Penny Pinching Mama:
500 Ways I Lived On $500 A Month
What do you do when your Wal-Mart list is bigger than your wallet?
Do you find it difficult making ends meet?
Are you feeling overwhelmed deciding whether to buy your kids shoes or pay the water bill?
You are not alone!
As a single mother of two, best selling author Jill Cooper started her own business without any capital and paid off $35,000 debt in 5 years on $1,000 a month income.
She then raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income after becoming disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Now she is one of the best known money saving moms on the Internet.
In her book she shares how she did it! This book is filled with practical, everyday ideas to help anyone stretch a small income.
“I just received ‘Penny Pinching Mama’ and I have to say thank you for such an excellent book!”
“I recently quit a well paying but inflexible job to stay home and care for my 4 children. I was wondering how I was going to make it on our reduced income and if I had made the right decision. Well, now I know I can do it and how to do it-your book has inspired me!”
-Cynthia
“I love your website!! I’m a stay at home mother of 3 children with another on the way. Your website makes me feel like I am not alone in wanting to live frugally. All the other parents we are friends with or related to all have a 2 income household and spend money like there is no tomorrow. In fact, I have officially now lost touch with every work place friend I had. They don’t seem to understand that I can’t go out to dinner with them every week like I did “pre-children”. I’ve had to decline joining them so many times that they no longer call me to go out and they’ve even stopped sending me Christmas/Birthday cards.”
“There is definitely pressure from society to spend, spend, spend….even if you don’t have it. So, thanks for making me feel connected to the world again. I love reading your articles and the tips from your other subscribers. Thank you thank you!!”
Laurie S
Jill’s stories provide just the inspiration you need to lift your spirits and to help you cut through the confusion! Whether you need specific examples to use in your life or just a shot of inspiration from a kindred spirit, you’ll find it in Penny Pinching Mama!
Her tips and suggestions will inspire you and help you to cut your expenses and help you get out of debt.
“As a retired Home Economics teacher and a single mother of 5, I am so pleased with the work you are doing. Many people know nothing about stretching their resources and planning ahead is one of the key steps. Thanks for all the ideas. I am constantly surprised that you guys still come up with things I’ve not heard of or thought of before.”
-Beth M.
You will learn:
- How to get out of debt – even with a low income!
- How to handle emergencies without using credit cards
- How to find great deals month after month
- How living with teenagers doesn’t have to break the budget
“I just want to thank you so much for your articles. They are giving me new courage.”
-Judda
“You 2 have been a blessing to me! Thanks for providing this for us moms who need and appreciate the encouragements!!! May God Bless you both!”
-Kelly
“I wanted to send you a note of thanks for the information you put together. I always enjoy reading the emails and have gleaned many helpful tips from you. It has been especially helpful these last few months as we’ve just become a single income family due to my being laid-off just after my maternity leave.”
-Kim
Get “Penny Pinching Mama” and get the inspiration you need today!
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i love the new cover .. and i just got my e-book! . hehehe .. i have it on my desktop (thanks to my son helping me
) ..
and for half price .. this is awesome! .. thank u so much for making this possible ..
just shared with hubby the 2 of the 3 quotes of how to handle stress from the book .. heehhee . the one about the marshmallows and the other one about the popcorn .. he couldnt stop laughing …
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thanks for bringing some laughter and cheer to our home today .. he has been a bit melancholy today ..
today was our son’s (his son from his previous marriage .. but when we got married .. the young man became my son too) ..
well its been 6 yrs since our son had died .. and well .. hubby has been melancholy all day long .. so thank u so much for bringing some laughter and joy today in our home ..
thought i would share that with u
ps now i have to tell our daughter that .. hehehee .. altho even tho her and the son in law have been arguing so badly lately .. i hope she doesnt literally do the marshmallows one .. hehehehhe .. jam them up his nose .. (even tho i am sure she would love too) .. hehehe .. but the thought of him in this situation .. should lighten things up a bit for them .. hehhehe .. (or her with her nose stuffed with marshmallows!) .. hhehehe .. yep laughter is the best medicine ..
(and why are they arguing ? .. i have no clue . personally i think its the heat, too darn hot outside) .. hehehehehhee
I got my e-book too. I have an older Sony e-reader (portable hand-held e-book reading machine) so I was able to load my copy onto my desktop as well as my e-reader. Now I can read it anywhere, no computer needed. I do highly suggest investing in an e-reader device or an iPad that allows e-book reading. They help save alot of money on computer paper and ink because you won’t have to print out your e-books to take them with you while away from home. My local library also allows from e-book borrowing so now I don’t have to pay late charges on library books. The library e-books just expire and disappear after the allotted time frame of borrowing. I love e-books because you can choose to print them or not.
Jamie that is a good tip about the library e books because I’m sure many of us didn’t know about those yet. Thanks.
