Several weeks ago, I requested The Tightwad Gazette (the first volume) from a PaperBackSwap member. It took a long time for her to respond to the system’s prompt and confirm that she would indeed send the book. Then I got a message from her stating that the book had a few pages that were torn […]
Home Alone. Only Not.
[This post originally published a few days after my sixth child was born. Since she turned 4 yesterday I thought I would republish it.] Dear Baby V, This morning your Dad kissed me goodbye and you were snuggled on my left arm and your big sister Ruby was lying on my right arm, having climbed […]
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 […]
Frugal Lady: a day in the life
[An update in the No Spend Summer Challenge series, in which I document black-belt frugal tactics I employ to save for a down payment on a home. To assist the unaccustomed, an asterisk * appears next to frugal activities.] Today, two fellow frugal lady bloggers and I decided to write about what a typical day in […]
5 Frugal Things
The last couple of times I placed an Amazon order, I took advantage of the free “no-rush” shipping so I could have a free credit for digital stuff. One of the things I ordered? More Bonne Maman jelly. My family loves it. It isn’t cheaper than jelly from ALDI, but… the jars and lids are […]
Victoria the Sage
Inbetween using my phone to take dozens of selfies of her feet (feetsies?) and hiding in luggage, my 4 year old daughter speaks nuggets of wisdom. I call her Victoria the Sage. She randomly makes delightfully humorous and profound statements. A few examples follow. On beauty and femininity: “When people are mean, they’re not […]
Down with evil laundry detergent measuring cup!
A post in the No Spend Summer Challenge series… I think the scalawags who make laundry detergent (and therefore, detergent measuring cups) intentionally make it difficult to figure out how much of the stuff to use. Can anyone relate? The instructions on the bottle state that for a normal-sized load, you should fill the cup […]
In which I forgot my goals and good habits. Oops.
I’m a huge fan of habits. I wrote a book on the topic. But lately I’ve totally fallen off my good habits bandwagon and feeling the ill effects. Part of the reason is because it’s summer. As people who study productivity have noticed, the busier you are, the more you accomplish. I tend to do much […]
July budget meeting and savings update
A No Spend Challenge update; my family is saving for a down payment on a home (closing in February!). Hubby and I had our budget meeting yesterday, as we always do at the end of each month. A couple of things I’ve learned about budgets along the way: A budget is a living, breathing thing. […]
A few weekend reads…
A few links I thought you would enjoy for your weekend reading. Deprivation Is Not Part Of The Journey I love this. Being frugal doesn’t have to mean asceticism or being a martyr. It’s more about planning ahead and being creative. “we do not find that much joy in spending money mindlessly. It isn’t about […]