Meet a Reader | Emily from Michigan
Before we meet Emily, I just wanted to tell you all that a number of readers have felt a little nervous before participating in this series. But every time, they have told me they are so pleasantly surprised at how fun the experience is! This is a friendly group of people, and all of us love to see how other people live their money-saving lives.
So, if you need a little pick-me-up, consider joining in. It's usually a really fun day for the person who is being featured. 🙂
Here's Emily!
1. Tell us a little about yourself
I'm a mid-30s Ohioan living in mid-Michigan, which is where I think we will be long term!
I'm happily married to my husband with a 2-year-old daughter. We both work at a local university (in very different fields/roles), which has been really good to us.
In my free time, I enjoy a variety of things - including volunteering, DIY projects, cooking, reading, playing board games, crafting (mainly sewing and papercrafts), traveling, hiking... the list goes on!
I'm a big money/personal finance nerd and am a little obsessed with budgeting. I get a lot of enjoyment finding good deals. I also flirted with the idea of being a financial coach and have helped several friends with their budgets, but I realized it's not something I want to pursue more seriously.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I started reading The Frugal Girl in 2009 while I was living abroad in Germany.
I was very into The Simple Dollar (which, unfortunately, is no longer what it was) and was looking for other similar websites on frugality and found this blog, which has felt like a constant companion through all the life changes I've had since then, which has been A LOT.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
It sounds cliche, but I truly have been a diligent tracker of money (if not saver) my whole life.
I used to keep METICULOUS track of my money as a kid - I had a notebook where I wrote down each transaction including things like "+$0.01 --> found on sidewalk.
My extended family is super into thrift stores and sales, so maybe it's in my blood?
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
My husband and I also really would like to retire early or, perhaps, explore going less than full-time.
I like to economize in many places so that I can spend money where I want to.
This philosophy was on display in full force at our wedding; we economized on things we didn't care as much about by getting a store-bought cake and doing lots of decorations ourselves so that we could have a bigger guest list for our large group of family and friends and an open bar.
5. What's your best frugal win?
I think I have two.
First is being a part of the sharing economy, especially for baby items. We got SO, SO much stuff for free (and some for pretty cheap) for our daughter, including her high chair, baby swing, play mat, baby bath, TONS of clothes, etc.)
We also were able to borrow a projector to project some pictures on the wall that I traced/painted for our baby's nursery! I also borrowed a projector to help me paint a mural I designed in our new house.
The second frugal win is being handy.
Being able to do my own repairs and DIY projects REALLY saves a lot of money. We've repainted things ourselves, built bookshelves, and done minor repairs instead of hiring it out.
We just had our bathroom remodeled. It was a complete gut job, so we hired out all of the stuff we couldn't do confidently (or quickly, since we DO have full-time jobs and a toddler!!), like framing, plumbing, etc.
However, we saved over $3000 by sourcing some of our own fixtures, buying our own tile, and then doing the painting ourselves.
We are also building the closet ourselves, but since that was never part of the scope of work, we don't know how much we're saving. It's conservatively a lot - probably at least $2000.
6. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
Pretty much any time I buy something that would be perfect for "ideal me" without really thinking whether "real me" will actually use it.
For example, "ideal me" was convinced that I wanted to learn Arabic when I was working at a bookstore in college, so I convinced myself that I should buy the expanded version of Rosetta Stone, but...
"Real me" didn't have time or the discipline at the time to actually pursue it, nor did I have a "why" for learning that language! It cost almost 3 paychecks at the time.
That's perhaps an extreme example, but I've learned a lot about myself since then, so I am *mostly* able to stop those kinds of purchases.
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
Like Kristen, I like to invest in things that will last.
So high-quality items I know "real me" will use is something I don't hesitate investing in. In addition, we love to travel, so we put a lot of money toward that each month.
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Beauty products. I started going gray at 18 and spent many years dyeing my hair. I gave it up just over a year ago and have some pretty big white streaks going on.
While it has been a little uncomfortable when people see the gray hair and assume I'm my daughter's grandma (eek!), I really am happy to not have to worry about when I need to take time to dye my hair.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
I'd put it toward more of our house renovations - we bought a pseudo-fixer-upper (not in BAD shape, but with some VERY outdated decor with a few urgently needed repairs) and are finishing off a portion of the basement so that I can have a dedicated office/craft room and we can have more family space.
