What a wonderful example of a good man doing such a project to provide for his family.

I’d love to know what these people do who are so negative about this man trying to be frugal. These children don’t appear to be suffering. They do, however, seem to be learning some very important and positive lessons.....

I appreciate his openness about past mistakes! And food for a family of 6 for $400 a month?! That's pretty good!! (I'm from a family of 6).

My family is just like yours. We also have spent beyond our means for years. It took a bankruptcy and losing our home to wake up. Now we are living with our first budget, thrifting for clothes, and we grew all our vegetables in a garden. It is never too late to be frugal. There are only win wins with being frugal. Thanks!

This is not extreme. This is called rural living. I grew up doing this. Hauling firewood, hanging out laundry, weeding gardens, eating Venison all winter long. Now I live in the city & I'm spending more than I make even though I inherited a condemned house, still hang up laundry, use coupons, and work 40 hours a week...it's called medical bills. If I didn't do the frugal things I would've been on gov't assistance long ago. As long as you're healthy, it's possible on much less than $40,000

I hang my laundry and save $70 a month on my electric bill. I shop at dollar and discount food stores, and buy many things at thrift stores :)

This man is living within his means and not wasting his money. A definition of Frugal is as follows..."sparing or economical as regards money or food." So from what I can see he living Frugally. I wish him and his family every success in being frugal with what he has.

Boy , being frugal is not embarassing. It js being smart

Maybe not a big party, but every child deserves to feel special in his/her birthday.

Good Luck. Large Families on a limited income need gardens. My grandparents had 13 children. And yes, my grandfather hunted wild game and kept gardens. I know it may shock some folks because I am black but I grew up eating "NOT CHICKEN" but Squirrels and Deer and Raccoon meat. Also, frog legs and lots of fish. We ate what my grandfather would catch or grow. His garden has sugarcanes and greens and tomatos and green onions to name a few. I miss him. He passed away from Cancer a few years back.

9 years later........I wonder how the garden is doing lol.

I wish my husband knew he was throwing money away. He got a job were supposedly he is gonna make more money (haven't seen that yet) but it just gives him an excuse to blow more money. I've been trying to get him to let me take over the finances for the past year. He is over 25,000 debt from credit cards and loans. I stupidly used a low interest rate card to pay off one of his high rate cards to reduce debt so we wouldn't struggle to pay the house payment. Biggest mistake, never again. He took that card after I payed it off completely for him and racked up even more then was on it before. No i'm no longer debt free and i feel like i'm being dragged down with him. I can see why divorce number one reason is money as the cause.

I was in the same boat, my father got laid off and my mom made it clear that Santa was going on a tight budget. It was annoying at first, but a sobering fact came when I saw the bunch of stuffed animals that were in my room I never played with. It was the same with the books I read and the clothes I wore.

Before I spent more than thousand dollars just for groceries, but since I started tracking what I spend, I lower my groceries to at least 600$ and cooking at home is the best, taste fresher and healthier .

I'm doing the exact same thing but In warm Hawaii. I purchased 35 acres last year.

I can't believe how nasty and judgements most of the comments are. Most of the world could do better with their money. It amazes me how many comments say he knows nothing about frugality, or how "rich" he is. In America, we do not understand poor. We have no idea what real poverty is. It is relative, but anyone making an effort and trying to do better should be encouraged, not blasted for trying.

what a wonderful family. I think the nicest thing about living like this is it forces families to survive, work and play together. this family looks closer than most families you see with the mc mansion, lexus and tennis lessons.

Good for you! We attempt a garden yearly. We always have enough for stretching our budget. Thank you for posting.

I come from a family of 6 we was poor we didn’t have nothing in the cupboards when we was small. We survived my parents made sure of that now we all are surviving on our own. I work I have two jobs this will be my second year having a huge garden I love it 🥰.

You have a beautiful family and they are great helpers! I think you are doing a wise thing.

Try feeding five, even using coupons, on a Sargent's salary forever. It is tough all over. There was a lot of ground beef involved and thank God we had the commissary. Lol

I'm inspired by your determination. Bless you

My kids are in their 40's. I taught them to make do with cardboard, old clothes, string, etc. That's how we were raised. Tina

Wow! Very impressive and informative video! Thanks for sharing and keep on posting!

