This is what Being Frugal looked like a year ago on Blogger. We’ve come a long way, baby!
That’s right! Being Frugal is one year old today! (It was actually yesterday. I can’t believe I missed my own bloggiversary!) It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, I started a personal journal to hold myself accountable to getting out of debt. I never imagined that anyone would read it. And I really never imagined I’d have around 2500 subscribers in a year!
But here we are, one year later. My husband has been through several jobs, finally landing in one he loves. My love for writing and blogging has grown immensely over the last year. We’re not even close to meeting our goal of getting out of debt by June 18, but that’s OK. This last year has been a huge success, both for me personally and for the blog.
The Giveaway
To thank all you readers, I’m holding a giveaway for a $50 Amazon giftcard! To enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me what you’d like to see from Being Frugal in the next year. More book reviews? More personal stories? A resource page? Message board? Anything you’d like to see less of? Tell me what’s on your mind. I can’t make any promises, but I will take your suggestions seriously when setting goals for the next year!
When you leave your comment, make sure you enter a valid email address in the comment form, as I will be emailing the gift card code to the winner, and I don’t want the winner to miss out. I’ll close comments Friday, June 6 at noon PST and announce the winner with next Saturday’s roundup!
News
Next week the M-Network is doing a special project! Keep an eye out for it on Tuesday!
This week Pinyo of Moolanomy launched PF Buzz! It’s kind of like Digg for Personal Finance sites. Head over and check it out!
Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity has released a free e-book called College Grad Money Guide. It contains all the personal finance information a recent college grad needs to know. To find out how you can get a copy, see Jim’s article.
The Being Frugal Roundup
Glblguy made a budget spreadsheet, and he’s offering it as a free download! If you’re looking for a way to keep track of your budget, you should check it out at Gather Little By Little!
Do you know what your financial I.Q. is? Head to Moolanomy to take the quiz and find out!
There was lots and lots of great stuff this week. I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites.
Read a list of 26 ways to make extra money at The Wisdom Journal. It’s always nice to bring in a little extra money when times are tight.
Christian PF shares 75 gas saving tips. After my recent post on the high price of gas, I KNOW you are all interested in that subject!
Pete is doing a series on what he’s learning from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at Bible Money Matters. This week lesson is all about being in financial harmony with your spouse. Good stuff!
Xin Lui wrote a short, but very powerful post, Friends Don’t Let Friends at Wise Bread. Hint: It’s not “drive drunk,” though friends don’t let friends drive drunk either.
Did you know you can recycle your Crocs? According to the Crunchy Domestic Goddess, you can! Who knew?
Frugal Dad tells us about the most expensive two dollars he’s ever saved. Believe me, I’ve done the same thing before.
Finally, Ivy says “Make the most of what you’ve got” at Home Ec 101. That’s what being frugal is all about!
Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to leave a comment telling me what you’d like to see from Being Frugal in the next year! And thanks for making this last year so enjoyable for me! I hope I’ve been as much a blessing to you as you all are to me!
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Congrats on your blog year’s anniversary! Isn’t it the greatest feeling to know you’ve accomplished something so wonderful?
Love the resources you share! Alas,Wisebread’s link of Friends don’t let friends….came up with a 403 error.
Best wishes,
Barbara
I just wanted to thank you, you have helped inspire me (and my family) as I finish seminary and commence the ministry to be able to do so on a limited budget (the Lord uses means!). I enjoy posts that you make that incorporate how your faith in the Gospel interacts with frugality and living in general.
I really appreciate the reviews of past posts that had high traffic before I added you to my RSS reader. Maybe for those days when you are pressed – being the father of two little ones, I know those too well. I also think that a page of “resources” that highlights some of your top posts or links (like that book on baking soda) would be a great thing.
Some frugal recipe planning ideas would be a great addition too. I really appreciae the roundups you do – I don’t have time to read tons of blogs, so I try to pick a good one (yours) and really helps that I can take advantage of your reading habits.
Thanks so much! Keep up the great work.
Blessings in Him who gives all things,
Chris.
I really enjoy your blog. I’ve just started again keeping track of *everything* to see where I can trim costs. What would be neat to see is a review of maybe the major software programs out there – heck, the only one I know is Quicken – and I’m not sure I want something like that with all the bells and whistles.
Thanks again.
Congratulations on your blog anniversary! Being Frugal is on my short list of daily reads, and was one of the inspirations behind me starting my own blog on frugality. Honestly, I can’t think of anything I would change – just keep up the great work!
Oh, and thanks for including my article in this momentous roundup!
