Welcome to LivingWellonaBudget.com

The Living Well on a Budget site is for people, who want to live well and save money and/or time. So if you are a student, unemployed, just trying to keep more of what you earn, retired, or “the millionaire next door” and want to get more bang for your buck, I hope you can benefit from this site.

I constantly look for new ways to save money, time, live better and welcome the exchange of ideas and information. I have compiled quite a list of on and offline resources, products, places and experiences and am here to facilitate sharing the wealth, so to speak.

“All riches have their origin in mind. Wealth is in ideas - not money.” ~Robert Collier~

This started with my writing a simple hosted blog on WordPress in July, 2008. After almost a year of developing and compiling content, I am now taking the blog to the next level with LivingWellOnABudget.com. Why? I’d like to see how far I can take my vision and help as many people as I can in the process.

I love building and growing businesses. Since my career is in Marketing and Business Development, mostly for IT/technology companies, this is a fun way for me to learn and try new techniques while developing and demonstrating some of my Web 2.0 and online marketing skills. I’m adding an online newsletter (you can get on the mailing list today) and integrating with other social media like Twitter and Facebook (follow me or friend me as BudgetMaven).

I am from New England, but have lived in the expensive San Francisco Bay area for the last 12 years. I’ve been through the boom years, the dot com bust and we are now living through the toughest economy since The Great Depression. There have been times where I’ve had lots of disposable income, traveled internationally, met CEOs, millionaires and celebrities, had lots of opportunity and it seemed like the good times would just keep on going.

I’ve also been a poor college student living in Boston, working my way through in the school library, computer lab and as a waitress to earn my business and finance degree. Two of the once Fortune 150 IT companies and some of the start ups I have worked for no longer exist today.

I’ve seen my 401k dwindle and had tens of thousands of stock options that ended up being worth nothing. Like many people, I’ve struggled to live on unemployment at times.  So what has all this taught me?

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute
with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~Denis Waitley~

My father, who has had a successful career as a sales and marketing executive, is a consummate DIYer and his favorite saying is, ‘If it’s free, it’s for me.” I used to roll my eyes, now I get it. At 64, he’s also trying to figure out his own retirement strategy. My father was right, he doesn’t own the power company. Benjamin Franklin was right, a penny saved is a penny earned. Money doesn’t grow on trees (nor does it buy happiness)..

A lot of people equate being frugal or on a budget with deprivation or eating your brussel sprouts. It’s actually a lot more fun and easier than you might think. It also helps build resilience and teaches one how to prioritize what’s really important, both essential life skills.

Over time, I have found many ways to be able to have a lot of the things I want and do the things I enjoy doing, for free or on the cheap. Sometimes it just takes a little patience and tenacity. Sometimes it’s about trade offs. Saving money in certain areas allows you to have more money for the things that matter to you, now or in the future. It can also be like a game, finding ways to have or do more for less, live a more healthy, sometimes simpler and/or greener lifestyle.

~ Budget Maven ~