Meet a Reader | Paige from Boston
Hello! Today we are meeting Paige, a reader who is also a writer, a business-owner, and a super-frugal-DIY-hair-dyer. 😉
Here's Paige:
1. Tell us a little about yourself
I’m a mom of three young men ages 16-25 who make me laugh more than any comedian ever could. I live with my husband of 26 years near Boston, where I’m an author, blogger, and own a small business.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I started reading The Frugal Girl in 2015. I loved getting a peek into how Kristen handled Sonia’s special diet (with such grace) because my husband is a vegetarian (I’m not), and my youngest is a persnickety eater.
I’m constantly re-jiggering meals to meet all the “requirements,” which has always felt not-very-graceful.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I realized in my 20s that to save for what mattered to me, I would have to save money on stuff that didn’t matter at all.
I often say our pool was paid for with the tuna fish sandwiches we brought for lunch instead of eating out.
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
When we started our business, we had no choice but to reinvest our profits into them, and because we had three young kids, we needed to watch our personal spending very carefully.
While it felt awful at the time, having very little personal money and no plan B was a significant driver in our company’s success.
5. What's one thing you splurge on?
Education.
I don’t care what it costs, if someone needs help (tutoring) or to develop skills (college, camp, etc.), I will write the check.
6. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Salon hair color. I refuse to go gray, so in my 30s, I paid a hair stylist to help me choose an inexpensive, pharmacy-boxed hair color that matched my “younger” shade. I still use this $3.50/box brand.
Because my hair would often turn brassy, he even taught me to dump ½ of the white developer cream and replace it with the same amount of distilled (or filtered) water. Every time I do this (every three weeks if I don’t want roots), I think about how much I have saved over the years.
7. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
I’d add it to our “BFF - Brothers’ Fun Fund.” I have a policy that if my kids ever want to visit another brother, I pay their travel expenses. They also know it’s an emergency fun that any one of them can tap into if necessary.
I’d like to build this account up enough so they can use it for the rest of their lives.
8. What's the hardest part of being frugal?
For sure, turning it off.
I go overboard even as things have eased up financially. For example, we’re taking a cruise later this year, and even though we can afford a balcony room, I fretted over whether to get the inside cabin instead (surprise: I sprung for the balcony, but not without pause).
Also, I’m not sure if I’ll ever buy brand name Cheerios or not buy (secondhand) clothes from Poshmark.
9. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
I love pickleball, and my town has converted dozens of public tennis courts into pickleball courts.
If you haven’t tried pickleball, you’ll be stunned that you’ll be immediately “not bad.” Right from the start, you’ll play well enough to have fun.
10. What's your funniest frugal story?
When my kids were little, restaurants were a rare treat.
I remember when my oldest was about 10, he read the fine print of the kids’ menu at Red Robin and discovered their policy that if a kid was still hungry after they ate their kid’s meal, they could order another meal for free. Well, he was always still hungry.
When he pointed out this policy to the server, they always looked confused because they had never encountered this situation. I'm not sure if they still have this policy or if, after they met my son, they discontinued it!
11. What single action or decision has saved you the most money over your life?
Investing money automatically using paycheck deduction. We were automatically forced to live on less because the money was invested before it ever hit our checking account.
12. What is something you wish more people knew?
Your twenties are your shot.
If you want to follow your dreams, in my experience, your twenties are the time to do it. It becomes infinitely harder (not impossible, but harder) in later decades when you have dependents.
If you want to read more about this, you can read a free (frugal!) copy of my book Drift: How to (accidentally) create a life you don't want.
Use the passcode: friend (all lowercase)
13. Do you have any tips for frugal traveling?
One thing I know at 56 that I wish someone had told me at 31 is that kids don’t need fancy vacations.
In our town, most families go on grand trips during school breaks. I always felt guilty when I saw vacation photos of my kids’ friends riding camels, parasailing, and eating fancy food.
But here’s the good news - kids don’t need that at all. They just need you to be there. So watching SpongeBob on your staycation counts. Staying one night in a local hotel with a pool does too. So does playing Uno at the park.
To quote Kristen, “Ha!”
14. What’s your best frugal win?
Working while my kids were napping, at school, and all weekend when my husband could take over.
My husband and I built a profitable business on the “crumbs of time” I was able to work when my kids were little. I LOVE what I do, so this may not work for everyone. I’m glad many employers are waking up to this because many skilled employees who want to stay home with their kids still have (some) time to devote to a career.
