Extreme Frugal Insourcing: Repairing a Frozen and Burst Pipe with PEX
Have you ever wondered if there’s a surefire way to get your pipes to freeze? Well, wonder no more! You’re in luck because Mr. Frugalwoods and I have uncovered this miraculous and amazingly practical wisdom! All’s you have to do is go out of town on a weekend when the temperatures are predicted to be sub-zero. And…
A Frugal Valentine’s Day: Do Instead Of Buy
I do not hate Valentine’s Day. I’ll be honest with you right now, I’m rather a sucker for adorable little holidays like Halloween and V-Day. Ok, being totally honest, I like big holidays too. Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays… I’m smitten! What I do hate is the rampant commercialization of these holidays. But for my part, I choose to…
Before We Were Mr. and Mrs. Frugalwoods
Exactly nine years ago, I was on foodstamps and my husband-to-be was unemployed. I was living in Brooklyn, New York with two roommates in Crown Heights–a neighborhood that no one would describe as “safe” in 2006. Mr. Frugalwoods had just finished up a contract job in Kansas and was furiously applying for every position on the East…
How To Be Frugal: One Month At A Time
Thinking of making money-related New Year’s resolutions for 2016? Well, I’ll save you the hassle: don’t do it. I’m delighted to poke my head up from parental leave to issue a challenge for the new year, written with a Babywoods snuggled to my chest in her sling (which seems to be her preferred mode for writing blog posts)….
The Immense Benefits of Giving Children a Frugal Christmas
Although my husband and I aren’t frugal weirdos per say, we do try to keep things as frugal as possible in our household, especially around the holidays. Part of our interest in frugality stems from the period of time when we lived in Grenada so my husband could attend medical school there. During that time…
The Frugalwoods Unmasked (aka we were on TV)
We have some fun news to share: Mr. Frugalwoods and I were on The Today Show on NBC this morning! Here’s the link to watch the segment online if you’re interested. Mr. FW and I were shocked and honored that they reached out to us for an interview and, we had a fabulous time filming right here in our home. The…
It’s Okay To Be A Frugal Weirdo
Howdy! While Mr. Frugalwoods and I enjoy/attempt to survive our very first month as parents to our daughter, Babywoods, I have a delightful slate of guest posts from my friends lined up for your reading pleasure. Today, please welcome the lovely Melanie Lockert from Dear Debt! By: Melanie Lockert In a few short months, I’ll have my first…
Reader Suggestions On: How To Convince Your Husband Or Wife To Be Frugal
I recently put out the query “how do you convince your husband or wife to be frugal?” It’s a question Mr. Frugalwoods and I receive with regularity and it’s one that we’re woefully inept at answering having never done it ourselves. Since we came to the decision to pursue extreme frugality together, we haven’t had the…
Frugal Homestead Series Part 7: On Visiting Properties (And Getting Lost)
Greetings fellow frugal weirdos! Welcome to Part 7 of our Frugal Homestead Series, which explores the finer points of how we’re going to reach our version of financial independence and move to a homestead in the woods in 2017 at age 33. Mr. Frugalwoods and I plan to buy 20+ acres of wooded land, likely with an existing home and…
A Day In The Life Of A Frugal Weirdo
So just what does a frugal weirdo do on a daily basis? People ask us all the time–no really, how do you and Mr. Frugalwoods make it through each month on only $1,000 or less? Are we holed up in a hovel weaving dog fur into sweaters to keep warm? Sitting in the dark to save electricity eating cold…
Behind the Scenes of our 901-mile, 1-day Frugal Road Trip
Yet again, Mr. Frugalwoods and I have engaged in frugal weirdo behavior of relatively epic proportion. This time, it was in the form of a road trip. A very long road trip. Did you know you can rent a car at 10pm on a Tuesday night in Charlotte, NC and return it the very next…
Maintaining Friendships And Frugality
Everybody likes hanging out with their friends! This is true for human beings aged toddler to grandparent (and hounds too!). We all enjoy carousing, playing, and fraternizing with our buddies. But what happens when you’re a devout frugal weirdo (à la moi) and you still want to spend quality time with your chums? Brace yourselves because the answer…