
For streaming services, I wait for Black Friday. Hulu does either 99 cents or $1.99/month for the year. Then I add Disney+ for $2.99, and I only pay $5 for both services per month a year.
Wow, I live in NYC, 34 years is same apt, rent $1650, elec and gas $200 internet/phone $150. Food is actually about $25-50 a week. Salary $90k. Health insurance $600 a month.
We are a retired couple. We do own our home in 1 city. I was gifted another by my parents in a very rural area. We are trying to sell the one in the city as we luv country life. We are living on our retirement. It's been a while since I've done a complete spend calculation. But yes, since we are frugal, you have inspired me to check again. Thanks, ... gt
I was really inspired by this video. The $450/mth food budget made me cry lol We really need a Publix, or Aldi here in Canada. We have nothing that compares. Prices here are ridiculous.
If it makes you feel better, Publix is a high-priced grocery store here. They're great for BOGO deals and some coupon stuff, but not general shopping. Just my opinion though.
We are traveling in the USA right now and not all food is cheaper here. Some things cost more and we have to pay the exchange as well 😱. I think if you have nothing to do but shop for food, then maybe you can find deals. I do agree with being frugal. I retired in my 50s and we are able to travel because we are savers, not spenders, except on experiences. 👍
Also remember, stay at home moms with young kids need life insurance too! If your spouse suddenly had to pay for childcare for several kids, it can cost a crazy amount. In some cases, thousands.
We worked it out with our insurance broker. 3 years until the youngest starts school... that's almost $44,000 in childcare alone. Plus someone to come clean, help with house maintenance, etc. If my husband didn't work from home we'd need extra for after school care as well. As hard as it is, do the math to figure what they would need (minimum) to get by without you there (realistically). We did $50,000 plus the amount of our mortgage to start with, and that just eases things so that, if that transition were to happen, my husband can cut his work hours to help the kids grieve.
i pay rent but i cut down on some of my expences, like i don't buy coffee everyday (i make my own at home and bring a travel mug), i started doing my own nails instead of going to the salon, i canceld my Netflix subscription, i try to shop clearance at grocery stores and take advantage of the promotions, i don't use a car to go to work but public transport
We could cut back in a lot of places especially eating out and streaming services. I spend more than necessary on books, but I do get a lot of those from thrift stores. We have less than two years left on our mortgage. My husband is a retired police officer, and I am in my 21st year of teaching. I also wait tables in the summer to make extra money.
This is amazing Christine. Congratulations on owning your home! Your videos are always so inspirational to me. Thank you for sharing and your steadfastness sparks me to work harder to be debt free sooner as well!💗
We just invested in an electronic cargo bike. We can use it in place of a car for 90% of our trips with the kids. School drop offs or going to sports ect. Definitely way cheaper then driving everywhere
My daily electric expense for just 2 people is about $5.50! We turn off lights in rooms we're not in, keep the thermostat low, and our water heater is gas. I'm not sure how to change our lifestyle any more to keep the cost down. Electric and phone plan are our two biggest utilities. 2 lines, 2 protection plans, unlimited everything, and home internet comes out to a little over $7 a day.
I like the breakdown of this video...and as someone who did DR's baby steps and got to the same level you're on, it is SO worth it to pay everything off! My only concerns would be 1. Savings ...for things like home repairs, car repairs, car additions (if/when for teens) and 2. Health insurance/care costs, including dental, vision, etc. (as a multiple dog owner, this would also include veterinary services). 🙂
Finally someone else mentioning Dave Ramsey baby steps. Most people will think you’re crazy, yet we’ll be laughing when we have zero debt and they’re living paycheck to paycheck. That gets old quickly. I follow Dave Ramsey baby steps. Changed my life pre Covid
Being on Social Security disability I can’t buy a house I can only rent one so I wish I’d be able to own my own house I don’t think that’ll ever be possible but hopefully in the future maybe something good will happen! Absolutely loving this video you’ve done fantastic and I don’t think I even spent that much in a year on a bunch of things cause I don’t travel very much and my bills in the house are low because my rent is only 750 currently and I’m lucky to have that wish I was able to have a house that was actually paid for but we’ll see what the future holds! Great video Christine you always do an amazing job the grocery budget holy cow you blew that one out of water fantastic
Hi Christine! Im a new subscriber from the Philippines 🇵🇭. I like your channel, been watching your past videos for days now and you're so fun to watch! And so many things to learn from you!
