Now that the Black Friday and Cyber Monday buying frenzy has passed, we can think about something other than online deals for a moment! Actually, I think I needed that more than any of you... While getting the things we want and need for really cheap is fun, sometimes we do spend money on the things we absolutely love. Over the next two weeks, the gals behind Frugal Living NW are going to share our "favorite things" with you in the form of the Frugal Living NW Christmas Gift Guide -- Emily called it her "Oprah list." Each day, we will highlight the items and experiences that, while we could absolutely could do without, we'd rather not. We're Keep Reading

This is last in a five part guest post series by Kari Patterson. You can catch up by reading the first, second, third and fourth installment. ******************************* I’m usually not mindful, as I pull out the scissors and get on my Sunday paper game-face, that what I’m doing might impact generations to come. I suspect I’m not alone. To be “thinking of the future” for many of us means considering if we have enough toilet paper to get through the month. Sad, but true. But we do want to leave a legacy, right? For our children, grandchildren, for those in our sphere of influence who watch the way we live. Don’t we all want to leave the world Keep Reading

This is fourth in a five part guest post series by Kari Patterson. You can catch up by reading the first, second and third installment. ******************************* We all visit this site with a common goal, right? To save money. We check the site and cut the coupons and shop the sales and roll the Cat to reduce our overall spending and save the money we’ve worked so hard to earn. But then what? We save money, but what exactly is the purpose of that goal? There are many lofty goals with regard to saving, but perhaps the greatest goal, and the essence of Frugal Living NW, is to save our dollars so we are freed to give generously. Why Keep Reading

This is third in a five part guest post series by Kari Patterson. You can catch up by reading the first and second installment. ******************************* I love good exhaustion. You know the feeling, right? That satisfied exhaustion that follows a day full of expending our energy on worthwhile things. It’s like the elation of finishing a long, hard run. Spent, in the best sense of the word. The second component of the Frugal Living NW mission is to Spend Wisely, and I love this because it reminds me that the goal of frugal living isn’t merely to not spend. That’s silly. That’s like saying that my goal for the day is to expend as little Keep Reading