February 27, 2017
Our Amazon Mattress: A Five Year Update
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 seven year update here: How My $279 Amazon Mattress Is Holding Up After Seven Years Note: this post contains affiliate links. And now, please…
February 24, 2017
How We Turned Our City Home Into A Rental Property
As long-time readers are aware, Mr. Frugalwoods and I own a rental property in Cambridge, MA, which is one part of our diversified portfolio of assets. This is the very same property formerly known as our first home. We bought this house in 2012–for the lowest purchase price per square foot for that buying season…
February 22, 2017
Our Thrifty And Simple Baby’s First Birthday Party
Babywoods is a year old! Ok actually she’s almost 15 months old, but sometimes Mommywoods doesn’t get around to writing articles exactly on time…. At any rate, our bebe crested her first annual milestone in late November and we feted her in style. Frugal style. Once again, I’m here to divest everyone of the commonly…
February 15, 2017
Why I Broke My Three Year Clothes Buying Ban
Today I mark a frugal milestone: my clothing ban is over! Well, it’s not actually over, it was simply suspended a tad. On January 1, 2014, I decided to stop buying clothes. And I mean fully stop. I didn’t have a list of items I was allowed to purchase and I didn’t make exceptions for anything–not…
February 13, 2017
This Month On The Homestead: Sunrises, Community, and Ice
If you’re just tuning in, this is a recurring series in which I document each month of our lives out here on our 66-acre Vermont homestead. After leaving urban Cambridge, MA in May 2016 to chart this wholly different life, we’re experiencing a constant learning curve of exploration (and plenty of stupid novice moments). Check out…
February 8, 2017
A Car Battery And Other January 2017 Expenditures
There’s never a perfect time to start living frugally. There’ll never be an ideal month or optimal moment to decide you’re ready for frugality. Waiting until that ephemeral, non-existent ‘perfect’ time is a good way to ensure you’ll never actually kick-off a frugality regime. Why am I saying this at the beginning of my monthly expense…
February 6, 2017
Reader Case Study: Help Me Decide How To Pay Off $185K In Student Loans
Welcome to this month’s Reader Case Study in which we’ll help Bridget figure out how to tackle her student loan debt. Case studies are financial dilemmas that a reader of Frugalwoods sends to me requesting that Frugalwoods nation weigh in. Then, Frugalwoods nation (that’d be you), reads through their situation and provides advice, encouragement, insight, and feedback in the comments…
February 3, 2017
Crowdsourced Ideas For A Unique And Thrifty Valentine’s Day
The intersection of money and romantic relationships represents one of the most volatile combinations. Furthermore, disagreements over money are a leading cause of divorce in the United States. Clearly, we have unresolved issues over not just our money, but how we spend our money in service of our relationships. And into this fray enters Valentine’s Day, the ultimate…