When my son was in middle and high school I would only buy 3 pair of jeans from a thrift store for him. One oaie to wear, one pair in case of emergency and one in the laundry. We were buying new sizes every month since he grew so fast. He hit 6'3" by the age of 16. He loved the used jeans because they didn't feel stiff. He still likes to shop thrift stores for jeans and he's now 35.
@@andielliott7721 my son wore a 14. We got him sneakers at thrift stores too. I just made sure I wioed them down inside wipe antiseptic wipes and then sprayed them down with Lysol. Being a single Mom with no help from his Dad, we had to do what we could. It was tough.
I love so many of these ideas. Since some crazy health stuff, my family has had to completely change the way we look at our lifestyle. It's worth it because my health is super important but it's also very hard. I really appreciate all of your encouragement. Listening to you, prepper princess, Alaska granny and a few others has made it so that I'm still managing to make ALL of the bills and live pretty comfortable on about 1/2 of what I used to make. Next goal is to make it on less so that I can save more. Luckily I only had to buy 2 outfits (both are pajamas because it's getting cold), the rest I was gifted, because I was completely out of winter stuff after dropping several pants sizes since last winter. Thank you so much
@@sct4040 works fine until it gets down to the 20s at night, then I need pj's to keep from turning the heat up. I would rather spend $13 on a set of fleece pj's than have to turn up the heat all winter and pay the extra electric bill
I haven't been tracking my finances as well as I used to because I've reevaluated vacations. I now get vacation pay & have a boss that lets us use sick pay (which is separate & accrues much faster) for vacations so while I can't afford to take a major trip I'm enjoying my home more. I live 35 minutes outside of NYC so I've been taking long weekends off work & doing stay-cations & day trips. I got a 10 trip rail road ticket that's discounted & lasts 6 months in May when I had some extra cash so Summer & fall fun was covered. While NYC can be expensive there are soooo many free things to do & pay what you can museums that transportation is often the biggest expense
How is the rental going? I found the rent on an investment unit I had did not cover the expenses. So the nickle and dime of saving on small stuff did not really compensate against larger losses.
I'm thinking it might be time to move out of Canada and set up shop wherever you are 😂 $400 hydro bill each month, food prices are outrageous, and the cheapest internet I can get is still $120/month. Just my house taxes alone were $2200 this year, not including insurance. We live frugally in an expensive part of the world. I really want to stress that your location really makes a difference! We plan to move to eastern Canada for a bigger house and better quality of life. 🙂
Expenses change drastically by where you live. I’m in Michigan and many of your items are double your cost. Luckily, we have been debt free for a long time and retired in our fifties. We saved like crazy to do so with no regrets. First step is to choose the life style you want.
As an owner of 30 acres in the horrible state of California. I do still pay a mortgage, obviously everything that entails, insurance etc. We have 17 motors on this property everything gets used. Tractor, riding lawn mower, quads, dirt bikes, way to many vehicles etc, Everything gets used. Almost on the daily. So our maintenance is high. We have 1 car payment mainly because I needed a new vehicle and didn't really feel like using all my cash to pay it off immediately. I will pay off next year ( want to show some payment history) Everything else we have boats, trailers etc is paid off. It feels good. To not have that burden on your shoulders. I should say that I only have another mortgage payment because I purchased more property. If you focus and hustle it's worth the debt free life.
