A belated happy birthday to my blog!

Reader Becca remembered this, and I didn't: my blog's birthday is July 4th.

(This is a sign of how fried my brain currently is, I think.)

And this is a rather momentous birthday! If I'm counting right, my little ol' blog turned eighteen this year.

On the 4th of July in 2008, I made a random decision to start The Frugal Girl, and my goodness, I'm so glad I did.

I was a stay-at-home, work-at-home (piano teacher), homeschooling mom of kids ages 2-8 at the time (Zoe was so little!), and I had no idea that my little hobby blog would grow into a job.

I didn't know so many of you would find me, or that you would stick around for so long.

And I really had no idea that this blogging job would become the thing that would support me through a divorce and through nursing school.

Sometimes, my mind is still blown at how this happens. Like...I have just been sitting here in my house, typing posts, sending them out into the interwebs, and that little action, repeated ad nauseum, has built something pretty significant.

(At least, significant to me! I know I am small beans compared to many big-time influencers.)

I've written about this before, but in her divorce memoir, author Maggie Smith wrote a tiny essay called "Full Disclosure" and it about how her writing (which her ex-husband deemed unimportant, but also threatening) turned out to be the thing that kept her and her kids in their house.

It's a crazy thing when words turn into something so tangible, like a mortgage or rent payment. The words that she and I type have financially supported both our children and us. We sustained ourselves with words. Amazing. What a privilege.

When this blog anniversary (birthday? I never am sure!) rolls around, I always feel an immense sense of gratitude to all of you. Thank you for being here! Thank you for adjusting with me as my life has shifted.

In many ways, my life is not the same as it was in 2008. In many ways, I am not the same as I was in 2008. Still, you all are here, and I'm so appreciative of that.

Here's to future iterations of me (and you!) and many more years together. 🙂