10. What's the easiest/hardest part of being frugal?
Hardest
Seeing Instagram life from some people my age who are either making WAY more money than me or living beyond their means.
Either way, I can have certain twinges of jealousy every now and then. However, if I'm being honest ("real me!"), some of those more flashy things wouldn't be my style, since I don't choose to spend money on things I don't value.
Would I drive a BMW or Tesla if someone gifted it to me? Yes. Would I be likely to purchase one on my own? Nope.
Easiest
When you do frugal things for a long time, those things become habit and don't seem unusual or hard anymore!
11. What frugal tips have you tried and abandoned?
I was really into SixthContinent (now UnitedFree) for a while, but as Kristen also experienced, the user experience really went downhill (and now I can't even get the site to load).
While it lasted, we saved at least $1000 with the deals on there.
12. Do you have any tips for frugal travel or vacations?
Oooh, now *this* is the kind of stuff that gets me excited!
I'm a big fan of credit card rewards points - my husband and I splurged on upgraded (but not business/first class) seats for our honeymoon in Thailand by cashing in our rewards points. We put all of our regular spending on credit cards (paid off in full each month) and then use the points toward travel.
We also make strategic use of grocery stores while we travel. We almost always stay at places with kitchens so we can cook some meals, but even when we don't, we pack snacks and shelf-stable items that can be used for at least one meal per day. We don't skimp on trying local food, though!
We try to combine personal and work travel where we can if it's a time/place that works for us. For example, my family joined me when I had a conference in Chicago. We were able to get our mileage paid for by work and our hotel room was paid for by work except for the personal travel days we added on.
(Granted, I had to work instead of play most of the time, but by adding on a personal day, I got some time for vacation!)
We also research free deals or discounts we may be able to apply when we travel.
As an example, during the aforementioned trip to Chicago, my husband was able to use our membership from our local children's science center to get 50% off admission at the Chicago Children's Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry and we got in for FREE to the Field Museum. Our local zoo membership got us 50% off at the Shedd Aquarium!
The savings alone on our children's science center reciprocity paid for the cost of that membership - and it doesn't count all the use we get out of that throughout the year! Don't sleep on those reciprocity agreements with your local museums when you're traveling!
_____________________
Emily, I love the felt fruit you made for your daughter! Did you use a pattern or did you just wing it?
I think your bookshelves are beautiful and I'd love to see a picture of them when they're finished! And I'm so impressed with your flower wall. Remember how I tried some watercolor flowers this past summer? That was very, very small-scale compared to what you did.
I used to read The Simple Dollar back in the day as well (I think it's one of the first blogs I ever read, actually). I don't know what's up with that site now; all I can see on it is a mortgage calculator; I believe Trent sold the site, and now some other company is running it.
Readers, the floor is yours!
(And I am curious how many of you used to read The Simple Dollar. Do tell.)
I love your flower wall! That is so neat.
We bought a fixer upper (dated, not falling apart- it was built in the 60s and hasn’t been updated). We saved so much money gutting the bathrooms ourselves and painting everything and refinishing the hardwood floors. Next up is the kitchen!
I also started going grey early. But sometimes I wonder if it is early or does everyone else dye their hair… my great aunt dyed her hair until she died at 95. I never saw her grey.
@Faith, thanks! Yep, we have a loooong list of things we want to do in this house, but trying to figure out what's next highest on the list after the basement....
My roommate in graduate school found her first gray hair at age 26 or so... so a full 8 years after I had started going gray, so it seems to me 18 is early! 🙂
@Faith, I had my first gray hair at age 22. I'm 100 percent gray now but continue to have my hair colored every month. I'm 52 now but am not ready to be gray yet.
@Emily U., My dad was totally white by his early 20s (so looked like my grandpa during my whole childhood), but my mom was only about 75% grey at her death, at nearly 94. I inherited my dad's tendency to turn white as I found my first ones at age 16 & by my 30s, had a streak of white just behind my bangs on one side. But, mom's genes kicked in too, I'm still more brown than white, at nearly 65. (I just embrace the look & appreciate the money I save by not dyeing it.)