great vid...i also own my home and cars...just have the normal bills...im rural so probably even cheaper...my own well...septic system...my house was built in 1860...no insurance unless i want to put in a new foundation..nope on that one...i resigned from my RN job last Sept...as a NY RN wasnt having any part of the jab...i have surprised myself on how little it actually cost to live if you tighten the belt a little...have always had a big garden..this yr expanded that since Im not working...added 12 chickens...only go to a store once every 2 weeks..surprising how much impulse buying i used to do...has been eye opening
I wish my utilities were that cheap. Water, sewer and electricity for just my husband and I (our house is 3200 sq ft) is $500 a month average. Our cell phone plan is $350 for 5 people (two of our daughters are still on our plan and my mother in law is on our plan as well). Internet and cable is $200. It is ridiculous, I know.
One day we will be debt free and it will be amazing! We are working towards that now and it’s a lot of work, but we’ve found some ways to help us save money. My main focus is on our grocery bill and allocating what we save on that to the student loan debt we have, which is minimal, but still debt.
My husband and I really need to do this. We have never had debt. But also don't have specifics about our expenses. I am surprised your vacations added up to that much. I definitely think your family would thrive if you homeschooled. Danya
I look for deals on streaming services. I have Hulu for $0.99 per month, I paid $20 for a year of Peacock and $49 for a year of Discovery +. That makes my streaming bill $6 per month and sooo much content. Hulu is supposed to be doing the Black Friday deal again where a year of Hulu is $0.99 per month. If you already subscribe you just need to sign up with a new email and credit card and you can get this deal. It’s the ad supported version but I don’t mind the ads, it’s just a bathroom break or a snack run without having to pause
I like in the UK - single, no kids, no mortgage/rent, no debt - my average spend (all household expenses, car, groceries, holidays, eating out and everything else!) is £18.66 ($21.07) per day!!
The only thing I'd add to your daily "expenses" is some $ for future "house repairs/replacement" and some $ for a future "new car". It's not really "savings" because you WILL spend this money at some point in the future (a new water heater, new appliances, new roof OR a new used car). It's basically a sinking fund. I get it, that some people will have enough wealth to either 'cash flow' large expenses from their paycheck OR a big enough investment portfolio to pull from - but I suspect most families won't be able to do this, so having a "sinking fund" that slowly builds over a few years - softens the blow of a Big Expense that isn't really an "emergency". Oh and a Big Congratulations on paying off your mortgage! (even though, I am NOT mortgage adverse and generally do not feel it's necessary to aggressively pay off a low interest rate, fits in one's spending plan mortgage. :) )
I like the idea of experiences instead of things and u can create more memories. Congratulations on house payoff that is awesome 🥳 u have taught me how to shop at Kroger markets thank you for that!
As always, the concept of saving with a tight budget isn't the difficult part, actually going through with it with discipline is. None of the channels I follow really provide a brand new thought process, they instead give real life experience of HOW to make it happen.
I love the closing thought of your video that hey, maybe your life doesn't have to cost a lot, maybe this amount of money (whatever it is to each person or household) is enough. You don't have to always earn more, you can also work less and enjoy life in your free time.
Hey I have a question! Don't you have a mortgage, though? You still have one on your rental, right? Or do you not count it because its rent pays for itself? We have a few mortgages and we always count them in the expenses because you never know.
That is so amazing that your food bill is so low! I have tried very hard to get our bill down but where we live it is super hard Abbotsford, BC, Canada 😢
when she said her save money on cleaning products hack was to stop cleaning so much... I felt that. 😆
that's what i do too hahaha 😅
My husband is a mechanic. We haven't had a car payment in 30 years. He also fixes up cars and resales. Side job that really comes in handy.
Debt free and mortgage free for years. Retired at 55. Such a mental relief. I admire anyone that strives to better themselves. Thank you for being a great example.
One thing my husband and I did when we were younger is when we did get a debt paid off…such as a car payment, we then used that amount to pay additionally on something else. I think some people call this the “snowball method”. It really helped a lot, and we also became debt free by being savvy with our expenditures! Great video, Christine!!
