October 29, 2021 update: It’s been NINE years and we still love this mattress (affiliate link). We bought this thing in September 2012 and it’s still going strong! Check out my seven year update here: How My $279 Amazon Mattress Is Holding Up After Seven Years Note: this post contains affiliate links. And now, please enjoy my original 2017 post: I’m here to report on our Amazon mattress. Nearly five whole years ago, Mr. Frugalwoods and...
As long-time readers are aware, Mr. Frugalwoods and I own a rental property in Cambridge, MA, which is one part of our diversified portfolio of assets. This is the very same property formerly known as our first home. We bought this house in 2012–for the lowest purchase price per square foot for that buying season in Cambridge–and happily lived there for four years. This home was purchased with the intention of one day translating into a...
Babywoods is a year old! Ok actually she’s almost 15 months old, but sometimes Mommywoods doesn’t get around to writing articles exactly on time…. At any rate, our bebe crested her first annual milestone in late November and we feted her in style. Frugal style. Once again, I’m here to divest everyone of the commonly clung-to assumption that child-rearin’ is expensive. A Photographer For A First Birthday Party?! I have heard–and seen–tell of some lusciously...
Today I mark a frugal milestone: my clothing ban is over! Well, it’s not actually over, it was simply suspended a tad. On January 1, 2014, I decided to stop buying clothes. And I mean fully stop. I didn’t have a list of items I was allowed to purchase and I didn’t make exceptions for anything–not even during my nine months of pregnancy. The rules of my self-imposed ban were as follows: no buying any clothing, which includes...
If you’re just tuning in, this is a recurring series in which I document each month of our lives out here on our 66-acre Vermont homestead. After leaving urban Cambridge, MA in May 2016 to chart this wholly different life, we’re experiencing a constant learning curve of exploration (and plenty of stupid novice moments). Check out last month’s installment here. January was icy and crisp. But mostly icy. The snow no longer melts and each new snowfall...
There’s never a perfect time to start living frugally. There’ll never be an ideal month or optimal moment to decide you’re ready for frugality. Waiting until that ephemeral, non-existent ‘perfect’ time is a good way to ensure you’ll never actually kick-off a frugality regime. Why am I saying this at the beginning of my monthly expense report? Because Mr. Frugalwoods and I spent kind of a lot of money last month during our Uber Frugal Month Challenge....
Welcome to this month’s Reader Case Study in which we’ll help Bridget figure out how to tackle her student loan debt. Case studies are financial dilemmas that a reader of Frugalwoods sends to me requesting that Frugalwoods nation weigh in. Then, Frugalwoods nation (that’d be you), reads through their situation and provides advice, encouragement, insight, and feedback in the comments section (for an example, check out a previous Case Study). P.S. Another way to support each other on our financial journeys is by participating...
The intersection of money and romantic relationships represents one of the most volatile combinations. Furthermore, disagreements over money are a leading cause of divorce in the United States. Clearly, we have unresolved issues over not just our money, but how we spend our money in service of our relationships. And into this fray enters Valentine’s Day, the ultimate consumer binge on useless clutter designed to be generically, thoughtlessly romantic. Wait, wait, you say! Valentine’s Day is cute! It’s fun!...
