the ultimate cheapskate

Braeden and I really like reading aloud to each other. During our many recent road trips we've read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and gotten part-way through Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. At home (well, at my home) we just finished The Dinner Diaries (and decided that the lady was a crazy person) and are almost through The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches by Jeff Yeager and tell you what, this book, above all others we've read together so far, has changed our lives.

In honor of good ol' Jeff Yeager this week Braeden and I are embarking on a week of fiscal fasting. What is a fiscal fast, you ask? It's and entire week of not spending any money. Braeden and I have tried variations of this by celebrating No Money Mondays and other single days where we tried not to spend any money (and were more successful some times than others) but this time we're aiming for a full week.

Since we just decided to do it today (which means no stockpiling preparation for our money-less week) we've decided on one agreed-upon exception: milk. Due to a series of events during grocery shopping last week we only ended up buying a half a gallon of milk as opposed to a whole gallon, so we both agreed that when the milk runs out this week, if we decide we need more, we can go to the store and buy a gallon. But that's it: nothing else.

The idea is that through this fiscal fast we'll become more aware of our spending habits and those things that we can easily (or not so easily) live without. And, since we're in the "lean graduate school years" as Janet Nelson calls then, we figure a week without spending any money can only help our financial situation.

I'll keep you updated. In the mean time, check out Jeff Yeager's book for yourself. Trust me, it'll totally change the way you think about money.

PS HAPPY EASTER!