Contents:
“For us, it means that we are able to choose to work on projects that are meaningful to us.” But Elizabeth has her defenders, including dedicated readers of her blog. A number of blog fans reviewed her book on the website Goodreads, noting that they were delighted to read a more personal account from Elizabeth. Today, by popular demand, I bring you a comprehensive rundown of how my husband and I manage our money. Before we dive in, I want to point out that your money management strategy will likely differ from mine, and that’s ok!
- I am not advocating being irresponsible and not taking care of one’s own business but to ignore this future financial reality is poor planning.
- With only one stream of income, you’re in a more tenuous position because if that person loses their job, you don’t have another income to fall back on.
- List is updated as we receive new blog submissions and re-ranked every few weeks.
- Much More With Less is a blog about moving to the country, living on less and making the most of it.
Some reviewers have questioned Elizabeth’s transparency in describing how she and her husband were able to make their move to Vermont. Elizabeth, who is forthright in her writing about her privileges, said her family made a determination not to share its income or net worth in her book or blog. I knew this day would come, though I dreaded it for years. I’m speaking, of course, about my beloved Frugalwoods-mobile, the 1996 Honda Odyssey minivan that Mr. Frugalwoods and I proudly drove.
Jess’s Hobbies and Lifestyle
She can control both variables–income and expenses–and she’ll just need to decide which levers to push. And Jess wisely opened one up for each of her children. However, while 529s are great, you need to ensure you’re not prioritizing contributions to a 529 ahead of your own retirement. This is why I suggest Jess stop contributing to her kids’ 529 accounts.
Feisty Frugal & Fabulous was launched in 2008 as a way for Tenille to share online deals and coupons, along with her Feisty tips and tricks to live Frugally, while still maintaining her Fabulous mommy-style. Learn to celebrate and LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE with incredibly frugalwoods fun and easy recipes, DIY tutorials, crafts, tips and more to share with friends and family. Sharing tips on everything from frugal food to investing for the future. Much More With Less is a blog about moving to the country, living on less and making the most of it.
Oh Frugalwoods-mobile the oft-mentioned, but rarely glamorized, work horse of the Frugalwoods family. Fear not, this isn’t a eulogy for she’s not dead , but rather this is a reflection of gratitude for the tremendous schlepping performed by this fossil of a vehicle. While certainly it would be thriftier to exist sans car, Mr. Frugalwoods and I consider Frugalwoods-mobile a luxurious element of our lives. You didn’t think I’d let a holiday sneak by without weighing in, did you?! I am a known lover of holidays and above all, the trifecta of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
And also, my kids love helping so there’s no reason for me to hold back on that. Also puzzled at your CPA’s advice to overpay your estimated taxes. I realize that your situation has changed over the past couple of years and may not be settled, but the goal is generally to owe zero on April 15 and have the state and feds owe you zero too. Wondering about the $275 every month for gas, especially since Jess works at home.
Sometimes I have hope that people will one day learn to not be dicks in the anonymous land of the internet. Probably a more accurate title would be “How living significantly below our means allowed us to pursue https://forexarena.net/ our dream lifestyle”, but that’s not as catchy. A lot of the comments seem to take issue with the title of the article; “Extreme frugality allowed me to retire at 32 – and regain control of my life”.
Daily educational article topics include, investing, frugal tips, tax strategies and real estate. Covers all the money-saving tips and advice on getting out of debt and staying out of debt. Frugal Debt Free Life is a blog for those looking to get out of debt, stay out of debt, save money and live a more simplistic life style below your means. Covers articles on debt-free living, finances, frugal living, earning extra income, and more.
We paid $185 a month for a big two-bedroom, rent-controlled apartment. We found scrap wood in the neighborhood wasteland — since taken over by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — and built a kitchen table. Tops on the list for freebies with my coffee is probably Great Harvest Bread on Pine Street in Burlington, where offerings include a thick slice of warm cinnamon-swirl bread. I still eat off the plates from the Inman Square restaurant where I cooked 35 years ago. I carried home eggplant Parm and spanakopita on the dishes and never returned them. “The book is a memoir,” Elizabeth said by telephone.
I just want to echo the recommendation that you move your savings out of BoA as fast as possible. Another option, if you don’t mind a completely online bank would be Wealthfront – their high yield savings account is currently at 4.3%. They’re better known for being a robo-advisor, but their cash account is the highest interest one that I’ve found so far.