We are a debt free, mortgage free couple. I retired in March at 51. My husband is retiring in Dec at 55.
Living frugally gives you freedom.
We will travel and spend quality time with family and friends.
Looking forward to this next chapter.
Right !,, it’s very liberating,,
We both retired at 59.
I’m curious what you will do at that age for health insurance?
@@rachelcrossen8136 we are purchasing health, dental, vision through our employer plan at $740/person/month.
Bravo!!!
You and Dave are an amazing example for your beautiful family! Congratulations on achieving a healthy and successful life.
You paid off the house!!! 👏🏼
Well done! I loved watching the monthly budget videos you used to do showing the excel spreadsheets! So cool
You guys need to make it down here to AZ! We hike, camp, mountain bike (well, I hike while my partner goes on rides with his buddies), and paddle board. People think we're constantly traveling and that we live this lavish life. Nope, we sleep in our tent, I make all the food ahead of time, and we enjoy the outdoors! Now, I just need to get a handle on my grocery budget so I can start paying down my car loan and I'll be on track. Thanks for all your videos and for sharing your life here with us!
Great video -one thing missing is healthcare. For some, that is huge, especially in retirement.
That was my question too...healthcare..premiums, copays, coinsurance, deductibles as well as home maintenance, car maintenance, vet costs, emergency fund...retirement saving and college costs (or a part of) for the kids,,,these are all items that need to be built into monthly budgets..
@@robertaappleby2729 Yes, quite a few categories missing.
Yes, health care is huge even with insurance thru your employer. We are healthy and spend quite a bit for premiums thru employer and still spend more money for dental, vision and basic care.
No health insurance? Medical bills? Prescriptions? Braces for the kids? Kids sports costs?
It's lovely that you're still young and in good enough shape to enjoy all these active vacations! They're a treat after all your hard work to save all year. Smart thinking!
Great tips. But what about pet food en care? Medical bills? Kids activities? Going out as a family (movie, museum,…)? Gifts for family and friends? Home maintenance and renovations? Hairdresser? (Summer) camps? … Seems like I have so many extra categories in my budget 🧐
My kids also had so many expenses for school and sports
Good morning Christine! My husband and I are also debt-free! We have been for a couple of years now. Like you we choose to cook our meals at home. We only eat out occasionally. Our splurging usually is some sort of do-it-yourself project. Our date night is every week where we watch a movie on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn or some other snack that we fixed ourselves. Our kids are grown so we also have no diapers LOL. We also buy them bulk when things are on sale . And because we have done this for the last 5 years the inflation prices of the food hasn't really hit us . Thanks for sharing the video. Sending love and blessings from Washington State.
Great way to show that you don't need a lot...when you are frugal! I'm impressed with how you broke it all done too. Nicely done!
I am debt free 🎉 I don’t make a ton of money because I took a pay cut when I changed jobs and started working from home, but it has been so worth it. I save on so many typical expenses, and my peace of mind is PRICELESS!!
Undoubtedly, experiences make the best gifts! Quantity and quality time with the people we love and care about can have an eternal impact that a material possession never could.
Excellent advice Christine, so many ways to save, prioritize your spending and bring down debt.
So true!
We have recently basically cut out all eating out. It just costs so much when you think about it.. I can cook the food at home and usually it tastes better! I just have gotten to where I hate the idea of spending that much money on prepared food just for the convenience (especially when I think of what that one meal could have paid for!)
Thanks for sharing! Inspirational/encouraging for sure!
Yay, please please please tell me you're doing freezer meal clean out series again?? Love these!!!
Or what we eat in a week dinners 🙏
Congratulations on paying off your house! ❤️ My spouse and I bought our first house this year. I can't wait to pay it off 😂
I always buy food at the grocery store to cook when traveling -so much cheaper! You have given me an idea to look at daily costs instead of yearly/monthly costs. I agree it feel very “freeing” to have no debt!
