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 years to make this purchase. The 1870’s: Not For Me I’ve tried living a la the 1870’s and, I’ll be...
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 prompted today’s reflection. My Priorities = How I Use My Time and Money When I analyze how I spend my...
Low-mileage, relatively young used cars are often a bad deal. Today we’ll explore why and what you can do to save yourself and your money. The Frugalwoods Fleet-O-Vehicles Let me start with a quick rundown of what my husband and I drive our two kids around in: 2010 Toyota Prius: purchased in April 2016 for $8,995 at 96,854 miles For comparison, had we instead bought a brand new 2016 Toyota Prius, we would’ve paid circa...
I’m a known thrifter. Unlike known grifters, this is a good thing. Since becoming Mrs. Frugalwoods, I’ve tried to buy everything second-hand. This doesn’t always work out and sometimes I choose to buy things new (such as my mattress), but on the whole, my household is awash in used goods. Today, I want to talk about three aspects of my buying used strategy (oh yes, it’s a strategy): Focus on things that make the most sense to...
My Quinoa Lunch has been described as rice-n-beans 2.0. And for good reason. Four years ago, I brought you our epically frugal rice-n-beans recipe, which is what we used to eat for lunch. Over time, Mr. Frugalwoods and I grew tired of the rice-n-beans routine and craved something novel. We’ve eaten many a thing for lunch over the years and will surely continue our culinary explorations in the future. For now, I’ve landed on a...
Before having kids, I knew a lot about parenting. I’d look at tantruming toddlers in grocery stores and scoff to my husband, “how can they LET their child scream like that? In public?” Now that I have kids, I don’t even notice when other people’s kids are ripping ears of corn off the produce section display like feral raccoons. I’m thankful it’s not my kids and I’m also in solidarity that it could be/has been/will...
Oh yes, it’s Internet Mattress time. I bought this king-sized mattress from Amazon for $279 back in September 2012 and on this, the month of its seventh anniversary, I bring you a progress report. In summary: Internet Mattress is still going strong I would buy it again, which means I recommend it It’s still under $300 (currently $289 for the king size) Before buying this thing, I assumed that mattresses are expensive. That there’s no...
I was pregnant or breastfeeding for four years. Starting in March 2015, when I got pregnant with Kidwoods, straight through to April 2019, when I weaned a 14-month-old Littlewoods. There was a one-month hiatus in 2017 after I weaned Kidwoods and before I got pregnant with Littlewoods. Other than that, my body’s been in full-time mama territory. Today is an exploration of how my relationship with my body–and by extension, with clothes–evolved as a result...
I have a complicated relationship with stuff. My grandfather grew up during the Great Depression and instilled in his children–my mom included–the ethos of never throwing anything away. Of reusing, of finding good deals, and of making do with what you have. These were valuable lessons for me and they form the basis of my frugal worldview. However, the dark side is that this approach can engender a scarcity mindset. It can make me feel...
I used to pay $81 a month for my cell phone service. Now, I pay $10.65 a month. It’s rare that there’s one weird trick to saving money. Usually, saving entails hard work and sacrifice. Today, I bring you an exception. Today, I bring you a way to save money every month that’s easy and painless. Today, I introduce you to the world of MVNOs. I know, you’ve been thinking about your Moonbeam Vector Newt...
