Mary’s Perspective

Whether you just need an uplifting story, a dose of inspiration or encouragement to continue your frugal lifestyle, this is the place to come. Read about how to have more joy in your life and less stuff.  Enjoy Mary’s perspective on family, friends, values, and the benefits of a debt-free life.

Don’t miss these most popular posts: The Gift of a Crisis, Lessons from a Two-year Old, 6 Reasons You need to Celebrate Soon – And Often!, and How to Live Life Above Your Circumstances.   Guarantee you’ll come back here  – again and again.

3D HALF PRICE word on white background 3d rendering

Live Your Life for Half the Price

It's a benchmark, a goal, a mindset, a kind of game I play with myself. Whatever the price tag—real or
Gift Card retail rack

The Shocking Truth About Gift Cards

The truth is, consumers racked up more than $162 billion in Gift Card sales in 2022. I can’t stop the
USD currency in jeans pocket

Like Finding Money You Didn’t Know You Had

You know the feeling when you reach into the pocket of a coat or pants you haven’t worn for a
man writing check to charity

Give But Give Wisely

It’s that time of year again—everyone wants your money. Brace yourself for more dinnertime phone calls and mailbox solicitations. That
fast food payment

Is Your Credit or Debit Card Making You Fat?

The link between debt and being overweight is impulse. People are more likely to grab unhealthy foods on impulse and

Reality vs. Perception Makes My Head Hurt

Had it not been required to graduate I would never have taken the class titled simply: Philosophy. Abstract thinking makes
Unhappy Student Holding Empty Purse With Calculator And Bills On Table

Stop Dreaming About Student Debt Relief: 6 Ways to Pay It Off Yourself Fast

You graduated. Great. Good job. You ended up with a degree and a pile of ugly student debt. You say
graduates

A Good Speech is a Terrible Thing to Waste

I wasn't invited to give a graduation speech this Spring. Still, I was prepared, and since a good speech is
Woman hands up success concept reachingn mountaintop goal

Dare to Do the Unthinkable

On an ordinary hot summer day in rural Georgia just weeks before heading off for his first year of college, Scott Rigsby’s life

About Mary Hunt, Debt Expert, Blogger, Advice Columnist

Do I have a story for you. It was a really bad day. Possibly the worst day of my life.
frog in a pot of water

My Life as a Frog

I have been told if you attempt to pop a frog into a pot of boiling water he’ll jump out
Coins and plants are grown on a pile of coins for finance and banking. The idea of saving money and increasing finances.

On Saving Money and Spreading Manure

As you may know, the mission of this blog is to discover ways to save time and money every day.
Empty chair in a closet

The Chair

When I tell you that I am a born-messy, for whom the years have magnified that trait, it is not
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Sometimes You Gotta’ Bite the Bullet

Some time ago, I posted a poll asking my Everyday Cheapskate audience, “What would you do with an unexpected windfall
Woman shopping luxury boutique. Girl wear sunglasses and fur coat shopping white background. Lady hold shopping bags. Discount and sale. Buy with discount on black friday. Shopping with promo code.

6 Things a Compulsive Shopper Can Do To Curb the Urge to Splurge

When it came to compulsive tendencies, there's no question I received more than the standard allotment. I can sit down fully
Women shopping in the mall

The Pain and Pleasure Principle vs. The Crazy Fun of Mindless Spending

I don’t care much for pain. In fact, I’ll do almost anything to avoid it. I also know that pain
woman looking in mirror diagnosing herself with disease to please

Three Easy Ways to Curb the Disease to Please

I could never be a medical transcriptionist. It’s not the typing or the doctors’ handwriting that would deter me. My

Vangie is Her Name and Travel is Her Game

To say that the global pandemic rocked the world in horrific ways would be, to put it mildly. We may
Despair at the loss of a child

What to Do On the Worst Day of Your Life

On the Sunday after Pastor Rick and Kay Warren lost their son to suicide, Rick’s message, “What to Do On
Female hiker sets backpack down on grassy hillside feeling discouraged lighten your load

Feeling Discouraged? Lighten Your Load

The heavier the load, the more difficult the journey and the more trouble you’ll have reaching your goals. Heavy burdens

Like Fourth Grade All Over Again

I’m not sure why I loved fourth grade so much. Maybe it was because my teacher was extra pretty and
A baseball bat, glove and ball lie on top of home plate as a conceptual sports image.