Jill,
I would love some advice… Although I can retire in 10 years, I went back to school recently and earned my college degree. But all my student loans are coming due soon and I haven’t found a better job yet. Right now I earn about $24,000 a year, plus support my daughter and 2 grandchildren (they live with me and she homeschools them – and takes good care of me). I want to get the loans paid off quickly, as I have paid off 2 credit cards and 2 vehicle loans – so this is the last debt to pay off. In your opinion, what is the best way to pay off the loans? I am not sure I make enough to pay on each loan monthly, but consolidating them into one giant loan might not be the best choice either…
Thank you.
Dee unless you are going to get a much much smaller payment and less interest there really isn’t a reason to consolidate your loans. There comes a point at times where you can only stretch your income so much and then you just have to do something to bring more money in. The only option I see for you is to get a part time job and use all of that money to pay off your loans.
This part isn’t for you but a word to the wise for others who are thinking about going to college and doing it on student loans. We get hollered at all the time for saying this but your case is the perfect example of what can happen.
Colleges are run like any other business and they want your business so they lead you to believe that if you get a college degree you will get this great paying job long before your loans are due and you will be able to easily pay them off. So rarely does this happen. I know people in their middle 40′s still paying on their loans. I know another man who is in his 50′s and is a doctor who can’t get his loans paid and it is to the point he is losing his home and may have to declare bankruptcy just because of interest etc. on student loans.
I hate to be a sayer of gloom and doom but those of you who are thinking of spending 10′s of thousands of dollars to go to school be careful. There is a trend happening now and that is higher paying jobs are getting harder to find. Lower paying jobs are a dime a dozen. So be very careful before you go into debt to get a better paying job.
That is so true Jill. At my job I handled hundreds of college students that ruined their credit due to not being able to pay their student loans. You can ruin your life. I personally know a lawyer who is engaged to a teacher and between the two of them they owe over $100,000. The girlfriend doesn’t even want to get married until she can afford a “BIG” wedding. Because of all that debt they don’t see that happening any time soon. Ruined credit can cause a young couple from not buying a house, or a car, or anything else that needs a loan. College needs to really be thought out before attending and borrowing thousands of dollars.
Hi I was wondering if your book would be relevant to someone in Ireland
I’m sure it would since most of the ideas are general and not things like using coupons. If it’s not we would be happy to give you a refund.
I would like to order your e book on sale. My son has an e reader on order but it has not yet arrived & I don’t know if it will come before the end of the sale. My only access to a computer is at the library. What do you suggest I do?
email me when it gets in and I can send you an invoice.
Thank you that’s good news to hear!
re: the student loans .. i am not sure if anyone is aware but ashworth college is an excellent online school .. you pay as u go .. they are truly affordable .. they have lots of programs to choose from .. my son went to the local community college for his hs diploma and well now he is in ashworth .. it is a truly accredited school.. and yes even tho he pays, he is doing the work at his schedule and he loves it .. yes the community college was free but bc of the severe anxiety he has taking tests, he can do the tests in the comfort of his own room and not feel pressured ..
after this, he will be enrolling in their heating/ac class . granted there is no hands on training but according to the counselor we talked with, he will go and volunteer and learn that way ..
his cousin did the same thing when he was studying to be an electrician .. and now his cousin has his own business ..
i too am thinking of taking the paralegal course . they have a certificate course and another one to get an AS degree .. if i take the AS degree course then i can apply for financial aid and whatever else is owed after that i can make payments .. i was told if i take a degree’d course i can do this but if i take a certificate course than i can make payments .. but b4 i do this i will be checking into this again (just to make sure) ..
and again, the prices are very affordable .. for my son’s hs program, he pays $10/week . .which is very affordable ..
thought i would share ..
also.. i love the e-book on my computer .. its really awesome .. i need to check out one of those e-book readers ..
another good thing about the ashworth high school diploma program ..if u r a student (under 18) … a parent can sign up up for their high school program as long as the student has been promoted to the 9th grade .. and what an education u do get .. its no breeze in the park (as the saying goes) .. granted he has just started (april, 2011) but he has finished up 3 courses (there are 16 or 22, depending on which program is chosen) and 2 of those were computer courses that he is excellent at .. the other one was world history, and this last course he is on (his 4th course) is one of the english courses .. its taking alot longer bc english was never one of his best subjects but they let u work at ur own pace and he is taking his time .. and seems to be really enjoying the course work ..
and that is hte main thing .. he feels like he is learning! ..
just wanted to share this too ..
ps he signed up for the general online courses .. and after almost 2 yrs of him not going back to school and us fussing at him that he needs an education (and him slowly realizing this on his own bc of him applying for jobs and the managers “file” his application (in other words, throw them out) bc he doesnt have an education) .. he is learning the hard way (which in this case was a good lesson) that you need at least a high school diploma even to work in a gas station ..
so for his 21st birthday, instead of buying him any gifts we gave him the money to put down to start the schooling .. (we actually gave him a choice: either take this gift and it will be used for school only or no birthday gift at all) .. the choice was his ..
harsh? maybe . but we knew he wanted to go back to school bc for the first few months b4 his birthday in april he was going on and off to the community college (after not going for about 2 yrs) .. and so we knew it was in his heart he wanted to go back ..
and bc he agreed to this and said he would pay $10/week out of his check to pay for the rest ..
so far, its been a good experience ..
again .. just wanted to share ..
also wanted to share .. look for the “free” education sites on the web .. there might be a few classes you can take to help further u along with some things ..
i know if u want to go into anything medical .. you can go to what i call a “teaching” hospital .. go and ask to see if they have any opportunities that if the hospital will help pay for your education you can sign a contract to have them help pay for your education .. and when u graduate you will fulfill ur contract that you will work for them for a certain amt of time ..
same thing for teaching .. there are programs in florida (and i am sure in other states as well) .. that you can get free help from the state for being a teacher ..
a young woman i used to work with did this ..
just wanted to share this as well ..
