We Answer Viewer Questions About Family and Frugality
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Grab your cup of coffee! It’s time for a special Q & A about family, faith, and finances. In this video, we answer viewer questions about how to budget on a low income, reach savings goals, balance paying off debt and saving for emergencies, and how to create a better budget.
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We're Hope and Larry and we love practical frugality. We raised our four sons, debt-free, including paying cash for our home when our income was well under the national average. For tips on saving money, budgeting, paying off debt, and setting goals (while living with a spirit of joy and abundance), subscribe to us here on TH-cam and visit us at our website and on social media.
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I always thought Hope IS a natural teacher! Cheers from Madrid (Spain)
I'm a 30-year-old homeschooling mom of 2 kiddos aged 9 and 10. I love your frugal channel! I've learned a lot from you two wise owls!
So glad you could glean some nuggets from our videos, Becca. Thank you for your kind comment.
thank you so much for staying away from the fear mongers! i enjoy your channel because of no politics and fear driven ideas. keep up the great content 🎉
Thank you, Kathy. We want our channel to be a safe zone from all the fray on-line.
My daughter became a teacher. She went four years of university and two years of teacher’s college. She has no student debt. God bless her❤️
I am Canadian and live by a lake. So staycation for me would be paddle boarding and canoeing on the lake, swimming, reading by the lake, biking, hiking, walking on the trails, picnic etc. inside we have a museum here that is very inexpensive to attend, an old jail, shops in quaint small villages to see. Also I enjoy m crafts at home, movie and homemade pizza nights, board games with friends or family and reading. So many inexpensive or free activities that are fun. I’m 61 years old and retired without dealt 😊. I love free or almost free activities
To conserve water, I keep empty bottles near the kitchen sink to catch the cool water while water heats up for dish washing. I then use the bottled water for plants and pets
Great idea. I fill the coffee maker and our water filter system while bringing the hot water to the faucet.
Hope’s an AC/DC fan?! I would never have guessed. Love it!
So we'll put about the tie in with money & faith. I absolutely have evidence of the concept of giving your time talents and tithe. Without this principle, my life has never looked good financially!
I think there was something extra in Larry’s coffee as this the sassiest I’ve ever seen him!
LOL! Thanks, Phalseprofet.
My sewer guy said to use the cheapest tp as easiest on my septic system
During tp shortage few yrs ago I cut into hand size cloths of old clothes, towels, flannel sheets & placed in large gallon jars of white vinegar to use for # 1 & just put in dirty clothes hamper. White vinegar is ph balanced for skin so no burning , even on the neverlands . Can use for #2 & do as moms do with a diaper pail. Saves a bunch of tp, economical. Good to have these jars too ready for power outages as have ready to bathe cloths as well. It’s just a good deal
Your hair looks so good, You look younger and lighter!
Great hair cut Hope. Looks awesome. Fuller and lighter. 👍
Congrats on your anniversary and the upcoming nuptials! And Hope - you look terrific. The beautician did a great job.
Really enjoyed the video tonight! Congratulations on your wedding anniversary! I was married for 47 years until my husband passed away at age 69. What you said about taking time for fun things is so important! Those are the best memories to have!
So sorry, Dorothy. Yes, we need to make the most of our days and years together with our loved ones.
YES top 10 all time frugal video!
Thank you.
I'm drinking BJs Warehouse Club Colombian, my cup is Princess House (it was big in the 80s-90s) Orchard Medley. I inherited them from my aunt. I think of her every day when I drink my coffee and then some. I credit her with me getting into learning about personal finances. She always passed her Money magazines on to us.
How sweet, Annora.
I use my dishwasher, it’s always full when I do a load and it’s on the most economical settings. It uses one full sink of water.
lol my husband is 6 years older than i and i was 18 and a freshman at college when we met. We have been together for almost 40 year and married for 36 year. Best decision I ever made. I appreciate that you keep the focus on frugal living. You give solid advice on frugality.
Wonderful, Daunef! Blessings to you. Thank you.
