Which makes me wonder if it’s really worth the amount of attention that these things receive. I think for most people, solving the larger problems would be more beneficial. Trent didn’t solve his problem by not buying coffee and bagels. He took far more drastic measures. For people who are struggling to make ends meet, they probably aren’t buying coffee and bagels (and maybe they are.) They need “bigger” advice.

The scope of this blog has narrowed to the point that I’m not sure how useful it is to people who aren’t already on sound financial footing. That’s where Trent is, so I guess it’s reasonable to expect it to happen that way, but it also seem like Trent is struggling with fresh ideas. Maybe taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture could help, not only him, but the people who visit his blog.

Just my opinion.

That’s a boring but stable strategy. Not much to discuss on it except your preferred percentages in stock/bond/cash, which near everyone assumes is age dependent (eg 120-Age = stock market percent, rest bonds).

The beauty of frugality is that anyone can do it. It doesn’t take a college degree, high IQ, or huge investment in tools and resources. If you reduce your cost of living 10%, as compared to families in equal financial circumstances, the first year that 10% doesn’t seem like a huge difference… but do this for ten years, and your net worth starts to pull away from your peers. They are puzzled how you are doing better. But it is because you’ve saved and invested that 10%, including buying tools, freezer, and other items that help you further reduce your cost of living.

However frugality does have reasonable limits. I see my married daughter in this situation, where she is doing just about every trick in the book, and still they are treading water, and also behind in medical bills. They clearly need to find ways to earn more money, including hubby finding another day of work (which he can easily do with his profession). But I also see that they do not maximize their free time. There are some hours a day when children are sleeping, or do not require their attention. This time needs to be spent more productively than watching movies and playing computer games.

For families that are treading water, these little amounts of money than can be saved, and small chunks of time that could be spent better, are all they have to improve their situation and get a little financial breathing room.