Interview with the Frugal Husband (from Our Frugal Life)

• What influenced you to start Our Frugal Life?

When my wife and I got married we were living on only my income. We started this blog because we wanted to share our experiences on how to make the most out of a little. We have found that it really does not matter how much you make, but what you do with what you have. We wanted a blog that would be practical and helpful to others.

• Your blog has a lot to do with sales at stores and coupons, where do you guys get the ideas to blog?

I have a variety of different ways I find sales and coupons. A majority of my ideas come through personal experience, forums, other blogs, and other websites. I also find deals through local circulars, radio, and looking through the newspaper. I also talk with others to find ideas.

• Does personal experience play a key part in what you guys blog about?

Yes, personal experience plays a key role in our blog. Each week we post our CVS deal and other frugal activities that we have participated in. I try my best to only post those things that I have got for free or bought.

• What are your favorite financial topics to blog about?

I love to blog about online surveys, banks, and credit cards. It has become a hobby to look for the best bank deals (higher interest rates) and credit cards (best reward deals). My most favorite thing is writing about online survey companies that I belong to. I have a whole web page (http://ourfrugallife.com/?page_id=120) dedicated to my reviews of online survey companies. My wife’s favorite thing to blog about is her weekly CVS deal (and she’s really good).

• Is it fun to work together as a husband/wife team battling the debts and high prices in this world?

Yes, my wife and I love to spur each other on to find the best deals. Over the last two years we have worked as a team to payoff $30,000 worth of student loan and car debt. We are debt free today and loving it! Now we work as a team to save as much as we can and finding the best deals is very helpful in doing that.

• What is some financial advice you could give our readers who are young married couples?

We are a young married couple and I would give this advice. If you are a Christian couple, first you cannot separate God from your finances and you must honor him with your money. For those who do not share our faith, I believe these four tips are helpful:

Communication is fundamental. This is common sense. If you cannot talk about money, you will never get on the same page. It takes clear communication to set up a budget together and to decide on financial decisions that affect you both. The quicker you do this, the easier things will be. Also, the goal is not to be in total agreement on everything or to get your way, but to respect one another and be able to compromise for the best of both of you.
Trust one another. I believe you have to trust your spouse with money. We have laid a foundation that we trust each other with small purchases and we talk about any big purchases. The money we make individually is ours corporately and we trust one another that we will not misuse it. Since we are united in money, any decision we make is going to affect both of us. I’m not there to control how my wife spends money, I trust her that she will be wise.
Setting goals together. My wife and I have set goals to become completely debt free and to save for a home. That means that we are making big sacrifices today for greater satisfaction tomorrow. If you have the same goals, then you both will seek ways to be frugal.
Seeking each other’s knowledge. There are some areas that my wife has expertise in that I have no clue about, and likewise with my knowledge. We seek each other on those areas and it becomes an opportunity for us to both share our thoughts.

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