In 2008, my husband earned a total of $40,437.63. We had a mortgage, student loans, and a car payment. Even so, I knew that if we lived a simpler lifestyle, if we could spend less, I could follow my heart and be a stay-at-home mom.
Since then our income has increased a bit, but our lifestyle has remained largely the same. We’ve learned how to do even more than we ever imagined with less money.
Frugal living and money smarts enabled us to pay off those student loans and that car early, something we never thought to do when we had a double income and no kids. A nagging fear of failing at our new lifestyle became confidence as we learned more about personal finance.
Years later, we are a family of four still living well on a modest income…and we don’t spend it all.
We live simply because the less money we need, the less money we will need, whether during a job loss, or during retirement.
I can’t regale you with a compelling story about how I paid off tens of thousands of dollars of debt in record time.
I can’t amaze you with extreme couponing skills that let me pay a few bucks for a huge stockpile of groceries.
I can’t impress you with how I make everything we need from scratch while masterfully raising two young children.
I won’t tell you that I’m an expert, because there is always more to learn.
We are ordinary people on an ordinary income doing more than usual with the resources we have. I think you can, too.
Jen Spends Less is where I share how my family and I really, truly live on a modest income. I’ll tell you how we save money and what we choose to spend money on. And I’ll let you know what I’ve learned along the way.
I think it’s tragic when money prevents people from living the life they really want. I’m here to help and inspire you to find your freedom through frugal living. Let’s learn together.
Meet Jen
Before I became a full-time mom and blogger, I earned a B.S. degree in architecture and worked as a Computer-Aided Designer in the hospitality industry. As the oldest of five children in a single-income household, I learned resourcefulness from a young age, but my education and professional experience reinforced the importance of quality, attention to detail and creativity.
Quitting the corporate rat race didn’t mean leaving the work I love behind, however. Over the past several years I’ve freelanced as a graphic designer for PGA golf tournaments, a college professor teaching AutoCad to engineering students, a search engine evaluator for a major search engine, a video transcription editor, and a freelance writer of how-to articles that appear on various sites across the web.
Sometimes, though, I like to be “just” a mom.
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. -Albert Einstein
I am interested in too many things to count, and I especially love travel, good food (particularly when someone else does the cooking), and design of all kinds. I appreciate the finer things, even if I can’t afford them.
Random facts: Bananas gross me out, but I’ll eat them baked in bread or muffins. I also hate nutmeg, and capers. I don’t think I’ll ever be too old to enjoy video games. I can’t shake my fondness for the passive voice, or the Oxford comma. I like repairing electronics. I’ve read the entire Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series seven times. I have a photographic memory. I want to write a really good book someday. I’m probably a geek and/or a nerd, except that I don’t like Dr. Who.
Feel free to email me any time at jen@jenspends.com
Meet Jen’s Family
My Husband and I found each other online in 1999 (via my very first website) when we were both freshmen in college and he was living in England. Countless emails later, we finally met in person in 2001. In 2005 he immigrated to the United States, and we were married shortly after. Apart from his distinctive accent, you wouldn’t know he hasn’t lived here forever; he loves American food, college sports, and knows his way around better than I do. Although my husband works hard all day as the main breadwinner, he is also immensely helpful with household chores and a very involved dad. I wouldn’t be able to do it without him!
“D” is our oldest son, born in 2008. “E” is our youngest son, born in 2017. Both boys are extremely intelligent, and it’s a little bit exhausting trying to keep their minds fed. In fact, they were the inspiration for another site I founded, CNYGifted.com. D is most passionate about history, nature, and art, while E loves vehicles of all kinds and learning “how things work.” And, of course, both boys are obsessed with LEGO. It’s mostly great fun being their mom, except when we need to go shopping together.