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Paige, I chuckled when you mentioned off-brand Cheerios, because I have always thought all the store-brand Cheerios were oddly dusty. So now I want to know: which off-brand do you enjoy?
Also: I think we all will want to know: what's the brand of hair color you love? $3.50 is a great price!
And just so you know, sometimes I was not all that graceful about Sonia's dietary requirements. That time when she was put on the temporary FODMAP diet on top of all her other restrictions? I stood in the grocery store trying to figure out some options and almost burst into tears. It's tough working around multiple food issues, so please don't feel alone in your struggles.
Hi, Paige! Thanks for sharing. #13. Yes. But it applies to most other things with kids, too-- clothes, technology, everything.
@Jody S., Yes true - until they are older, what boy cares what hand-me-down shirt he's wearing to a wedding?
@Paige, Mine did. For my sister's wedding when he was 13, he insisted on having a 1950s British Teddy Boy outfit with drape jacket and drainpipe trousers and we're not even British.
@Rose,
Hahaha! That's awesome.
Hi Paige! Fascinating post. I would say my kids learned a lot from our fancy vacations. You said education was worth a splurge--I think trips abroad give an excellent education.
Also--always get a balcony room. It's lovely to sit on the balcony and read outside without anyone else to bug you. The inside cabins always seem claustrophobic to me.
@Rose, great point - trips are education!
Thank you for sharing! I do agree with #13. Being from Florida, many of the families in our area make the 3 hour drive to spend the weekends at Disney World and Universal Studios. Even with a annual pass this can get pricey. We went to the beach or drove to the springs instead. They swam, surfed, kayaked, built sand castles, read books, watched movies, rode bikes and played board games. We did take an annual summer camping trip on a budget of $250. (It was the late 1990s) We tent-camped in the NC mountains where we hiked and swam. I don’t think they were ever bored or felt deprived.
@Bee, the camping sounds way more memorable...and I bet you have lots more stories you still laugh about!
Paige, I love the concept of your Brothers' Fun Fund - so creative! One of the most heartwarming things to me, as a parent, is witnessing the close relationship between our 29 year old son and 24 year old daughter. Your BFF is a wonderful and generous way to support the ties among your sons. A round of applause for a brilliant idea! P.S. I understand your hesitation about coughing up the extra $$$ for the balcony. Having booked an inside cabin on one Alaska cruise and a balcony cabin on another, my vote is for the balcony cabin, hands down. In my humble opinion, it will elevate your cruising experience and is well worth the extra $$$. Enjoy!
@Mary ~ Reflections Around the Campfire, I had the same thought about the BFF! I will start up an SFF for our daughters. Just brilliant.
@CrunchyCake - I figure if I have to leave money to my kids, they may as well have a lot of fun with it!
@Mary ~ Reflections Around the Campfire,
We leave on the "balcony cruise" next week. An outcropping of the BFF is that my 25 year old told me he now has his own "fun fund" account - for money to use guilt free. I think lots of us may have spending muscles that that hve atrophied from lack of use. So while I have taught my kids to be frugal I want them to be better at me at being able to spend. I have lots of trouble reeping after lots of sowing.
@Paige, Dave Ramsey calls this "blow money" and it is a budget item so people can have guilt free spending on unnecessary items.
I didn't realize it till you wrote it, but I too, splurge on education.
My dishwasher's been broken for 6 months and a friend was over last night. He asked why I still hadn't gotten a new one.
Meh...the money for a new dishwasher was secondary to paying for a gifted education camp for our daughter this summer. I can wash dishes by hand. No biggie.
@Denise, Exactly! And if you think about it, you can ALWAYS fix your dishwasher, but there is only THIS TIME NOW to go to camp.
Hi, Paige. Good to see a contractor family featured here; my DH would have been pleased!
And I'm planning to take a look at your Drift book. I know two or three no-longer-so-young people who have been drifting since college for fear of cutting off options and are starting to find that drifting itself is a way of cutting off options.
@A. Marie, Ooooh great point. It's so hard to know HOW to live your dreams if the path isn't clearly marked like it is for most entry level jobs on Ziprecruiter.
Paige,
I love your funniest frugal story. At age ten your son was already a wise consumer. I also love your BFF, it's wonderful that you encourage your kids being close to each other.
Hi Paige, I like your comment in #3 in order to save for things that matter you needed to save on things that don't matter at all. You put into words exactly why I chose to be frugal!! Also I love that your son read the fine print on the menu. What a great story.