Free college education, and it’s accredited too. Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to check this out. I would love a career change but can’t afford to go back to school. This sounds like a wonderful option for me. Thanks.
I just wanted to add to the discussion of free education. There are many tutorials on YouTube.com and there is a site called the Khan Academy online. If for any reason you need to brush up on basic algebra or American History (to help your kids with homework? Or as a tutor for yourself?) this site will review it all with you step by step for FREE. They have over 2,000 educational videos. khanacademy.org I love your books and tips! Thank you!!
any chance the book is available for downloading to my computer and then to my KINDLE?
jaime .. i am sorry .. i didnt mean to confuse anyone .. the ashworth college is not free but is affordable ..
but there are free educational websites u can go to .. not sure of the names at the moment but have seen them in the past ..
and yes ann is right .. i have seen many free educational things on the you tube too ..
sorry for the confusion ..
ya know .. i just got this book . and well i have read it twice in the last 2 days .. i did have a copy a long time ago, but as u know, jil and tawra, i told u i lent mine out and never got it back (which is fine.. bc i know it was meant to help someone else too) .. and jill, i must say, i did pick up on a few more things that i dont remember reading the first time ..
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i like the new cover too . .also .. what about the other cover u were going to use for the book with the yellow gingham? .. i like this new cover too ..
i also like how u added the pics of the family too .. i thought that was a good idea ..
thank u again for the books .. me and my sister greatly appreciate them ..
hope all is ok
Thanks Rose! The other cover was a huge marketing bomb for us so we had to change it again. This is the last time though.
yw tawra .. i actually like all three covers .. but i can understand why u would want to change it .. the info inside is still very good tho .. even after reading hte book several times (i think i have read the book 5 x’s already and i am still picking up on new things to save) .. and its very inspirational too .. i am glad that ur mom decided to share what she went thru and all she did to survive with us..
before reading the book (and many of the other books and stuff that is shared on the website) .. i have learned ALOT .. i used to think i was frugal but i must say .. i am ao thankful to be to come and be a part of a nice “community” where, not only can i learn new ways to live frugally but still not feel deprived, but i can also share my ideas too ..
thank u again for all u and ur family does to help each and eveyrone of us ..
Rose,
My son is also taking a course at Ashworth College. It is VERY affordable and the payments are easy to make. He will be graduating this year debt free! There are ways around traditional college and still get a great education. Also when you apply for jobs there is an advantage…the fact that you took the initiative to study for yourself at a Distant Learning School. This has opened the door for my daughter who also took some Distance Learning courses as the people who have hired her know she is a self-motivator (she took courses and finished with excellent grades without being in a traditional classroom.) There are many advantages to this and we have had nothing but positives from employers who have always hired my daughter simply because she has proved she can do a job without constant supervision!
i agree LAC .. Ashworth is awesome and the fact that u can pay as u go is awesome . and the courses are no ‘walk in the park’ as they say… they give u a great training and make u really work for your grades .. my son is in the high school program and well, he does struggle but the teachers help too and of course we have helped him too .. he plans on taking the heating/ac course after he gets his diploma ..
..
[...] during all the years when money was the most tight for us, we ate healthier than the times when we had more money, mainly because I couldn’t afford for [...]
Hi, I really want to purchase the book because I bought Dining on a dime just before you guys or maybe one of you was moving and had a whole bunch of books to get rid of. Great investment. I have cut back on loads from it and have even made gift baskets from it. The book at recipes and cleaning cents, and gifts and looking good on a dime. So my question is, is this the sam ekidn of book? Will I benefit from this book? I just do not want two books that give me the same information.
None the less, you guys are great.
Josselyne Penny Pinchin’ is a totally different book from Dining. I do have a very small section on grocery savings and cleaning supplies but they are different and all the stuff is different from what is in Dining. It tells details of exact things I did when I was living on almost nothing. I have a ton of tips on how to save for almost everything under the sun -
Utilities – how to save in different ways on them
Toys for kids
Saving when living with teens
Entertainment
Home Improvement
Furniture and Appliances
What I did in Emergencies
When you don’t have any money at all
Garage Sales
This just list a few and most of my tips are different from the normal pat things you usually hear. I also try to help people emotionally except what they have to do and explain why. I couldn’t list all the stuff but we have things on laundry savings and babies.How to save if you do eat out and on and on.
Gardening
[...] Frugal living is all about making the most with what you already have. Here are 11 tips to help you get started from Penny Pinching Mama. [...]