@Faith,
I think I started going gray in my early 50s. My hair was very multicolored then. An older friend thought I should dye it; and through peer pressure one night at a co-worker gathering, I let them do it. My girls did not like it. Actually I did not either because of the skunk stripe. Within 6 mos, I gave up
More recently an older gentleman (in my age range) asked me what color I used in my hair. I told him nothing--It's precious metal "silver". I think he is not used to seeing older women, although they are coming around, with natural colored hair.
Yup, I used to read The Simple Dollar, too, but stopped when it changed.
Emily, I love your floral wall! I also loved hearing how you distinguish between the real you and an imagined you.
Hi Emily,
I very much enjoyed reading your interview and getting a little glimpse into your life.
And I specially like the felt fruit and the play kitchen. I think it is so important that kids play as little as possible with plastic toys. So nice your daughter can touch real wood and wool! When my sons were little I also did felt some toys for them.
Greetings from Germany!
The flower wall! Wonderful! During years that we have some sort of family membership, we also try to plan around reciprocal memberships. It's a great idea for families with children (and especially for homeschoolers).
Very nice to "meet" you! Great job with your DIY and making points/miles work for you!
I am also mid-thirties and feel like now is really when I know myself as well as I ever have, and I also do the "real me" vs "ideal me" especially in grocery purchases, meal planning, things like that. Like, ideally, I would use up this gigantic box of spring mix before it gets slimy and gross, but in reality, I don't really like it, so I let it sit in the fridge and it gets wasted! Ha!
@JP, Yeah, there's still a LOT that's hard about ideal vs. real... It's a constant learning process!
@JP, I refer to those vegetables as aspirational produce! Sure, zucchini seems like it would be easy to use, but it almost always goes slimy before I get around to it!
Agree with you about the Simple Dollar. It is not worth looking at anymore.
Always nice to hear from another Michigander! I think your “real me” concept is brilliant and something I still struggle with at nearly twice your age!
Simple Dollar used to be a favorite but HATE what it became. I’ve tried many other frugal/money blogs but this is the only one I’ve stayed with.
You did a beautiful job on the walls of your daughter’s bedroom. The flowers seem to dance!
Your interview is filled with wonderful, relatable comments about frugality, travel and life. I think it must be very hard to be frugal in the age of social media. As a
slightly older reader, I didn’t experience the pressure of social media as a young adult, but the pressure to keep up with the neighbors was real. As I’ve grown older, I have discovered the secret to happiness is to follow your own heart. As long as your actions don’t hurt anyone, living your life on your terms is the best gift you can give yourself.
Kristin, I do love these interviews. I am an extrovert by nature and can’t wait to meet frugal friends. As Florida has grown, my neighbors have become wealthier and wealthier. When I read your blog posts, I realize that my frugality is not weird. 🙂
Hi Emily! I love that you saved on some parts of your wedding so you could have more people and an open bar. I bet it was a really fun wedding.
@kristin @ going country, We thought so! 🙂
@kristin @ going country, The most enjoyable wedding I ever went to was also probably the least expensive. I'd be surprised if they spent as much as $3000 (adjusted for inflation).
I too read the Simple Dollar many years ago. Once other authors joined Trent I lost interest. Trent lived near where I lived in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Emily,
Thank you for sharing your story. I love how you accommodated so many family members and friends at your wedding. I think many today have lost sight of the point of a wedding and have turned them into productions. I'm sure your many guests had a great time and were happy to have been included.
You seem very grounded and are setting a great example for others, including your daughter. I love how you sourced baby gear, clothes, toys, etc.
I really like the simple thought sorting idea of "real me" vs "ideal me." That could really simplify some decision making. I'm going to use that!
@Maggie, I agree. I use the Future Me as incentive sometimes (do something now to make life easier for Future Me) and I often than Past Me for her kindness when I benefit from those efforts. However, this Real Me vs Ideal Me is such a lovely addition to the arsenal of life hacks
I didn't really read The Simple Dollar. Trent had a kind of plodding writing style I didn't like.
Emily, what a nice life you've built for yourself! Don't worry, your life seems pretty enviable too!
It was definitely more of an informational style of writing. I tend to prefer conversational writing on blogs, myself!
Hi Emily,
I enjoyed reading your interview and getting a peek into your life. The floral wall in the nursery is beautiful. I love that you used a projector to trace the shapes on the wall. My DH has been talking about painting a mural so I'm going to suggest your method to him!
Another ex-reader of The Simple Dollar, and another admirer of Emily's flower wall, here!