Love your channel ! Mom of 6 here 10,8,6,4,2 and 4 months...i learn so much and love your hearts and love for the Lord❤
Thank you so much, ABCDEFGH....
Coffee - Dunkin Donuts during the week, Barneys Santas White Christmas on Sunday morning before church as a special treat. These coffees aren't cheap. I have a Keurig as I'm the only one who drinks coffee and only 1-2 cups. But, I don't use the throw away K-Cups. Instead I buy the ground coffee (when it's on sale of course ), use reusable cups and (very inexpensive) filters to fit. Makes my coffee a quarter of the price of using the throw away cups. Bonus- the grounds and filters are recyclable.
Some frugal ideas… Reduce, reuse, recycle, and re-purpose. This can go a long way, and helping us to be frugal.
What a perfect way to end my day, with a nice long video from Hope & Larry! Thanks for another great video! ☕️😊
Thank you, mmmgan.
I remember when you guys first started this channel. I had stumble across you when you had 5k + subscribers and knew you guys would go far! I am so proud of you two!!!!
Awe, thank you, Cody.
Sorry is our family game! Thank you for sharing your budgets with us. You both deserve a couple of trips!
I remember when I was young, my parents did a lot of stay-cations and road trips. Starved Rock was a favorite for picnics and short hikes. You're right, you do have to enjoy life along the way. It doesn't have to involve a lot of money and/or long distances. True, when you can see the amount of energy or any resource, you are using, you become very aware of how much you are using. While staying in an Earth Ship home, in New Mexico, you can actually see the gage of water levels fall as you used it. Very eye-opening.
You must be from the Midwest. Starved Rock has gotten very popular now. You have to visit it on the off seasons or it's just too busy now
@@larryware1 Good to know!
FIRE person here. Have saved up for a car but can’t pull the trigger. It’s the sofa issue you all are struggling with! I’m an over thinker.
Also paying those high health insurance cost as we are 12 years apart. Eventually when we fully retire (we are financially independent but own a business) and are using savings interest to supplement we will qualify for the market plans at a discount.
Such a beautiful city and the Cotswolds are stunning!
Thank you, Sophie.
LOL. I love the car story. I had a VW Fox that sounds very similar.. I had to regularly pray over it because it was always having small deaths. I called it Lazarus because sometimes just a prayer fixed it! It was a great car, though. It cost me very little in actual repairs. I bought it for $8500 and 20 years later, I sold it for $1,000 after it had gone 400,000 km. It didn't owe me anything!
God always at the center of it all
Hope, you’re veering toward a Farrah Fawcett with that cut. It looks great!
Now that's quite a compliment, Duvessa!
My alumni group had a blast playing Taboo. Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Sorry I missed the live. When I was married, my husband had no clue about basic math/budgeting/accounting and only understood advance physics and binary codes. He would come up with the strangest answers to basic addition and subtraction. Thank goodness, I had advance accounting under my belt or I would have been very confused. Happy Anniversary!
Yes, please do the top ideas of all time. Love when both of you talk about your meeting one another.
This has been one the BEST Q & A program! Thank you!
We live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and it is a stunning, amazing place to live. Natural beauty all around. Fantastic public transit. Lots to do. This is our first full summer here, and I told my husband I didn't want to go anywhere on vacation (or "holiday" as we say) because we can do so much here. I easily have fun planned for the entire summer, and my one teenager still at home can join in on any and all adventures if he wants. Staycation took on a whole new meaning when we moved here! Heidi
How nice, Heidi. Sounds like a paradise.
We recently had a summer storm which toppled trees and cut our electricity; it was in the mid 90s. I qhickly learned how ill-prepared I was for a summer storm. Your teaching had me fairly well prepared for a winter outage -- would you consider reviewing your preparedness tips for a summer power outage???
I love your new look. Hair looks great as does makeup. Really brings out your eyes.
My daughter went 2 year program through a scholarship to get her associates and did all the basics. She then we merged to the 2 more years at the university campus to get her bachelor degree. She has been working there since graduating and working on her fully paid for extensive education. They gave she gives & they give. I call her ever learning.
