We’re a debt-free, one-income family trying to live our best life in rural Southwest Virginia. We quietly save 50–60% of our income on a normal income by living below our means, tracking every dollar, and working together as a team.
We’re not perfect, extreme, or fancy. We’re realistic.
We still go out to eat. We still have hiccups in our budget. We just work with what we have, adjust, and keep moving toward our goals.
This space is for people who are trying to make life work with what they have — and want to feel a little more calm and in control while they do it.
Meet Aaron
Aaron grew up in rural Southwest Virginia and knows exactly what it feels like to live paycheck to paycheck. At one point, that was his normal — and he decided it wasn’t how he wanted to keep living.
Now, he’s the keeper of the budget and loves it. He’s the one who happily gets lost in spreadsheets, pie charts, and long-term planning. If there’s a way to track it, measure it, or optimize it, he’s on it.
Aaron also handles all the technical pieces for our family — from finding new tools that cut costs to experimenting with systems that make our money work harder. He’s our big idea guy. There is no box for him; the options are endless.
What Aaron is most passionate about is helping people see how much control they can take back in their life when they take control of their money.
Meet Julia
Julia grew up in East Tennessee and was always careful with money. As she got older, she learned the hard way that debt was something she never wanted to have again.
Today, Julia handles the household planning and day-to-day rhythm of our home. She’s the cozy home brain behind the budget — always trying to make things feel warm, welcoming, and comfortable, even while we’re saving aggressively.
Like a lot of you, Julia has put off purchases waiting for a better price (she’s working on this!), sometimes missing the best deal entirely. She understands the tug-of-war between “save more” and “make home feel good.”
Her goal for our family — and for yours — is to live frugally without feeling deprived. She’s also the ultimate realist: life happens, plans change, kids get sick, cars break, and you just have to roll with it.
Before becoming a mom, she stressed a lot more about every little thing. Now, she’s learned you can usually pivot, rework the plan, and still make your budget work.
How We Became “The Canny Couple”
Before we were “The Canny Couple,” we were just Aaron and Julia, slowly working our way out of debt and assuming a little bit of debt was normal. We lived below our means and had a loose plan to be debt-free somewhere around 2030-ish.
Then, in 2023, we had a lightbulb moment.
We sat down with our real numbers and realized that if we made some big, intentional changes, we could be completely debt-free before the end of the year. So we got serious:
- We tightened our budget.
- We attacked our grocery bill.
- We took a hard look at how we were using (and wasting) our pantry.
- We cleaned up the systems and routines that were quietly costing us more:
- An inefficient pantry
- Not using grocery ads as effectively as we could
- And the biggest game-changer — not communicating every week during budget meetings
When we fixed those things, everything shifted.
We paid off over $250,000 of debt.
We became a one-income family.
And we were still able to keep big savings goals — saving 50–60% of our income toward our long-term plans.
Our Philosophy: Realistic Frugality
Frugality looks different for every family. There is no cookie-cutter method or one-size-fits-all approach.
We know there are nights you’re tired and busy and just need something easy. That’s why we believe in planning for real life: stocking clearance freezer finds, having homemade freezer meals ready to go, and building systems that support you when life is not “Pinterest-perfect.”
For us, right now:
- We are debt-free
- We have one child
- We live in a rural, lower cost-of-living area
Those factors help make our current savings rate and our 5-year and 10-year goals possible in this season of life. Your details will be different — and that’s okay. Take what works for you and run with it.
We believe in:
- Living below your means
- Tracking your real numbers
- Making investments in yourself and your future
- Accepting that life happens and adjusting, not quitting
We’re a real family, saving on a normal income, with plenty of failures and lessons since 2015 — and we’re still learning.
What You’ll Find Here
Around here, we focus on:
- Pantry & grocery systems
- Budget & savings challenges
- Frugal family routines that support a calmer life and bigger goals
Join Our Community
If this sounds like the kind of realistic frugality you’ve been looking for, we’d love to have you stick around. Join our email list for updates and practical tips, and subscribe to our YouTube channel and podcast to follow along as we keep building this life — one canny choice at a time.