Sam and Riley are a married couple living in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada along with their dog Bisky and two cats, Theodore and Greta. Sam works as a plasterer and Riley is a social worker at a local college. The couple, both age 36, hope to have a child soon and are wondering how to balance that new financial responsibility alongside their current goals of finishing up a Masters of Social Work (Riley) and changing careers to become a sprinkler fitter (Sam). Additionally, they bought their first home in June 2022 and are still settling into the realities–and expenses–of home ownership. Sam wr ..read more

One of the driving forces behind the birth of Frugalwoods was our desire to leave the city and buy a homestead in the woods. That happened in May 2016 and let me tell you, we had A LOT of preconceived notions about what it would be like to live rurally, some of which turned out to be true and some of which… not so much. It’s easy to gloss over the specifics when you’re dreaming about moving to the country. It becomes very much about the specifics when you lose power and water for a week in the dead of winter thanks to an ice storm. It’s those specifics–those powerful details–that have shaped ..read more

My husband and I are committed to learning new things. It’s a goal of ours to consistently make ourselves beginners in different capacities. Putting ourselves in a beginner mindset enables us to keep our brains limber, opens us up to creativity and new experiences, keeps us humble and models lifelong learning for our kids. It has been the catalyst for a number of conversations with our girls around the facts that you don’t get things right the first time, you have to work hard and be persistent and that it’s ok to make mistakes. Also, that you’re never too old to learn something new! In the p ..read more

May is Mental Health Awareness Month May happens to be Mental Health Awareness month and April marked the ninth anniversary of Frugalwoods! Given that confluence, it seems like the perfect time to reflect on my 2018 post, “How A Diagnosis Of Postpartum Depression Changed My Life.” This one struck a serious chord, as evidence by the 433 comments and abundance of emails and messages I’ve received since. Many of you told me that reading that post prompted you to seek help, to finally go to the doctor, see a therapist, start taking the medication you’d been prescribed and stop blaming yourself. I ..read more

Johanna is a veterinarian, her husband Matt is a physician, and they live with their two young children on a small island off the coast of the Northeastern United States. The couple previously lived on the Navajo Nation Reservation and greatly enjoyed the close-knit community they had there. While the East Coast is where their families live, they’re not sure that this island is the place for them for the longterm. Johanna is also concerned that they might not be on track for retirement and would like our advice. Let’s dive in! What’s a Reader Case Study? Case Studies address financial and lif ..read more

Neko and her husband Jerry live in Toronto, Ontario with their dog and two cats. Everything about Neko’s life sounds perfect on the surface–a loving marriage, engaging work, fun hobbies, a close-knit family living nearby–but she’s harboring secret debt that’s causing her immense physical and emotional pain. Neko would like our help understanding how to overcome her shopping addition, which has led her to live paycheck-to-paycheck and carry a debt load on her credit card. Let’s work together to offer Neko a plan and a sense of hope for her future. What’s a Reader Case Study? Case Studies addre ..read more

The kids had the last week of February/first week of March off school, so we went on a few local family day trips! First up: Skiing at Burke Mountain We’d never been to this ski area before and figured vacation week was the perfect time to try it out. The mountain has a “Wicked Wednesdays” special where it’s $45 for three day passes!!!! This is a phenomenal deal and one we plan to take advantage of next year too. Since ages 5 and under ski for free, we only had to pay $45 for a full day of skiing for all four of us! With all the money we saved on lift tickets, we treated the girls to lunch at ..read more

Aurelia is a high school teacher at a public school in Boston who recently bought her first condo and is thrilled to be a homeowner at the age of 27! Tempering that enthusiasm, however, are her new competing financial demands of house maintenance costs, retirement, saving for Invisalign braces and paying off her student loans. Aurelia has a zest for life and a love for her students, but her salary doesn’t quite match that enthusiasm. She’d like our help determining how to prioritize her financial goals while still living a robust life filled with friends, travel and hobbies. Let’s head to Bos ..read more

As I shared last week, April is the NINTH anniversary of Frugalwoods! To celebrate, I’m typing down memory lane with reflections on some of my most influential old posts. Nine years is a long time to do anything and I’m curious to see if I agree with my old self or if my thoughts have changed in the intervening years. Old Me vs. Current Me: A Showdown The first post I want to reflect on was a real zinger when it came out and generated quite a bit of controversy and discussion (288 comments!). Published July 27, 2015, it’s my oft-cited “Less Makeup, More Confidence: My Frugal Beauty Manifesto ..read more

April is the ninth anniversary of Frugalwoods! Hard to believe I’ve been doing this for so long yet am still invigorated and excited to type words at you and help people with their money!!!! This is–by far–my longest tenure at a job and I’m not ready to quit or fire myself! To celebrate, I’m going to write a series of reflections on my own writing over the past nine years. Do I agree with my old self? How have my views changed? When I started Frugalwoods on April 9, 2014, I had just turned 30, I lived in the city of Cambridge, MA, I’d been married to my husband for six years, we were both wor ..read more