Congrats on your blogiversary!
Frugality is new to me this year and while I am still stumbling, at least now I have an emergency fund I pay into no matter what – thanks to folks like you!
I’d like to see a resource list – especially useful for us new frugalites :)
Happy Anniversary! I would like to see you keep being you – maybe sharing frugal finds and some more DIY frugal tips for around the home and yard.
I like everyday ideas for doing things frugally. I also like posts that illustrate the frugal perspective or outlook. Examples of what you or others do to save money and slim expenses gives me concrete ideas to consider for my budget.
I would like to see more personal stories that relate to what the everyday common person can do to save money. The personal stories provide this blog with interesting reading so thats why I’d like to see more.
Keep up the good work!
Congrats, Lynnae!! You certainly have come a long way. :) I’m with anyone who says that you should just keep being you — I love how you manage to keep it personal but are able to put in good tips for everyone to use in your posts. I’m having a hard time myself finding a way to keep it personal with universal themes, so you’re one of my leading inspirations on that front. ;) Plus I need to learn all those frugal tips somewhere!
Congratulations on your blogniversary! :D I have enjoyed your posts so far, although it has only been less than a month since I have subscribed through Google Reader. :)
This coming year I hope to see more frugal tips, but maybe you should round up topics from your readers and then make a weekly how to be frugal in this section, i.e. lettuce…you can suggest several ways on how to use lettuce in order to be frugal, etc.
More book reviews, of course. :) And more personal stories from you and other readers. :D
Lynnae, congratulation. It’s a great accomplishment and I am honored to be in the same network as Being Frugal.
Also, thank you for sharing PF Buzz with your readers. I hope that they’ll find it useful.
I just started reading, but I see lots of great tips in store. Looks like a great blog!
Happy anniversary Lynnae! A LOT has happened here in a year. Congratulations!
I just recently started reading your site and I’ve found it very helpful. I love that your posts have a “you might also like” section. That is so cool! Congratulations on your one year anniversary. Keep up the great work!
Hey, Lynnae…it’s amazing it’s been a year, what a great accomplishment. It shows a lot about your faithfulness to stick with this and share your faith and your life along the way. I, for one, appreciate your personal touch. What you write helps a lot. I’m sure I would be in a worse spot financially if I hadn’t found your blog. Today I have an emergency fund, our bills are completely caught up, and we’ve been able to pay for needed truck repairs, buy me a used car, and numerous other things that we’ve needed for months. We’ve been really blessed, and you’ve helped! Thanks.
As for what to do in the coming year…just continue to keep it day-to-day, with the things that we can use to save money on daily living. Raising children and grocery shopping, decluttering…really, all the things you’ve been doing…I love it all!
Happy Blogoversary! You’ve accomplished so much in the last year. And my favorite part has been reading about it, so I would say that I would like to continue reading even more about your own personal journey in the next year.
I have recently found your blog and really enjoy it. More of the nitty-gritty about being frugal would be great!
Happy Anniversary!
I like to read about numbers, real life decisions where answers aren’t clear cut, how husband and wife negotiate till they come up with a solution they can both agree on. Not many blog much about that kind of stuff anymore – book reviews are good but its what everyone seems to be writing now. I like the real life in our situation stuff.
Thanks for your posts, they are very helpful. Keep up what you are doing, I like your perspective. Also, I’d like to see you continue to share resources and tools that you have found to be helpful.
Thanks again!
Happy Anniversary!
I love everything on your blog, you don’t need to change a thing! The personal stories and updates on your goals are the best. Thanks!
Wow – congrats on your year anniversary. You have an awesome blog and I look forward to reading it everyday. I love the personal stories – it really helps to see a lot of PF things people talk about in someone’s actual life.
As for suggestions – maybe more (easy!) frugal recipes – I’m trying to teach myself to cook at home more to save some money and I’m always on the lookout for things that could help. (I’m not a very good cook at the moment. Eeeek.)
Best,
Lacy
Yay!! 1 Year old (so is my son).
I think a resource page would be great!!!
Keep up the good work!
- C
I’m new to your blog (thanks to the cnn article) but I have loved checking it several times a week. My favorite part is your roundup of great articles! Please continue that into your next year!
Happy 1 year anniversary.
Still new to your blog, so I am trying to get caught up.
Would change a thing…
Great round-up! I love your site just the way it is and wish you continued success!! Have a great day!
I was going to say “Add more in-depth resource pages” because, of course, they’ve got the most real use. But to be honest, it’s the personal stories that suck me in as I’m feed cruising. Go figure!
Happy anniversary!
