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The Story Behind Everyday Cheapskate: Meet Mary Hunt

About Everyday Cheapskate

Everyday Cheapskate began as a personal journey from overwhelming debt to financial freedom. It’s grown into a platform where people can learn, share, and discover ways to live a rich life on less. Here, you’ll find tips on frugal living, creative solutions for everyday problems, and inspiration to live debt-free.

My Story: From Debt to Freedom

Hello! It’s so nice to meet you …

I’m Mary, the voice, writer, and occasional photographer behind Everyday Cheapskate. I live in beautiful Colorado, where the Rocky Mountains meet the High Plains.

Do I have a story for you …

It was a really bad day. Possibly the worst day of my life. So I did what I suppose any woman who’d ruined her husband’s life and managed to throw their home into foreclosure would do: I had a meltdown.

It’s not like I meant to do anything wrong. In fact, for 12 years, I ‘d done what I was invited to do: I used credit cards to bridge the gap between my husband’s salary and the lifestyle I so richly deserved!

I’d always assumed that my husband would handle the money while I took care of the home and family. And when my house of cards crashed, I had to admit just how financially ignorant I was.

Hitting rock bottom was the jolt I needed that prompted me to make a u-turn on the financially destructive path I’d chosen. One step at a time I began to care about our money and to learn how to manage it. I didn’t realize that with each new thing I learned and money-saving tactic I tried, I became more financially fit. I taught myself how to be frugal, how to spend less than we earned; how to save, how to give to others, and how to find joy and peace in living below our means.

Here’s an example: My very first step was to make a vow that I would only buy groceries that I could pay for with cash (no checkbook, no plastic allowed). Wow, that was like throwing a bucket of cold water in my face. I had a new awareness of what things really cost. I had to keep track of what I was putting in my grocery card. The next step came quickly: I had to find a way to spend less to buy what we needed so I could walk out with cash in my pocket.

Finding ways to do that put a big smile on my face and gave me the confidence and the desire to take another step. And another and another.

It took 13 years to pay back a whopping credit-card debt of more than $100,000 ($300,000 in 2025 dollars, whew! ) but we did it—one cost-cutting hack, tip, and trick at a time. Oh, the things I learned during those years and now love to teach others!

My Background

My professional life has spanned multiple industries—from real estate to writing. Here’s a snapshot:

  • B.A. in Biblical Studies and Music from The Master’s University
  • Former real estate broker and property manager in Los Angeles
  • CEO of Hunt Industrial Properties, Inc.
  • Creator of Debt-Proof Living, an organization founded to help others achieve financial freedom.

A Life of Writing & Speaking

I’m the author of over 25 books, including national bestsellers like Debt-Proof Living and The Financially Confident Woman. As a syndicated columnist and motivational speaker, I’ve had the opportunity to reach people across the nation, sharing my hard-earned lessons on personal finance. For the full list, visit My Books page → 

National Television & Radio Appearances

I’ve had the privilege of sharing my expertise on national television programs such as the Dr. Phil Show, CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox and Friends, CNN, The Hour of Power, CBS Early Show, MSNBC, ABC World News Tonight, Gordon McDonald Show (ITV United Kingdom), and the Leeza Gibbons Show.

I’ve also been featured on national radio programs including Point of View, Focus on the Family, Parent Talk, Women in Touch, Janet Parshall’s America, Mid-Day Connection, CNN Radio, and Fox Business.

Everyday Cheapskate Today

What started as a personal mission to conquer debt has become a resource for millions of readers. From columns to books, from blog posts to speaking engagements, Everyday Cheapskate is my way of paying it forward.

Feel free to reach out through our Contact Page or connect with me on social media. I’m excited to help you take your first steps toward living a financially free life!

50 Random Things About Me

  1. I was born in Boise, Idaho.
  2. I’m a preacher’s kid.
  3. I drink hot coffee with a straw.
  4. I don’t like goat cheese.
  5. Or anything hazelnut.
  6. I got into really bad credit-card debt. Maxed out at more than $100,000 when my world fell apart.
  7. Took 13 years to pay off the credit-card debt—every dime of interest, fees and principal wit no concessions. Yay.
  8. In 2014 we paid off the mortgage too —100% debt-free.
  9. My husband’s name is Harold. You wouldn’t believe how many people call him Howard.
  10. I’ve been married to the same awesome guy for 55 years.
  11. We have two sons.
  12. And two grandsons.
  13. I can’t swim.
  14. I do not want to learn.
  15. One time, with my two little boys in the back seat, I inadvertently drove the car into the living room.
  16. I have authored 26 published books.
  17. And have led thousands of people out of debt.
  18. Cheapskate Monthly newsletter debuted in Jan. 1992.
  19. To date, I’ve logged 1.4 million miles on American Airlines.
  20. I love to iron.
  21. And knit.
  22. As the only passenger in an NYC taxi, my driver T-boned a limousine, threw the cab into reverse, and then fled the scene.
  23. With me in the back seat.
  24. I play the piano.
  25. My Steinway M-model grand piano was built in 1929.
  26. I am its 2nd owner.
  27. I didn’t intend to, but I singlehandedly fixed a major plumbing issue while a guest in a historic old San Francisco hotel.
  28. Back in the 1970s, I figured out how to make men’s ties.
  29. My husband wore them to work. The word got out and I ended up selling thousands before I burned out.
  30. I love textiles. I fight becoming unreasonably obsessed with both fabric and yarn. Now and then I lose the battle. See #21.
  31. Our son Jeremy won an Emmy Award.
  32. My favorite flavor is salted caramel.
  33. I am not a fan of chocolate.
  34. But I love a good fruitcake
  35. Upon meeting me in person, someone who’d heard me on the radio told me I’m a lot shorter than I sound.
  36. For me, overeating and overspending have some kind of correlation. As the debt grew, so did I.
  37. As the debt shrunk, eventually so did I. By 115 pounds. Really.
  38. My favorite color is lime green.
  39. I was commissioned to select the final winner in the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet contest to crown the Cheapest Person in America.
  40. Our son Josh met our daughter-in-law Wendy on eHarmony. Match made in heaven. Refer to #12.
  41. I am a coffee roaster.
  42. I import raw green coffee beans from Costa Rica, 200 lbs. at a time
  43. When I was a guest on the Leeza Gibbons Show, she called me Mary Hart on air. Three times.
  44. I am the first woman to have served on the Board of Directors of the American Industrial Real Estate Association (now AIR CRE), Los Angeles, Calif.
  45. I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
  46. I love the great hymns. My favorite is Great is Thy Faithfulness.
  47. I live in northern Colorado where the Rocky Mountains meet the High Plains.
  48. In 2002 I was a contestant on the TV game show revival, To Tell the Truth with John O’Hurley. I was the only one telling the truth, but the panelists all voted for my two imposters. We won the whole enchilada. The big reveal happened as O’Hurley held up and announced my new book, Debt-Proof Living on camera to show which of us was really telling the truth!
  49. I love Christmas for all it means to me—and because my kids come home for the holidays.
  50. My dream is to one day visit Israel.