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.

car keys

Your Money Temperament and Why it Matters

USD currency in jeans pocket

Like Finding Money You Didn’t Know You Had

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Give But Give Wisely

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The One Thing We Need to Keep Going

fast food payment

Is Your Credit or Debit Card Making You Fat?

Reality vs. Perception Makes My Head Hurt

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

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A Good Speech is a Terrible Thing to Waste

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13 Ways to Simplify Your Life

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Dare to Do the Unthinkable

About Mary Hunt, Debt Expert, Blogger, Advice Columnist

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My Life as a Frog

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How to Stretch Ground Beef to Cut the High Cost

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On Saving Money and Spreading Manure

Let’s Make Every Day Thanksgiving!

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Gift-Giving: What’s the Point?

Empty chair in a closet

The Chair

Hand holding dollar banknotes on white background

Sometimes You Gotta’ Bite the Bullet

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

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

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Three Easy Ways to Curb the Disease to Please

Vangie is Her Name and Travel is Her Game

Like Fourth Grade All Over Again

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

Despair at the loss of a child

What to Do On the Worst Day of Your Life

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My Shopping Addiction Rehab Program

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Discouraged? Maybe It’s Time to Lighten the Load That’s Weighing You Down

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Yesterday I Turned Back Time

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6 Reasons We Need to Celebrate Soon—and Often!

paper towels

How I Kicked the Paper Towel Habit Using the Power of Scarcity

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A Very Bad Hair Day

The 10 Most Popular Everyday Cheapskate Posts of 2021

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How to Guarantee You’ll Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution

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

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Who Stole the Joy?!

Keyboard

Rebooting My Spirit

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

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

7 Tips to Keep Your Inner Hoarder in Time-Out

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How to Save Money and Get Financially Confident Starting Now

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Saving Money by Choice, Not by Chance

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Stop Taking Parent Loans for Your Kids’ College Education

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Lessons from a Daffodil Garden

4 Reasons to Kick the Credit Card Habit

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Give Yourself an Extreme Money Makeover

Secrets of the Frugal Lifestyle

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

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Mistakes We Make and the Courage to Fix Them

A woman standing in front of a computer

How I Curb the Urge to Quit

ATM

With ATM Receipts and Legal Guardians, Leave Nothing to Chance

I’d Rather Have the Money, Bob

A man standing on top of a hill

How to Get Your Perspective Back on Track

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Going Through Tough Times Makes Us Stronger

Denis Diderot sitting on a table

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

Pharmacy and Generic drug

With Generic Drugs, You Gotta’ Speak Up

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The Gift of a Crisis

How Materialism Leads to Discontentment

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

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Cheap, Yes, But Not at the Expense of Others

Mary Hunt

50 Random Things About Me

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15 Minutes to Financial Freedom

How to Make Four Popular Mixes Yourself to Slash the Soaring Prices

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7 Habits of the Rich

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Lessons From a Two-Year-Old

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Just Hand Over the Sweet Peas and No One Gets Hurt

A double bed in a room

For the Love of a Good Steam Iron

A baseball bat, glove and ball lie on top of home plate as a conceptual sports image.

Don’t Widen the Plate!

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Easy Ways To Boost Your Income

A person posing for the camera

Living Below Your Means is the Only Way to Live

A sign on the side of a road

How to Stop Making Bad Decisions

A man sitting at a table using a laptop

What Do You Need to Be Happy?

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