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Proud to be an American Frugal in a failing global economy.

I awakened one morning to the realization that the world was in a mess. Upon further investigation, (looking at my check register) I concluded it was me, and not the world, that was in a mess. How I came to be in this situation was no mystery. A well paying job, shopping sprees, outings with the family, vacations and unmonitored spending got me here, and the exact opposite was the only thing going to get me out.

Then, I lost my job, like so many others around the world.

It was time to make saving money a lifestyle. I was raised in a frugal, spend-thrifty family, and I knew spending patterns and behavior are learned and therefore, it only made sense that it would take some time for me to re-learn and even longer for the other three members of our household to adjust.

I had made my decision; no more extravagant purchases. No more grand gift giving buffet's. No more prime-time shopping sprees with the girls. And absolutely no more unmonitored spending!

I can't count the times I went to the ATM for a small amount of cash for a small purchase only to leave with a large amount of cash 'just in case'. From my mistakes I can tell you, 'just in case' cash turns in to no cash. The more I carried on me, the more was spent. We always "needed' something from the store.

I cut my ATM card into tiny pieces. If you find my experience similar to your own, then by all means, get your scissors.

The next thing I recall doing was to hold a family meeting of sorts. No one listened, but it did make my plan seem more real if not somewhat insane. I had decided to put the entire family on a budget, not just me, not just the grocery list, but the entire family. Everyone was going to experience the joy of saving as a lifestyle!

The first thing to get confiscated was the food from the pantry. We weren't going to eat everything we wanted, when we wanted, all day long. There would be more meal preparations and a set dinner time.

Next, I demanded, yes, demanded my son and his girl-friend begin to pay some of the expenses around the house. They complied. I will add that my son and his girl-friend were both nineteen, and as such, were, in part, responsible for a share of utilities.

Thankfully, I was the only one to lose a job. We still had three sources of income to rely upon, granted, two were part time positions but when times get tough, money is money, right?

We managed like this until my boy-friend was laid off. Things just got tougher.

This time it was for real. We weren't just saving money to 'learn' another lifestyle, we were going to be putting that education to good use, living a frugal lifestyle. Two part time jobs and what little money we had saved up to this point was the only thing keeping us afloat.

"Telling" everyone not to impulse shop, or rather, not to shop at all wasn't something they were going to take too kindly. But I had somehow over-looked what intelligent adults the children had grown in to, and they soon became professional, smart shoppers. Shopping with coupons and thrift stores only, they accumulated a nice savings for themselves and still kept everyone afloat until times got a little better. And times did, indeed, get a little better.

It was unfortunate that it took the prospect of losing everything to show my entire family how important it is to live a modest lifestyle and save, but I wouldn't change a thing!

Learn more about this author, Crystal Molott-French.
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