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...
October to January is easily my favorite time of year. It’s fall, it’s gorgeous, and it’s when all the best holidays happen. Nestled in the middle is Thanksgiving, which I consider a uniquely frugal occasion. Thanksgiving doesn’t encourage excessive spending, it traditionally has no gifts, there’s little commercialism associated with it (aside from the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which I got so fired up about last year that I wrote this), and it enjoys a cult of personality around leftovers. What...
Food, glorious food! By far the most hotly requested topic for me to cover (via my query to our Frugalwoods Facebook group) was: food! I had no idea you all were so interested in what we eat! But the more I got to thinking about food (not hard for me to do), I realized that food plays an interesting, and sometimes divisive, role in our broader society and in the lives of those charting a frugal...
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...
I typically don’t take a militant stance on anything because we all have different goals, circumstances, backgrounds, and financial situations. However, there is one thing about which I am a vehement, diehard evangelist and I’ll rage on if given half the chance. This lightening rod issue that’ll cause me to shed my otherwise accepting, egalitarian self? Leftovers. There is only one appropriate way to deal with leftovers: by eating them. You can freeze them, store them, save them, or...
We want your recipes! As I shared a few weeks ago, Mr. Frugalwoods and I recently came into possession of one chest freezer and are ready to fill ‘er up. Many a new parent has regaled us with tales of struggling to feed selves and baby during the disorienting early months post-birth, and with the arrival of our first child fast approaching, we’re aiming to be prepared. Since take-out and restaurants don’t fit with our extreme frugality...
One thing we hold dear here at ye olde Frugalwoods HQ (aka our house) is snacking. Indeed, snacks are hallowed whether we’re hiking, biking, lounging, plotting against the consumer industrial complex, or just generally annoying Frugal Hound with our presence. The pursuit of frugal snacks has led us to quest far and wide–from the aisles of our discount grocer (shout out to Market Basket) to the hallowed halls of Costco. My interest in snacks has elevated...
Sometimes frugality is about giving stuff up. Other times, it’s about being clever. Mr. Frugalwoods and I are known seltzer addicts. Indeed, we can scarcely make it through a day without our bubbly water fix. And we have zero intention of ever giving it up. Pure, unadulterated seltzer (just water and gas, no sugars or flavors) is a luxury we’ve decided to incorporate into our extremely frugal lives. Would it be cheaper for us to...
While on our customary jaunt to Market Basket (hat tip to our local discount grocer) last week, it struck me that today’s grocery store is presented as a one-stop shop. There’s food sure, but also a plethora of household accoutrements: toilet paper, spatulas, slip-n-slides*, diapers, dog chow, and everything in between. *Sidenote: I wonder how Frugal Hound would do on a slip-n-slide… But per usual in the frugal weirdo’s realm, with convenience comes danger. We all know we’re going to pay...
In the past 15 months, Mr. Frugalwoods and I have eaten out exactly twice. To be precise, we’ve paid to eat out exactly twice. We’ve eaten out a handful of other times on someone else’s dime, like work, our generous parents (thanks mom and dad!), or once with a friend who kindly bought us dinner as a thank-you. But as far as expending Frugalwoods bucks on restaurant meals, we’ve clocked in at a grand total...
