The Frugal Girl

MARCH 11, 2024

True happiness for me personally stems from having a deep relationship with God, family, and nature, spending time with my grandchildren, and always having a little fun. What is something you wish more people knew? I wish more people knew that we need very little in life to be truly happy. Maria, tell us some more about river cruising.

Florida 130

Florida Cruises Cruise Health Insurance 130

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

If you only run the dishwasher when it’s full, then you end up emptying it at odd times, and then family members never know when the dishwasher will be empty, and they have an excuse not to load their dishes as they go. But the nightly dishwasher-running/hand-washing takes care of them, and then I have a fresh reset.

Dishwashers 186

Dishwashers Quick Breads Bread Cake 186

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

We make regular trips to visit family, but don’t really do any other traveling. This might change as my kids get older, but the thought of traveling just sounds like a bunch of logistical headaches and poor sleep in hotel rooms. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it? Put it in our index fund investment account.

California 171

California Cars Car College 171

The Frugal Girl

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

Most of my evenings/weekends are just hanging out (largely at home and in the yard with my family). Second, coming from poverty, I am so grateful to be able to help my family when they need things. If it was truly a windfall that was not spoken for, I’d use it to visit my family several states away or pay for the to visit us 10.

Virginia 183

Virginia Kids and Family Library Frugal 183

The Frugal Girl

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

I also love to visit family (all our family is between 2 and 4 hours away) and friends, bake, and play board games. I went on an amazing trip to Europe with that friend for two weeks, where we stayed with her family and used public transportation, and generally lived like locals. How has reading the Frugal Girl changed you?

Friends And Family Sale 190

Friends And Family Sale Library College Cars 190

The Frugal Girl

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

A reader wrote me an email telling me about some family troubles, including the story of her son leaving an abusive marriage, with his little daughter in tow. First: I am most definitely not a licensed psychologist/therapist/anything of the sort.

Phones 174

Phones Cat Health Frugal 174

The Frugal Girl

DECEMBER 4, 2023

I’ve really worked to overcome those expectations and make Christmas the way I and my family want it to be, but I still have lingering dread when I think of Christmas. ? In families with just a few cousins/grandchildren, I can see it working out, but not with 17 cousins/grandchildren.

Cleaning 192

Cleaning Grandchildren Nephew Christmas 192

The Frugal Girl

MARCH 4, 2024

We consider her our “bonus kid” and our family is extremely close. Aside from those exceptions, we did all the work ourselves and with the help of family. We didn’t start a family until we were married for almost 15 years.) Our daughter is 24 and was adopted from Eastern Europe when she was one week short of a year old.

Green And Frugal 178

Green And Frugal Kids and Family Hotel Frugal 178

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

I live in the Midwest with my family. Growing up in a large family, we had enough, but with the specter of inflation and bad job market (gotta love the 70’s and 80’s) , there was definitely a feeling of needing to make sure you had a cushion. I want my family to have what they need and be comfortable.

Kids and Family 187

Kids and Family Money Home and Garden Frugal 187

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

We can decorate it however we want and then we post it on Facebook and have our friends and family vote on their favorite. Growing up we tended to be a paycheck-to-paycheck family. When I first started reading, I was just in awe of Kristen’s meals and how varied they were (and how she dealt with her family’s allergies).

Iowa 166

Iowa Friends And Family Sale Boys Son 166

The Frugal Girl

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

I am so impressed by the amount of biking and walking she and her family do, especially since it’s the functional sort, to get yourself from point A to point B. ” Sunrise on Lake Michigan I’ve moved a LOT – not as much as a military family, perhaps, but quite a bit for someone my age!

Kids and Family 189

Kids and Family Parenting Cars Car 189

The Frugal Girl

OCTOBER 20, 2023

From his younger days Zoe and I went together to buy Socks right after Christmas in 2021, and then a few weeks later, we left the family home and moved in with my parents. He was pushing two years old, so he was quite an elderly little hamster, but still, it’s always hard to lose a pet.

Green 207

Green Green And Frugal Leftovers Dinner 207

The Frugal Girl

JANUARY 22, 2024

We also like to have enough means to travel and visit family and friends, so being frugal in some areas helps us be generous in others. I’ve often wished to be able to go back in time and undo that house purchase, it would have saved our family so much trouble and money! What’s your best frugal win?

Rent 180

Rent Son Frugal Home and Garden 180

The Frugal Girl

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Messy-clean-messy-clean is normal Unless you have a maid following you and your family around all day long, your house is not going to be in a persistent state of tidiness. So, in a single day, my kitchen could look like this. And a bit later in the same day, it can look like this. People wear clothes and then dirty laundry accumulates.

Cleaning 236

Cleaning Cycle Kitchen At&T 236

The Frugal Girl

OCTOBER 30, 2023

I think Sweden has a lot of benefits for families with children. Use it for some renovation/home improvement projects and give some to a charity. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area? And then there is the great nature which is free to enjoy.

Green And Frugal 206

Green And Frugal Home and Garden Lunch Lunches 206

The Frugal Girl

JANUARY 29, 2024

I was born frugal, into a super frugal family. I had huge medical bills for the spouse, was only working PRN, and needed new ideas on cutting corners. How did you get interested in saving money?

Arkansas 180

Arkansas Frugal College Kids and Family 180