Don’t Widen the Plate!

I promised myself years ago that every time I saw this, I would republish, and re-post. It shows up at
Whoville Austrian Mountain Village

Who Stole the Joy?!

It was an unusual interview. The interviewer explained she was writing an article for a national women’s magazine on clever
car keys

Your Money Temperament and Why it Matters

Whether you're aware of it or not, you do have a money temperament. Everyone does. It's the way you naturally
Mary Hunt

50 Random Things About Me

50 random things about me that my readers may not know and will probably be surprised to learn. Especially #37.
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How to Guarantee You’ll Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution

So, did you make any New Years' resolutions? Reportedly, half of us do that. Here we are, only hours into
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Encouragement: The One Thing We Need to Keep Going

Encouragement. For me it is a basic need or perhaps a character flaw, I’m not quite sure. All I know
fearful woman looking out window

How to Keep Calm and Carry On

Life is uncertain. We know that. What we don't want to admit is how quickly uncertainty can morph into fear,
A green fire hydrant sitting on the side of a road

Yesterday I Turned Back Time

Yesterday I turned back time. Really! I reset my lawn sprinkler timer, which was more than an hour off. It

The 10 Most Popular Everyday Cheapskate Posts of 2021

I can't believe it's 2022—a brand New Year, and a new decade, too! The year 2021 has been an absolute
lady working out

Going Through Tough Times Makes Us Stronger

Discouragement plagues all of us from time to time. If you’re discouraged about your situation—be it financial, family, job, or
Denis Diderot sitting on a table

Remember Mr. Diderot and His Red Robe Before You Head out Shopping

The eighteenth-century French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote an essay entitled “Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown.” It seems
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17 Ways to Simplify Your Life: How to Desire Less

Would you be willing to accept a reduction in pay if you could work fewer hours to spend more time

7 Tips to Keep Your Inner Hoarder in Time-Out

I don't know why some of us have such a strong propensity to accumulate, collect, and otherwise hold onto stuff

How Materialism Leads to Discontentment

I should not have even picked it up. I knew better. After all, what was I expecting from a magazine
worried woman looking out window seated next to wood paneled wall

16 Ways to Stop Worrying and Start Living the Life You Love

If you've ever have been in serious debt—or are right now—you know the feeling that your creditors own you lock,
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Cheap, Yes, But Not at the Expense of Others

Living below your means requires a good bit of creativity from time to time. You have to get pretty clever

Let’s Make Every Day Thanksgiving!

Choose to be grateful today—and every day—for all that you have. Gratitude will fill your heart with contentment. And best
Christmas vintage presents on a wooden background

Gift-Giving: What’s the Point?

The simple act of gift-giving has become extremely complicated. I blame that on the consumer credit industry. Think about it: You
money in wallet USD

7 Quick and Easy Ways to Give Yourself a Tax-Free Raise

Is money a little tight? Hoping a raise will come through soon? I hate to burst your bubble, but even
distressed couple financial aid student loan debt advice

Stop Taking Parent Loans for Your Kids’ College Education

You’re a parent, and you are responsible for taking care of your minor child financially. But you are equally responsible
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15 Minutes to Financial Freedom

The email message contained a single-word subject: Help! The sender, I’ll call her Emily, had been asked by her community
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How to Save Money and Get Financially Confident Starting Now

For a good deal of my life, I lived under a dark cloud of fear that I would end up

How to Make Four Popular Mixes to Slash the Soaring Prices

They’re convenient and tasty, but have you ever considered the high cost of your favorite prepared mixes and spices? In
A woman sitting at a table using a laptop

7 Habits of the Rich

Habit is defined as behavior repeated so often it becomes almost automatic. I am in awe of the power of
Attentive little boy with weird hair researching the bug using magnifier isolated on white

Lessons From a Two-Year-Old

I gave my son and daughter-in-law lots of gifts when their son Elijah was born. But none has come back
hand with a calculator. money saving concept.