Emily, very nice content. I love the DIY features you are adding to your home and a bathroom remodel is totally frugal even when hiring out the work. I should have been warned by my parents 2 month remodel; but nope we remodeled our bathroom for 3 solid weeks, and saved money, but hurt our family unity.
KristenI have the same problem with the Simple Dollar. I have read it for many years off and on. Now all I see is a mortgage calculator.
I LOVED The Simple Dollar and still hope that it would come back up. I was going to ask you Kristen, if you knew of what happened to it by asking some of your financial blog people. Trent was still working on it writing articles, etc, but then stopped all of a sudden at the start of covid, which has me worried that something happened.
And Emily, I LOVE that painted wall!!! I can do crafts, but unless its painting a full wall, I cannot paint. Just don't have the freehand to do it. I so wish I took more art classes in school as I love making things.
Love that you love to travel and have gray hair. My husband convinced me 11 years ago to stop coloring my hair and now I "embrace the gray!" Although, I am mostly white at this point!
I did some googling on him last night, and it seemed like he was still doing some writing for Zdnet in the first half of 2022, but I couldn't find much past that.
I gather that he sold it to some company that seems to only have intended to use the URL for a mortgage calculator. Weird strategy, but maybe it's working for that company!
@Kristen, thanks for doing the googling for me. I wish he would come back. He had some great content.
@Maureen, I recall that he also had health issues, so I too have been concerned about him.
I can relate to the “real me” comments. I was just shopping for a dress on Thred Up and put a bunch in my cart and then I asked if “real me” would wear them. I eliminated all but one of the dresses.
Thanks for sharing about your life.
@Kaitlin, Same here. I have a semi-formalish family event coming up end of April and thought just before, "Let's look for a new dress!" Found one I liked at Anthropologie and then thought, "You know what would look nice with that? Navy and white spectators!" And then I found then. And then I thought, "You have an avalanche of old clothes to go through you never wear."
I'm trying, people!
Gold stars for Rose!!!
@Rose,
Great job! I have a thing for navy and white spectators - I have an ancient (not "vintage") pair that I can't bring myself to get rid of - so I understand the struggle.
@Liz B., I've wanted a pair since the 80s, no joke--but I also know that it's something I'd wear once a year at best since I work at home. Much like my beloved pale blue leather blazer, which gets one outing per spring. Before that it's too cold to wear it (and too springy) and after that it's too hot. Still, I've had it for 20 something years, heh.
@Rose, I don't even know what spectators are (outside of people watching an event)!
@Jody S., thanks for saying that about spectators. I too am wondering. Rose says "a pair", so I am guessing they are some sort of shoes.
Rose! Enlighten us!
@Central Calif. Artist and@jody s.
In case you are terrible curious about spectators …
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/a41041420/what-are-spectator-pumps/
Have a great week!
Nice to meet you Emily! Your choices for your wedding were very smart. That cake was lovely! I also agree about coloring your hair. I did it for many years but finally gave up a number of years ago. It wasn't worth the time and effort and the regrowth was visible within a week. I tried just getting highlights to brighten my hair since it's more pepper than salt right now, but that turned out to be more expensive in time and money in the long run.
Emily, I grew up in the “middle of the mitten” where my dad was a college professor. It is a wonderful area to raise a family! I’ve fallen into the aspirational me vs real me trap many a time too. It is easier to curtail as I get older. Love your flower walk! Thanks for sharing!
@Susan, flower wall not walk!
@Susan, it is a great area! Since we have family that moved near us (once the baby was born), I think we'll be here for quite some time! 🙂
Hi, Emily, I love the flower wall! Do you mind sharing how you used a projector to do this? Thank you!
@Farhana, have not done this myself but I think my public library has a projector to borrow. It somehow connects to one's own laptop?
@Farhana, The mural I made was from these illustrations (https://www.etsy.com/listing/992758582/wildflower-svg-bundle-botanical-elements) that I then put into a design software (Canva) and and arranged until I liked the spread across the wall. Once I had a design I liked, I connected my computer to the projector, which shines it up on the wall. Then, I just painted with acrylics, similar to what this woman did (only she used a marker!): https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/10/mum-creates-amazing-animal-mural-using-projector-permanent-marker-12828253/
@Emily U. and Heidi Louise, thank you!!!
