My Un-Riveting Story
As I've perused the personal finance blogosphere, I've noticed that a lot of bloggers used to be pretty bad with money and thus have some amazing come-back stories...things like, "I paid off $60,000 of debt in 8 months." or, "We paid down 5 credit cards in a year."
And they tell of moments when the light bulb suddenly went on and they decided to take control of their finances.
Me?
I don't really have an amazing, grab-the-headlines story to put in my sidebar...rather, my tale is one of faithful plodding along the frugal path.
I've never been a big spender.
As a child, I saved almost all of my money, and I can clearly remember that as a teen, I wanted a particular $20 sweater, and I filled at least half a paper with the pros and cons of buying it before I laid out any money.
(I did eventually purchase the sweater, but I am clearly not an impulse shopper!)
I carried my frugal, un-spendy ways into our marriage, and we've navigated through the ups and downs of the last 22 years without accumulating any consumer debt.
We've had a few car loans, but we've always paid them off way ahead of time.
We've had a mortgage since 2000, but thankfully, that and the car loans are the only debts we've ever had.
As I mentioned on Monday's Q&A post, by spending carefully, we've also always been able to set money aside in a savings account, and that, I think, has been a major key in keeping us out of debt.
When cars have needed repairs, when heat pumps have died, when dental work has needed to be done, and when any other unexpected expense has come up, our emergency fund has saved us from putting the bill on a credit card.
This isn't the sort of story that sells magazines (Really! How exciting would it be to read an article entitled, "We stayed out of debt!"??), but sometimes less exciting is good. 😉
I think it's much easier and much less painful to avoid debt in the first place than it is to sink deeply into debt and then get out.
My parents always told me they hoped I'd have a boring spiritual conversion story (I do!), and while I hope the same for my children's spiritual stories first, I do hope they have a financial story that is at least as un-riveting as mine.
Do you have a thrilling story, or a boring one like mine?
First photo by futurestreet
That reminds me very much of this Chinese (but I am not 100%sure of its origin) cursing: "may you live in interesting times". I, just like you, rather have boring story to tell and live in boring times.
I too have a very boring frugal story. Thank goodness! I was not a thrifty person as a kid. I worked from the age of 15 and spent my summer money and saved a little for college. When I got into college, I had to pay for it myself and had one small student loan. I was lucky that I lived at home while in college and my then boyfriend (now husband) gave me money when I could not come up with the tuition payment during the last year of school. It was a great investment for him! I worked three jobs to get through college. My husband lived at home with his parents until we got married. He saved alot of money.
When my husband and I got married, the only way we could afford a house was to build it ourselves. It took us two years to finish the house enough to move in. It was worth the two+ years of work to have our house. We would never have been able to afford our home.
Along the way, we have done all our own landscaping. Any improvements on the house (painting, staining, flooring) we have done ourselves. We have saved a fortune by doing this ourselves.
My mother-in-law is a black belt tightwad. She has taught me how to hang out clothes even in cold weather, shop on a strick budget, buy only when you have the money, save for the large purchases like cars so we have no car payments. My inlaws lived this way and have afforded a great retirement and a great life for themselves and their children. They have the time to spend with their grandchildren and they don't have to worry about money.
This has all rubbed off on my husband and me. We make less than most of our friends yet we are the only ones who never worry about money. My kids have learned to work and save for what they want. They know they can afford more if they get items on sale, at a yard sale or at a consignment store.
I am glad I have chosen this way of life. We have a great life and no great worries about money. We know we can make it through tough economic times.
Kristen- I love it- "How we stayed out of debt!" Now that's something people SHOULD be reading. But you're right- most people like those kind of confessional, "how I mended my ways" type of stories.
It's unbelievable how much debt people have gotten themselves in, all because they look around and everyone's doing it, I guess.
