December 20, 2019
Reader Suggestions: How To Make (and Keep) Your New Year’s Resolutions!
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…
December 18, 2019
This Month On The Homestead: Starting Fires, Baking Pies, and Celebrating a Birthday
November 2019 November ushered in our first snowfall and the seasons replaced, exchanged and subsumed each other. I’m never quite ready for this transition, even though I know it’s coming, even though I love the snow. It’s hard for me to let go of my preferential feelings for fall. By November 8th, we were in…
December 13, 2019
Reader Case Study: Questioning The Financial Future With A Partner In Debt
Olivia recently bought her first home in the DC metro area and she loves her neighborhood and bike commute to her job at a nearby university. However, her boyfriend was fired from his medical residency program last spring and she’s trying to help him figure out his next steps while weighing her own financial goals….
December 11, 2019
A Kettle And Other November 2019 Expenditures
November 2019 Pants, a kettle, brake parts, and 150 trash bags: a sampling of what we purchased this month. Let’s start with the kettle, which is something of a woeful tale. Advertiser Disclosure: Frugalwoods partners with CardRatings for coverage of credit card products. Frugalwoods and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers at no…
December 6, 2019
Join the January 2020 Uber Frugal Month Group Challenge!
It’s time, my friends. The sign-up for my free January 2020 Uber Frugal Month Group Challenge (UFM) is HERE!!!! You’ve read the Frugalwoods Case Studies, you’ve seen the UFM testimonials, you look at my monthly expense reports and think “I can spend less than Frugalwoods!,” and now, it’s time. The UFM is your opportunity to…
November 25, 2019
18 Things To Do On Black Friday Instead Of Shopping
Listen, I know this Friday is Black Friday. And I know a lot of people will go shopping and believe they’re saving money. And I don’t deny there are legit deals to be had the day after Thanksgiving. But here’s the thing: is it worth it to jump into the consumer melee in order to…
November 22, 2019
How We Evaluate Expensive Purchases: Why We Bought A Generator
I reached the limit of my desire to re-enact Little House On The Prairie every time our power goes out. So, we bought a generator. Today I’ll discuss why, what type of generator we got, how to assess a range of price points for the same product, and perhaps most importantly, why we waited four…
November 20, 2019
Allspice And Other October 2019 Expenditures
October 2019 When October rolls around, I know it’s time for one thing and one thing only: purchasing an entire pound of Allspice (affiliate link). I know I’m not alone in this. Perhaps you favor ginger or nutmeg in such quantities, but I adore the versatile, flavorful zest of Allspice. Advertiser Disclosure: Frugalwoods partners with CardRatings…
November 8, 2019
Reader Suggestions Of A Frugal Holiday Gift Guide (aka Staying on Budget the Non-Grinchy Way)
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…
November 6, 2019
Reader Case Study: Should We Buy An Optometry Practice?
Sarah and Jonathan are thinking about buying and running an optometry practice together–she the optometrist, he the office manager. But can they make it work financially and for their two young kids? Case Studies are financial (and life) dilemmas that a reader of Frugalwoods sends to me requesting that Frugalwoods nation weigh in. Then, Frugalwoods nation (that’s…
November 1, 2019
This Month On The Homestead: Apple Cider, Tomato Sauce, and a Jack O’ Lantern
October 2019 October is the reason why I live in the New England countryside. I mean, I guess there are other reasons, but October ranks pretty high. It’s the most idyllic, most stereotypically “autumn,” most mythologized, most steeped-in-Americana of all the months. And I love it. Welcome to my recurring series in which I document…
October 30, 2019
How I (try to) Align My Time and Money With My Highest Priorities
I’m ruthless about how I use my time and money. They’re both limited resources and how I deploy them dictates the type of life I lead. That doesn’t mean I never waste money and time. In fact, it was two recent failures–a $78.59 shopping spree at the co-op grocery store and a dirty upstairs bathroom–that…