Carrie Willard

putting the HER back in motherhood

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March 1, 2017 by Carrie

Drugstore game: why I don’t play

drugstore game

The drugstore game is a method of stacking store sales (especially BOGO deals) with coupons in order to obtain drugstore items for pennies on the dollar, or even for free. I learned how to do the drugstore game back when I was a single mom getting out of debt, and I did it for a […]

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January 10, 2017 by Carrie

Clean with pretty things

Yesterday I talked about how I want to have a cleaner house (even while living with a husband and 7 kids – what can I say, I like to dream big). A thought came to me late yesterday afternoon. I remembered something I read years ago. The main message was this: Use good tools. Clean […]

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December 29, 2016 by Carrie

December: Things I Enjoyed

This is a new feature here: Things I Enjoyed is simply quick takes on stuff I liked using, reading or wearing in the previous month. Tangie Laundry Paste Concentrate I recently decided to start buying my laundry detergent in bulk, since I go through so much, and the stash I bought back in the summer […]

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November 28, 2016 by Carrie

Why I won’t feel bad about my house anymore

Every once in a while, I feel bad about my house. I have a lovely house. I am thankful for it. But it’s not Pinterest-worthy. It’s rarely even Instragram-worthy. I look at pictures of my friends’ homes on social media, with their perfect, unblemished walls, and I wonder whether they repainted just last week. I […]

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September 21, 2016 by Carrie

From Crunchy to Soggy, and the sweet spot between frugality and environmentalism

From Crunchy Mom to Soggy Mom

There is a sweet spot between frugality and environmentalism. While I aim for both values and they have much overlap, they are sometimes at odds with each other. I’m happiest when I stay in that sweet spot. Read on to see what I mean. As I review the nearly 2,000 posts published on this blog, […]

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August 11, 2016 by Carrie

Back-to-homeschool to-do list

I didn’t post a summer bucket list this year as in years past. I’ve been focused on writing my new book. However, there are a couple of things I need to accomplish before the busy season of homeschool and extracurricular lessons begin. They’ve been niggling at the back of my brain, but for some reason […]

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July 20, 2016 by Carrie

This crunchy, frugal mama: why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent Doesn't Work

I’m about to make a radical statement. Are you sitting down? This frugal, crunchy mama is about to spill it: Why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent. Gasp!   I wrote on this topic a few years ago after several good, solid trials into homemade laundry detergent making adventures. Why don’t I make homemade laundry detergent? […]

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July 5, 2016 by Carrie

The right size for a home may be smaller

I read this post recently from Becoming Minimalist’s Joshua Becker and found myself agreeing with every word: 12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller Home Since we’ve decided to buy a home, I’ve been thinking a lot about our real needs. Our current home, while lovely, is simply too big for us. A […]

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March 29, 2016 by Carrie

Why I got rid of so many books

A lot of spring cleaning and decluttering is going on around here lately. One of the toughest things for me to get rid of has always been books. When I read Marie Kondo’s books, I became convinced that I needed to ruthlessly cull my bookshelves. Why? Because they were frankly getting on my nerves! I […]

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February 19, 2016 by Carrie

Call me Florence

This week has been … fun. Some type of virus (possibly, after a Google search of symptoms, adenovirus because of the fever, cough, stomach pain/vomiting, red eyes, extreme malaise) has made its way through our house. Both of the couches in my living room have been strewn with sleeping bodies all week. I’ve never seen an […]

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Welcome! I'm Carrie, and I write about raising my large family frugally as a single mom, mental health, and surviving a cult. I hope you find value here! Read more about me

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