I am glad you talked about gifts and presents. Every month, I usually have two-three gifts to buy and it can bite into your budget.
Hats off to you with your frugal travel etc. I love that and travel frugally myself. Best hack is to stop cleaning! hahaha!! lol! xx
Debt free living is amazing! It was a challenge to get here but well worth it now.
For streaming services, I wait for Black Friday. Hulu does either 99 cents or $1.99/month for the year. Then I add Disney+ for $2.99, and I only pay $5 for both services per month a year.
Wow, I live in NYC, 34 years is same apt, rent $1650, elec and gas $200 internet/phone $150. Food is actually about $25-50 a week. Salary $90k. Health insurance $600 a month.
Great recommendations and ideas. Your children are very blessed to have parents like you and your husband. 🎃
We are a retired couple. We do own our home in 1 city. I was gifted another by my parents in a very rural area. We are trying to sell the one in the city as we luv country life. We are living on our retirement. It's been a while since I've done a complete spend calculation. But yes, since we are frugal, you have inspired me to check again. Thanks, ... gt
Congratulations on buying the house this year!!! We are getting closers everyday to owning ours!❤
I do 7 bottoms and 12 to 14 tops for my kids. It saves on so much laundry.
We have one year left on our mortgage, can’t wait, it’s gonna be awesome
I was really inspired by this video. The $450/mth food budget made me cry lol We really need a Publix, or Aldi here in Canada. We have nothing that compares. Prices here are ridiculous.
I don’t even think I could do $450 biweekly.. we’re in NS and food costs are insane here. 😢
If it makes you feel better, Publix is a high-priced grocery store here. They're great for BOGO deals and some coupon stuff, but not general shopping. Just my opinion though.
We are traveling in the USA right now and not all food is cheaper here. Some things cost more and we have to pay the exchange as well 😱. I think if you have nothing to do but shop for food, then maybe you can find deals.
I do agree with being frugal. I retired in my 50s and we are able to travel because we are savers, not spenders, except on experiences. 👍
Also remember, stay at home moms with young kids need life insurance too! If your spouse suddenly had to pay for childcare for several kids, it can cost a crazy amount. In some cases, thousands.
We worked it out with our insurance broker. 3 years until the youngest starts school... that's almost $44,000 in childcare alone. Plus someone to come clean, help with house maintenance, etc. If my husband didn't work from home we'd need extra for after school care as well. As hard as it is, do the math to figure what they would need (minimum) to get by without you there (realistically). We did $50,000 plus the amount of our mortgage to start with, and that just eases things so that, if that transition were to happen, my husband can cut his work hours to help the kids grieve.
i pay rent but i cut down on some of my expences, like i don't buy coffee everyday (i make my own at home and bring a travel mug), i started doing my own nails instead of going to the salon, i canceld my Netflix subscription, i try to shop clearance at grocery stores and take advantage of the promotions, i don't use a car to go to work but public transport
Love this! I have a Vegas trip coming up and don’t want to spend a crap ton of money. These tips are appreciated
We could cut back in a lot of places especially eating out and streaming services. I spend more than necessary on books, but I do get a lot of those from thrift stores. We have less than two years left on our mortgage. My husband is a retired police officer, and I am in my 21st year of teaching. I also wait tables in the summer to make extra money.
This is amazing Christine. Congratulations on owning your home! Your videos are always so inspirational to me. Thank you for sharing and your steadfastness sparks me to work harder to be debt free sooner as well!💗
We just invested in an electronic cargo bike. We can use it in place of a car for 90% of our trips with the kids. School drop offs or going to sports ect. Definitely way cheaper then driving everywhere
My daily electric expense for just 2 people is about $5.50! We turn off lights in rooms we're not in, keep the thermostat low, and our water heater is gas. I'm not sure how to change our lifestyle any more to keep the cost down. Electric and phone plan are our two biggest utilities. 2 lines, 2 protection plans, unlimited everything, and home internet comes out to a little over $7 a day.
