December 28, 2016
How We Recreate In Winter: The Gear, The Mindset, and The Baby Sled
When people ask why we moved to Vermont, I always answer “the woods!” And it’s true, we love our woods. We love looking at them, thinking about them, discussing them, photographing them and, most of all, being in them. However, as you might’ve noticed from my recent photos on Facebook and Instagram, we are currently…
December 21, 2016
Our Festive, Frugal, and Merry Holiday Traditions
On the heels of our mega Uber Frugal Month download on Monday (you can still sign-up to join the Challenge!), I thought we could use a bit of festive frivolity and cheer. Plus, you all know I’m a rampant holiday lover, so really I just wanted an excuse to wax about the season. I firmly…
December 19, 2016
Uber Frugal Month: The Ultimate Guide To Saving More Money Than You Ever Thought Possible
You can sign-up for the Uber Frugal Month Challenge any time! We take the Challenge as a group every January and July, but you can start it on your own whenever you’d like. Sign-up in the box below to join the January 2024 Group Challenge! By taking the UFM, you’re joining hundreds of thousands of…
December 15, 2016
How We Make Meaningful And Tax Efficient Charitable Donations
In the spirit of the holiday season, today I’m discussing how and why Mr. Frugalwoods and I make charitable donations. First, permit me to set the scene. Mr. FW and I consider ourselves to be very fortunate. And among our many, many blessings (which I enumerate here) is our wealth. Although we’re not rich by the standards…
December 12, 2016
Reader Case Study: The Case Of The Over-gifting In-Laws!
Welcome to this month’s Reader Case Study in which we’ll address Grace’s dilemma of her in-laws showering her kiddos with WAY too much stuff. Case studies are financial questions 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,…
December 7, 2016
Date Night! And Other November 2016 Expenditures
November was a month of merriment. From hosting Thanksgiving to lots of snow, we’re loving winter (ok technically late fall) on the homestead. Date Night! Since my fabulous in-laws were here for the whole Thanksgiving week, they graciously offered to babysit Babywoods one evening. And so, Mr. Frugalwoods and I went out for our very…
December 5, 2016
Let’s Take The Uber Frugal Month Challenge Together!
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. Do you want to save more…
December 2, 2016
This Month On The Homestead: Local Food and Wood Transport Systems
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…
November 29, 2016
How To Give Frugal Gifts With Joy And Generosity
It’s time for the annual Frugalwoods frugal holiday gifts run down (check out the 2014 and 2015 lists too)! Although the mere phrase “holiday gifts” is anathema to many a frugalyte, there are ways to maintain one’s frugal predilections while celebrating all things festive and jolly. Chiefly, I wish to point out that the holidays should not…
November 21, 2016
How I Fight Food Waste At Thanksgiving And Beyond
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…
November 16, 2016
The Patented Frugalwoods Cheap Christmas Card Hack
This could be a super short post. I could simply say: “don’t send holiday cards because they are expensive and decidedly un-frugal.” But, as those of you who’ve been reading for a few years know, I’m a holiday junkie. I can’t get enough of festive tidings and yuletide trimmings and hall decking. And so, this…
November 14, 2016
Starting The Thanksgiving Season With Gratitude
As Thanksgiving looms on the horizon–scratch that, “looms” sounds entirely too negative… as Thanksgiving blossoms (?) on the horizon, I’m reflecting on how tremendously grateful I am for the wonderful things in my life. I am fortunate beyond measure and thankful in a profound, deep way. Beyond my gratitude, I’m cognizant of the privilege that catapulted me…