June 30, 2014
Help Us Choose The Next Frugalwoods-mobile!
Mrs. Frugalwoods and I own one car: a cosmetically-challenged 1996 Honda Odyssey minivan. The Frugalwoods-mobile doesn’t have a name (other than somehow being a she?) but she does have 201,000 miles! Despite her advanced age and mileage, she gets us where we need to go with a modicum of trouble. In the 3 years we’ve owned her,…
June 27, 2014
Weekly Woot & Grumble: 1 Anniversary & 2 Flat Tires
Hey! I made it to two consecutive weeks of the Woot and Grumble! As I relished my boxed wine last night, I reflected on the stunning longevity of the Woot and Grumble–I mean, two weeks you guys. Amazing. Alright, alright now this week…I give you a Woot of love and a Grumble of flatness. Woot! Mr….
June 26, 2014
Hidden Perks of Frugality
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to commit to living frugally, not just for one uber frugal month as I wrote about, or even a year or two, but for the rest of our lives. And I gotta say, I feel really good about it. Mr. Frugalwoods and I like what frugality does for our marriage,…
June 23, 2014
How We Saved $2,120 by Buying a Mattress Online
October 29, 2021 update: It’s been NINE years and we still love this mattress (affiliate link). We bought this thing in September 2012 and it’s still going strong! Check out my five and seven year updates here: Our Amazon Mattress: A Five Year Update How My $279 Amazon Mattress Is Holding Up After Seven Years…
June 20, 2014
Weekly Woot & Grumble: Of Parents & Dry Cleaners
Inspired by other intrepid folk who publish around a weekly theme (such as Mr. 1500’s Thursday Rants, which are an especial favorite of mine), I decided to try out a weekly column myself. It is called Woot and Grumble and I will talk about one (or more) of each, every week…unless I get bored of doing it, run…
June 18, 2014
12 Ways to Get a Steal on Craigslist
When we bought our house two years ago, we had essentially no furniture. To give you an idea, I’d made my previous dresser out of cardboard boxes–so, we were faced with a pretty blank slate. Solution? Craigslist, make our own, garage sales, and the side of the road. But most especially, Craigslist–the font of incredible used goods. If you…
June 13, 2014
How to Give Home Haircuts in 8 Easy Steps
A recurring expense in many a budget: haircuts! Hair grows and unless you’re cultivating the Gandalf look, you’re gonna need to cut it. We save $40 a month ($480/year) on Mr. Frugalwoods by cutting his hair in-house (specifically in the bathtub). Disclaimer: some of my technique is based on the fact that Mr. Frugalwoods is 6’3″ and I’m 5’6,” so…
June 11, 2014
Frugality Is Not Mainstream
A major factor in our ability to pursue financial independence and early retirement is the fact that Mr. Frugalwoods and I don’t care what you think. This is not to say that we don’t value your opinion, your advice or your guidance–we surely do!–we just don’t care if you judge us. Go ahead. We’ve mastered the art…
June 9, 2014
7 Ways to Become A DIY Hero
Is your toilet making an ominous gurgling sound? Front door lock getting harder and harder to turn? Perhaps your doghouse lost a shingle or your light-switch no longer switches. The normal (non-FIRE) busy professional will confidently tell themselves, “Self, you’re important and have a full-time job! It’s not worth your time to try and fix that. Plus, you’re…
June 6, 2014
May 2014 Expenditures
As my first foray into busting out our monthly breakdown for public consumption, I thought I’d ease into it by only enumerating our expenses. We did pretty well in May, especially considering we went on vacation (though we purchased our plane tickets several months prior). Not surprised to see that the bulk of our expenses other than our mortgage are…
June 3, 2014
A Frugalwoods Vacation: What We Spent, What We Didn’t
Last weekend Mr. Frugalwoods and I attended a friend’s glorious wedding–held at a brewery no less (yes, we have awesome friends). Being us, we made the journey on the cheap. Still, I can’t help but wonder if we could’ve done it even cheaper…what do you think? Here’s the rundown: Total Cost of Trip: $535.50 Estimated Savings: $1,509.96…