I absolutely LOVE that you broke it all down like this. It's genius! Great video.
I like the breakdown of this video...and as someone who did DR's baby steps and got to the same level you're on, it is SO worth it to pay everything off! My only concerns would be 1. Savings ...for things like home repairs, car repairs, car additions (if/when for teens) and 2. Health insurance/care costs, including dental, vision, etc. (as a multiple dog owner, this would also include veterinary services). 🙂
YES, multiple dog/cat/guinea pig household here (26) and vet bills are a big part of our budget!
Finally someone else mentioning Dave Ramsey baby steps. Most people will think you’re crazy, yet we’ll be laughing when we have zero debt and they’re living paycheck to paycheck. That gets old quickly. I follow Dave Ramsey baby steps. Changed my life pre Covid
Really appreciate your openness about your finances - it is very helpful, I have learned a lot! Thanks 🙏🏻 😊
I'm so glad!
Being on Social Security disability I can’t buy a house I can only rent one so I wish I’d be able to own my own house I don’t think that’ll ever be possible but hopefully in the future maybe something good will happen! Absolutely loving this video you’ve done fantastic and I don’t think I even spent that much in a year on a bunch of things cause I don’t travel very much and my bills in the house are low because my rent is only 750 currently and I’m lucky to have that wish I was able to have a house that was actually paid for but we’ll see what the future holds! Great video Christine you always do an amazing job the grocery budget holy cow you blew that one out of water fantastic
Hi Christine! Im a new subscriber from the Philippines 🇵🇭. I like your channel, been watching your past videos for days now and you're so fun to watch! And so many things to learn from you!
Great information. What about pet expenses?
Did I hear freezer clean out journey coming up! Squee!!!🤩🤩
Your family trips look so fun!
When my son was in middle and high school I would only buy 3 pair of jeans from a thrift store for him. One oaie to wear, one pair in case of emergency and one in the laundry. We were buying new sizes every month since he grew so fast. He hit 6'3" by the age of 16. He loved the used jeans because they didn't feel stiff. He still likes to shop thrift stores for jeans and he's now 35.
I know the feeling of trying to keep them in clothes. My son...6'3" at 15 and size 15 shoe. Trying finding shoes in that size!
@@andielliott7721 my son wore a 14. We got him sneakers at thrift stores too. I just made sure I wioed them down inside wipe antiseptic wipes and then sprayed them down with Lysol. Being a single Mom with no help from his Dad, we had to do what we could. It was tough.
@@sarahireland7727 Yep, I too was a single mom. I know that works.
I love so many of these ideas. Since some crazy health stuff, my family has had to completely change the way we look at our lifestyle. It's worth it because my health is super important but it's also very hard. I really appreciate all of your encouragement. Listening to you, prepper princess, Alaska granny and a few others has made it so that I'm still managing to make ALL of the bills and live pretty comfortable on about 1/2 of what I used to make. Next goal is to make it on less so that I can save more. Luckily I only had to buy 2 outfits (both are pajamas because it's getting cold), the rest I was gifted, because I was completely out of winter stuff after dropping several pants sizes since last winter. Thank you so much
@@sct4040 works fine until it gets down to the 20s at night, then I need pj's to keep from turning the heat up. I would rather spend $13 on a set of fleece pj's than have to turn up the heat all winter and pay the extra electric bill
Happy Monday Christine.
I haven't been tracking my finances as well as I used to because I've reevaluated vacations. I now get vacation pay & have a boss that lets us use sick pay (which is separate & accrues much faster) for vacations so while I can't afford to take a major trip I'm enjoying my home more. I live 35 minutes outside of NYC so I've been taking long weekends off work & doing stay-cations & day trips. I got a 10 trip rail road ticket that's discounted & lasts 6 months in May when I had some extra cash so Summer & fall fun was covered. While NYC can be expensive there are soooo many free things to do &
pay what you can museums that transportation is often the biggest expense
How is the rental going? I found the rent on an investment unit I had did not cover the expenses. So the nickle and dime of saving on small stuff did not really compensate against larger losses.
