Travel Cheap By Eating Like a Local
Today, we’re going to delve into two of my most beloved topics: food and travel! As I’ve shared, Mr. Frugalwoods and I are afflicted with ardent wanderlust and feel extraordinarily fortunate that we’ve traveled so much. But, we never spend a fortune doing it. Just as we frugalize our meals at home (remember, breakfast is the hidden…
Great Trash Finds: The Mom Edition
Welcome to the second edition of Great Trash Finds, a scholarly photo essay in which we explore the finer points of scavenging items from the side of the road. Taking stuff otherwise destined for a landfill is not only a frugal win, it’s an environmentally sound means of recycling and reusing. In this edition we welcome a…
Travel Cheap By Being A Thanksgiving Weirdo
Do you want to travel internationally? Do you want to save money doing so? Would you like to see a photo of a windmill? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this post is for you! I seem to be on a “writing about our hobbies” kick, so I thought I’d continue in…
Weekly Woot & Grumble: 82% Savings, Anxiety & Some Rot
P.S. I’m starting off with a P.S. because this is my Woot & Grumble and we’ve already established that I don’t follow prescribed codes of conduct very well. When I sat down to pen my Weekly Woot & Grumble last night, I experienced mild anxiety. Why? Well, for the first time in our little blog’s life span (we debuted to…
How We Save 65% Annually
Mr. Frugalwoods and I realize we might seem a bit odd to those of you new to the philosophy of Early Retirement Extreme and Mustachianism or just starting out on your frugal finance journey. Curious how we live day to day? For starters, we’re not total weirdos, I promise! Though we are kinda weird because the way…
Reader Suggestions for a Wallet and COVID-safe Valentine’s Day
I am not usually a Valentine’s Day type of person. It’s a commercialized, chintzy, kinda made-up holiday. I even once wrote a screed on why it’s dumb: A Frugal Weirdo’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Manifesto. But let me tell you, this year, I am ON BOARD. Sign me up for ALL the tacky holidays. Frugalwoods reader Barbara…
Reader Suggestions: What’s The Weirdest Thing You’ve Done To Save Money?
I’ve been called a frugal weirdo. I’ve been called an extreme saver. But let me tell you what, the readers of Frugalwoods make me look like the tamest frugalista that ever walked around in a coat she found in a trash heap. I mean, I do have an entire section of Frugalwoods devoted to the…
Hacked SodaStream Seltzer Reload And Other December 2018 Expenditures
It’s appropriate that I spent $34.25 on a 20lb tank of C02 because quite a few of you are participating in my bi-annual Uber Frugal Month Group Challenge (UFM) this month. And this tank of C02 is the perfect illustration of an overarching theme of the UFM: Frugality isn’t about depriving yourself, it’s about being…
Reader Suggestions Of Practical, Useful Ideas For A Wedding Registry
Next month, Mr. Frugalwoods and I celebrate TEN years of wedded bliss! Our marriage is, in many ways, the backbone of our frugality and journey to financial independence. Over the years, I’ve written about the role that our partnership plays in our financial decisions and the importance of being on the same financial page with…
8 Money Questions To Ask Your Partner This Valentine’s Day
“My spatula broke and I need to buy a new one (pauses; frowns). Is that OK with you?” -Mr. Frugalwoods “Oh the blue spatula? Sad (pauses; frowns for empathy)! Yes of course, get yourself a new one.” -Mrs. Frugalwoods This is a verbatim transcript of a conversation I had with my husband a few weeks…
The Dirty Secret Behind How We Cook At Home
You know how I always talk about the fact that we cook at home every night? Well, I think it’s time for me to come clean: we actually don’t. But don’t panic, we’re not getting takeout or going out to eat. I promise! Not to mention the fact that exactly zero restaurants deliver to our rural home… Rather, we have…
Get Your Financial Life Together
When I graduated from college, I had only a vague notion of how to manage money (and, actually, vague is probably overstating the situation… ). I understood that debt was bad and saving was good, but beyond that, I was clueless. The result? I was terrified to spend money. I could not drop a dime…