Wow that picture in Iceland is so beautiful it looks fake. I hope you have blown it up and have it hanging some where in your home.
I enjoyed reading your profile. And agree with you, the two things I splurge on is high quality items and travel.
@karen, RIGHT? Iceland was absolutely mind-blowing. So, so, so many water falls and just gorgeous scenery everywhere you turn! I haven't had a chance to get this one printed yet - but I'm sure it will be featured on a wall somewhere in our house eventually!! 🙂
@karen, Iceland is both stunning and austere. I'd go back in a minute. Greenland is even more unusual but much harder to get to from the New World.
That bookshelf is amazing! Hope you enjoy your day today -- the people who follow this blog are truly amazing!
You are beautifully creative, and I love how intentional you were about your wedding! It's great how self-aware you are already in life. Your description of the "real me" concept is so on target for me; I definitely still need to hone that awareness of myself. My husband and I talk about clearing off some of our aspirational bookshelves (interestingly, we also focused on some foreign language books that we'd both kept around because "maybe we'd take it up again" - feels very freeing to pass them along at this point!). Thanks for sharing!
Nice to meet you. I am also a Michigander. So many frugal beautiful experiences right here in our state!!
Skip Travers City and go to Port Huron. Luddington. Or Alpena!!
@Stephanie Mazzon,
We just discovered the beauty of Port Huron last fall and have already booked to go again this August!
Nice to get to know you, Emily.
I am a lot older than you and coloured my hair for about 20 years. When I got into my early 50's, I had had enough of it. The roots would start to show after 3 weeks - a white strip contrasting with the brown coloured hair. 🙁 So as a gift to myself, I stopped dying it brown and it looks quite good now.
Good on you for not doing it anymore. 🙂
@Sandra Hajdu, my hair also grew really fast and the roots would be visible in about 3 weeks. It's been both freeing and a little nerve-wracking, but I definitely feel more "myself." 🙂
Your mural is GORGEOUS!
I'm with you on the travel tips you've posted. We did the same thing when our kids were younger; the membership to the local kids museum was a great deal to begin with and gave us something to do; the reciprocity was fantastic for when we traveled. We did the same when we went to Chicago - I think the membership paid for itself on that one trip!
A lot of what you wrote lines up with my philosophies. I just wish I was as handy/capable as you in the area of DIY!
@CrunchyCake, I also follow "Handy Women" on Facebook. It's like any other skill - you start small and acquire tools slowly. There's NO way we would have taken on our closet project without some of the experience (and tools!) we have now!
Hi everyone!
I'll be able to work my way through your comments sporadically throughout the next day or so! Thank you for all of your compliments on the flower wall - I'm super proud of it! The mural I made was from these illustrations (https://www.etsy.com/listing/992758582/wildflower-svg-bundle-botanical-elements) that I then put into a design software (Canva) and and arranged until I liked the spread across the wall. Once I had a design I liked, I used the projector to put it up on the wall and then paint with acrylics, similar to what this woman did: https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/10/mum-creates-amazing-animal-mural-using-projector-permanent-marker-12828253/
@Kristen - to answer your question, yes, I used a pattern for the fruit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/960096413/felt-fruit-pattern (The pattern was actually made by my friend's mom!)
I don't think I can post a picture of the finished bookshelf in the comments - we don't have any great ones from after it was done and styled. We finished it, loaded it up, and then didn't really take pictures of it again until we moved out of that house and into our current one!
I read The Simple Dollar, and I no longer read it. I know some people used to pick at Trent for his painstaking calculations, but I was used to reading The Tightwad Gazette where similar calcs were made, so it never bothered me.
Now, on to our reader that we met:
Hi Emily! I love your photos and enjoyed your interview.
We had two daughters get married, and savings were made wherever we could (and we did pretty well!), so that comment spoke to me.
I have seen patterns for felt fruit, and now I want to make some, having seen yours. So cute!
The picture from Iceland was gorgeous, by the way.
I was also raised to be frugal, although I have slipped many a time. It's much more of a habit with me now, but I just realized, I have to watch that I don't get something that I want to use or wear - but should know I won't. Thanks for verbalizing that. I think I'll find it easier to remember now that I've realized that's something I do on occasion.
