Carrie Willard

putting the HER back in motherhood

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This is where the posts about money and frugality appear. If this is a topic of interest to you, please check out my book:

The Temporary Tightwad:
Radically reduce your spending, meet a money goal and change your life forever

August 28, 2023 by Carrie

Five Frugal Things

I got 80,000 bonus points on my credit card. I sometimes open a new card with a really sexy opening bonus. This time it was the Chase Sapphire Preferred Rewards card. I used it for automated bill payments and was rewarded with 80,000 bonus points (value: $800). Credit card “churning” is a fun option for […]

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August 21, 2023 by Carrie

How to pack a personal item for Spirit airlines

How to pack a personal item for Spirit airlines

To save the most money on your Spirit flight, only bring a bag on board that’s 18x14x8 or smaller. Called a “personal item”, it’s the only bag you can fly with for free. Here’s how I packed my personal item for Spirit airlines for a recent 3 day weekend trip. What frugal person doesn’t respect […]

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August 20, 2023 by Carrie

Five Frugal Things

I like to share how I’m saving money. It inspires me to read these posts by other frugal bloggers, and keeps me accountable. I got a $7 Starbucks gift card and a cute glass water bottle from Women in Money, a FinCon conference. Of course, my ticket wasn’t free. But since the information and networking […]

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July 31, 2023 by Carrie

Five Frugal Things, Fun Edition

When it comes to my finances, I ask myself two crucial questions. One, “what do I need (housing, food, healthcare) and how do I pay less for that?” and two, “what do I want (travel, fun, books) and how do I pay less for that?”. That’s my frugality philosophy in a nutshell. Even a frugalista […]

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June 29, 2023 by Carrie

Five Frugal Things, Travel Edition

For the first time in 14 years, I got a tax refund rather than a tax bill this year. I would not recommend giving the government interest-free use of my money, and will make adjustments this year so I don’t get a refund. But it was unexpected, so I decided to use it to treat […]

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May 23, 2023 by Carrie

Dumb Reasons I Spend Money (and how I plan to fix it)

dumb reasons I spend money and how to fix it

If you’re like me, most of your purchases consist of necessities: housing, transportation, food. Those feel good because they mean I’m caring for my loved ones. Even the fun expenditures are meaningful because they’re intentional and create memories. But every month as I look over my spending, I notice silly purchases that add little or […]

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May 19, 2023 by Carrie

Five Frugal Things

I love finding ways to save money. Not because I want to live an ascetic lifestyle, but so I can budget my money in alignment with my values. As an example, I bought tickets to an upcoming Liz Phair show for myself and my two oldest daughters. Experiences and making memories gives me more happiness […]

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October 17, 2022 by Carrie

Frugal Wins, September Edition

Pardon my metablogging for a moment, but expect to see more content here focused on women + finances. Frugality for me is a way to redirect more money into investments, and the frugal choice is almost always more environmentally sound. And I know September is over. This post is about what I did last month […]

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July 7, 2022 by Carrie

Frugal Wins, July edition

Hi! If you’re new here, welcome! I share frugal wins periodically, both to keep myself accountable and to share good ideas with others. Here are some recent ways I’ve saved money. Note: this post uses affiliate links, please read more about that here if you’re curious! Thanks to a post by MoneySavingMom.com, I got 3 […]

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July 1, 2022 by Carrie

Uber Frugal Month: join us?

uber frugal July

I’ve done “no spend” months and even “no spend” summers before, and documented my experience here on the blog. This month, I’m joining the Frugalwoods for an uber frugal month, community style. Why do a spending fast? The point isn’t to produce suffering. It’s the opposite: to maximize happiness. For me, the most important reason […]

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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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Recent Posts

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