Frugality

When you need to replace a phone before your cell service contract is up the price for a new phone can be quite steep.  As many of you pointed out Ebay is a great place to find a replacement phone and the price is much cheaper than buying one from the cell company.  You just need to be sure that the phone you buy works on your cellular network.  An even cheaper option is to find a friend or family member who has an old phone they no longer use and are willing to give to you.  After a little asking around I found three different people with old Sprint phone they were willing to give to me.  My new phone is an older model but it gets the job done and the price was right.  It will get me through to the end of my contract and I can get a new phone for cheap then if I want to do so.  With all the cheap phones available I can’t recommend getting the phone replacement plan the cellular companies sell unless you have an expensive phone and are unwilling to downgrade to a cheaper model if your phone is lost or stolen before the end of your contract.  Even if your phone isn’t lost or stolen you might want to take advantage of a used phone online to upgrade from your current phone.

I found the activation process to be very easy.  My experience was with Sprint but I would think other companies would have a similar process.  I just called customer service and read them the ESN off the back of the phone and my phone was activated within a few minutes.  You can also activate your phone online. Sprint has a step-by-step tutorial with pictures on how to activate a new phone. If you can follow simple directions you shouldn’t have any problem activating your phone online.  The process is so easy I’m considering buying a fancier used phone and upgrading before my contract is up.

There are a lot of blogger networks popping up and since I wasn’t invited to join any of them I decided to start my own. The Frugal Blog Network is a group of three other frugal bloggers and myself.  Our goal is to increase the quality of our content and the viewership of our blogs.

You should check out the other member sites but I’ll include a brief introduction of the member sites here.

1. Antishay Ventenne: Is a young Seattle resident who recently became debt free. You can learn a lot more about her at her About Me page.
2. Frugal Babe: Is a married twenty-something living in the suburbs of an anonymous city. Learn more about her at her About Me page.
3. Not Made of Money: Is a blog by a husband and wife team who live on one income. Visit their About Me page to learn more.
4. Tight Fisted Miser: Since you’re here you should already know who I am.  I’m a 40 year old law student living in Kansas City,MO.

We will operate like most other networks with weekly roundups and occasional group writing projects.  We’re also looking to add a couple more members.  If you have an established blog that at least somewhat pertains to frugality and would like to join send me an email.

After I posted about “My Experience with Food Stamps” and commented on a CNN article that featured a woman who found it difficult to feed her and her baby on $280 a month in food stamps.  I received a couple of long comments on that post that I want to spend more time on.  The first was from B, a homeless man who detailed how hard it was for him to eat on food stamps and states that the woman in the article shouldn’t be criticized because she can’t get by on her food stamps.  In response Skye shares her experience feeding her family of three, which included a baby, on less than $250 a month.

My response to B would be basically along the same line as Skye’s response.  I’m not guessing that the woman should be able to make the $280 a month in food stamps last all month.  I’m speaking from experience.  I regularly spend about $100 a month on food.  It shouldn’t cost a $180 more to feed a baby also.  I don’t doubt that the woman was having difficulty getting by on the food stamps but that is more likely from her making poor choices on food purchases than the amount be insufficient.  B does make a good point that his food costs are increased because he doesn’t have access to a refrigerator or a microwave.  Reading through his comment though it appears some of his problem stem from making poor food purchases.  First, he states that he drinks bottled water because he thinks tap water is unsafe.  That is unlikely.  Most bottled water actually comes from municipal water supplies.  I seriously doubt that bottled water is much better for you than tap water.  I normally drink tap water and only buy bottled water when I’m in a situation where I’m “forced” to buy it.  If you’re homeless than you probably should forgo any marginal health benefits you would get from drinking only bottled water.  Second, he states his alternative for cheap food is to buy food at the dollar store that is full of additives and preservatives.  There are better choices at your local grocery store.  Check out “20 Healthy Foods that Cost Less than a Buck” for some examples.  With a little planning of your food purchases you should be able to eat on $100 a month without too much problem. People that are interested in helping to make a difference in people’s lives, and help those that are benefiting from food stamps, may also consider looking into online social work programs.

If I don’t choose to give up my apartment and live in a van, my other choice for greatly reducing my monthly expenditures is going without a car.  My car is paid for but this year I’ve averaged $262.79 a month for transportation expenses.  That includes registration, licensing, gas, maintenance and repairs.  The average is skewed a little high due to having to replace my clutch earlier this year but with my car having 230,000 miles it is likely it will need more major work done before the end of the year.  Although getting rid of my car wouldn’t completely eliminate my transportation expenses I estimate it would save me approximately $200 a month.

Before getting rid of my car I need to determine if it is feasible for me to live without a car.  I live less than two miles from school so I could easily get there by bike.  I have a grocery store right across the street from my apartment and my bank, the post office, a drugstore, and several restaurants are within walking distance.  If you’d like to see what is within walking distance of your neighborhood visit WalkScore.com.  Just note that the distances are measured as the crow flies and the businesses are pulled from Google Directory and aren’t always accurately described.

The problems with not having a car would be seeing my girlfriend and working.  Looking at the bus schedule it would take about one hour each way to see her which is longer than I’d prefer. It might be workable though.  Another option would be for her to always come see me or for her to come and pick me up.  That isn’t really a reasonable option and I’m not seriously considering it.  I deliver pizzas for a living which would be impossible to do without a car.  That would mean I’d have to find a new job or make all my money online.  I like my job but gas prices are making it less rewarding.  If I were to quit the job I’d probably have to find a new one since I’ve still got quite a way to go before my online income can cover my expenses.  I’d also have to rent a car or ride a bus when I wanted to visit my mom which would eat up some of the money saved by not having a car.

It does look like I could get by without a car.  Most likely I’ll choose to live in a van rather than go without a car though.  This is simply because I like the freedom of being able to get in my vehicle and go. That isn’t a financial reason but sometimes the personal trumps the finance.  I do encourage everyone to consider whether they could live without a car.

I’m thinking about living in a van to lower my living expenses. I’ve already done all the usual frugal stuff but I feel the need to do more. To make any significant reduction now I have to eliminate either my apartment or my car. I decided to go with eliminating the apartment.

Ever since reading Blue Highways in high school I fantasized about traveling the country in a van but never got around to doing it. Eventually that dream expanded from just taking a trip but having a full-time adventure. After joining the Vandwellers group on Yahoo and reading various blogs by van dwellers,such as HoboStripper (NSFW), I’ve realized that this dream is actually quite feasible and I intend to make it a reality this year.

My plan is to move into a van when my lease terminates at the end of October. I’ll purchase a van in August or September so I’ll have plenty of time to prepare it for living in. My needs for the van will be very simple. I just need somewhere to sleep and the ability to store things. I’ll take my showers at the fitness center at school. I have my own carrel at school where I can keep my books and a small amount of other stuff. It also has an electrical outlet that I can use to charge my laptop and cell phone. For food I can use the microwave at school and keep a small amount of food in the refrigerator there. There is also an ice machine which I might utilize ice from occasionally. For my bed I’m just going to use a couple camping pads stuffed in a sleeping bag with a folded comforter on top. I’ve used this combo before and it is comfortable.

I don’t really think it will be difficult to live in the van while attending school. There are plenty of vehicles parked there overnight so my van shouldn’t draw any attention. This should save me about $400 a month and get my living expenses to a minimal level. This idea of living in a van down by the river probably seems crazy to some but I welcome any comments,suggestions, or questions you might have.