what is poverty luxe?

so with all this talk about figuring out who i am as a blogger and what i actually want to do here as i start to overhaul my content into something that i feel represents this brand and what i want to do with it, i suppose i should, you know, explain myself. 

at its core, this is a lifestyle blog, not necessarily a food blog or a style blog or a personal finance blog or any other specific niche blog, but all of those things together as they relate to our lifestyle. 

the poverty luxe lifestyle. 

and what do i mean by that? well i mean our lifestyle of learning to live within (or preferably below) our means (whatever they may be at the time, since it tends to fluctuate), and enjoy it. i mean making the most of what we have and making the best life we can, no matter how limited our income may be. i mean cutting out unnecessary crap and cutting corners where we can so we can have nice things. i mean reducing what we have to spend money on so that theres more left over for what we want to spend money on. i mean setting things up so that we can take a chill pill and NOT freak out about every single penny that goes in and out of this house. 

we (and by we i mean james and i together), have worked very hard to build a life that was both financially sustainable and enjoyable. its taken a long time, its been really hard, and for the most part weve been entirely on our own since doing things "by the book" just wasnt right for us. 

i figured if if weve had to work so hard to figure out solutions to make the broke life a good life, then maybe there are other folks out there that could benefit from what weve learned over the past few years: things like managing our finances with a topsy-turvy income (have i mentioned lately that james is a carpenter?), making the most of small-space living, turning even the most meager grocery budget into a week of healthy, delicious meals, and finding ways to turn those spare pennies into the things that we really want. 

and those are the types of things youll find here in my new and improved content: recipes, projects, money saving tips, and a closer look into our life and how we learn to make things work. all with the focus of making a good life out of what we have, not just pinching pennies to pad our bank accounts and buy more stuff, and maybe questioning (or breaking) the "rules" of financial management along the way. 

so maybe youre looking for some help (or a sympathetic ear) with getting your familys budget in check. maybe you want to learn how to feed your family fresh wholesome food without going broke or spending all day in the kitchen. maybe youre trying to keep your family happy and entertained in a tiny house. maybe you want to simplify your life so you dont have to worry about money so much. maybe youd like to slow down and spend more time doing the things that actually make you happy. 

and maybe, just maybe youre a little frustrated with the rigid methods and unrealistic attitudes that seem so prevalent in the finance blogging world, and the seemingly unattainable air of perfection in the realm of lifestyle blogging. 

like us. 

so pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink, and lets learn to love living the broke life.