If this is your first visit at Frugal Living NW, welcome! Our goal is to help you save money so you can reach your family's financial goals. We focus on deals in and around the Pacific Northwest, with a special focus on Oregon and Southwest Washington. To stay up to date on the deals, subscribe to the daily email (it's FREE!) and "like" Frugal Living NW on Facebook. ******************************* Looking for ways to enjoy Portland without breaking the bank? The following is a list of fun and frugal activities, events, and attractions to get your imagination started! This list can be enjoyed by vacationers, newly transplanted Portlanders, and those Keep Reading
Staycation 2013: Exploring Portland, Oregon (frugal family fun all over Portland!)
What’s for dinner? This week’s gluten-free menu plan (5/20)
Menu Plan by Laurie I have been in a planning funk lately. This time of year always feels like the "home stretch" for our family with school and the many activities we are involved in. More often than not, I get overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything going on, and dinner is the big loser. Thankfully, my family loves surprises like "breakfast for dinner!" It's always so much easier to carry on when my lack of planning is met with grace. Now that the sun is back behind the clouds where it's supposed to be I am ready to jump back into this and commit to having a dinner plan for the week. Here's what's for dinner at my house this Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: Switching to reusable menstrual products – the Diva Cup
Reusable Menstrual Products - The Diva Cup Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. As a reminder, we are talking about eliminating paper products this week. I am breathing a sigh of relief that I am still enjoying the many benefits of almost-exclusive breastfeeding and have to pass the "share how you've eliminated tampons and pads" baton off to someone else. Please note, this post frankly discusses female thangs. If you're a dude or a woman who doesn't like private talk discussed publicly, now is a good time to move on to a Cheerios post. This is a guest post by Keep Reading
Kiwi Crate: $10 off your first order of kids’ craft kits
Last winter I wrote about how much I loved Kiwi Crate, an online company delivering monthly craft projects, to your door that spark creativity and curiosity for kids ages 3-7. Each box comes with two crafts, including all the supplies and instructions. My kids look forward to it every month. The box they are playing with above is a box we received a few months ago. It was sponsored by Carnegie Hall and is all about music. They were making Xylophones. This is a wonderful gift to give to preschool and early elementary-aged kids and right now you can get $10 off your first purchase at Kiwi Crate when you sign up through this link. Each box is Keep Reading
Learn how to juice and do it on a tight budget!
Interested in juicing? Check out our three-part series, Juicing on a Budget, where Emily discusses the health benefits, the needed equipment, and how to do it on a tight grocery budget! Keep Reading
What’s for dinner? This week’s vegetarian menu plan (5/13)
Last week, I skipped menu planning. By Thursday night, I was in a serious cooking slump. We went to the park for a "picnic dinner"... which consisted of carrot sticks, cheese slices, apples, and crackers. My kids were happy as clams, but my husband, who is currently training for Reach the Beach, was not impressed. He strode off to hunt his own dinner, bringing down a big, greasy burger a few blocks away. Clearly, I need a better plan. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Coconut Whipped Cream, scrambled eggs Tuesday -- Deep Dish Pizza, kale salad Wednesday -- Beans & Greens, fresh Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: Week two updates (plus our “go paperless” goals for this week)
Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. **************************** Alright, confession. I sort of took last week off from this eco-friendly business because it is exhausting to think so much about garbage and food and clothing. I know once I get into a groove, it will all be second nature. I just needed a seven-day breather. We still recycled like crazy and set aside our food waste for compost (my worms are super-slackers and not eating much so I might have to find another composting solution). We didn't buy much of anything new and I visited a new-to-me thrift shop (hello Keep Reading