Exactly.... It is truly a sad, pathetic world when working and living off your land is considered "extreme frugality".

MERRY CHRISTMAS N PRAYERS FOR YOUR FAMILY.

I too live in Maine and it is HARD to support a family on 40k a year! Everything is high here! We are at the top on all scales (except high wages, lol). Thank you for sharing.

How did I get here.......

Love it, good for you ....good lessons for kids...live within ones means. Debt free 👍

Great beautiful family.......

You have the right idea! Good luck

what an inspiring story

I'm more inspired my the working single mother who makes miracles happen to give her child a good Christmas or birthday; these people are lucky enough to have a home, land and made the decision to be "frugal", a lot of people don't have that luxury; try not eating everyday and living in a car for a month

One thing that you can't buy at ANY price? Letting the children actually contribute to the family! You can see in the shot where they are all around the table, that this family is _connected_ in this project, and it's a daily thing, maybe a constant thing. Fostering the idea that you can contribute every day as a kid makes that transition into the job market SO easy, and makes you a better contributor in all your endeavors.

The more food you grow the better off you are. I have been gardening for 3 years and I think I have saved around 10,000 dollars between me and my wife and 2 kids. I have to say though a heavy tomato harvest really helps if you are able to can food. Canned: Chili,Salsa,Spaghetti Sauce,Pizza sauce, and Tomato soup can really help in the winter. The vitamin C is another benfeit too.....

13 years ago. The kids must be grown. $2000 a month on food way back then? Is there an update on this family and their lifestyle.?

Ok, this guy is actually frugal instead of being cheap like the guy who washes paper towels. Quite inspiring :)

Awesome and beautiful. The way we're supposed to live.

Great vid...show some more! We can all use some basic knowledge on frugality and how to get by on next to nothing should hard times hit.

children are good at being frugal....even in this day and age...kids love to feel that they are really contributing to the house....mine always did :-)

An interesting video. Going semi retired I'm now using my engineering skills to save money rather than make money. I've just made a wood burning stove out of scrap metal to heat the house and cook on. It uses scrap wood and any burnable rubbish. Now I'm working on a system for using rain water for most things rather than paying for mains water.

Would love to see an update....

Frugal is just doing the most with what you have. This is frugality.

Seems silly that they would have any complaints. There are so many people now that would be happy to live so good!

Update us please! Are you still frugal? No videos in years! Kids must be grown by now?

Man your smart. That Trader Joes coffee can trick is priceless lol

land, yes he owns land.. If would not be hard to cut expenses if you owned land..

i completely agree with you! It's not extreme frugality. It's normal for anyone living on only $41k a year with four kids and two adults in the family!! I guess it's a revelation for him. There must be MANY people in the US like them who thought living beyond their means was sustainable long term...hence, the foreclosure crisis.

I admire you and the family for being frugal. I've lived in cities and also in the country. When living in the country with my Grandparents we lived cheaply. There was a river to fish in, chickens, a nearby pecan orchid, a smoke house, a water pump and also barrels to catch rain water to wash clothes, there was even an outdoor toilet which I hated, a really big garden, and more. Even though we didn't have a lot, those are some my happiest childhood memories. I can imagine that those will also be your children happiest memories. Sitting together shelling peas and doing basic things was a joy. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

I Love this. Learn how to can your vegetables!

My husband got some metal barrels that he would plant in the ground and he would layer potatoes and straw up close to the house to Winter over

I won't harp, but $41,000 is a nice income...we have raised three kids, always less than $30,000 a year. Meals were always homemade, we lived in a tiny rental with a tiny yard that was very shaded (tried a garden it did not ripen). Even now, with one kid left at home, my husbands income finally broke $30,000, and we have 30 chickens for eggs we share, grow food and have never lived differently. I shop salvage grocery stores (freight damage palletized goods)...this is lige for most of us.

Do more, Please!

Interesting...I hope that the children's lives aren't affected too much. 'No birthday parties'...I hope they meant no traditional birthday parties that cost a lot of money...