I love the “real me” vs “ideal me” and can totally relate that to some purchases I have made along the way! We also bought a fixer in our 30s and touched every room in that house with DIY projects in the 20 years we lived there. There is something to be said for the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
OMgoodness....I laughed outloud at your ''ideal me'' versus ''real me''....for far too long in my life, I bought clothes for ''ideal me'', without ever reaching ideal me! I have finally (in my 60's) managed to stop that practice!
@Deb in SC, sing it sister.
I was working as a medical assistant, so wearing scrubs, and I occasionally found myself purchasing some beautiful suit as if I were working in a corporate office. Of course it never got worn. I have also purchased dressier dresses for that great occasion I was going to get invited to. Only I never did.
Ya live and learn.
I enjoyed your story. I especially loved cutting back on less important things and DIY do you could invite many more guests to your wedding. That is hospitable and heartwarming!!
I also used to read The Simple Dollar. It was, in fact, the first blog I followed. I was disappointed when it changed, and wish I could follow the original author’s work elsewhere
Emily, That mural wall is awesome! Artists often project an image onto a canvas to paint. I would hire you to paint a wall in my house.
Museums have a wealth of reciprocals that can be used when traveling. Don’t often see that point mentioned.
How did you happen upon the "real" vs. "ideal" strategy? I like it!
@Erika JS, I think it kind of solidified when my husband and I were talking about camping. We have friends that are true backpack hiker/campers. While I look at that and think, "I could totally do that!!"... we are really car campers (i.e., bringing everything along with us in a car, not a backpack), complete with air mattresses. I'd be miserable on a true backpacking hike.
I'm sure there are other examples, but after a number of conversations like that, we started referring to it as, "Well, is ideal me wanting to do this? Or do I really actually want to/have time to do this?"
That's why we don't DIY absolutely EVERYTHING. In an ideal world, I'd have the time and patience to do a long, involved renovation project on my own. Real me has a full time job and a toddler, so... it's not going to happen.
Flower wall is amazing! I love your “ideal me/real me”. That’s a really good way to think about purchases we make. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Emily, Hello from an ex-Michigander now living in Arizona. I love your travel tips. I am a big believer in getting credit cards with travel rewards attached to them. I like to rack up hotel points on business trips and use them for personal travel. I am a member of our local art museum and am now curious to see if we have reciprocity agreements with other museums. Thanks for that tip! Your flower wall is amazing! You are very talented.
I was a Simple Dollar reader. Definitely not what it once was.
Emily, I really love your approach to frugality. I have friends just starting their family and so many of them think they need everything to be new. There are so many savings to be found by taking advantage of gently used finds!
On a side note, I just turned the big 5-0 and am also letting my gray "shine" I am shocked by how many people ask if I qualify for the "senior" discount! I am blessed with good genes, and truly don't have many wrinkles other than smile line! Sheesh. I think our society just equates gray hair with age. 🙂
@Cheryl 90,
I let my hair go gray when the pandemic shut down the hair salons....by the time they re-opened, my hair was long enough that the first hair cut got rid of most of my color (I wear my hair short). Since then, people ask me all the time "when I plan to retire" or if I'm retired - I wish! I just turned 61.
And Emily, when my son was young AND I was still coloring my hair I was frequently asked about "my grandson" (eye roll). I admit I was an older mom (via adoption), but wow! I was obviously fooling NO one. 😉
@Liz B., a very popular Canadian News anchor went grey (beautifully) over COVID, and lost her job as a result. There was a HUGE uproar, she didn't get her job back but the man who fired her was, I believe, let go..(he denied the firing was due to her hair, but really? She had the top ratings in Canada.... You can't make these things up, Grrrr). She has kind of landed on her feet and even so I see red over it.
I was a redhead and used to colour my hair as some lighter colours came in, however I stopped when I was about 50 - and somehow I appear blond these days! I know I am grey, but it appears that I have become strawberry blond and retained some auburn at the back. My current hairdresser tells me that my hair is beautiful and that I am never to colour it, so I will take her advice. I only get it cut about twice a year (it is very curly and I usually wear it up or back, and am growing it out, yet again).
I was reading about how Don Lemon said that Nikki Haley was "past her prime" and ugh, I saw red too. Like, seriously? The last two presidential candidates we had were ACTUALLY old, and we are worried about a 50-year-old being "past her prime"? The sexism is for real.