I live on a fixed income and am having trouble making ends meet. Until recently I was doing alright. This is a new experience for me. I have no debt, so those articles arenn’t helpful to me, but I do need continued inspiration on frugal living. You have the best sight I have tried so far, and I really appreciate your sharing with us.
Happy anniversary!
I’d like to see ideas on ways to cut use of fossil fuels. Maybe info on alternative energies? Or car pooling resources for people who don’t live in areas covered by mass transit? Basically anything that would help people save money on energy and help us cut our dependence on foreign oil.
Congratulations on your first year. I only found you a few months ago, but have enjoyed your blog. I love the personal stories, even when you mess us, because we all do.
Happy anniversary and thank you for the link love.
Congrats on one year! I somehow stumbled across your blog about 5 months ago and have been addicted ever since! I like you tips for ways to save money around the house. For me, in my life right now, it is helpful to save every little penny I can because I am embarking on a new job…stay at home mommy. While I am looking forward to being home with my little girl, it scares me how we are going to make ends meet (not sure how we’d make them meet if I was going back to work and she was in daycare either…) So all the little tips you offer are great and I have already used a ton of them!
Keep up the good work!
Great job on your first year! I would love to see more personal stories – I think they are what distinguish the boring CNN and MSN “advice” or “finance 101″ articles from the more interesting blogs.
Happy Anniversary! What a wonderful milestone.
My favorite thing about your blog is that I always find something useful in each and every edition. Seems like there’s always a tip or a lead to information I can use. At the same time, I think a resource page would be great. I plan to continue reading what you share with anticipation!
Your site is a daily read for me. I really enjoy it.
I like to read about your “confessions”. We really can learn from others mistakes, so sharing what you did wrong or how to do it different is good.
Congrats on your bloggiversary!!! It’s exciting isn’t it?
For next year, I’d like to read more personal stories. So how, those really encourage me. Especially those interesting ways that people save money : )
I really enjoy your personal stories. Definitely keep going with those. I don’t always identify with a topic, but frequently I do, and I get great ideas for being frugal. Thanks for all you’re doing!
Happy blogiversary! Congrats on maintaining such a quality site. I love it as it is and look forward to every post!
Happy anniversary! I only found your blog a couple of months ago so I missed out on a lot of tips! I think a resource page would be great. I also love personal stories about people who have met their goals. Thanks for all you do!
A great big huge congrats and HAPPY BLOGGIVERSARY!! I would love to see a resource page if you could find a way to squeeze it in! Kudos on a great year for you!
Congrats on your anniversary! thats fabulous! I hope to have a quarter of the readers you have by my bloggiversary. I would love to see a resource page. That would be a great addition to the blog.
one year wow!
I’d look more stories on your sucesses and your failures, what work well and what didnt’.
In particular how you surivive on one and a bit of a wage.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I can’t think of anything you could add to make it better. One of my favorite things about reading here is that you admit to mistakes and you move on and keep going! Sometimes when we get off track on the budget I get so frustrated and want to quit trying! It’s nice to come here and see that it happens to everyone, but we can still work toward being debt free.
-Natalie
A big congratulations, Lynnae! I’ve so enjoyed getting to know you.
Hmm, let’s see… I’d love to see a great comprehensive-yet-simple resource page, like budgeting tools and calculators, financial blogs, etc.
Happy Bloggyversary! I can’t believe it’s only been a year–you’re such a pro at this!
For the next year, I’d like to see more personal stories, frugal ideas for kids, and how to help others live more frugally.
Hi, Lynnae,
I love reading all about your personal stories – successes and failures alike. I also love your organization tips as I find I spend less on “emergency” items when I’m more organized.
So both of those in the coming year would be great. As well – your Sunday insights are very nice to read.
Regards,
Lisa
Congrats!!
I would like to see more resources and How To’s for those of us who aren’t that schooled on being frugal.
Thanks for all your hard work!
Jia
Just read in USA Yesterday (Wife brought a bunch back from her trip to the US) about how the use of food stamps has sky rocketed and many of those are finding that inflation isn’t keeping up. What surprised many is changing face of food stamps, no longer the single mom on wealfare but many working families.
Sound likes there’s a need for more frugal living stuff,
I love your blog!! It’s nice reading about your quest to be frugal, out of debt, healthy, etc. I can completely relate. There really isn’t anything that I would change about your blog. It is one of my favorite to read daily. Happy Bloggiversary!
Congratulations! I really like your idea of a resource page. It would be great to see a list of resources in one place, especially if it’s something mentioned in a post I missed. Thanks!
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