One of the driving forces behind the birth of Frugalwoods was our desire to leave the city and buy a homestead in the woods. That happened in May 2016 and let me tell you, we had A LOT of preconceived notions about what it would be like to live rurally, some of which turned out to be true and some of which… not so much. It’s easy to gloss over the specifics when you’re dreaming...
Jane and her husband Joe live in the midwest with their two teenaged children and one parrot. Recently, Jane retired from her 24-year-long career as a college professor and loves the new lifestyle she’s carving out for herself. Joe works from home and the family enjoys spending a lot of time together. Jane’s question at this juncture is whether or not she needs to return to full or part-time work at any point, or, if...
My husband and I are committed to learning new things. It’s a goal of ours to consistently make ourselves beginners in different capacities. Putting ourselves in a beginner mindset enables us to keep our brains limber, opens us up to creativity and new experiences, keeps us humble and models lifelong learning for our kids. It has been the catalyst for a number of conversations with our girls around the facts that you don’t get things...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month May happens to be Mental Health Awareness month and April marked the ninth anniversary of Frugalwoods! Given that confluence, it seems like the perfect time to reflect on my 2018 post, “How A Diagnosis Of Postpartum Depression Changed My Life.” This one struck a serious chord, as evidence by the 433 comments and abundance of emails and messages I’ve received since. Many of you told me that reading that...
Johanna is a veterinarian, her husband Matt is a physician, and they live with their two young children on a small island off the coast of the Northeastern United States. The couple previously lived on the Navajo Nation Reservation and greatly enjoyed the close-knit community they had there. While the East Coast is where their families live, they’re not sure that this island is the place for them for the longterm. Johanna is also concerned...
Neko and her husband Jerry live in Toronto, Ontario with their dog and two cats. Everything about Neko’s life sounds perfect on the surface–a loving marriage, engaging work, fun hobbies, a close-knit family living nearby–but she’s harboring secret debt that’s causing her immense physical and emotional pain. Neko would like our help understanding how to overcome her shopping addition, which has led her to live paycheck-to-paycheck and carry a debt load on her credit card....
The kids had the last week of February/first week of March off school, so we went on a few local family day trips! First up: Skiing at Burke Mountain We’d never been to this ski area before and figured vacation week was the perfect time to try it out. The mountain has a “Wicked Wednesdays” special where it’s $45 for three day passes!!!! This is a phenomenal deal and one we plan to take advantage...
Aurelia is a high school teacher at a public school in Boston who recently bought her first condo and is thrilled to be a homeowner at the age of 27! Tempering that enthusiasm, however, are her new competing financial demands of house maintenance costs, retirement, saving for Invisalign braces and paying off her student loans. Aurelia has a zest for life and a love for her students, but her salary doesn’t quite match that enthusiasm....
As I shared last week, April is the NINTH anniversary of Frugalwoods! To celebrate, I’m typing down memory lane with reflections on some of my most influential old posts. Nine years is a long time to do anything and I’m curious to see if I agree with my old self or if my thoughts have changed in the intervening years. Old Me vs. Current Me: A Showdown The first post I want to reflect on...
April is the ninth anniversary of Frugalwoods! Hard to believe I’ve been doing this for so long yet am still invigorated and excited to type words at you and help people with their money!!!! This is–by far–my longest tenure at a job and I’m not ready to quit or fire myself! To celebrate, I’m going to write a series of reflections on my own writing over the past nine years. Do I agree with my...
