I am not usually a Valentine’s Day type of person. It’s a commercialized, chintzy, kinda made-up holiday. I even once wrote a screed on why it’s dumb: A Frugal Weirdo’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Manifesto. But let me tell you, this year, I am ON BOARD. Sign me up for ALL the tacky holidays. Frugalwoods reader Barbara summed it up perfectly: Mostly, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. But with the pandemic, I feel the need to celebrate...
Merry Pandemic Holidays!!!! We’re ready to celebrate how much we love our families by…. not seeing them!!! This holiday season will be different, but no less merry and jolly. Primarily I will achieve this by making as many desserts as I’d make if we were hosting 15 people. Since there are four of us x 1 pandemic x no childcare for 9 months, I feel the math is going to work out well. Also, going to...
Cooking at home is not new for the frugal crew, but cooking at home during a pandemic is a slightly different proposal. Many of us aren’t going to the grocery store as often as we did in the Before Times, some ingredients can’t be found on the shelves, and many folks are looking to decrease their grocery expenses as we watch the economy do a weird and unpredictable downward spiral (check out my Uber Frugal Week:...
Wondering how to earn money from home during the pandemic? Today we hear from Frugalwoods readers who are making it happen: from a circus act owner to a veterinarian, you all are working it from home. Join me to find out how. Earlier this week, I discussed strategies for saving more money in (almost) every category of your budget. Today, I want to tackle the other end of the equation: earning more money. As we...
As we settle into our new routine of isolation, I’m trying to find ways to make this experience sustainable for my family. Our school district is closed for the rest of the school year and our state issued a stay at home order last Wednesday. Many of you are in similar positions and no one knows exactly when (or how) we’ll return to “normal.” To cope with this uncertainty and disruption, I bring you a...
I’ve been called a frugal weirdo. I’ve been called an extreme saver. But let me tell you what, the readers of Frugalwoods make me look like the tamest frugalista that ever walked around in a coat she found in a trash heap. I mean, I do have an entire section of Frugalwoods devoted to the amazing stuff I’ve picked out of the trash… But I must say, per usual, I am humbled by the intense...
Frugality is not deprivation. At least, not in my opinion. Frugality should be liberating, not restrictive. Frugality should give you options and breathing room and remove the yoke of debt or the stress of living paycheck-to-paycheck. Frugality isn’t meant to punish or induce guilt when you spend money. It’s meant to free you from constant worry about money. Frugality is a mindset that encourages us to evaluate our money based on the following: Am I...
I know, I know, you were probably hoping for a cookie recipe-laden, holiday happiness-filled, jingly, bell-y Reader Suggestions this month; but alas, we must look ahead to 2020 and its attendant goal-setting imperatives. Plus, we did a really festive rundown of excellent frugal holiday gift ideas last month. So, hey, we are in the holiday spirit around here! How To Actually Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions I’m less interested in what my (or your) New...
There you are, frugaling through the year, with your money on your mind and your mind on your money when, BAM, it’s the holidays and all the cash you saved and scraped is siphoned off into an endless swirl of gift buying, wrapping paper, holiday party hosting, and Christmas tree be-decking. Ahh well, better luck next year, you think as you start January broke, deflated, and feeling ever-more Grinch-like. BUT NOT THIS YEAR! The Frugalwoods...
September to December = my favorite time of year. I’m a holiday hound. A festivity fox. A Halloween hugger. What can I say? This trifecta: Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas IS MY JAM. People are sometimes surprised at how robustly I celebrate holidays because celebrating is not inherently frugal or minimalist or simple. It’d be cheaper, easier, and require less stuff if I let October 31st, some Thursday in November (I always forget which), and December 25th...