We had a monster garden every year. There were enough potatoes to feed two generations of us. The peppers can be frozen, chopped takes less room Mom canned over 150 quarts of tomatoes. We had red raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, cherries and strawberries. The local apple orchards sold pick your own apples reasonably. Drops were even cheaper. My grandmother had pigs and chickens and a couple goats. We traded with the dairy farm next door for milk. Grandma made lard. Mom and dad would buy a half of a cow pretty cheaply. When the neighbors got rid of an old dairy cow, most was ground up into burger. We always ate well and cheaply. Those things need to get brought back. The simple way is best. I see even the poorest people eating out. When asked about various restaurants, I am brutally honest and say I can not afford to eat out so I wouldn't know. My biggest luxury is gas because I enjoy volunteering at the hospitals. I cut out cable but kept internet for the grandkids for school. It is a good life. As a renter I don't have a garden and really miss it but roadside stands or farmers markets are a good alternative.

I would like to see an update on this family

Inspirational! What woke you up? I’m frugal my husband is not? Thank you for sharing your video

Good for this family...they’re together and saving money. I’d rather be frugal than keep up with the Jones’...💕

The family (I guess this guys father) came to Camden around the late 70s - early 80s and bought the biggest house in town.

I was inspired by this family today. I was going to spend 50.00 on pizza becuase I didnt think that we had enough stuff to put on a home made pizza. After scrounging around I found enough ingredence to put on the pizza but I didnt have any chesse so instead of spending 50.00 on pizza take out. I went to the grocery store and only spent 10.00 on the chesse. I saved my self 40.00. if you watch these videos enough it gets inplanted in to your head. wow. your video reminded me to think before I buy.

Would love to see a follow up to this

Family of 7 here. We spend about $600 a month on groceries- we eat out occasionally so I'll estimate $800 a month on food.

Good. THAT how i live FOR THE LAST 30 yrs here....

They’re trying to live within their means-which many people don’t. They’ll be happier not knee deep in debt.

How about not clearing it but covering it with hay and then planting. check out the Ruth Strout way or back to eden way on youtube.

If spending $24000 a year on food for six people had come to seem normal for a family on $42000 pa, they had had been doing a disservice to their kids for a long time. As for complaining about hanging laundry out.... when did not doing that become the norm? It may be a big cut in spending for this particular family but this is hardly frugality, more like normality for the majority of hard-working people who live within their means.

LISTEN before you comment. He said they USED TO spend $1200 on groceries and they have REDUCED it to between $300 and $400 a month.

Man if I had that much land I could feed a whole community! Ha ha ha, I love it.

Good for you guys! That's what more people need to do. Get back to basics. We'd all be happier.

So because the dad overspent, the kids get to do without a birthday party? I am all for frugality and live it every day but this is extreme. BTW, you don't have to rent a circus to have a simple birthday party. The mother looked haggard to me.

I would love to live of that amount of money in one full year..... DAMN!!

I worked part-time and brought up a family of 3 on a little less than $20,000. If I didn't have the money, I didn't buy it. I had health insurance and saved about a $1,000 a year towards a better car. With the extra time, I took better care of the things I did have to prevent repurchase. I did my errands on the way home from work. My interests were simple.

Good on ya! Enjoyed this story, and would love an update! As usual, I'm late to the party. Best wishes, daisy@MapleHill101

If you do couponing and stacking it with store sales, you don't have to buy generic, sometimes you can get groceries for free.

That's a little too extreme to not throw birthday parties for your kids. Just host parties at home. My parents were quite frugal when I was a kid so that's what they did for me. It was basically watching prerecorded videos while munching on chips/candy with a few friends, making our individual mini pizzas, having cake and ice cream for dessert, and then for the goody bags it was either candy or trinkets from the bargain shop. They didn't even use a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, but created their own games instead. I didn't feel deprived.

I'd love to see their budget for the month written out.

The growing season is short in Maine. Choose vegetables that mature within 90 days, such as cabbage, onions, carrots, bush beans, pole beans, swiss chard, yellow summer squash, patti pan squash, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Spending 60% of your take-home pay on food is insane. However I can't believe that it is cost-effective to raise chickens just for some meat and and a few eggs.

So because he over spent during a long time , the children have to pay for it ? I'm mean they won't die of hunger but it seems like a very drastic change for them

It took me until in my fifties to start saving like this. I retired in 2009. I get a good pension check every month. I have some savings. I wish I had started sooner. I would have been better off.

