RichardI don’t want to tempt fate but here in the UK it finally looks like spring might be on it’s way.
The clocks have just changed – making it lighter in the evening so it certainly has that spring-like feeling.
With Easter just round the corner and my vegetable seeds going in it’s an exciting time of year.
Just like last month I’ve been keeping tabs on the frugal living and personal finance articles that really “floated my boat” in order to share them with you dear readers.
And I haven’t been disappointed. Some of the blogs that I read regularly have published some real gems that I’m thrilled to be able to share with you. Hopefully you’ll find some articles of interest below that will both entertain and inform – I know they won me over in a big way!
So without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff – my favorite frugality-related articles from the last month. Enjoy!
Why Job Interviews Don’t Need To Be Scary
If you ever needed proof that I’m a little “odd” then it’s this: I’ve actually always enjoyed job interviews. Something about the challenge I think. However I know I’m in the minority and most people dread the process. If so, this smashing little article will help to calm your nerves and clear your mind.
Laurie discusses how your mindset can affect your abilities to pay off debt. I’ve been saying for a long time that becoming debt free is as much about psychology as it is about money so it’s refreshing to see another blogger discussing a subject I’m so passionate about.
The Only Secret to Paying off Your Debts is Really to Make More Money
This is something of a controversial article; after all many personal finance bloggers claim that you need to be reducing your costs and becoming more frugal to pay off debt rather than earning more money. But this is a convincing argument, and from my own experiences I can confirm that increasing my income had a far larger effect on becoming debt free than reducing my expenses.
How to Survive On Minimum Wage
Minimum wage sucks. But is it realistic? Can one really live on such a small income or not? This article aims to answer that question by creating a sample budget to see just how far you can stretch your money and what you’ll have to give up to survive.
How to Save BIG on Household Goods (Without Leaving Home)
From toilet rolls to cleaning products we all buy a wide assortment of household goods each month. If you want to be more frugal there’s a surprisingly simple way to save money – without giving up the products you love. I won’t spoil the surprise but if you’re trying to spend less money then this is one article you should check out.
Losing your job sucks – and not just from a financial perspective. But with enough warning there are things you can do to insulate yourself from the worst. This article is worth checking out even if you’re comfortably employed right now because if a situation like this does ever occur, it’s nice to have some “insider tips”.
Early Retirement: Its All in the Numbers
The gentlemen over at Three Thrifty Guys once again published a real shiner in which the math of early retirement is teased apart. Wondering if you’ll ever be able to retire early? Confused on how much money you’ll need? Your answers are all here.
The Mental Prison Of Being Poor
I struggle to describe this personal finance article. I suppose in essence it relates to the psychology of debt, financial servitude and freedom from financial worry. It’s not just entertaining – personally I found this the most inspiring and thought-provoking article on early retirement and financial freedom I read all month.
Do You Value Items In Terms Of Hours Worked?
Here’s a simple way to save money; before you spend anything think less about it’s price and more about how many hours you have to work to pay for it. It’s a trick I’ve been using for some years and found it to have a suprisingly positive impact on my budgeting.
Seven Tactics to Avoid Wasting Food
I hate waste full stop, but wasting food seems like a ridiculous way of spending more money than you need to. Fortunately the team at The Simple Dollar are here with some commonsense tips to use more of the food you buy.
What personal finance lessons did you learn last month? What articles really stood out to you? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below…
Minimum wage only leaves you with about $1,000 a month, but I found that it is possible to survive on this amount! It just takes very careful budgeting and planning. Thanks for mentioning my article.
My pleasure Derek – it was a great read and very interesting – especially to see the contrasts between minimum wage and monthly costs in the US when compared to the UK (where I am). Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about health insurance over here!
Thanks SO much for the mention, Richard!! I’m right there with you in hoping spring is on the way. We still have a good bit of snow on the ground, but it was near 60 degrees F here this week, so that’s a start, right? We’ll be getting our seeds started in the greenhouse this week – yay!
Thanks Laurie! We’ve been lucky in the UK – I’ve barely seen any snow at all – though we did have a lightning hit last week! The first one I’ve ever personally experienced and it was quite something.
My tomatoes and peppers are up, with plenty more veggies planted over the weekend. Here’s to a great vegetable-growing season 🙂
Thank you for some links I have not seen.
I know you are a grocery store manager in the UK, so I wanted to ask you some things about this.
Do you have many part-timers who work for you as a second job?
Do you have many older or semi-retired workers as well?
I was trying to decide if I should consider taking a part-time job to accelerate debt repayment. I’m worried about getting debt fatigue and just want to get this over with! ha ha
Thanks, Richard
Hi Debs,
We do have some part-timers who work here as a second job though we do look for flexibility in our team due to the nature of the business so juggling the two jobs can be a struggle for some people. However at least in the company I work in it’s more of a “young persons gig” than for older or semi-retired individuals mainly because the job is quite physical (everyone mucks in – people are very rarely “just a cashier”).
That said, I know managers who work for other supermarkets and they certainly do take on older staff.
I think the general feeling among my peers is that more mature staff – even those just looking for part time work – tend to be more reliable and have a better work ethic than the younger generation with their parties and over-active social lives 😉
As a result of all this, I think a second job in a grocery store might absolutely be a solution worth considering based on what you’ve said.