I love the coffee cup idea for your anniversary! That is a great idea especially because I’m a coffee addict !! the best idea I’ve ever heard for a couple :-)
Bishop Hill was a Swedish colony, not Swiss lol. It still has very strong ties to Sweden with occasional visits from the royal family and the ambassador from Sweden. Might see you at the car show! (July 23rd)
Oh, I meant that. Thanks for the correction, Mary.
Love that y'all keep politics off here ❤❤
Will do!
Thank you all for sharing with us! It is so nice to chat with you!
This was fun, Andrea. Nice to have you with us!
Love your hair cut… much younger looking too. Great job
Larry...those portable units your using are batteries...just in a nice package. There very useful and using solar to charge ( rather than house current ) is a win win ! Lithium batteries are best... which I'm guessing you have... thanks to you both for informational videos 👍❤️ BB from somewhere in Louisiana
Thank you Betty. Yes, they are lithium iron phosphate batteries for the most part. We use them daily.
Your hair really does look good! You look a lot younger! 😊
Love your new cups. 😊
Clue was our favorite board game.
Yes to the new video idea!
The only thing I have to say about toilet paper is that Big Lots is NO GOOD. I tried it once and you have to use about 5-6 layers because it's so thin. I heard that Aldi's is no good, so that's when I tried Big Lots. Well, I'd buy Aldi's any day now, but NEVER Big Lots....NEVER NEVER NEVER!
Happy belated anniversary! I am a new subscriber and I absolutely love your content, and your kind, down to earth, and pleasant demeanors. Best wishes to the both of you! And thank you for all that you do.
Awe, thank you so much, Grace. Blessings to you.
Happy Anniversary to you both!
I totally understand about not making your channel political. Thank you so much. I don’t watch very much news. God is going to take care of us no matter what. The news, like you said, is mostly fear based. 46:37 too attend a non denominational church. God doesn’t care your denomination. It’s all in believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And He will come again someday and we’ll all be in Heaven praising the Lord. God bless ya’ll and your family. I love your channel so much. I live in Southeast Missouri. And my son and his fiancee live in Carbondale. So, we are basically neighbors. 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️😮😮
A belated Happy Anniversary Hope and Larry I love how the 2 of you play off each other. I always learn something and have a good laugh with all your videos May the Lord bless you with many more years of wedded bliss
Wow, sounds like your kids had a great opportunity with that co-op. What a blessing
A lot of studies on happiness show that traditions (like getting kettle corn every year) and looking forward to them is a huge part of life happiness.
You look beautiful Hope! You two are such great examples in so many ways.
Hair does indeed look amazing, Beautiful!!!!😘😘😘😘😘
Thank you, Eva. I think so too.
Super Hope $ & Thrifty Larry $ !! Thank you!!🙏
Absolutely love the mugs!!! ♥️
Yay! Excited to see your upcoming video on utility bills…always a big expense!
Re: reusable sanitary towels. If you have a sewing machine buy ONE reusable towel and use it to make a pattern. Spare fabric can be used to make them,you can experiment with different fillings.
Thanks for your company I really enjoyed spending time listening to you 😊 BTW your hair looks great Hope 👍 I noticed you were a lefty as I am too and always find it interesting to notice how few of us there are in a group situation 🤔
It's been interesting to track the recessive left-handed gene through my side of the family. One person in each generation has been a leftie for several generations. Our son, Daniel, is also left-handed. He's the only one of our sons who is a leftie.
@@UndertheMedian That's really interesting Hope, I'd be interested to track that in my family just to see who and how many of my past relatives were left handed.
Lol- I'm drinking Mayorga coffee as I watch this! My favorite game with my family is Catch phrase and Telestrations😊
Thank you for answering my question.
You are SO welcome!!
Soooo happy you mentioned state parks!!!! I’m over here in Northern Indiana and I am a huge fan of all of our state parks over here and up in Michigan. I have often heard of Starved Rock and would like to visit some day. We are in Illinois a lot (husband is from Morton Grove, right outside of Chicago). I encourage everyone to utilize their state parks, nature is such a wonderful thing and I truly think people need more outdoor time in nature. The cost is low but the benefits are priceless!!!