Luckily my debt happened on a smaller scale back in college, so I was careful later in life to avoid the Home Equity Loan for the $40,000 kitchen and huge car loans and everything else I saw around me. We prefer to live with an affordable mortgage, buy our cars used for cash, and carry no credit card debt. It's much less stressful.
Boring and never in debt is BLISS!
We're not so fortunate to have the boring financial life. I know we put ourselves there but owning a business is a risk that can put you in a good place after time. We do not have a mortgage but it is replaced with a business loan. Our car is almost paid off and we do have some debts but thankfully they are very small. During this hard economical time, and being laid off, I do get worried and consumed with debts. I have reduced many of our bills and spending (thanks frugal bloggers) while still enjoying ourselves. It isn't easy but it isn't impossible either.
Nothing about me is boring, really. That's not really narcistic or anything, just a sort of snapshot of my life.
I lived paycheck to paycheck for a long time through college. I was working two jobs and living at home. I never went really far into debt except with Student loans since I couldn't get enough scholarships. I also bought a new car after I got my big boy job. Almost 2 years into the job I have the car paid off, one of the two student loans paid off and I'm living rather frugally so that I can spend money on the things I want, someday.
As for the spiritual side of
@Battra92 Whoops, somehow that submitted before I was done.
For the spiritual side of things until I was 20 I believed in God much in the same way that I believed there was a planet Mars: everyone said He existed but I never experienced Him. When I was 20 I had some stressful times and found my way to Christ. I still don't go to church (bad experiences as a kid with some old people running things for their own selfish needs) but I am an unashamed Born-Again.
So, yeah nothing too too exciting but my life isn't really boring - at least not most of the time.
I plod along, as well, yet am many years older than you! My one and only debt, that I am still repaying, is a good debt, a loan I took for a specialized school for a teen grandchild that saved her life. I am her only parent and my has investment paid off in a lovely young woman who is now a college student.
I live on a very bare bones budget, yet have a rich life in many ways.
Living Large on Little is my mantra.
This is beautiful!
My story is boring, too.:P Even as a kid I was frugal, and as an adult I've never had credit card debt or auto loan debt. My husband has been in the Air Force since 2000 and I've been a stay at home mom, so we've always lived on just one income. In 2007 we bought our first home with 20% down, so our mortgage is far below my husband's housing allowance. (Military people get a set amount each month for housing, based on rank)
I like reading about your "boring" financial stories, Frugal Girl. They speak to me a lot more than the "Crawling back from the brink" tales of woe.:P
I was raised in a frugal not by choice family. My dad was in business for himself and sometimes things were not so great. However, by being raised this way, it taught me to value what is of eternal value. Now I also have my own business and I work for musicians who often have tons of talent but not much cashola. Because I am a frugal girl, I can make do on much less, and help my fellow musician. Music is a fair and glorious gift of God. If I can help music people spread their gift, I feel like the small amount of money I make is good enough!
Your frugal low-debt story may not be headline worthy, but it's best to keep drama in books and movies and out of the wallet. I think a nice way to help people resist the credit card temptations is to think of it as spending your paycheck before you get it. At the very least, I strive to spend my money AFTER I get it.
Mine's boring too. Have never been in debt but I was a spendthrift growing up. I have to admit that my parents had a lot to do with knocking some good sense into me about the value of money.
My frugality story is on-going, but also pretty boring. We've never racked up debt, we spend below what we earn, etc. I wasn't very good at managing money after I graduated from college, but I managed to save some money and not get into credit card debt (I had a car loan for several years), and I've learned a lot over the years (like buying a used or inexpensive car, not the most expensive one you can afford!).
"Boring" frugality (and spirituality) stories are what I hope for for my kids, too. Getting into and out of debt is not commendable - never being there in the first place is much better! I'm hoping that with the tightening of the credit market, there will be more boring frugality stories and fewer horror stories of people digging themselves into tens of thousands of dollars of debt and then having to waste years or decades getting out.
I've thought about this topic for quite some time.
