saving Archives - Page 3 of 3 - The Outlier Model

Tackling my student loans

student loans, paying off student loans, student loan program

CF / June 12th, 2012 / 8 Comments

Student loans are like the opposite sides of the same coin. The growing student loan debt held by young people has been a major topic in recent news. On one hand, it’s a great equalizer because it helps to provide access to post secondary education for individuals who may not be able to afford it otherwise. Having student loans also gives you access to bursaries and scholarships not available...

Posted in: Money Tagged with: avoid interest, jobs after college, loan terms, saving, staying out of debt, student loan debt

Living on the poverty line

CF / June 7th, 2012 / 8 Comments

Every once in a while, a group or charity will call out the government and complain that it is impossible to live on minimum wages or that people at the poverty line can never expect to improve their lives. Is this really true? I would argue not. Let’s take a look at some real numbers. Say you’re an average British Columbian with a high school diploma. You don’t want to take...

Posted in: Money, Philosophy Tagged with: budget, Grocery budget, housing costs, living on less, poverty line, saving

Spending our fun money

fun money, epicurean, extra budget,, spending money, spend money wisely

CF / May 24th, 2012 / 2 Comments

Brian and I often get ridiculed for not having “fun” with our budget. I say that it is blatantly untrue! We simply pick and choose what we like to spend our fun money on. We don’t like to spend our money idly and we like to make sure we have enough spending money for unexpected splurges throughout the week. We also like to make sure we get the maximum value from our fun money. ...

Posted in: Entertainment and Leisure Tagged with: Epic! Vancouver, frugality, saving, trade shows

Taking advantage… of everything

Taking advantage, living on less, exhausting resources

CF / April 21st, 2011 / 2 Comments

Living well on less often means taking advantage of situations to the best of your ability. I don’t mean being greedy or doing illegal things, but I do mean taking and using what’s available to you each and every time. Getting free food For example, the office where I work is adminstered by a property management company. Every day or so, the secretary will put out cookies and sometimes...

Posted in: Minimalism and Frugality, Philosophy Tagged with: benefits, coupons, free samples, saving