Starved Rock is definitely worth a visit if you're ever in that area.
You two are too cute!
I’m drinking peppermint tea while watching. I live at the Gold Coast in Australia. Cheers. ❤❤
I love peppermint tea! So refreshing.
Thank you this was really interesting,the tips on treats and Holliday's was excellent .👍😀
If I were raising a child now days I definitely would be home schooling...They can join extra activities..wow the best of both worlds .you belong to a wonderful community...
Your hair looks so pretty
I love Hope's hair. Thank you, User.
Loved the longer video and hearing your stories!
21:05 I like to hand wash a pile of dishes and then rinse them all at once. I do believe it costs less to hand wash than to run the dishwasher. The cost of a bottle of dawn is way cheaper than dishwasher detergent. My dishwasher runs for about an hour on the quick wash. You still have to run the water for both. Do I use my dishwasher? Yup, when I've left them for a week or done a huge cooking day. It still leaves me to hand wash the "delicates". It isn't 45 minutes of scrubbing but it leaves a funky dishwasher detergent smell on the dishes (like it needs a nom-soapy rinse).
Happy Anniversary 🎉! Your light lipstick looks great too!!
Happy 35 years : )
Thank you!
Oh my favourite board games are monopoly and backgammon.I love you two,your family appears to be so cozy ,and supportive..and yes,fun.
You’re such heartwarming people ❤ Thanks for sharing these tips and answering the questions!
I always enjoy your videos, Hope and Larry. I am drinking Seattle's Best Coffee Decaf Portside Blend. It's a medium roast coffee, but it has such a distinct aroma and taste.
Happy 35th Anniversary!
That blend sounds like one we need to try. Thanks for the anniversary best wishes.
My husband bought the e-bike you suggested because I said you really research stuff before you buy. Score for you!!
Hello Hope&Larry it was so nice to watch your June coffee chat. I watched it at 1:30am! I work at night😂 My Husband&I are celebrating our 31st Anniversary on July 28th. We will go for ice cream@cold stone creamery near us and pay with saved funds for this event! We also will be going to a movie there again paying with already saved funds from prioritizing this special event since January. A little bit of skimmed money we set aside from our general funds to pull this anniversary celebration off in humble style!😅 Very enjoyable to have this relaxed forum with coffee in your new anniversary coffee cups! I was enjoying a cup of herbal tea watching your video! Thank you both for the content! As for toilet paper we are charmin types and we get the comparable at our Aldi store!😂! It has got to be 2 ply for us! We also calculate the total square footage in the pack that we purchase!
You're hair looks GREAT!
Hope, I think you would be an awesome speech teacher but I can also see you teaching money management to your homeschool students. I had a high school teacher who taught our work/study class how to balance a checkbook and rudimentary budgeting and I have always been grateful to her for that since we were all wage earners by then.
She would be for sure, Kate! Thank you. So nice that you had some instruction in finances in high school. There needs to be more teaching on that subject to our growing up generation.
You are so funny..loved the conversation about when you first got married. Even tho you've talked about it before, it was just so funny to watch you both talk about it and the loving banter back and forth..😊
Hi Hope and Larry! Sophie from Oxford, England here! Guys you need to visit us to explore your heritage as landed gentry!!
What a great idea!
Congratulations on 35th!
Your hair looks great!!
Thanks for answering about the travel you’re planning. I look forward to both the weddings for your family and the travel to come! We are almost there as well- couple more years and we are off and away. For school, we chose the local public school and added our own purposeful lessons to grow what they offered. I like that co-op idea for home schooling!
Trusts- one thing I learned is that there are very valid reasons for choosing an irrevocable one compared to a revokable one- states do differ. Countries differ as I learned and YES- engage a lawyer.!
I use flip and I love it! Also to save money, I use Fetch and have used 2 $25 gift cards from them, one for a canister I wanted and one for yarn for a baby blanket! All free just for scanning receipts!