Why are we all enthralled with people who were really dumb about their money and then suddenly "see the light" and then try to get out of 100K of stupid debt like boats, new cars and credit card debt and sometimes waay too much student loan debt?
I'd really rather read about someone like you who had money sense from the first. I'll bookmark your site. I found it from http://www.getrichslowly.com
BUT...Maybe I read them because it is fun to watch someone come alongside the frugal lifestyle. It is interesting to watch them learn what has been your lifestyle (or mine) for years and years. Maybe it is because they are changing their attitudes, but it is kind of fun to read. Maybe it is because they write well in such an engaging style.
However, I don't necessarily "respect" them because of their past. In fact, when I read some of the blogs, I think, "Wow, such a stupid/peer-driven person." And sometimes it comes through even after they are trying to get out of debt. It's the mindset that says, "I've got to have new clothes, or an expensive purse, etc.". But then, if I continue to see this attitude, I just unsubscribe and read somewhere else. Why waste my time reading them?
I stumbled onto this blog and love it! I am a blended story my family and up till I was 18yrs old was very loose with money and they had alot of it then I meet and marry the greatest guy but his family is hardworking and frugal....now at 55 we have come thru some challenging times but we did manage to pay off a house at age 50,put a daughter thru undergrad and help for grad school,pay cash for wedding and have a few cc to pay off and we will be debt free somewhere in 6months or a year.It is not glamorous and it has caused such a wedge in my family that other than holidays we spend no time with my parents and siblings who all make alot more money and live a very lavish lifestyle.For some reason they took our families inability to spend money the same way as an insult.
Mine is a boring story as well. I have always been a saver and suprisingly, my family is not that way. I tend to reuse and repurpose everything from litter boxes into file holders, to ornaments into lamps. I enjoy seeing how far I can strech a dollar. Right now, I'm working on recognizing when I need to spend money 🙂
Also boring, probably because my father was a depression-baby. My mom was ok with the ultra-frugality so long as what she valued, our education, was budgeted for. So we grew up frugal and went to the private colleges of our choice without debt. I would not trade it for all the Ataris and VHSes and vacations to Disney World in the universe.
I had no idea until I started reading this personal finance stuff that people thought the time to get a new car was when their car payment ran out rather than when the car broke down. That never would have crossed my mind. Similarly throwing out leftovers and so on. I taught my husband everything he knows about comparison shopping, saving, investing etc... I had no idea other families didn't even discuss that sort of thing with their children. (I'm also with you on the pros and cons lists-- I think I made my first at age 6.)
I'm really enjoying your blog! The optimism and quiet happiness is infectious.
Two things. One I have lived under the poverty level for over 35 years. Worked hard, and not made much money. Well, hubby is a minister, you do not get what you see on t.v. Sigh.
Two, I was born again at 12, and have had a wonderful Relationsship with J.C.
Just wondering how many people are in your family. We have 6 kids and spend $200 a week on groceries. I am trying to figure out if that is a frugal amount. People are always amazed that we spend so much, but I think it is a good amount for 8 people.
Shannon, I only have one child and I spend $150 per week for three people. I would say you're doing wonderfully well on that budget!
Shannon, I would also add that depending on where you live $200 could be a lot or not much at all. I live in the Mid-Atlantic and food is fairly expensive here.
I always wonder about this too. I'm not too verbal on financial matters, spending, and such, so I never have a good feel for whether my spending on food is unusual or not. So when I seem to be spending more and more these days with 4 children, a husband, and one of the kids entering his teen years and RAVENOUSLY hungry, I feel a little panicky. I wish I knew. Maybe there is a website with regional averages on these things based on family size and food quality.
Unfortunately the price of food has skyrocketed so even though it seems like you're spending a lot (and you are), your cart doesn't look very full. We spend $30 to $40 before we even leave the produce aisle. It's very expensive to eat healthfully.
