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Are You Too Chicken? (To Raise Backyard Chickens)
Our backyard chickens. The first time Neil mentioned an interest in raising meat chickens in our (suburban) backyard, I thought he was crazy. But he seemed so excited about it and made it sound so easy...
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The Value of a (Half) Dollar
For this post we’re traveling back in time to an 1866 Fourth of July celebration as described in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The “Independence Day” chapter includes a great object lesson about...
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Are Short-term Missions Trips a Scam?
Neil meeting our sponsored child 2 years ago. I’ve already alluded to my upcoming short-term missions trip to India this summer. While staying in India is relatively inexpensive, flying an open jaw...
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Review: Simple Living in Light of Eternity Seminar
Neil with Simple Living seminar teacher Dennis McCallum Last week we attended a conference with a seminar on simple living in the areas of personal finance, time management, and parenting (as related...
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Open the Door to a Lifetime of Vacation Savings
Camping is sometimes called “pretending to be poor,” so it’s no surprise we love to camp. Spending time in nature with family or friends makes for an inexpensive and highly fulfilling vacation. Yet...
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A Dream Disclosed
We were nominated for the Liebster award, a gesture of goodwill for new bloggers. Hannah at Unplanned Finance so graciously nominated us, saying “I appreciate the advice that they give on intentional...
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How to Pay Nothing For School Supplies
This doesn’t have to cost you anything! Years ago I unwittingly stopped at Walmart the night before the start of school. It looked like the set of a B-list horror film. Hoards of red-eyed parents...
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I’m Off to India!
So I’m leaving for India in 2 days! I can’t believe it’s finally here. I’ve experienced a huge range of emotions about this trip in the year since I was invited to go, from extreme excitement to major...
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Thoughts from India
I just returned from India this weekend, and while my jet-lagged brain is struggling to form coherent thoughts, I wanted to share some highlights. I loved the overall experience. The people we met...
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Make Your Spouse More Useful by Leaving the Country!
While I was in India for two weeks, I fully expected my family to throw frugality to the wind and dine on fast food at an alarming frequency. I also braced myself to return to a very messy house. (To...
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Why You’re Failing at Frugality
“I’ve tried to be better with money but it just doesn’t work. I was shopping at ALDI, but then I bought some strawberries that were moldy. So I’ve started using coupons. We replaced our weekend night...
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Extend Your Emergency Fund with Skills (and Friends)
The finished project. I’ve alluded to a $10,000 home repair Neil accomplished this summer. Here’s his account of the project, why it was worth DIYing, and what he learned from the experience. One early...
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Terrific Trash Finds of Summer 2015
Whether you call it the devil’s strip, tree lawn, or just the curb, if you leave something good on it, we’ll shamelessly whisk it away. Part of pretending to be poor is keeping our eyes peeled for free...
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What Seeing Real Poverty Showed Me About Pretending to Be Poor
A few weeks ago I shared my Thoughts From India and Lessons Learned In India (my first guest post). But as my henna fades, I’m afraid my convictions from my trip will, too. One insight I desperately...
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Hospitality Hacks
Nothing says welcome like warm bread. To say we value hospitality may be an understatement. Between Monday and Thursday last week, I welcomed 59 guests into my home during 6 different functions (27...
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That Time I Invented the Kindle…and Why I Still Don’t Have One
Yum. Imagine a magical store where everything is free. Shelves upon shelves are stocked with valuable products, and you can pick whatever you like and take it home for free. Unlimited books, movies,...
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5 Ways to Win Your Lover (to Being More Frugal)
I’ve shared many of my convictions from my missions trip to India already. But I’ve been withholding disclosure of my biggest takeaway. Because how do I tell you all that I spent $3500 and two weeks,...
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Fuel Your Way to FIRE with Free Firewood
A small sample of Neil’s wood pile. This post was written by Neil, whose free firewood acquisition skills saved us hundreds this year, and keep us warm and cozy through our long winters. Here he’ll...
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What Should I Teach College Students About Money?
College me: “Someone please tell me about compounding interest!” If you had two hours to teach a group of college students about personal finance, what would you tell them? I’m asking because I’ve been...
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Is Minimalism the New Materialism?
Organizing our basement made way for a guest room. A new movement toward minimalism is emerging. People are building tiny homes, skipping Black Friday, turning their hangers around, and holding all...
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