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.

Mary Hunt

About Mary Hunt, Debt Expert, Blogger, Advice Columnist

frog in a pot of water

My Life as a Frog

meat loaf with vegetables close-up on a cutting board. horizontal

How to Stretch Ground Beef to Cut the High Cost

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

Let’s Make Every Day Thanksgiving!

Christmas vintage presents on a wooden background

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

Women shopping in the mall

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

woman looking in mirror diagnosing herself with disease to please

Three Easy Ways to Curb the Disease to Please

Vangie is Her Name and Travel is Her Game

Like Fourth Grade All Over Again

woman stressed out waiting for things to return to normal

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

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

woman jumping for joy cyclist climber light

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

A green fire hydrant sitting on the side of a road

Yesterday I Turned Back Time

A group of people walking through a cloudy sky

6 Reasons We Need to Celebrate Soon—and Often!

paper towels

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

Redhead with messy hair covering her face with hands

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

A person standing in front of a brick building

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

Whoville Austrian Mountain Village

Who Stole the Joy?!

Keyboard

Rebooting My Spirit

money in wallet USD

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

closeup rear view of frustrated woman scratching chalkboard

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

distressed couple financial aid student loan debt advice

Stop Taking Parent Loans for Your Kids’ College Education

man holding US cash in his hands

Your Money Temperament and Why it Matters

daffodil collage

Lessons from a Daffodil Garden

4 Reasons to Kick the Credit Card Habit

money with stethescope

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

A group of people sitting at a table

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

lady working out

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

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

How Materialism Leads to Discontentment

worried woman looking out window seated next to wood paneled wall

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

A man looking at the camera

Cheap, Yes, But Not at the Expense of Others

Mary Hunt

50 Random Things About Me

A close up of a flag

15 Minutes to Financial Freedom

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

A woman sitting at a table using a laptop

7 Habits of the Rich

Attentive little boy with weird hair researching the bug using magnifier isolated on white

Lessons From a Two-Year-Old

A vase filled with purple flowers

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!

A large group of active multi-generation people running a race

The One Thing We Need to Keep Going

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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