Know what you mean!!! Prices have gone up a lot lately. It's frightening to swing by the store for a few things and leave with a 30 to 40 dollar bill. :-/
Gardening!!! Or making friends with gardeners!
I'm so sorry I missed this comment! It flew under my radar. I have four kids, so there are six of us in the household, and as of now (2014) two kids are teenagers.
So, I'm currently spending about $150 per week on groceries and I imagine that will continue to rise a bit each year until my kids start to leave home (they, you know, tend to eat more each year!).
Hey Kristen!
Two teens now, wow. Lisey is already past 13? Are they super hungry? Like asking for food every 2 hours or less? I have a 10 year old (he's massive, though, and also very hungry) and an adult size and weight 13 year old who is in the middle of a growth spurt (did I mention my kids are big?), plus the two young ones, so I need to mentally adjust to buying/cooking more food now.
Yep, Lisey and Joshua are 13 and 15 now. They are definitely eating way more than they used to, especially Joshua. I don't think they eat quite as much as the stereotypical teenager, though, as neither of them are built like a football player or anything! I'm sure my grocery bill would be a lot higher if I had really sturdy, burly children.
I have a very boring financial life. I did have a small amount of debt from college under $2000. But this was paid off in a few short months. My cars are 10 and 15 years old. Every time something breaks I am reminded that my father told me the cost of the repair is going to be less then a car payment for a year. They will probably not last forever longer and we are going to start putting a significant amount away each month for a new one, but the last car we bought cost $4000 so even our new car is old.
It is good to know that we only have our mortgage to pay and that we have 6 months worth of expenses saved for emergency such as job loss or major illness.
I think it could be great i your kids have a riveting story about finances as long as it is in the positive form.
Any I think all conversion stories are riveting. Even if you faith was built as a small child and has grown over time. I am sure there have been enough times that your soul has been touched and your faith has grown stronger. These are riveting moments and make our conversions something to be remembered.
I do find it wonderful when people can change their lives for the better and am so grateful for a forgiving and loving God. But, I know that it is also many of the stalwart and faithful that go behind the scenes and continue to live righteously that help make a huge difference in the world.
I think living within our means is part of being a good christian.
Hi Kristen,
Hello, sister.
I have to say that much of what you are saying resonates with me. I'm a 30 year old Christian homeschool graduate, wife of one, mother of 4 homeschooled children. I grew up in a very frugal family and though I've been able to loosen up a bit over the years, I still try to be very frugal. In my mind, its a way of serving God and my family, not an end in itself. I also have a very "boring" conversion story...I just always believed!! I wish more people realized the beauty of that. My children are growing up with the assumption that they belong to God and have to exercise their faith daily.
I also love that, though you're often excited about your discoveries and your methods, you don't aim to make people feel like they're less of a person for not (by refusal or inability) doing the same things you do, or with the same methods. The beauty of God's design is that we're all different and we all see and do things differently.
So thanks for putting out the good word. Keep on keeping on. 😉
Sarah
PS I love Aldi too. Just discovered it a couple of months ago. Amazing!!!
I forgot to elaborate that we don't have any debt except our home (which we're paying off quickly), we drive our cars into the dust, save money for emergencies and for our children's futures. So we're really boring financially too. 🙂
I got really annoyed when I read an article a few years back. This lady suffered financial set back. She went on to complain about how humiliating it was to have to shop at yard sales for clothes for her children. I was thinking what an idiot! Why wouldn't you save money by shopping at yard sales etc. Who wouldn't want an extra $20 in their pocket instead of spending $.50 on a pair of jeans that may have the new tags on them still or have only been worn a couple of times. This last summer I got my son 4 pairs of like new, some name brand, pants for $.50 a pair. Also got my son a pair of new shoes with tags still on them at a yard sale for less than $2. You can't beat that! Is it humiliating? Not in a million years. I would feel humiliated for wasting money.
