Category: Monthly Expense Reports

December was a rather regular month of spending for us, which might come as a surprise since Christmas happens in December after all. But here in Frugalwoods-land, Christmas and other such events are not an excuse to spend tons of money. We prefer to celebrate in a simplified, non-consumer-focused style that emphasizes time spent together as a family–not money spent at a mall. I’ve detailed our frugal approach to the holidays (including birthdays and anniversaries)...

November epitomized large unexpected expenses and semi-annual (or simply annual) expenses lining up and hitting us all at once. It was, as they say, one of those months. But we don’t sweat it because our overarching approach is to live frugally every month so that unexpected or infrequent expenses aren’t a burden. By not spending our money frivolously or out of alignment with our goals, we can always rest assured that pricier months aren’t a...

In October we went on what was our last airplane trip ever. For the rest of our lives. Ok I jest, but the mere thought of traveling with both a toddler and an infant sends me into near-paralytic spasms of stress. So I think it’s safe to say we won’t be traveling for awhile after Babywoods #2 makes her debut this February ;). We’ve traveled quite a bit with Babywoods #1 and she’s an excellent...

September 2017 just might go down in Frugalwoods history as our most expensive month. Ever. As fate would have it, a ton of one-time and annual expenses all lined up this month and tallied to an astronomical total. But you know what? It doesn’t matter and we didn’t sweat it. Not for a moment. Here’s why: Mr. Frugalwoods and I are frugal every single day of the year. We don’t ever let up on our lifelong...

Howdy! If you feel like I was a bit absent during the month of August, well, you are correct: I was! Babywoods and I were gone for a whopping three weeks in August (and Mr. Frugalwoods for one), which as it turns out, is an incredibly long time to be away from one’s home(stead). But this travel was all for good reason, I assure you. San Diego Anniversary Extravaganza My parents celebrated their 50th (yes, 50th!!!) wedding...

Our basement, as previously disclosed, is undergoing a vast improvement plan. Our Cambridge, MA home (the one that’s now a rental) has a delightful panoply of built-in shelves in its basement, which suited our needs just fine. Here in our Vermont home, however, the basement is a huge, empty, concrete-floored cavern. A cavern I’m very thankful for and which I love, but a blank cavern nonetheless. Beholden to my commitment of waiting at least one year before...

June was a glorious month punctuated by a visit from my in-laws, which is always a welcome and wonderful event. I won the in-law lottery and Mr. Frugalwoods’ family is, in a word, superb. I’ve always felt lucky to have them as my second set of parents and that feeling is magnified now that they’re incredible grandparents to Babywoods. They even tolerate our extremely frugal ways! Anniversary Trip (with free hotel!) To give you some...

May was expensive. No mincing words, it was one of those pricey, pricey months. Heading up our expenses this month were the airline tickets we purchased for a trip to the west coast this August. My parents are celebrating their 50th!!!!!! wedding anniversary this summer and so my family is gathering at their home in San Diego for a celebration and family reunion. Then, I’ll fly from there up to Portland, Oregon to speak at the Lola Retreat...

As the snow receded from our land, allowing bare earth and grass to take its place, we quickly realized we’d need a new outdoor baby conveyance solution. All winter long, Mr. Frugalwoods and I snowshoe hiked by towing Babywoods behind us in this game sled, which sailed over pillows of snow, up mountains, and across frozen streams with ease. I tested the game sled out on mud and grass and that was a non-starter. Literally. Backpacking A...

While snow storms raged outside all March, inside we planted the seeds for this summer’s vegetable garden. In a cold climate like Vermont (we’re in plant hardiness zone 4 for all you gardening aficionados), it’s necessary to start growing vegetables from seeds indoors. The reason for this is that it won’t be warm enough for a long enough period of time for the veggies to ripen if they’re planted outside. It’ll be too cold too late in the...