My husband and I like good, quality food. We love to support local businesses and buy sustainably as much as possible. We sort of figured that choice meant that our grocery bill would always be higher than the average because we didn't want to settle on the quality of our food. Because of that, we…
My son turned THREE this week, and since we are - okay I am - big on birthdays, we had multiple celebrations for him over the course of the birthday week. This is such a fun age and I’m loving everything we get to do with him. 1. We had my in laws over for…
Christmas is less than a week away, and I don’t have a single large gift for my toddler. Instead of lots of gifts under the tree, we have three stockings, one for each of us, and that’s where the presents stop. When we were first married, my husband and I bought into the idea that…
Zero waste is one of those things that is pretty trendy these days. There seems to me this idea that either you have to fit all of your trash for the year in a little mason jar or you aren't a "serious" zero waster. I absolutely applaud the people who are able to tackle Plastic…
“I never want to retire.” My husband is someone who wants - and expects - to be busy and productive all of his life. He joined the Marines at seventeen and has never shied away from a hard day’s work since that day. My uncle is in his late 60s and still working as a…
Friday again! This week flew by between Halloween falling on a weeknight and the neighborhood dinner we attended last night. For those of you who are new, this idea to celebrate frugal wins for the week came from Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate. 1. My son wore the same Halloween costume (Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon!)…
Side hustles and second jobs have become regular vocabulary these days as a great opportunity for debt repayment and wealth building, and my part time job was wonderful for both of these reasons. The idea of working multiple jobs has been second nature to me. I worked both an on campus job and an internship…
It's been extremely hot the past few months for the Seattle area (high 80s the last couple of days) and we've broken the record of days with no rain, so it feels a bit of a relief to be leaving August behind. We've lived in South Carolina, so while this weather may not be hot…
Working in the green building industry, I've learned that most people don't care that they are renting or buying a sustainable home, beyond the expectation of high quality that comes with it. Comfort is often seen in contrast with the ability to live with a lighter impact on the earth. The good news is, this…
Back in March, we wanted to spend a few days away, so I spent some time looking on AirBNB* for a different place to stay than we normally do. I knew we wanted to go up to the islands, but I didn’t want to be in one of the (few) hotels and instead have a…