I wish my life was boring. I am a shopaholic and our income over three years has gone from 6 figures to less 1/4, with debt unfortunately. So I am trying to learn to cut back and live on way less as we try to get debt free and live below our means to save for kids college and our retirement. My husband switched careers (I lost a job I had been at for 8.5 years) and we have been supplementing the income with credit so now we need to stop. Thankfully with blogs such as yours we are moving in the right direction. And it's nice to know I am not alone in this.
I'm right there with you - boring, responsible financial background and super grateful to have it.
No, mine is really boring too. My fiance has had some debt and still does, but nothing significant. No superhuman debt payoff stories from our end!
So happy I found your blog! My hubby and I are like you-no debt but the house, pay for cars with cash. We did however have a second 10 year long mortgage that we paid off in five. I stay at home, so this is why it took a little bit of time-that and we decided to buy two rental properties in between there. Boy has that been a learning curve. But we make a cashflow and we are trying to pay those off early. 😉 However, I could definietly stand to spend less money on our groceries. We are a family of four that spends $120 a week. We are currently trying to build up more food storage. Do your groceries include building up food storage? Maybe you have written about it, I'm still peruzzing your blog. Excited to read more, thanks!
I am so excited to have found your blog! 🙂
I would have to say that my story is somewhere in between. Although, my husband and I have always viewed ourselves as fiscally responsible, before having children we both worked full-time and modestly enjoyed the fruits of our labor. After our first son was born (12 yrs ago), we chose to become a single income household and ultimately relocated from the hustle and bustle of a large city to the quiet, slower pace of our rural hometown. Another child completed our family and we lived comfortably within our means for several years. In 2008, however, my husband lost his job and our frugality was put to the test.
Fast forward four years... we have managed to always have one parent home with our boys, my husband has completed a master's degree, and I have gone full circle -- returning to work part time... full time... back to staying home full time. We have no debt to speak of -- a mortgage and a single car loan.
Like many of the posts I have read here, we are happily enjoying our simple life. 🙂
I too have a boring story, save getting sober in my late 20's. So my spiritual path is more of the "educational variety". I tend to only see my burning burning bushes in the rear view mirror. We paid off our mortgage and buy cars with a check now. I saw my financial philosophy once at SFO on a business trip. There was a sign posted in the restroom near the paper towel dispenser that said "please only take as much as you need". Words to live by.
Just found your blog today, and I'm thankful you have shared your experiences over the years! I'm also impressed with the collegial atmosphere- so many people sharing so many great ideas in the comments, very few judgemental statements. Thank you for all the work you've put into the blog
I have awesome readers, don't I??
No conversion is boring but is LIFE saving!! I am now 77 and was converted at 13 years of age!! I was healed miraculously of M.S and many fears and The Lord has allowed me to travel a lot since my healing.I also work for Oxfam. Thank you for all your writings and God bless you ALL!!
My story is rather boring as well...and I think that's a good thing! Financially, both my husband and I are fortunate to come from families where we were taught by example how to be frugal. Spiritually, I have sometimes wished for a more "exciting" story, but as a friend told me (who has an "exciting" story)...be glad you don't have to carry around all that baggage! She's right...but it's good to be reminded that although our story might be "boring", we all still in need of salvation! Looking forward to following along on your blog!
