Introduction

I’ve been writing a blog for some time now about my Journey to Simplicity, but some of the posts veer off of the subject and into what I have realized is a pursuit of frugality.  As a result I have decided to create another blog to separate the subjects and hopefully benefit my readers.

Those who have been following me know that I am a single mother with a goal of living simply and frugally to be as much of a stay-at-home mother as a single mother can be without government assistance or a generous boyfriend.

This blog will record my financial journey.

Why $500 or Less?

I picked the number $500 for several reasons.

1. A lot of people I know and love live on disability, retirement, or unemployment benefits in the $500 a month range.
2. I have heard of bloggers who are earning $500 a month on their blogs.  Should I earn $500 a month from my blogs, I would be delighted!
3. I’ve encountered blogs out in the blogosphere about living on $1,000 a month. I know I can do better.
4. My recurring monthly bills are already in the $500 a month range, so this is a workable goal

Do You Really live on $500 a Month?

Honestly, I don’t know how much I live on right now.  I haven’t really figured it up lately. I work from home as a freelance writer and do computer repair work out of the home so my actual income goes up and down.  I work to keep my recurring expenses as low as they can go to cover the lean months, and either splurge or save on the fat months.

I have been working toward this goal for years.  As a result my van is paid for as well as the mobile home I live in. The lot rent is $100 a month, and I pay approximately $160 every six months on auto insurance.

Let’s figure this up to see how much I am paying out this month (March 2009):

Lot Rent	$100.00
Electric Bill (Heating/Cooling)	$120.36
Water/Sewage Bill (est.)	$30.00
DSL Internet	$43.95
Home Phone (MagicJack)	$1.67
My Cell	$8.33
Daughter’s Cell	$8.33
The Dreaded Credit Cards	$88.00
Car Insurance	26.67
Totals	$427.30

 

Okay, I’m doing a bit better than I thought. The electric bill is on the high side because I heat with an electric furnace. Also, those electric charges are from last month (February) since they run about a month behind on billing.  I couldn’t find my water/sewage bill so I had to guess.

This of course does not include groceries, pet food, gasoline and all the other goodies of living in this world. I’ve honestly not tried to keep track of all of my expenditures since 2002 when I first moved out on my own.

I’ll have to start doing that again.

My Goals:

• I want to own the land I end up living on free and clear. I don’t care if I live in a shack in the woods so long as we are clean and fed with high-speed Internet.
• I want to earn a living entirely on-line. The main reason being that I can make my own hours doing something that I love.
• I want to write a book on simple, frugal living.
• I want to see how low I can go with my bills, just to see what I am capable of.
• I want to enjoy my life and enjoy my daughter while she is young.
• I want to thumb my nose at consumerism and corporate America.

My Dreams:

These may sound silly, but here they are:

copyright of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

• I want a Tiny House on wheels, like this beautiful Fencl.  I want a compost toilet in it with either a basic shower or the smallest tub that would fit.
• I want my own land. I want to be able to do what I want on my land without having to worry about kissing somebody’s behind.
• I want to live life in peace doing things that give me joy, like writing, living simply and enjoying my family and friends.
• I want to make sure my sister always has a home to call her own. I want to have more than enough and be close enough to share with her (but far enough we don’t annoy each other).
• I want to have the ability to hook up to this tiny house and experience America with it. I want to ride bareback on the ocean shore and ride a mule down the Grand Canyon to camp out, then come back to my tiny little home on wheels to rest up for the next adventure!
• I want to take all of you with me through my blogs.

I told you my dreams were kinda silly!

Anyhow, this is who I am and what I’m about.  Can I do all of this?  Who knows, but it will be an incredible ride!