Cassandra Beachum

Welcome: Hi, thanks so much for taking an interest into the inner workings of my blog.

About me: Some of my loves include- God, family, friends and helping others. Frugality has been passed down over the generations in my family, it's something that I'm honored to have been a part of and to pass on to anyone who can benefit from it.

It has been my experience that the same frugality that was passed down to me, has been on occasion- the difference between being able to make a house payment and put food on our table or not having enough money to accomplish both & having to choose one over the other.

Short History: Our family has traveled the full range of the financial ladder. Up, down, up and back down again. At times making a fairly decent amount of money but making decisions that put us further in debt and causing more stress than when we were broke but out of debt. We realized a change was in our future one way or the other and it was up to us to take control before we lost it all.

The Beginning of the change: I started with what I knew and that was to make do with what I had on hand. Buy only the essentials for an entire month. Take inventory and make a menu to use the items I had on hand. Then I needed to find a budget, at that point any budget was better than nothing. I immediately started my rationing of items. Now it was time to make a goal. Next I started tracking my spending and went to cash envelope method... You can find the rest in my " My first steps toward becoming financially independent" post. I still have a long way to go and it's an ever changing post, but my goal is closer everyday.

Present day: We are credit card free and paying cash for anything we need. It takes hard work and a lot of discipline but we're slowly getting there. Notice I say "need". We are far from our goal of being financially independent, but now- at least the light at the end of the tunnel feels more like sunshine instead of a train.

You're invited: You are invited to check back daily to read new experiences and leave your comments or your own personal tips that work for you that may be helpful to others. Please remember to keep your comments friendly. Thank you.