I WISH I had a "boring" frugality story! Consider yourselves lucky. Don't get me wrong, I grew up "poor" and we were extremely frugal. My mother made/mended clothes, we shopped thrift & clearance, had a huge garden, canned & preserved, you name it. I will say that I did not have a lot of education about money and debt growing up, so I would like to point out that's VERY important to teach your kids about managing money! I take responsibility for my problems, but I do think a lack of money management skills was a huge part of it. As I grew older & ventured out on my own, I tried to stick with the frugal principles, but the lure of debt (and nobody to hold me accountable) crept in. After I got married, things only got worse. My husband left me in charge of our household finances, and things spiraled out of control. We were living beyond our means and I kept it all secret. The entire situation is too long to post here, but basically we ended up hundreds of thousands in debt with things like payday & title loans just to make ends meet. I ended up with my car being repo'd from my job, owing nearly $5K just to get it back, my other car in danger of repo that day, and something like $7 in my bank account. It was AWFUL. We ended up that weekend having a sit-down, coming clean about everything together, borrowing a huge sum (6 figures) from a family friend to pay everything off, and setting up a budget for ourselves. This was almost 3 years ago now, and right now today we live below our means, have built up our food storage (freezers & pantry), our savings, and have a plan to be completely debt-free in less than 6 years. We're even planning for an early retirement! Being honest and frugal feels wonderful, but it was a big circle for me to get to this point. Those of you who have "boring" frugal stories - consider yourselves very lucky!
That's so great that you have turned things around...wonderful job!
Boring is the only word which has 'in' in it. So its in to be boring!!! Trust me. I am not what you would call super frugal (like i never made that list for a sweater) but im known to sleep over what i really feel like buying and if i still feel the next day that i absolutely need it, like il die without it, then i buy it! I love your blog and your thoughts about spending.im trying to get more frugal and just love the no crazy coupons thingy going on here
I appreciate your "boring" story Frugal Girl!
It's interesting to see how people think that those with big drama debt stories are more realistic, credible, hopeful and more practical than those who actually had the frugal skills all along.
Those of us who belong in the boring category are less likely to fall into bad habits too.
I have a second-hand house, car, dog, furniture, decor...heck - even my husband was married before so he qualifies too. lol.
The simple life is so much easier than a debt-filled life base on buying things to keep up with others or to show status...which doesn't mean a thing.
I've run my business frugally over the years as well. And all of it leads to a rich life in every way.
I look forward to reading more of your articles!
Unfortunately for me, life circumstances intervened to cause me to carry debt...a natural disaster that left me without a home and job and a teenage granddaughter in my care. I am still catching up many years later as I head down the path to 80. But, I am determined. I have reduced all my expenses to the minimum, even gave up my aging vehicle to save on repairs and insurance. And month by month I get closer to being debt free.
Life throws curve balls to even the most unsuspecting.
Mine is boring in that I never had any debt except a mortgage, car loans & one 401k loan in our 30s....I disagree though, that it's a boring story. When I look back at 32 yrs of marriage I'm excited about what we've accomplished financially. It's not boring to me at all!
Here's our short list..
-Married with no debt (my husband had just received his bachelor's degree through 4 yrs of work study & help from his parents the 5th yr when he lost his job)
-Paid off our mortgage in 10 yrs, I was 32 he was 36 & our son was 6 yrs old! Whoo hoo!
-Became debt-free (car loans, 401k loan) 6 yrs after we became mortgage free - We decided to lump the rest of our debt into one loan through our 401k so we were paying ourselves back basically. It covered a car loan, a mud/laundry room addition & an empty lot of land next to us that we bought a few months after paying off our mortgage. We went from 2 & 3/4 acres to 4.5 acres giving us 600 ft of lake front property.
-All of our home renovations were done with cash except one...a laundry/mud room addition (the 401k loan). We've had our home wrapped, new siding, new metal roof, soft kitchen/living room remodel, a second level screened porch & a few other small things all with cash.
-We've bought three cars in 32 yrs, paying cash for our newest car, a used 2015 Toyota Camry. We drive our cars until they just cannot go another mile.
-We also adjusted to living with juvenile diabetes (my husband was diagnosed at age 35) & all the expense that adds to a budget. We did not take vacations until our mortgage was paid.
-Note...I worked a blue color job the first 5 yrs of our marriage. When our son was born I quit & have never gone back to a paying job. My husband worked a blue color job until he went into HR at his company one yr before we paid off our mortgage but he has always been an hourly employee so lower middle class at this point.
