Need to get my frugal on

Can anyone recommend a book or website that can help motivate me to save money? When I google frugal living or something similar I find advice on how to reduce spending. I know how, I just don't want to. Well I want to but I need some motivation.

go sit for 3 hours in the welfare line... that's what i just did.... that'll give ya some motivation.


You can do it! I know you can!


^ That's me giving you a pep talk.

The Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey or anything at all by Suze Orman (sp?)

DaveRamsey.com or any of his books. The forums are worth the $10 a month. I used to be on there.

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and I KNOW how you feel!!!

Do you have a mortgage? Go look at an amortization schedule.

Our house has a 20 year mortgage with a balloon due after 10 years.

So we started sending in any and all we could to beat down the principal and in turn, the interest.

When we got the house the balloon was something around $45k. In just 18 months by making $150 a month extra in payments and sending in an extra payment here and there, as of now the balloon is about $9k.

Not saying to make that much extra, but every bit helps. We have saved $36k in interest just by that extra each month.

When I looked at an amortization table, my "frugal" flipped on so fast I spun around and landed on the floor.

Look for the book, The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. There are some crazy frugal ideas in there!
Also, don't do things you fed into doing. IE: Eating fast food, buying everything instead of making it, and think "green!"

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I did that too. I'd be careful though. We now are about to lose the $105K house we only owe half of.....I'd bank a bundle. You never know what's next in this economy or how long it's going to be unstable.

I ordered The total money makeover since the wait at the library was very long. It's supposed to have inspirational stories.

My problem is that I have a secure job and my husband finally got a permanent job after working as a temp for nearly a decade with lots of time off between gigs. I feel so fortunate and I see people struggling so I want to stimulate the economy. Like today I stopped at a feed store because they had a "chicks in" sign up. I was the only one in the store so I bought some cat food because I don't want them to go out of business or layoff anyone. I don't need any cat food but I spent the last of the cash I had and now I feel stupid. I just need to stop popping in places. When stores are empty and full of sad workers with stuff on sale I just have to buy something. When the economy was good I'd go to buy something I need but walk out empty handed because the store was too busy, now I'm getting stuff I don't need. I want to pay off my debt and take a vacation but all these little purchases are adding up getting in the way of my goals.

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Hun paying your bills IS stimulating the economy! You can't stimulate everybody's wallet, but getting out of debt will allow you to make bigger purchases down the line that will make a bigger difference than a bag of cat food. I can't wait till you get that book! I have it...it's REALLY eye opening.