I take the time issue with using a dishwasher. I worked outside the home and also a mom and still work. Sometimes it’s not money issue. When you work outside the home, you have to prioritize time and money. It’s an individual choice when you put time and money into play. I just have to say that Hope you are very articulate in your explanations. Also can you incorporate retirement frugality in your videos? I know Larry is retired and we are approaching it soon. We have been discussing what we can eliminate or change to reduce expenses on a reduced income.I know there’s plenty of retirement videos but I would like to see your take on it.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. You're absolutely right. Time would be a definite advantage of using the dishwasher.
Congratulations on your anniversary. My husband and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary.
For anyone curious, Technology Connections has a great video on the efficiency of dishwashers and how to get the most bang out of your buck for the dishwasher! 20:37
I knew we were 'related' 😂 I'm a Williams (from William the Conqueror) from England, although we don't have a religious background in the UK as much as the US we definitely share the same values of kindness and frugality ❤🎉😊
Yes, we could be distantly related. So cool.
Happy Belated Anniversary and hi from California.
I am one person, and it is cheaper for me to handwash than use my dishwasher. There are two ways I figured this: The non-experimental way, I noticed that in months where I used the dishwasher twice, my water bill was noticeably higher than months where I only handwashed. The other way I figured this out was: I measured the water I used during a handwashing session and compared it to how many gallons of water a dishwasher reportedly uses on average. I think I also multiplied the # of handwashings that one dishwasher load would cover, for a more accurate comparison. It's easy to measure the amount of water used to fill the sink. To measure the amount of rinse water coming out of the faucet, I put a pitcher or bucket in the sink to collect the run-off and then measured it with a measuring cup.
Such an interesting show, thanks guys! Hope, i love your new hairstyle its so flattering! And is this an every month thing? I wonder if you could add a Playlist for just the Q&A days so their easier to find.
Also looking forward to learning more about Larry's ebike tomorrow. We see them at Costco every now and again and quite curious what they're capable of.
And finally I'm a lefty too, us southpaw have to stick together!
Monopoly is our favorite 😍
Best of everything to you as always and have a wonderful and blessed 4th of July ❤
your hair looks FANTASTIC. i should get mine done lol
Congratulations on your anniversary and congratulations to your sons upcoming wedding! It is in the middle of the night I can’t sleep currently drinking ice water. Certainly not. My beverage of choice would rather have either a hot tea or a Starbucks soy caramel latte lol. 1:52 1:55 1:58
I love how you approached the political questions. I need to keep in mind the fear vs facts thing.
Games are our favorite too. We enjoy Abandon All Artichokes, Ten, Marshmallow Test, Whosit, Sushi Go Party, QUIXX, Rage, Loot and so many more. There are some great ones out there. We love floor picnics and car picnics! My husband and I agreed about money and staying out of debt but it is still hard to agree on everything.
Happy Anniversary! You two have the same Wedding Anniversary as my son! They were married in 2005!❤🎉
You'll have to make another trip to the Ark. It's very neat. We went about 5 years ago.
Samaritan Ministries paid for both of my hip replacements 100%. However, because I wouldn't sign the Trinity statement they told us we could no longer be members after being a member for 20 years. They paid for other medical bills also.
Listened in. Busy day doing stock up errands. Wknd will be busy vacuum sealing assorted stuff & shelving non food items..
Looking into a Trade school instead of college can help with cost too.
Excellent suggestion.
Happy Anniversary Hope and Larry! 💕
Love your haircut, Hope!
As far as dishes- my dishwasher that came with my condo is Loud and doesnt clean well at all (even though I scrape and rinse prior). I've only used it twice in 4.5 yrs. My stove oven was faulty, then in May my Fully stocked fridge/freezer died. I did buy all new appliances- only the fridge has been installed so far. I will be using my "Home Repair" sinking fund to cover the cost. It will be weird to use a dishwasher again- but am looking forward to it!
Happy belated Anniversary and congratulations on your new dil
My daughter homeschools & attends a co-op for activities. Sports, specific classes & field trips (she teaches Art & other classes).
Love your hair😊and Happy Anniversary 🎉