I'm thinking it might be time to move out of Canada and set up shop wherever you are 😂 $400 hydro bill each month, food prices are outrageous, and the cheapest internet I can get is still $120/month. Just my house taxes alone were $2200 this year, not including insurance. We live frugally in an expensive part of the world. I really want to stress that your location really makes a difference! We plan to move to eastern Canada for a bigger house and better quality of life. 🙂
Grocery is so ridiculous here 😔
Try your phone carrier for internet- not sure you have that in Canada, but we get ours through our phone carrier for $50/month all in
@@kristihartshorn9014 thanks for the tip!
Here in NY my taxes alone are $15k. About 900/month just for food and I coupon! Ugh.
Expenses change drastically by where you live. I’m in Michigan and many of your items are double your cost. Luckily, we have been debt free for a long time and retired in our fifties. We saved like crazy to do so with no regrets. First step is to choose the life style you want.
As an owner of 30 acres in the horrible state of California. I do still pay a mortgage, obviously everything that entails, insurance etc. We have 17 motors on this property everything gets used. Tractor, riding lawn mower, quads, dirt bikes, way to many vehicles etc, Everything gets used. Almost on the daily. So our maintenance is high. We have 1 car payment mainly because I needed a new vehicle and didn't really feel like using all my cash to pay it off immediately. I will pay off next year ( want to show some payment history)
Everything else we have boats, trailers etc is paid off. It feels good. To not have that burden on your shoulders. I should say that I only have another mortgage payment because I purchased more property. If you focus and hustle it's worth the debt free life.
You put out the best positive energy!
Loved this video, really good idea to think about daily cost of living expenses. Thanks for sharing, you are a great example to your kids, and to us!
This is great! Thank you for the insight and inspiration!
Love and blessings from Johanne, Norway 🇳🇴
Woohoo house being paid off! And before Haily graduates- you did it!
great vid...i also own my home and cars...just have the normal bills...im rural so probably even cheaper...my own well...septic system...my house was built in 1860...no insurance unless i want to put in a new foundation..nope on that one...i resigned from my RN job last Sept...as a NY RN wasnt having any part of the jab...i have surprised myself on how little it actually cost to live if you tighten the belt a little...have always had a big garden..this yr expanded that since Im not working...added 12 chickens...only go to a store once every 2 weeks..surprising how much impulse buying i used to do...has been eye opening
I wish my utilities were that cheap. Water, sewer and electricity for just my husband and I (our house is 3200 sq ft) is $500 a month average. Our cell phone plan is $350 for 5 people (two of our daughters are still on our plan and my mother in law is on our plan as well). Internet and cable is $200. It is ridiculous, I know.
Apparently I need to move somewhere warm like Idaho. Natural gas for 1050 square foot house $7.69 (I’m in northern Ontario)
I'm in awe of both your grocery spending and tha you have teens who will still bus it even when they have a license and a car,
being Debt free is our goal. we are selling house going to move out of state. but moving is hard. Thank you. I needed this
One day we will be debt free and it will be amazing! We are working towards that now and it’s a lot of work, but we’ve found some ways to help us save money. My main focus is on our grocery bill and allocating what we save on that to the student loan debt we have, which is minimal, but still debt.
Kindle paper white is life changing for books free amazon books
My husband and I really need to do this. We have never had debt. But also don't have specifics about our expenses.
I am surprised your vacations added up to that much.
I definitely think your family would thrive if you homeschooled.
Danya
only clean it if it needs cleaning. Tawra at Living on a Dime quote!
