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Annette Economides
Frugal Mom
Scottsdale’s Annette Economides is the mom of America’s so-called Cheapest Family, a distinction that morphed into a bragging right this year. Now that the economic ughs are being felt all over, the Economides family’s wallet-wrangling ways are suddenly much more interesting.
This year, People magazine came calling, and Montel Williams and Good Housekeeping, too. The family appeared on National Public Radio and ABC’s 20/20. Exactly what are these people doing that we aren’t?
Annette, 47, and her husband, Steve, 51, feed a family of six for $350 per month. They clip coupons., Their wardrobe is from thrift stores. They pay cash for all their cars. Their first home was paid off in nine years, and they’re almost finished paying off their current abode, too.
They do all this on an income of about $45,000 per year. Their money comes from subscriptions to their newsletter, speaking engagements and product sales on their web site, homeeconomiser.com. Their first book, America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money, was a New York Times best-seller, and they’re working on two more.
Every November when turkey is on sale, they fill their freezers with birds. They cook them during the cooler months, when the heat from the oven warms the home, to save on energy costs. Last year, Annette and Steve brought home nine turkeys – that’s 180 pounds of bird. // Jaimee Rose
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