Monthly Archive: January 2017

31 Jan, 2017

How To Turn An Uber Frugal Month Into An Uber Frugal Life

Note: You can sign-up for the Uber Frugal Month Challenge at any time! Although we take the Challenge as a group every January and July, you can start it on your own whenever you’d like. Just sign-up in the box below and you’ll receive an email a day for 31 days. Today marks the conclusion of the Uber Frugal Month Challenge for our inaugural class of hardcore frugal superheroes! Over 10,000 people signed up for my Challenge in this first month and...

108

Featured / Frugalwoods Philosophy

27 Jan, 2017

The Sweet Synergy Between Simple Living And Saving Money

What can you stop doing, stop needing, and stop buying? As I progress in my journey of lifelong frugality, I’ve come to realize that one of the things I value most about this lifestyle is the simplicity it delivers. I’ve learned that in many instances, I’m able to simultaneously save money and simplify my life. This gives me more time, less stress, and a more genuine appreciation for the small wonders of my daily routine. Oh and...

149

Featured / Our Finances

24 Jan, 2017

Our Low Cost, No Fuss, DIY Money Management System

So exactly how do frugal weirdos manage their money? I get this question a lot and it makes me realize that, despite the fact that this is ostensibly a “personal finance” blog, I don’t discuss the precise machinations of my personal money management system very often. And the reason for that is quite straightforward: Mr. Frugalwoods and I don’t actually do very much in service of “managing” our money. There’s a misconception that in order...

Frugalwoods Philosophy

20 Jan, 2017

How Planning Ahead Saves Us Serious Money

Perhaps the single greatest tactic a frugal weirdo can employ in the campaign to save money is… drum roll… planning ahead. Yep, planning. Not fancy apps or bizarre investing schemes or diets consisting solely of tuna fish. Planning ahead. There are different categories of planning ahead and different ways to apply this deceptively simple strategy to your own life. It’s true that I’m a girl scout and Mr. Frugalwoods is a boy scout, so you could say that...

223

Food

18 Jan, 2017

Our Complete Guide To Frugal, Healthy Eating

Without a doubt and without contest, the absolute most frequently asked question I get from readers is: “how do I save money on food?!?” And it’s a darn good question! Food is a necessity and it’s not like we can eliminate it from our budgets in one fell swoop (a la cable, haircuts, or coffees out). But as I’m fond of saying, while food is a necessity, expensive food is not. I’ve tackled the question of...

222

Reader Case Studies

13 Jan, 2017

Reader Case Study: Renovations and Vacations

Welcome to this month’s Reader Case Study in which we’ll address Audrey’s questions about her family’s financial future. 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 last month’s Case Study). P.S. Another way to support each other on our financial journeys is by participating...

145

Featured / Frugalwoods Philosophy

9 Jan, 2017

My Foolproof Method To Stop Impulse Spending

I’ve heard from quite a few readers lately that impulse spending is something they struggle with and that, more often than not, these impulsive purchases derail their budgets. In mulling this over, I realized that Mr. Frugalwoods and I have instituted a few measures in our own life to curb impulse spending and so I thought I’d share them with you today. In many ways, our culture is specifically designed to encourage impulse spending. But we frugal...

Frugal Homestead Series / This Month On The Homestead

6 Jan, 2017

This Month On The Homestead: Snow Removal, Snowshoeing, and… More Snow!

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. We had a white Christmas! And a white New Year’s! And I think it’s going to be...

102

Monthly Expense Reports

4 Jan, 2017

A Game Sled And Other December 2016 Expenditures

December rounded out my season of favorite months, with a stellar Christmas and even a New Year’s Eve celebration (by which I mean we stayed up until 9:30pm and managed to each drink a glass of champagne… ). Mr. Frugalwoods and I delighted in our frugal Christmas and spent the holiday week alternating between snuggling by the wood stove and snowshoe hiking around our property. Mr. FW has opened up a trail that circumnavigates the boundaries...

Uber Frugal Month

1 Jan, 2017

Welcome to Day 1 of the Uber Frugal Month Challenge!

Note: You can sign-up for the Uber Frugal Month Challenge at any time! Although we take the Challenge as a group every January and July, you can start it on your own whenever you’d like. Just sign-up in the box below and you’ll receive an email a day for 31 days. Happy New Year! And welcome to the first day of the Uber Frugal Month Challenge! Over 6,000 7,000 8,000 folks are joining me on an epic journey through...