Sometimes folks, being cheap is just fine. In fact, more than fine, it’s sometimes wise, sanguine, and crafty all rolled into one. But wait, you might think, aren’t we to be frugal and not cheap?! Have we not learned this salient distinction through our prudent purchases of high-end glass tupperware and nice hiking boots and superior kitchen tools? Indeed, fair reader! But I posit to you today that, as with all rules, there are exceptions and...
Oh the humble banana. It seems most unassuming at first blush, crowded as it is into inelegant bunches lolling precariously on produce aisle shelves. And it appears so banal: a dull yellow exterior with a rather mid-’90s era beige interior (and not even an interesting texture to redeem matters!). Certainly not a looker when compared with the riotous colors seen elsewhere at a farm stand: vermillion, green, purple even! So why exalt this rather lowly of fruits? Things have...
“But how does your your wife feel about all that frugality and living on a farm?” You’d be amazed at how often Mr. Frugalwoods gets this question after he shares our unusual life plan to retire to a homestead in the woods of Vermont at age 33. And you might be equally amazed by the fact that no one has ever (nope, not even once) posed the reverse question to me about how my husband feels about our plan. There’s an...
I do not hate Valentine’s Day. I’ll be honest with you right now, I’m rather a sucker for adorable little holidays like Halloween and V-Day. Ok, being totally honest, I like big holidays too. Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays… I’m smitten! What I do hate is the rampant commercialization of these holidays. But for my part, I choose to tune out the endless prompts to buy more stuff. Instead, I focus on the love that springs forth when we don’t get...
I devote most of my time here on Frugalwoods to discussing the power of frugality: how it’s enabling Mr. Frugalwoods and me to reach financial independence, how its application has made us happier, and how it can transform one’s relationship with our consumer-driven culture. But the very necessary other side of the frugality equation are earnings. After all, it’s impossible to save money you don’t have. So while it’s all well and good to embrace extreme...
The first month of 2016 was a great little frugal month for us. Our aim is always to spend around $1,000 or less in any given month and so January’s $1,013.32 is right on target. One helpful boon is that its been a particularly mild winter thus far, which keeps our heating bill on the low side. We got out and about for a few rounds of hiking and snowshoeing this month, which was most delightful....
We’re not using cloth diapers for Babywoods. Cue the gasps of shock and mild horror! I fully realize this is anathema to most mainstream frugal and environmental philosophies, but you know what? It’s what I have to do. A crucial element of our successful and joyful frugal existence is knowing our limits. We can’t frugalize every last thing in our lives–or rather, we choose not to. Mr. Frugalwoods and I have mapped out a lifestyle that...