The sep Ira/hsa is an amazing option as well which might reduce taxes as well. Remember sep ira is 20 percent of net income as well. If it were me I would def keep the house cleaning expense for sanity reasons as you mentioned. One small idea — BofA is giving you a HORRIBLE interest rate on your savings. You might want to consider moving this to a higher yield account — I personally love Alliant credit union which has a well over 2% interest rate currently.
The Frugal Friends Podcast
These days we take nice holidays , have paid off our mortgage, put our kids through college, and are FI and will soon be RE – I’m retiring this Spring in my mid-fifties. What happens to the large tax refund every year? You could boost your savings with it pretty quickly.
Then add four to six ounces of dish soap per gallon of water and vinegar mixture. You can even make DIY Halloween costumes for kids for less than $10 with a little creativity. If you have a glue gun, you likely won’t even need to sew these fun easy crafts. For example, Chili’s lunch combo plus a drink, tax and tip totals about $13.
I am working to boost my income and identify new clients/projects, and am also trying to adjust my expenses so there’s more to work with. While the house is the obvious financial liability, it’s also not one I’m willing to sacrifice. We love this home and I am going to do whatever it takes to make it work. Kay and her husband Max recently moved to rural town an hour south of Minneapolis with their two young children and three old cats. Kay works as a financial operations manager and Max is a government attorney.
It also allows me to get in a midday workout or run errands during the day so I have more time later to spend with my girls. You might have read their story in The Guardian, but in any event, here’s the spiel. Paying off debt and saving money – both are tough tasks yet crucial to your financial freedom. If you want to find incredible content around both of these topics Saving Advice’s blog should be your go-to source. Jordan is the blog founder who transformed her lifestyle from a complete financial mess to leading a successful frugal lifestyle. From over $15k in debt and no money in the bank to living in an 8600 sq ft house on 1.5-acre land, she’s seen it all.
One note of encouragement about increasing income – it doesn’t need to be with a W2 job. Inflation is a beast, and prices are increasing…so should your rates. Lo and behold, that refund went “poof” this year! But last year it went entirely to retirement and emergency fund. Jess is paying about 50% of her take home pay on her mortgage and HOA. ($3650 for housing and $7500 take home per month) While I agree that high housing costs are becoming the norm, this is significantly higher than average.
Then I’d cut back how much I was paying in per month by $500. That still leaves you with a refund but not $5K to $9K. With the new mortgage write off …you should not need to be paying in as much as you were when you were renting. I’m guessing you were taking a standard deduction as HOH and now you can itemize. Is there a better benchmark than the fidelity rule of thumb for estimating where you should be with retirement savings?
About – Save money, make money, manage your money. Covers articles devoted to raising chickens and self-sufficient living. If you keep hens for eggs and love roosters, stick around! Covers frugal adventures on the road to financial freedom. I am in my mid-thirties, happily married to the sweetest man in the world and mother to two of the most precious little boys This blog is my story.
Doggie Doppelgänger And Other August 2022 Expenses
I realize her vehicle is paid for and that it would be impractical to replace it, but surely this expense can be cut. You might consider refreshing your tax withholding amounts. If you always get a $5-9k tax refund then you’ve given the government an interest fee loan until you can that refund check. There would be lots to consider ( proper vetting of tenant etc.) but it might help make the house contribute to its own cost. I had also noted that Mrs. F’s use of 25% of revenues is not accurate for a self-employed situation.
thoughts on “Top 20 Best Frugal Blogs & Websites to Follow ( ”
One thing to note is that her mortgage is really new. I have found that when one first buys a property, especially if it was at a high price generally, that first 1-2 years you absolutely haemorrhage money. What Jess’s salary and expenses will be over time. The roof, the boiler, the oven, the toilet… it’s all going to break at some point.
Check out some of the most popular ones in the list above. Kerry K. Taylor is the founder of the blog and is also a financial journalist, author, and speaker who teaches you how to lead a financially independent life and manage your money in a smart way. In 2009, Wise Bread created an amazing frugal living podcast series called “The Dealista” which is a 36-episode podcast series where you can find information related to how to buy things cheaply. This blog is for anyone who wants to save more money and live a better, simple life.
It surely is one of the best frugal living blogs to follow. What I like about The Simple Dollar is, it isn’t an extreme frugal living blog; it is a blog that mildly tells you how to live a satisfied life while not wasting money on unnecessary things. Trent Hamm is the founder of The Simple Dollar, who initially started sharing easy-to-consume content for everyone who wants to learn about personal finance. Since its inception, the website has been helping people to save more money, live a frugal life, and lead a stress-free lifestyle. There’s a reason why I put this #1 in the list of our top best frugal living blogs for 2023.