We bought our home in the summer of 2011, but it was built in 1962, so energy efficiency was not something that was part of the design. As soon as we were able, we started looking toward ways to reduce our energy costs on our home. While this was initially driven by a desire to…
Friday’s Frugal Five (2019 – Week 32)
We ended up attending three birthday parties last weekend: two on Saturday and one on Sunday. The second one on Saturday was for one of our neighbors, so it just meant that we wandered down the street and hung out at their house like we usually do, just with a bunch more people. The kiddo…
Women’s Personal Finance: Week 47 Roundup
Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started. There are so many fabulous…
Monthly Financial Update: July 2019
Let's just say that this has been an expensive summer. Between vet bills, backyard fence replacement, and spending for future vacations, we have spent significantly more money than is average for us. That said, for July in specific, we knew it was going to be expensive because of our dog's surgery, so we spent accordingly…
Friday’s Frugal Five (2019 – Week 31)
Until a few months ago, I had no idea that Jetty Island existed. As it turns out, it is a small, two mile long man-made island just off of the city of Everett, which is about a half hour north of us (when there's no traffic). The city operates a small foot passenger ferry from…
Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays: Week 46 Roundup
Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started. There are so many fabulous…
Summer Garden Update: August 2019
Now that we're in the middle of summer, it is peak garden harvest season around here. As much as there is a lot of excitement early in the spring when the first edibles are ready to pick, there's a deep satisfaction this time of year when there is enough ripe to make a significant impact…
Friday’s Frugal Five (Summer Camping Edition)
We went camping last weekend for the first time in a few months (and glamping on Orcas Island back in May hardly counts). It is one of our favorite ways to travel frugally, and we actually tend to go more often over the winter. The weather isn't as nice, but off-season travel means lower costs…
Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays: Week 45 Roundup
Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started. There are so many fabulous…
How We Reached Financial Independence In Our Early 30s (Guest Post by Modern Fimily)
I first got to know Courtney and her family through her Instagram, Fire2Moms1Babe, as the breadwinner of her financially independent family of three. Her wife Nicole stays home with their young daughter, and they plan to pull their full early retirement trigger in the next few years when Courtney quits her job. I reached out…