Wow, is it normal for people in America to spend more than they earn!? I thought it was common sense...

"Micro Greens" Highly nutritious. A fresh batch every 10 days. Can grow inside year round .Look up various videos right here on you tube Jam packed with all things good. All it takes is organic seed, potting soil, water and growing tray.

People also need to consider the geography of the area. If he was in an area like Boston, he would be up a creek, Maine for the most part is very affordable, plus he has the space to grow his own food. If he were living in the city that would be a different issue.

This guy's got a lot of ideas but not an ounce of experience. Would be interesting to see how they've done. The wife seemed a little off with what's going on.

We were Mom n Dad n 7 kids n we ate well due to frugality. But Dad got on the pity train after my oldest brother died n car wreck n alcohol got the best of him he compromised his valus n even tho he slept n ate at home he lived n the bar eventually drinking 25 bottles beer day for 12 years. He neglected work on house to where nearly condemned. I spent every cent id saved for college$16600 n when i was broke they both laffed at me saying noone asked u to n as i said Dad was an alcoholic n Mom mentally ill i didnt want the house but i kept them out of nurseing homes.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but my wife and I have never even come close to making $41,000. We must be super frugal. We Have been getting by on $13,000 a year for the last 2 years, and it's the most money we have ever made.

great

P.S. That website about renting out rooms is available by web searching roomriches.

....Good to see people getting off their a** and do something about saving on money, this man is very thoughtful, he could survive as a shipwrecked castaway on some desert island anywhere! Well done, ;O)

It's all relative. Compared to the "before," what this family is contemplating is very frugal, in their terms. I hope they're doing well.

I live by one principle when it comes to spending money. Before you put an item in the cart, ask yourself do I WANT this or NEED this. I am that 95% of the time, you want the item. If that is your answer, put the item back on the shelves. But never go cheap on grocery though. Always stock up your grocery with items you know your family can't live without. As an Asian, I can always whip up a meal if we have rice. :-) Trust me. We are seeing the results.

I like it when he's going thru the groceries and he pulls out The Trader Joes Coffee tin....ooh ahh. Now, I'm an Aussie so I've never heard of Trader Joes Coffee, but to my thinking, a brand name like 'Trader Joes' does not exactly sound like your upmarket "Organic Arabica Exotica Dark Roast" blend if you get my drift...on closer inspection, it looks like INSTANT coffee. Maybe it's top of the range INSTANT coffee! I think he might be confusing "frugal" with "stingy?

To start I just want to say that I agree with "manure is manure' (for those who don't, please check out humanurehandbook(dot)com for more info). The main concern growing on a leach field would be that manure put on a garden is aged properly(composted) and therefore less likely to pass on pathogens when it gets splashed up on the plants by a heavy rain. Septic tanks do not compost the manure.

They should talk to The Dave Ramsey Show (radio) about their turn around. This will help people to see that it is possible.

Seems like any budget can allow for a modest birthday celebration and gift for a child. I hope that is what he means. The land is amazing. Chores are good for children.

Great video, thank you. And I am the same about eating out or was. I am so thankful to see that I am not the only one who was doing that.

Are you guys still doing frugal living, Or did you all fall back into your old rut? Just curious! Tfs.

Looking at the food, I wouldn't waste money on specialty crackers, they're not a good deal at any price, nor apple sauce. But, yes chock full of nuts coffee, I remember it well, it's been around for years, has to be a good product. I envy your gardening plans. I try to live very frugally as well.

They don't have to give up birthdays, that is just mean. And it is not even frugal. $2 for cake that you made yourself and give the kid $20 to splurge on themselves. They don't consider coffee a luxury product, but they do consider giving their kid a happy day to be a luxury? I am going to go out on a limb and say that most of that overspending was on himself. he was taking the kids out twice a week, but I bet he ate every lunch out and not at fast food. Probably $10-20 a day just on his lunch and coffee alone. Meanwhile, I get mad at myself for buying 3 pizzas at Aldi. I don't believe they were spending $120,000 a year, though. Unless she had a job too and he just didn't mention that income. and now she has to stay home and do a bunch of unpaid work that he brags about.

its good to be frugal, but some people go too far like using reusable napkins instead of loo roll,