Living Dirt Cheap

We already save 50–60% of our income on ONE normal paycheck by living dirt cheap… but in 2026, we’re pushing our savings even higher without feeling deprived. In this episode, we walk through the exact changes we’re making to our one-income family budget to fight higher costs, live even more dirt cheap, and boost our savings by another 5%. In this episode, we break down our 2026 plan: grocery buff...

We’re back! After a quiet season dealing with a major health journey, Aaron and Julia (The Canny Couple) are officially relaunching the podcast as Living Dirt Cheap. In this episode, we share the “why” behind our name change, a candid update on Julia’s battle with New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH), and how our frugal systems literally saved us during our hardest year yet. We’re shifting our foc...

On this week's episode of Rural Reliance, Aaron and Julia share how they handled their 2024 goals and how they are approaching 2025 differently. With a laser focus and determination, you can reach your homestead or frugal objectives as well. **************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal hom...

Trends come and go, but traditional homesteading is here to stay. In today's episode, Aaron and Julia share what they do a bit differently on their homestead and how it works best for their family. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We live a simple, debt-free lif...

Did you meet your financial goals for November? Today, Aaron and Julia share what went right and wrong with their November budget and how they go into the winter months with a clear financial plan. ************ The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We live a simple, debt-free li...

As a mom and perfectionist, Julia understands that feeling of wanting to control as much around her day to day life as possible. But this is an unrealistic and unreasonable expectation we put on ourselves. Today, she shares her strategies to embrace and handle the chaos that comes with life. ******* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on bein...

Frugality is about more than saving money, it is also about spending money on the items or experiences that bring you joy. Julia shares her own personal struggles with how she handles spending money on larger purchases without feeling regrets afterward. ************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a...

Aaron and Julia have shared how they have grown in their frugal homesteading journey over the years. Today, they discuss how to really merge homesteading and frugality to build an effective homestead with cost efficiencies in mind. **************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lif...

The holiday season is busy and expensive enough without adding decorations to your growing list of purchases. Today, Julia shares her top tip, and a little hard love, on how she saves the most money when creating a holiday atmosphere in her home. ************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal...

Dreams and goals on the homestead, or in life, can get expensive if you are not looking at the complete picture. Today, Aaron and Julia discuss what they do when they are looking to make a change or addition to their growing homestead to ensure that it is a good fit and that it actually makes financial sense. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We...

The days for big deals are almost upon us and if you are not careful, you can end up spending way more than you anticipated. On this week's episode of Rural Reliance, Aaron and Julia share their tried and true tips for maximizing their savings for shopping these big deal days. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self...

Everyone's homestead dream is a little bit different, and Julia is no exception to that rule. On this week's episode, she discusses what she wants from her homestead journey and how she hopes to get there. ************* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We live a simple, deb...

On this week's episode of Rural Reliance with the Canny Couple, Aaron and Julia share how their budget was for October. With several successes and failures, they show that consistent budgeting and frugal experimentation will help you reach your financial goals. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by livi...

Change can be empowering, even if it is a simple change to your working pantry. On this week's episode, Julia shares how she is shifting her focus for her family's food storage to create a sustainable, easy system that works for her whole family while creating a less stressful environment in emergency situations. ************ The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia...

Holidays are a joyful and stressful time of the year, and can be extremely expensive. There are ways to manage the costs. Today, Aaron and Julia share what they do every year to help keep their overall holiday spending on budget including food, gifting, and decorations. ********* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant...

Projects in themselves can be overwhelming and daunting. Trying to save money as well can feel impossible. Today, Julia shares her approach to project planning to ensure functionality, durability, and cost savings in the short term and the long term. ************* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frug...

What is happening this fall on your homestead? Today, Aaron and Julia share what their fall focus is and the long list of goals they hope to accomplish to start pushing the growth of their homestead. ************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We live a simple, debt-fre...

Being a mom comes with struggles no one can understand until they experience them themselves. Today, Julia shares her personal struggles with being a mom as well as how she powers through them. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We live a simple, debt-free life. W...

Aaron and Julia's preps were put to the test several days ago, and today they share how they handled the experience. They discuss on this episode of Rural Reliance how their current systems worked in an off grid system and where they need to make some improvements. ************* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant b...

Working with your partner and being on the same page financially is one of the keys to a successful relationship. Today, Julia shares why financial awareness of your household is so important as well as providing key steps to start taking now to begin understanding your finances together. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on bei...

Its that time of the month again. Join Aaron and Julia as they discuss where they failed and where they succeeded with this months budget on the homestead. There are lessons to learn from your financial failures and successes. ********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. We...

This year so far has been different for Julia and today she shares how her Fall season is different compared to years past. From canning to gardening, she talks about it all in this week's episode of Farm Wife, Sexy Life. ************* The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homestead lifestyle. W...

Having a budget is essential to a strong financial future. Today, Aaron and Julia discuss how having a bare bones budget is just as important and why you need to know those numbers. You never know when you might need this crucial information. *********** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a frugal homeste...

What have you cut out from your budget to help reach your financial goals? On this week's episode, Julia shares what she stopped spending money on to help her family grow closer to their big money goals. Making what seems like a small sacrifice for a short time can lead to a huge financial win in the long run. ****************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest V...

Today, Aaron and Julia share what steps they took when they became a single income family to ensure their financial success. These steps seem really simple, but made all the difference in their communication and understanding of their family finances. *************** The Canny Couple is a small homestead family in rural Southwest Virginia. We work every day on being more self-reliant by living a f...