I think living frugally is an exciting lifestyle because of all it allows you to do with your money. There are so many things we've done for ourselves & others that we would never have been able to do had we chosen a different path. Now we're empty nesters looking forward to retirement with no serious worries about our financial future. I'm able to stay home & be the day care giver for our grandson rather than working long hours to still be paying off a mortgage. That's pretty exciting to me!
My husband and I both grew up in families where saving money was taught from day 1, and lived out by example by our parents. I am also very thankful that we've been able to stay out of debt except for our mortgage! Being debt free certainly doesn't solve all of our problems, but I'm very thankful that we don't have that particular stress hanging over our heads. So far, our kids have seemed to be following that example and I'm very grateful.
When my husband and me first got married 16 years ago we didn't have an credit. While he was deployed I got a credit card and used it but racked up quite a bit of debit in that year. I was diligently paying on it (but never paying it off right as I used it) and I missed a payment. My husband got the phone call that we had missed it and for whatever reason didn't even know we had a credit card, we paid it off with what we had in savings vowing to never do it again. Repeat this cycle (yeah I was SO BAD - and SO untrustworthy with money) several times UNTIL things got so bad he threatened to leave me. That's when MY lightbulb went off. Since that day about 8 years ago we paid off an cancelled that last credit card. We put each other on a spending cash limit for each pay check and we took it out in cash (because using my debit card was an issue because I never did the math in my head to know what was left in the acct and at that point money was such a sore spot in our marriage I had anxiety about looking at the checking account app on my phone). We had a plan of how much we needed to put into our savings acct each pay check and down to the penny what bills were auto drafted or I needed to make payments on. We talked about money twice a month (the two times a month he got paid) and forced me to look at everything. Since that time we have paid off both of our vehicles early (mine about 2 years early in one lump sum payment), bought a box trailer and a travel trailer IN CASH, bought my husbands 65 galaxie retirement present IN CASH, and fund all our vacations in cash. I no longer have anxiety about looking at the banking app, we talk to our kids about budgeting and I'm not afraid to tell my kids "i'm sorry that will have to wait until next paycheck..." Currently the only "debt" we have is our mortgage. We also have NO open credit cards. if we can't fund it with cash we don't get it. and my husband can trust me again.
I'm not sure if you've mentioned this before but when you do have an emergency and have to dip into your emergency fund, do you run the cost through your credit card first to collect points? We just had to replace our washer and dryer and running it through the credit card saved 5%!
Oh yes, we definitely do! Better to get the cashback, I say. It helps reduce the pain of using the emergency fund at least a little bit.
Not so boring, here. We spent decades living on much too little income, and there were times when we simply got over our heads trying to live "normally" and were scrambling frantically to recover. We always recovered, but we had a lot of work to do on ourselves and our financial habits. We were also very unlike each other in our approach to finances, which had to be hammered out over time, and sure didn't help our situation.
One problem we had was that we had received zero financial education. Our parents, both sets, always saw money as a very private thing, private enough to believe that the kids had no business hearing about their parents' finances. In addition, neither of us received an allowance or was taught how to budget, save, manage a checking account or even tithe, although our parents always gave to their churches. That, of course, does not excuse us from trying to educate ourselves. There was no internet back then, but there were books, which we did not read and more astute people, who we didn't ask.
We've made some expensive mistakes, and I'll bet we are going to make one or two more before it's all over, but we have reformed a lot already, and today we have no debt except for medical bills, which I could pay off but don't want to empty my savings for no-interest debt, so I took the payment plan (there is no discount for paying in full). We wouldn't make a fascinating article, though. We didn't have to recover from tens of thousands of dollars in non-mortgage debt, we didn't lose our house, have a car repossessed, or have to declare bankruptcy before a "turn around" - thank heavens!
It's so hard when you have a small income! We were there for a lot of years, and it took a lot of work to just keep from going underwater and into debt, much less make any forward progress.