April 21, 2014
Refinishing Gold Mirrored Closet Doors
One of the, shall we say, special aspects of our master bedroom were the gold-framed, sliding, mirrored closet doors. I knew they had to go as part of the master bedroom revamp…or did they? I conducted a great deal of research into options for replacing them and everything I found was super expensive. Closet doors are not cheap…
April 20, 2014
Master Bedroom Makeover for Minimal Money!
One of our first Frugal House projects was updating our master bedroom. It was in sorry shape with bruised-peach walls and classy gold ’80s accents. We went from before to after for $163.70–learn how! In this post I’ll focus on how we painted the walls. See these posts for specific rundowns on each project in the room: Refinishing Gold Mirrored…
April 19, 2014
Home Improvement the Frugal Way
The #1 rule of renovating and remodeling frugally: doing the work yourself. Mr. Frugalwoods and I have discovered that most supplies and equipment are fairly inexpensive and can be used on multiple projects. Labor is where high costs come into play. For this reason, we tackle projects that are heavy on the labor and low on the skill. In…
April 19, 2014
How to Refinish a Staircase for Under $50
Our staircase was sporting some pretty terrific carpeting and that special ’90s golden oak shine. As the first thing you see when you walk through our front door, it was a mega eyesore. Frugal Hound was the only one in favor as she liked digging her claws into the carpeting. Needless to say, she was overruled….
April 12, 2014
Frugalize Your Closet
Taking a frugal approach to clothing can save you hundreds to thousands of bucks each year. And you don’t have to look like a ragamuffin! By carefully combing the thrift racks and seeking out deals on new stuff, you’ll take great joy in outfitting yourself for a fraction of the cost. Frugal Wife’s Quick Guide…
April 12, 2014
When Not to Thrift: New Clothes on a Budget
Yes, yes, yes, even I’ll admit that some clothes you DO have to buy new. But, think carefully about what you really need and don’t loose your frugality! Don’t run out of time and force yourself to buy new. Don’t immediately assume that a specialty item must be purchased new–coats, party dresses, and jewelry can…
April 12, 2014
When to Thrift: Chic on the Cheap
I got my winter coat out of the trash. More on that here. But seriously, frugalizing your wardrobe is a stellar way to save dough. Think about it: Clothes meander in and out of style Your size may fluctuate (it happens to all of us!) Most importantly, clothes depreciate immediately! Clothes and shoes are not,…
April 11, 2014
I don’t hate my job
Can I be interested in Financial Independence and Early Retirement and also like my job? If you do enough reading in the FI and ERE blogosphere you’ll quickly notice an understandably common thread: folks working for the “man”; wanting to escape the yoke of oppression that is their every work day. I feel extremely fortunate that…
April 10, 2014
How We Save 65% Annually
Mr. Frugalwoods and I realize we might seem a bit odd to those of you new to the philosophy of Early Retirement Extreme and Mustachianism or just starting out on your frugal finance journey. Curious how we live day to day? For starters, we’re not total weirdos, I promise! Though we are kinda weird because the way…
April 9, 2014
How much do I need to retire early?
Fear of the unknown is powerful. We all know it is impossible to predict the future with absolute certainty, and the farther out you try and predict the less certain your conclusions. If you retire at 35, how can you be certain you won’t be in poverty when you are 80? Luckily the academic world…
April 9, 2014
Uber Frugal Month: Challenge Yourself
Note: This is the original Uber Frugal Month outline–see my updated version here. I now have an Uber Frugal Month Challenge that you can sign-up to join at any time! For more information on the Challenge, check out this post. How much money could you save in a month if you were uber frugal? We’re talking…