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This is an ongoing series of book reviews - in parts, on money-related books.

The first is this series is called America’s Cheapest Family - Gets You Right on Money by Steve and Annette Economides. According to them, this is the guide to living better, spending less, and chasing in on your dreams!

Here’s what they have accomplished so far:

- Paid off a house in 9 years on limited income (average income approx $35k/yr)
- Paid cash for all their cars
- Remodeled kitchen without a home equity loan
- Enjoyed fabulous debt-free vacations
- Fed a growing family (of 2+5) on a grocery budget of $350/mth
- Put savings in the bank!

On Vacations

Vacations should be events that build positive interactions and create long-lasting, fun-filled memories, not short weeks that stress you out because they’re breaking the bank.

Consider being a tourist in your own state (country). Pick up a guide book and look up places you can visit and day tours you can go for. Many museums select one day each month to be free to the public. You’ll be amazed at the wide array of options available.

Home Recreation Ideas:

- Make it Thanksgiving in July! Enjoy a complete turkey dinner for the family
- Borrow/Rent Movies, maybe even an odie, prepare popcorn and pretend you’re in a cinema
- Go Bowling. Some alleys have discounted rates. Check out the times
- Try backyard Camping. If you don’t have a backyard, camp out in the living room.
- Go to discount theaters.
- Enjoy Game Days. Pull out all your board & card games and have fun with them.
- Have Christmas in July! Do some Christmas shopping at thift stores
[Editor's note: Going to Daiso might work for this one.]
- Take a Free Tour
[Editor's note: There are guided map tours for areas around town]

Edu-Vacation:
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This is an ongoing series of book reviews - in parts, on money-related books.

The first is this series is called America’s Cheapest Family - Gets You Right on Money by Steve and Annette Economides. According to them, this is the guide to living better, spending less, and chasing in on your dreams!

Here’s what they have accomplished so far:

- Paid off a house in 9 years on limited income (average income approx $35k/yr)
- Paid cash for all their cars
- Remodeled kitchen without a home equity loan
- Enjoyed fabulous debt-free vacations
- Fed a growing family (of 2+5) on a grocery budget of $350/mth
- Put savings in the bank!

On Staying Healthy

- Drink lots of water
- If someone is sick in the house, wipe down all commonly used objects with disinfectant (eg. doorknob, light switches, telephones etc.)
- Wash your hands when you return home from outside
- Get 10-15 minutes sunshine a day so your body can produce beneficial Vitamin D
- Exercise
- Bleach can work wonders killing germs
- Consider Herbs and Natural Remedies.
(check out Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch)
- Avoid Antibiotics. They are expensive and kill both good and bad bacteria.
- Keep your bowels operating.
- Be a leaner. If your kid has asthma, become a asthma expert.
- Book it. Start reading up and invest in your own well-being.

On Entertainment & Recreation

Having fun doesn’t have to cost a bomb. Steve and Annette are convinced that meaningful memories can be created with little or no cost if you know where to look.

Holiday Recreations

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This is an ongoing series of book reviews - in parts, on money-related books.

The first is this series is called America’s Cheapest Family - Gets You Right on Money by Steve and Annette Economides. According to them, this is the guide to living better, spending less, and chasing in on your dreams!

Here’s what they have accomplished so far:

- Paid off a house in 9 years on limited income (average income approx $35k/yr)
- Paid cash for all their cars
- Remodeled kitchen without a home equity loan
- Enjoyed fabulous debt-free vacations
- Fed a growing family (of 2+5) on a grocery budget of $350/mth
- Put savings in the bank!

On Debt

If all the outstanding credit card debt were to be divided among the households in America, the average household would carry $7,200 in debt, while on average, each adult carries 4.78 credit cards per adult! This has resulted in 718,107 bankruptcies in 1990, and 2 million bankruptcies by 2005!

Steve and Annette proposes 9 steps to get you out of debt for good!

1. Acknowledge. With any recovery plan, the first step is to acknowledge you have a problem.

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This is an ongoing series of book reviews - in parts, on money-related books.

The first is this series is called America’s Cheapest Family - Gets You Right on Money by Steve and Annette Economides. According to them, this is the guide to living better, spending less, and chasing in on your dreams!

Here’s what they have accomplished so far:

- Paid off a house in 9 years on limited income (average income approx $35k/yr)
- Paid cash for all their cars
- Remodeled kitchen without a home equity loan
- Enjoyed fabulous debt-free vacations
- Fed a growing family (of 2+5) on a grocery budget of $350/mth
- Put savings in the bank!

On Utilities

Lower your utilities by employing cost-saving methods.

Alternative Cooling and Heating Methods:

1. Evaporative Coolers: Costs 66% less than conventional central air. Only works in low humidity.
2. UpDux: These vents move cool air up to the attic when the coolers are running. Circulating air in the house cools off the house considerably.
3. Fans: Portable fans and ceiling fans are relatively inexpensive. It’s better to invest in a better ceiling fan that has a larger-better built motor and is quieter.
Upgrading your equipment: If your air-con unit is ancient, getting a new one which is more energy efficient can save you money.
4. Programmable Thermostats This would only apply if you have central cooling systems that run all day.
5. Energy saving bulbs:Use for areas where you live lights on for hours at a time.
6. Surge Protectors: Plug all your computer components into a surge protector power strip and turn them off with the flick of a switch.
7. Use other fuels: For them, gas appliances were cheaper to run than electrical ones.

[Editor's note: 1, 2 and 4 are not really relevant for us.]

Reducing Water Usage

1. Time your showers
2. Turn off the water when you don’t need it
3. Use high pressure/low-flow showerheads
4. Fix dripping faucets/leaking toilets
5. Put a filled water bottle in the toilet tank to reduce flush usage

Other ways to save electricity around the house
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This is an ongoing series of book reviews - in parts, on money-related books.

The first is this series is called America’s Cheapest Family - Gets You Right on Money by Steve and Annette Economides. According to them, this is the guide to living better, spending less, and chasing in on your dreams!

Here’s what they have accomplished so far:

- Paid off a house in 9 years on limited income (average income approx $35k/yr)
- Paid cash for all their cars
- Remodeled kitchen without a home equity loan
- Enjoyed fabulous debt-free vacations
- Fed a growing family (of 2+5) on a grocery budget of $350/mth
- Put savings in the bank!

On Housing

“Most people view home ownership as “The American Dream.” Is it really? With careful planning it can be. But if you’re careless of impulsive, your dream can quickly become a nightmare. The bottom line to home ownership bliss isn’t just getting into a house. You must balance the goals of saving money, building equity, and getting a great deal with the time and ability you have to maintain a property.” - Steve and Annette

Don’t over-commit. Your house payments, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and utilities should take up no more then 40% of your monthly net expenditure. They advocate getting a mortgage based on one person’s income in case sickness, disability or unemployment happens.

Home maintenance should be budgeted at 10% of your house payment.

As with a car, do your research on what are houses selling for. If need be, move to a cheaper area and get a place there. Treat it as a temporary thing, and aggressively pay off your mortgage. When you have built enough equity, you can then consider moving back and buying a house near your family, which might be a pricier area.

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