Frugal Confessions Friday!
Happy Friday!!! If you are new to this series, check out the intro here. Here is my frugal confession of the week: The first project Paul and I did to our house when we moved in was to paint the bedrooms upstairs (lots of spackling, steamed off some old border wallpaper, and removed a really [...]
Cost Discrepancies in Veterinarian Services: Are you Shopping Around?
Before Lyla—our half-Siamese, half-attitude, kitty cat—the only veterinarians I had ever come into contact with were ones for our cows (60 in total) on the farm. Every few months our vet would come in, take some temperatures for cows that were looking a bit weary and give lipstick-sized pills to others. Occasionally we witnessed a [...]
“Why Are we So Clueless about the Stock Market?”: A Book Review
As I read Mariusz Skonieczny’s book, I couldn’t help but think back to my first job out of college. I was hired to make international sales (I was the entire department) on a grant given to this brand new start-up company by the USDA. About midway through my year there (after the one year grant [...]
It’s Frugal Confessions Friday!!–I’m Back!
Hello Everyone! Well, after a two week hiatus on Frugal Confessions Friday, I am back again! Who knew that renovating a laundry room could be so time-consuming and energy-sapping… Check out the results of our DIY Laundry Room Renovation. If you are new to this series, check out the intro here. Here is my confession [...]
Saving and Sacrificing Without Purpose: Why Do I Want to be Rich?
I want to be rich. I’ve never actually said that out loud, much less confessed it to a large audience. Perhaps it’s some leftover youth fantasy of mine when I linked a certain lifestyle with having lots of money. I even have an entry in my kindergarten diary where I write in crayon that I [...]
5 Breaches of Frugality: Do These and Consider Yourself Cheap
fru⋅gal /ˈfrugəl/ [froo-guhl]: economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful cheap [cheep]: stingy; miserly Something that bothers me is when someone uses the word ‘cheap’ and ‘frugal’ interchangeably. I am a frugal person, and proudly so. I am not cheap, and when I sometimes cross the slim border between the two [...]
When Delaying Spending Money Costs you More in the End
Sometimes my life seems to revolve around delaying gratification—the satiation of my needs and wants—by delaying purchases or services. By nature, my consumer pulse is sluggish at best, so it is not a far stretch for me to do so. I do not constantly feel a nagging craving inside of me for new, better, and [...]
5 Ways to Save on Home Renovations
Paul and I are in the middle of our first renovation project together: the laundry room. I know what you may be thinking…”who is going to see the laundry room?”, but for whatever reason, this project makes me so happy. Besides, the laundry room sits right off of our kitchen, and we keep the sliding [...]
My List of Stupid Money Spent: 2009
As 2009 draws to a close, I feel reflective. This year has been quite the experience in my life; Paul and I are engaged, we bought our first home, and I started Frugal Confessions. Since I all ready provided you with my list of savings and extra earnings from this year, I am now taking [...]
New Year’s Resolution 2010: My Charity Black Hole
Lately I’ve been having a feeling of scarcity. It is a feeling that I am ashamed of, because my fiancé and I are so blessed. We make good money, we recently bought the home of our dreams, we have two vehicles, enough money to fund retirement and entertain ourselves…but it has not felt like enough. [...]
I have Joined the Yakezie Challenge!