I really, really hate how our culture accepts that it's fine for men to age, but it is not fine for women to age.
I still have copies of recipes from Trent and The Simple Dollar!
@Sandy B Hill, I'm so glad I saved some, especially the Lentil Casserole, because they just... don't exist anymore on the site!
If you have others that you'd be willing to share, let me know!!
I found my first grey hair at 23!! Did dye for a while, strawberry blonde mostly, but now I'm salt and pepper, mostly salt, and I get so many comments on my natural color, plus it's too expensive to have done in a salon and if I do it at home I tend to fry my hair.
Hi Emily, nice to meet you! I too was a big fan of The Simple Dollar before it went to the Dark Side. I liked the just the facts approach.
I appreciate your real me vs ideal me and wish I had been as self aware and practical when I was your age. It's interesting how aging has changed my perspective. As a person who is retired and just applied for medicare, I find that I have much less distance between real me and ideal me. I'm much less likely to buy something that I will use one day and more likely to get something for use today. Perhaps because I have time today.
Love the flower wall! My "ideal me" vs. "real me" comes into play when I plant our garden. I don't like beans or artichokes but I have to fight myself not to plant them because I feel like we should eat them. Thank you for opening your life to us.
Oh man I loved The Simple Dollar! Possible that was my first go to blog, and I think similarly I found The Frugal Girl shortly thereafter in looking for similar content. I haven’t read it in years, stopped when he was pivoting toward writing sci fi. It looks like there’s a blog buried in it still - I googled his name + simple dollar and found some blog posts with others suggested, but it doesn’t look like you can navigate to them on the main site header. ANYWAY.
Absolutely yes on the museum membership reciprocity! We’ve used ours in multiple states over the years, so wonderful when traveling with kids. We took them to Southern California a few years ago, yay beach vacation … but it rained all week, so we did a bunch of nearby children’s and science museums!
Yep, that was my experience too! Posts are still there but you can only get to them via direct link. I assume this is because those posts get traffic from Google and then the owners of the site hope that traffic will convert into mortgage business.
@Kristen, A lot of ones I have saved result in a "404 error" on the site. 🙁 It really is such a bummer.
I really like how you describe the phenomenon of "ideal me" and "real me" because I go through that a LOT. I got the idea that a kettlebell would be good for my physical fitness regimen, but after mulling over the options I could order, I had to admit that while "ideal me" would commit to an every-other-day weight lifting regiment, "real me" is doing well to get a bike ride in most days, and to use the resistance bands on said stationary bike. Also I prefer moving exercise, not standing and lifting things. So.
"Ideal me" once bought a bunch of watercolor painting tools and paper, only to sadly realize that 'real me' is not suited for that medium, and prefers pen and ink and acrylics. I tried, though, I really did! Ha.
Enjoyed your interview, Emily! So many Michigan readers here. Wish I was one, y'all have a wonderful state!
From one mid-30's Michigander to another - Hello!! Your flower wall and felt fruits are absolutely beautiful! You certainly have the creativity gene!
I see that you've visited some beautiful countries... Is much of your travel abroad or to different states or within Michigan? We are near the southern border and could travel to other states easily, but we often stay in Michigan for vacations because there are so many wonderful spots to see! I'd rather drive 6 hours north and be in the U.P. than drive 3 hours south. (We also prefer rural vacations and not big cities, so this works well for us.) Do you have a favorite vacation spot in Michigan or elsewhere?
On another note, finishing your basement will be well worth it!! Our basement has been incredibly valuable for letting little ones run around and get out their energy in the midst of long Michigan winters. We put a Little Tikes slide down there and they also learned how to roller skate in our basement. There have been a number of times that they've been going stir-crazy and we go down and count how many laps they can run.
Thanks for sharing with us all!
@Ruth T, I recommend Andrea Dekker’s blog (she only posts once a week) and is located in southwest Michigan. She focuses on simplifying life (with 4 kids), a lot of DIY and frugality. There is a small Christian undercurrent to her blog but I still think most people would enjoy her authenticity and practicality regardless of your spiritual bent -especially if you have a young family. I know she has readers of all ages and her blog has transitioned to accommodate her changing life and growing family.
Your comment about how you use your basement with littles made me think of Andrea Dekker because she and her husband have done a lot of remodeling of an older home over the years and she too refinishes furniture, repurposes items and is very creative.