Saving Money by Choice, Not by Chance

A question that I answered in a previous post brought a small avalanche of mail, mostly from readers who were
A man standing on top of a hill

How to Get Your Perspective Back on Track

These days, it’s easy to fall into the muck and mire of worry and defeat. Personal crises like a financial
A vase filled with purple flowers

Just Hand Over the Sweet Peas and No One Gets Hurt

Confession is good for the soul, I’m told, and so I’d like to confess. I came this close to clocking
portrait of family reasons to celebrate

6 Reasons We Need to Celebrate Soon—and Often!

Celebrate? With all that’s going on in our lives, the nation—the world?With all the challenges you're facing right now, you
Redhead with messy hair covering her face with hands

A Very Bad Hair Day

Apparently, my hair is my life. Believe me, I am as surprised by this fact of vanity as anyone. Had

Secrets of the Frugal Lifestyle

I'll admit I used to think frugality was a distasteful lifestyle forced upon the poor. I believed "frugal" was synonymous
A group of people sitting at a table

Mistakes We Make and the Courage to Fix Them

Mistakes, we all make them! But don't assume you must live with it. Here's some great news: It's only a
legs of woman enjoy shopping on the mall center, hand holding shopping, buying and shopping consumerism, enjoy shopping in sale summer time discount store

My Shopping Addiction Rehab Program

Shopping is my thing. I love the thrill of the hunt, that feeling of discovery and the joy of a bargain.
A woman standing in front of a computer

How I Curb the Urge to Quit

I wouldn’t tell just anyone what I’m about to tell you—and only because we’re like family. At least several times
A double bed in a room

For the Love of a Good Steam Iron

While it’s true that life is uncertain, there’s at least one thing of which I am very sure: I will
Keyboard

Rebooting My Spirit

To say that I am impressionable would be to put it mildly. And when I say impressionable I mean prone
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Give Yourself an Extreme Money Makeover

There’s nothing like a job-layoff notice, getting a call from the bank saying you’ve bounced your account to the moon—or
daffodil collage

Lessons from a Daffodil Garden

Year after year, one dried-up seemingly-lifeless bulb at a time, she planted more than 1,000,000 bulbs—creating something of magnificence, beauty,
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Easy Ways To Boost Your Income

Of all the people I know and love, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t welcome a small income boost
A person posing for the camera

Living Below Your Means is the Only Way to Live

Being thought of as cheap was, to me, the ultimate insult. I equated frugality with digging through dumpsters in search
woman stressed out waiting for things to return to normal

What to Do While You Wait for Things to Return to Normal

Every moment that you mourn the passing of the way things were, is a moment lost in the present. Concentrate
A person standing in front of a brick building

This is Contentment: Want What You Have, Buy What You Need

Years ago, I read in The New York Times that according to Yankelovich Research, the average American adult is the
A sign on the side of a road

How to Stop Making Bad Decisions

I saw the funniest sign, but it wasn’t funny for long because I started to think about it. Suddenly the
Happy Faces

What Do You Need to Be Happy?

In your heart do you believe that more money would make you happier? How much would it take to make
meat loaf with vegetables close-up on a cutting board. horizontal

How to Stretch Ground Beef to Cut the High Cost

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ official data says the average price of a pound of lean ground beef climbed to a
ad, depressed and lonely woman sitting in a corner on a floor tiles, in a skirt, barefoot with a long blond hair

The Gift of a Crisis

It was the worst day of my life. Not one of the worst days. Not a day where not one
closeup rear view of frustrated woman scratching chalkboard

Would You Rather Stick a Fork in Your Eye or Talk About Budgets?

For lots of people, just thinking the word “budget” is like nails on a chalkboard. I know the feeling. For many

Payday Loans, Rent-to-Own and Other Spooky Tales

Scary stories and fiendish tricks are all part of Halloween fun. But the last thing you expect is for those

I’d Rather Have the Money, Bob

Did you see us? My husband and I were on TV with Bob Barker. Before you run to check your

4 Reasons to Kick the Credit Card Habit

There are many reasons not to carry credit card debt, like this: It's expensive! Even if you don't carry cc
Pharmacy and Generic drug

With Generic Drugs, You Gotta’ Speak Up

I want to tell you about a shocking encounter I had recently at my local Rite Aid pharmacy. But first,
A stack of currency chained together and padlocked. Used for any money inference where money is tight or protected.

The Truth About Joy and Living Well, Below Your Means

Even the mention of words like frugality and thrift send some people over the edge because, for them, those words