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For Jason and Danielle Wagasky, $14,000 is enough for their family of four to live comfortably and debt-free all year.
According to 2012 federal guidelines, a family of four living on $14,000 a year puts them $9,000 below the poverty line. The median household income in the U.S. was $50,054 in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but the Wagasky family’s frugal approach has them living a life that is “blissful and domestic,’’ according to the title of Danielle’s blog.
For four years, the couple and their kids, Keigan and Libby, have managed with careful planning, using a clothes line in lieu of a dryer and making their own laundry soap. Danielle, 28, shares her tips for frugal living on her blog, writing about how she learned to cook and how her husband built their kitchen.
“I’m happier this way,’’ Danielle told TODAY Friday. “I feel like we’re happier. We’re a better family.â€...
Scott McMahan wrote: ...you see they paid up-front for their car and house out of a lump sum of money.
I might add, a lump sum paying for a radically discounted foreclosure sale in one of the worst counties for this in the nation. Also, it's easier for military families to be frugal; they get more gov't benefits.
We're debt-free too, but not because of any windfalls like this.
Well, if you read the article, you see they paid up-front for their car and house out of a lump sum of money. Not many people will be able to eliminate the two biggest expenses families have. If this family had paid for the car and house on a monthly basis, their expenses would be about the same as any low-income family's expenses. They're not really living on less money, they're just moving the numbers around.
By the way, they also say they use credit cards only for emergencies. Was it really a wise decision to drain their savings to the point they have to rely on credit cards to cover emergency expenses? A home loan, or a car loan, would have significantly lower interest rates than the credit cards.
Christopher000 wrote: They are great examples; proving that it can be done. Hard to believe, but they are doing it...good for them.
Good for them, and good luck to them. But actually their story suggests that it cannot be done.
Living on $14,000 a year requires you to have saved sufficient resources to have paid cash up front for your home and two cars. The reality is that they covered their current year living expenses with their savings. And those credit cards that they use for emergencies over and above the $14,000 - will also need to be paid for. Also, presumably their medical insurance costs are covered from the same source as the $14,000. Again, good for them for their wisdom, foresight and good fortune, but the reality is that $14,000 is not sufficient for a family of four to live on.
Christopher000 wrote: They are great examples; proving that it can be done. Hard to believe, but they are doing it...good for them. I am going to check out their blog for some tips. We do faily well bit spend foolishly and compulsively. I am a gadget, electronics freak, and my wife, well, she loves her boots, shoes, clothes, beauty products, scarves, coats, handbags, oh, and have I ever mentioned that she loves to talk? Sorry, JPW...ha-ha. Julie? Jennifer? Jaclyn? Josephina? Jeannette? Hmmm.
Now, if I were a betting man, I would say your wife spends more than you? If you ever want to see who is driving our economy, go to a department store and see who is standing at the registers.
They are great examples; proving that it can be done. Hard to believe, but they are doing it...good for them. I am going to check out their blog for some tips. We do faily well bit spend foolishly and compulsively. I am a gadget, electronics freak, and my wife, well, she loves her boots, shoes, clothes, beauty products, scarves, coats, handbags, oh, and have I ever mentioned that she loves to talk? Sorry, JPW...ha-ha. Julie? Jennifer? Jaclyn? Josephina? Jeannette? Hmmm.
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Dr. Alan Cairns | 2/8/2009
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