December 2, 2015
Introducing Babywoods!
Mr. Frugalwoods and I are beyond thrilled to announce that our daughter Babywoods was born healthy and happy on Monday, November 30; clocking in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Mr. FW, Babywoods, and I are all doing well and are simply delighted to share this news with you all. Many thanks for your outpouring of good wishes…
November 30, 2015
That One Time We Accidentally Watched Commercials (and were horrified)
Quick Babywoods update: She has yet to make her arrival, but we’ll be sure to share the news when she does :). If we spent money only on the things we actually need and can afford, then no one would have debt or bad credit or an unhealthy relationship with money. So why don’t we…
November 25, 2015
How I Send Hilarious And Cheap Christmas Cards
I am one of those rare people who delights in sending paper greetings through the postal service every Christmas. It’s an antiquated practice to be sure, but it’s something I greatly enjoy. Of course, it’s far less frugal to mail paper cards than it would be to transmit the modern e-card equivalent, but I find this analogue…
November 23, 2015
Thanksgiving Is The Gateway Drug To A Leftover Loving Life
I typically don’t take a militant stance on anything because we all have different goals, circumstances, backgrounds, and financial situations. However, there is one thing about which I am a vehement, diehard evangelist and I’ll rage on if given half the chance. This lightening rod issue that’ll cause me to shed my otherwise accepting, egalitarian self? Leftovers. There…
November 18, 2015
Holiday Gifts For Frugal Weirdos To Give And Receive
As the holidays near and I spring around with glee because I love–LOVE–Christmas, the question of gift giving and receiving is in the air. Presents are often a divisive topic amongst the frugal cadre as we, by our inherent frugal weirdo nature, can’t abide seeing money wasted on worthless stuff. However, as people who are equal…
November 16, 2015
Maternity Clothes Are Like Christmas Trees: The Clothes-Buying Ban Continues
It has been 23 months since I last purchased an item of clothing. Yes indeed, my self-imposed, one-woman, frugal weirdo clothes shopping ban is still going with the strength of a thousand greyhounds (if you want to catch-up on the entire history of my ban, see part 1, part 2, and part 3). This absence of sartorial…
November 11, 2015
The Fine Line Between Taking Action and Surrendering Control
Mr. Frugalwoods and I are officially ready for Babywoods. Frugal Hound less so, but only because she’s a dog and has no idea how much her little hound world is about to be rocked. We humans of the household have been engaged in baby prep for months now and, at exactly two weeks to her due…
November 9, 2015
Why We Don’t Micromanage Our Money
Want to guess how much time Mr. Frugalwoods and I spend “managing our money” every month? A whopping 30 minutes. Yes, we are quintessential frugal weirdos and yes, we save over 70% of our income, and yes, we plan to quit our jobs at 33, and yes, we write this “personal finance” blog. But no, we…
November 4, 2015
What We’d Do If Everything Went Wrong
“But what if it doesn’t work out?!?!” *panics!* I used to ask myself this on a daily (hourly?) basis about all manner of situations, ranging from the banal (trying a new baking recipe) to the weighty (moving from Kansas to New York City). And you know what? Sometimes it doesn’t work out. And you know what else? That’s…
November 2, 2015
Pre-Paid Discount Birth (And Other October 2015 Expenditures)
October was definitely our pre-baby travel and spending blow-out month. We lived it up! Not that we won’t travel after Babywoods is born, but we’re in baby blackout travel mode for the immediate future. In October, we went to New York City to speak at New York University about the benefits of frugality and the awesomeness of being frugal…
October 30, 2015
Reader Suggestions On: How To Convince Your Husband Or Wife To Be Frugal
I recently put out the query “how do you convince your husband or wife to be frugal?” It’s a question Mr. Frugalwoods and I receive with regularity and it’s one that we’re woefully inept at answering having never done it ourselves. Since we came to the decision to pursue extreme frugality together, we haven’t had the…
October 26, 2015
Frugal Homestead Series Part 7: On Visiting Properties (And Getting Lost)
Greetings fellow frugal weirdos! Welcome to Part 7 of our Frugal Homestead Series, which explores the finer points of how we’re going to reach our version of financial independence and move to a homestead in the woods in 2017 at age 33. Mr. Frugalwoods and I plan to buy 20+ acres of wooded land, likely with an existing home and…