I look for deals on streaming services. I have Hulu for $0.99 per month, I paid $20 for a year of Peacock and $49 for a year of Discovery +. That makes my streaming bill $6 per month and sooo much content. Hulu is supposed to be doing the Black Friday deal again where a year of Hulu is $0.99 per month. If you already subscribe you just need to sign up with a new email and credit card and you can get this deal. It’s the ad supported version but I don’t mind the ads, it’s just a bathroom break or a snack run without having to pause
I also hope Hulu runs the black Friday deal again!
@@kristihartshorn9014 rumor is it’s happening again so be watching for it
I really love the way you framed this - thanks so much for sharing!
You are so lucky to not have to pay any health/dental/eye insurance. That totals $2,000/month for our family!
Did I miss this in the video? Maybe they insurance through spouse's employment?
Just got back from Redfish! Our favorite place.
Great video Christine!!,, always appreciated 🤗🤗
I love Brene Brown. I have not yet read Dare to Lead but it's in my pile to read.
I like in the UK - single, no kids, no mortgage/rent, no debt - my average spend (all household expenses, car, groceries, holidays, eating out and everything else!) is £18.66 ($21.07) per day!!
Congratulations on paying off your home 💜
Thank you so much 😀
I love audible. I also rent audiobooks from my Library.
Christine and family have a great week have fun thanks from Oklahoma
Thank you! You too!
I hope you are going to be doing videos on your freezer pantry clean out meals I love those
Would love more videos on saving money🎃 love your channel
Love seeing the breakdown per day of what things cost!
Such an attractive smart family..amazingly!
Hi Christine, do you consider bike maintenance and buying bikes a part of your travel costs?
We are only a few years out from being mortgage free, I can not wait!!!!
Woo-hoo! I know that is a good feeling.
The only thing I'd add to your daily "expenses" is some $ for future "house repairs/replacement" and some $ for a future "new car". It's not really "savings" because you WILL spend this money at some point in the future (a new water heater, new appliances, new roof OR a new used car). It's basically a sinking fund. I get it, that some people will have enough wealth to either 'cash flow' large expenses from their paycheck OR a big enough investment portfolio to pull from - but I suspect most families won't be able to do this, so having a "sinking fund" that slowly builds over a few years - softens the blow of a Big Expense that isn't really an "emergency". Oh and a Big Congratulations on paying off your mortgage! (even though, I am NOT mortgage adverse and generally do not feel it's necessary to aggressively pay off a low interest rate, fits in one's spending plan mortgage. :) )
How amazing is that you paid off your house. Good on you 👏
Went to hit the like button on the yearly total and advice... then realized I hit it for being nosy 🤣
I like the idea of experiences instead of things and u can create more memories. Congratulations on house payoff that is awesome 🥳 u have taught me how to shop at Kroger markets thank you for that!
We just paid off our house last month, and are completely debt free!
We try to do experiences instead of gifts. We’ve been to 9 countries this year, by the end of the year/beginning of next year we will visit 13.
Congratulations on paying off your house!! That's great!
Thank you!!
Nothing more better than a good content to get you back in shape 😅nice video
I trade with Kristin smith and she's also a college of Daniel
Boy the scammers are excited about this video 😂
I have no idea how much per day, I’m to scared to work it out 😂
I must say I LOVE your doors and the wall colour is lovely also.
As always, the concept of saving with a tight budget isn't the difficult part, actually going through with it with discipline is. None of the channels I follow really provide a brand new thought process, they instead give real life experience of HOW to make it happen.
I love the closing thought of your video that hey, maybe your life doesn't have to cost a lot, maybe this amount of money (whatever it is to each person or household) is enough. You don't have to always earn more, you can also work less and enjoy life in your free time.
How did you get points for tickets ?
Hey I have a question! Don't you have a mortgage, though? You still have one on your rental, right? Or do you not count it because its rent pays for itself? We have a few mortgages and we always count them in the expenses because you never know.
That is so amazing that your food bill is so low! I have tried very hard to get our bill down but where we live it is super hard Abbotsford, BC, Canada 😢
Fun inside look! Prices on the East Coast are much higher than what you are paying. Congrats on debt free, only way to be