April 30, 2020
This Month On The Homestead: Making Maple Syrup, Starting Vegetable Seeds, and Other Pandemic Pursuits
March 2020 March was weird. I’m not sure there’s a better way to put it. We did some homesteading stuff, but mostly I stress-ate homemade baked goods while listening to podcasts about the pandemic. Now that you know this about me, we can discuss how we made maple syrup, started some of our vegetable garden…
April 27, 2020
Reader Case Study: Becoming a Travel Nurse and Stay-at-Home Dad During a Pandemic
Emily and Chase live in suburban Kansas City with their two young boys. They’d planned to head out in July on a family adventure of Emily working as a travel nurse in different cities every three months, while Chase became a stay-at-home dad. But then, the pandemic happened. Today they’re looking for advice on how…
April 24, 2020
Grits And Other March 2020 Expenditures
March 2020 Ahh, March 2020. You will live forever in our minds as the month of both the Before Times and the After Times. We started the month celebrating my birthday with dinners out AT RESTAURANTS and ended March ensconced in our home, regarding restaurants as dangerous, forbidden places of the past. It was the…
April 22, 2020
Uber Frugal Week Day 4: Emergency Funds, High-Interest Savings Accounts, and Using Credit Cards to Your Advantage
Today is devoted to a holistic review of where your money is and how it’s working for (or against) you, including: The importance of having an emergency fund Using high-interest savings accounts to make your money work for you Using credit cards responsibly and to your advantage Accessing additional lines of credit Welcome to Day…
April 17, 2020
Reader Suggestions on How To Earn Money From Home During the Pandemic
Wondering how to earn money from home during the pandemic? Today we hear from Frugalwoods readers who are making it happen: from a circus act owner to a veterinarian, you all are working it from home. Join me to find out how. Earlier this week, I discussed strategies for saving more money in (almost) every…
April 15, 2020
Uber Frugal Week Day 3: Saving More Money In (almost) Every Category Of Your Budget
Welcome to Day 3 of my pandemic-inspired, 8-day, what-do-I-do with my money, Uber Frugal Week series. For more about the series, including an overview of what I’ll cover each day, check this out. I recommend you read the series in order; start with Day 1 here. Read disclaimers about me and the series here. While…
April 13, 2020
Uber Frugal Week Day 2: What To Do if You’ve Lost Your Job and Other Coronavirus-Related Benefits
Welcome to Day 2 of my pandemic-inspired, 8-day, what-do-I-do with my money, Uber Frugal Week series. For more about this series, including an overview of what I’ll cover each day, check this out. I recommend you read the series in order; start with Day 1 here. Read disclaimers about me and the series here. While…
April 9, 2020
Uber Frugal Week Day 1: Know What You Spend and Where You Can Save
Welcome to Day 1 of my pandemic-inspired, 8-day, what-do-I-do with my money, Uber Frugal Week series. For more about this series, including an overview of what I’ll cover each day, check out this. Uber Frugal Week: Day 1 We’re in a weird, uncertain time and when things get weird and uncertain, it’s time to save…
April 7, 2020
Introducing the Uber Frugal Week: How to Manage Your Money in the Time Of Pandemic and Recession
The economic impact of the coronavirus is not good. Many businesses are shuttered for the foreseeable future. Last month a record-breaking number of people filed for unemployment in the United States. We’re barreling into a recession and I don’t think it’s going to be a short one either. I won’t sugarcoat this: the economy is…