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By following Thames’ advice, you too can live your best life. Meet the Frugalwoods is the intriguing story of how Elizabeth and Nate realized that the mainstream path wasn’t for them, crafted a lifestyle of sustainable frugality, and reached financial independence at age 32.
Somehow she still comes off as preachy, self-congratulatory, and removed from reality despite this admission. So it was a fine book, but didn’t have the same impact as reading a story about someone who has achieved financial independence despite adversity. I was also hoping for more advice and innovative ideas, but this was definitely just one woman’s own story. More memoir than financial information. I mostly enjoyed their story, although the writing was sort of cheesy and I would have gained more from it if they would have been more transparent about actual finances and numbers. It was much more about their frugal philosophy than concrete advice. She writes that her frugal philosophy is « about liberating yourself from reliance on the salary that your job provides. » But what about all those people working low-income jobs out of necessity?
Using this book as a guide and inspiration, readers can also attain such. I alternated between frustration and inspiration for the entirety of this book. XTB Preview The author acknowledges her and her husband’s privilege multiple times, and how much of their lifestyle is only possible due to their upbringing.
Meet the Frugalwoods is the intriguing story of how Elizabeth and Nate realized that the mainstream path wasn’t for them, crafted a lifestyle of sustainable frugality, and reached financial independence at age thirty-two. However, this book seems to be different compared to the blogs written by Elizabeth on her website. It has a different voice and writing style. It talks about giving up the mundane things in life and leading a more frugal one, even though the author, Thames, belonged to the upper-middle class.
The blog mostly consists of money-saving techniques so I expected a book by Thames to be much of the same. I was pleasantly surprised that this was more memoir style and told the story behind Thames’ ability to become financially independent at age 32. Thames is a talented writer Foreign exchange reserves and her story was really interesting! I also appreciated how fully she acknowledged her privilege and that her journey cannot be obtained by everyone. Before reading this book, understand that you are going to be reading a memoir, not a step by step guide to frugality.
I really enjoy your blog and look forward to reading the book. I just listened to your more recent So Money podcast appearance, and it made my day when you said the first finance book you read was Personal Finance for Dummies. That was also my introduction to personal finance.
She also claims that they retired early which is not true. He works for a non profit and she makes money with her blog and book. I’d have rather read the account of one of those brave folks than the smug musings of a woman who just can’t seem to be happy anywhere but her 69 acre wooded homestead in the middle of Vermont. The book is a compelling read that will make spenders of any level stop and think about the choices and financial habits that direct their lives. In less than three years, Elizabeth and Nate reached their goal. Today, they are financially independent and living out their dream on a sixty-six-acre homestead in the woods of rural Vermont with their young daughter.
I still don’t waste my money on a lot of things people think they have to have but reading Frugalwoods made me realize that there are things I am spending time and money on that I don’t really want. Whether or not you think she is realistic, I think everyone would benefit from evaluating their life and making some goals of what they really want from like, what truly makes them happy and what else is just resource-wasting filler. I also like that she spends some time one the waste of money baby things are. My kids love looking on OfferUp and Craigslist when there is a special toy they want. We buy all their clothes at consignment sales or trade with friends. Books come at a fraction of the cost from ThriftBooks or check out from the library. I wish she had included cloth diapers as that has saved me $1000′s of dollars.
That said, this book is going to be very unrelatable to most of it’s audience. Not only do the « Frugalwoods » have a very real amount of privilege as upper middle class, heterosexual , educated, white folks- they had essentially no debt. Namely, no student loans- which is a complete anomaly for most people in their age bracket. I don’t want to discount their commitment to the level of frugality they aspire to because, honestly, it is impressive.
But the frugal life is a choice for them. They are choosing to forgo haircuts and Thai takeout so that they can pay for cars in cash, not because it’s between that or paying the heating bill. Also, spoiler alert, they invested a ton of their money which is a thing of privilege in and of itself. Fortunately there is a lengthy and respectful forward in which the author acknowledges all of these things, her privilege included. But if you’re looking for that sense of humility throughout the rest of the book you aren’t going to find it which, in retrospect, makes the forward feel like something her editors made her add in.
Their frugal methods, as described by Liz Thames in this book, aren’t born of deprivation and hardship, but rather of a conscious decision to joyfully live far below one’s means. Thames believes frugality isn’t about what you’re giving up, but about what you stand to gain through the freedom of a financially secure lifestyle.
While frugality makes their lifestyle possible, it’s also what brings them peace and genuine happiness. They don’t stress out about impressing people with their material possessions, buying the latest gadgets, or keeping up with any Joneses. While frugality makes their lifestyle possible, its also what brings them peace and genuine happiness. They dont stress out about impressing people with their material possessions, buying the latest gadgets, or keeping up with any Joneses.
I have always been cheap, I mean frugal, but unless one works at six-figure job and makes a killing in real estate, you won’t reach financial independence in a short period of time. Don’t get me wrong, financial independence is possible and every one should strive for it. But be realistic in your journey which may or may not be the same as the Frugalwoods. I really wanted to like this more- part of me loved it and part of me hated it. The part of me that loved it is the part of me who secretly dreams about financial independence, working from home part time, and owning a homestead.
Elizabeth points out how privileged they were starting out and she also said that she is aware for a lot of people being frugal is the only way they can afford to live. However, then her writing comes across self congratulatory and preachy.
For you its a surface effort to make yourself happy. True frugality is those who are struggling to meet basic needs. I speak of the people who invent hours and defy feats of human ingenuity to make another day. Yet they won’t make blogs or pen down stories for loaylities they use each moment to survive. Much is said about its underlying themes, and this is a story of how Thames and her husband Nate came into the realization that what’s ideal for them is to tread the road less traveled. Through this awakening, both have pursued to create a life rooted in frugality, all while being determined to attain financial independence at an early age. Though not everyone may view life in woods as an ideal pursuit, the majority can agree that a life of balance- where we can freely control our time and money is as important.
You don’t need to be harboring a secret dream of quitting your day job and moving to the woods to enjoy this book. Only things that are truly valuable to you are worth holding onto. As Elizabeth says, the process of cutting back and bowing out of society’s peer pressure is enormously liberating.
I am also in the middle of writing a book proposal after many years of blogging and so this is VERY encouraging. Thank you so much for sharing a bit about the behind the scenes and realities. I will remember this as I edit, re-edit, delete, and re-edit. https://forexbitcoin.info/ This book was an interesting read but there were a lot of things that annoyed me. I like their blog a lot which offers a lot of good advice about being frugal. It was interesting to get the story about how the Frugalwoods changed their way of living.
Eric Tyson set me on my path back in 1997, and I’ve found that financial security really eliminates a lot of stress that so many people struggle with. What annoyed and astonished me the most is how rarely the author discusses money matters in detail, meaning giving the reader some concrete Dollar amounts. How much was their first property in Cambridge? How much was their house in Vermont? What was their total income or spending at different times? I expect that from a book that wants to show the reader how to gain financial independence.
But his story doesn’t end there. He studied and became a high school teacher. Using that degree he migrated to Australia. At the age of 40 he had less than $1000 savings and 2 teenage kids. Fast forward 10 years and he has paid off his property and looking forward to retirement. He did it with zero government handouts. The luxuries the author speaks off were never a part of our lives.
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