I am a Michigander and particularly love visiting “up north” and the small towns on the Leelanau peninsula ( Sleeping Bear Dunes, independent bookstores in Leland, Glen Arbor and Sutton’s Bay, Cherry Republic and the TART bicycle/walking trails).
@Jean,
Thanks for the recommendation, Jean! A once-a-week thing might be someone I have time to look into!
@Ruth T, I moved to Michigan in late, late 2016. A lot of travel recently has been going to see family in Ohio or to academic conferences. We did go up to the UP (in a little town called Paradise - highly recommend for scenery and accessibility to Tahquamenon Falls!!) in June 2021 and it was a spectacular vacation. We're probably going to Hocking Hills in Ohio on our way out to Washington, D.C. this year. I love Ohio in general, but I'd say Hocking Hills does rival some of northern Michigan for natural beauty!
@Emily U., Fun! We stayed in Paradise in August (my parents go almost every year) and I'm sure we will be back again sometime. Hocking Hills does look so beautiful! We had hoped to go there with my husband's side of the family this year, but it didn't work out for everybody. Hopefully in a year or two we can and all of the kids will be old enough for it to go well. I'd love to hear how it goes for your little one. I'll have to keep an eye out in the comments section this summer!
I really identify with the real me va ideal me purchasing. I call those aspirational purchases and always regret them. I’m glad to know I’m not alone.
I get so excited when someone has traveled to Thailand. My kids are missionaries in N ChiangRai, Thailand which is way North from the beaches. I went to visit them and it was so amazing!
@Mariane, It was such an amazing experience - I really really really want to go back someday!
I also read the Simple Dollar - it was super helpful when I was first starting to live on my own. I miss it!
wow this was an interesting post. thanks so much. lots of great info. our museum memberships in NY did nothing for us in MASS but we tried. you are so talented. i am an older mom and people think I am my kid's grandmother. I highlight my hair twice a year. Been coloring it since i was 16. my natural hair is mousy brown. i have an amazing stylist who loves her job and comes from a family of barbers. your craft skills are amazing. so curious about your house renovations. i bet they are amazing too.
did you like germany? my dad was born there but my mom wouldn't let me learn german. she was afraid my dad and i would talk about her in german. my 11 year old son told me about dualingo.com and I am having fun reviving my french skills. started in 7th grade and went through high school. and also working on german. i absorbed a lot. when my mom passed he married a woman from germany and she spoke german with her friends. somehow i know more than i thought i did. also language learning is good for dementia and i am deathly afraid i have it. i don't want to know. i prefer too live my best life.
all the best to you. oh and i never heard about the blog that started it all for you. is it still out there?
@Anita Isaac, I loved Germany - it is fun to be able to speak in a different language!
The Simple Dollar is really not there anymore - at least the blog form that it started with. It kinda morphed into a site with ads and mortgage calculators, which is not why I went to it!
I read Simple Dollar until he sold it.
Hi, Emily. nice to meet you. I'm 100% with you on privacy. I almost didn't do a Meet the Reader, too, because of that. I'm glad I did.
Yep! There's been a wide variety in the way that people handle the privacy issue, depending on their comfort level.
Thanks for sharing; so nice to meet you!
Yes, I read The Simple Dollar, but gave up after Trent sold out.
I love the "ideal vs. real me" concept. Kate Kaden, who has a YouTube channel, recently did a post along the same lines calling it your "fantasy self." I sometimes think it difficult to find that fine line between buying something as a motivator vs. something that will never be used. I guess it's a matter of starting small? (Fantasy me wants to buy fancy raised beds and alllllll the plants and tools; real me should start with a 5 gallon bucket and a pack of seeds?) Anyhow, it's a good things to be mindful of.
I kept trying to post a comment yesterday but no matter what browser I used, I was unable to post one. Trying again!
Emily, I'm glad you saw the light and came to the mitten state! The only other state that I have lived in was ... Ohio .... and the midwest is a good place to live regardless of what state you live in. 🙂
I love your felt toys! We share similar frugal traits in terms of deciding what's more important to spend money on and where savings are more important. Thanks for sharing!
I live in Michigan, I'm in my mid-thirties and we are working on a bit of a fixer-upper. This almost felt like my story! I'm wondering if we can be friends?
@Heather, Aw, fun! What general area of the state are you in?