@Jill A, what seemed like hardships at the time (i.e. having to be so careful with money that we read the fine print) have turned into the funny family stories we recall now. A great message for anyone who is frugal by necessity now..."these are the good old days."
Now I’m going to be checking the fine print on kids menus lol
I’d like to know your strategy for shopping Poshmark, the site seems so overpriced for used clothing
@Natasha, I agree that Poshmark is overpriced vs. thrift stores and tag sales. I try to look for super-old listings and then make low ball offers. And it sometimes works. Other times I buy at the higher price, knowing that it's still less expensive than new. Not perfect for sure.
As a mom to boys, I love that you have a travel fund for them! My boys would see each other often when one moved away for work and the other was still a teenager. Eventually, the younger grew up and ended up getting a job in the town next to his brother. A year later, the house next to his brother came up for sale. So, now my boys are next door neighbors (which I love for them and for me ha!).
Please tell more details about the trick for the brassy hair (I get that also). You just swap half the developer? Do you do this every time or only when it starts getting brassy (is it a way to keep it from getting brassy or to fix it when it starts getting brassy). Thanks!
@Marlena,
I was wondering this too, Marlena. My hair does the same. It's naturally dark brown, like Paige's in her photo, and I've always had problems with "brassiness". I had never heard about swapping half the developer.
@VY, My hair is naturally brassy! That said, I use Madison Reed as it's very hard to match my natural color. I don't have that much gray but I have enough.
@Rose and @Marlena, Each time I color my hair, I dump half of the developer (mine's a white creamy liquid) into a measuring cup, dump it out...and then use filtered water from my fridge to replace the exact same amount (more or less). This is what works for me...
@Paige, Developer is all the same--just strong hydrogen peroxide.
Hello Paige! I am going to look into starting a brothers fun fund! Such a great idea. Do you have a separate account or travel credit card for this?
Thank you!
@Stephanie, Yes I have a separate account - and no when it's time to use it I just Venmo the kids the money. Also, funny enough, the kids get quite FANCY with their trips when it's coming out of the BFF. Last one was to Alaska!
Hi, Paige,
Thanks for the link to your book!
Totally random question: your husband doesn't care if you cook meat and his non-meat in the same pan?
I love that you are reinforcing your sons' relationships. I once heard someone say that your sibling relationships are, in most cases, the longest relationships you will ever have. When at all possible, it's worth nurturing them.
Your attitude towards being frugal is great, and it's so true. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your life.
@JD, I am SO lucky that my husband is relaxed about me cooking his "non-meat" near our meat. He'll even eat my chicken soup and pick out the chicken. He's willing to bend on this so I don't burst into tears every night 🙂
I don't think she's saying that there's no value in vacationing abroad...just that a kid doesn't NEED it, which is a hard/important thing to remember if you are surrounded by people who are able to afford fancy trips on the regular.
But if you can afford it, that's awesome!
One day, I will take a vacation abroad. But that time is not right now. 😉
@Kristen, I don't think I was seriously arguing that kids need trips abroad. I just think there's a dichotomy between "I will write the check for my kids' education" versus "fancy vacations." That said, it never even occurred to me that people would classify a trip to Disney as "fancy." So maybe that's my issue, the definition of "fancy."
True, true; a trip to Disney is really not at all comparable to paying for someone's education!
On the plus side, my kids hate each other, so there's a money savings right there.
@Rose, Yes, for us, Disney would be "fancy." So would any amusement park be for the number of tickets we would need to buy. Paying admission is rare for our family. It was a really fancy thing for our family when we traveled to Nashville (and stayed with family) but paid to see Loretta Lynn at the Opry. It was a one-tine thing for our "big trip out west" because of how long it was and how many hotels we needed to use, but I don't think we actually paid to get into any attraction (4th grade national park pass).
Going anywhere via plane would be very, very fancy for us. Our eldest is the only of our children so far to have enjoyed air travel, and that was because he paid for it to get back and forth for breaks from college (which he is also paying for himself).
We value education and travel, but we just can't afford it.
@Jody S., No worries, Jody. I never, not ever, not once went on vacation with my family as a kid. Not camping, not driving a car, never. I turned out OK but I wanted different for my own children. We also never ate out, except once a year for fast food, quite literally, and didn't go to amusement parks either.
@Rose, As a kid, our vacations were always to see family. My dad's family lived on the west coast/ND, while we lived in WV. All the vacation time/money was for that. I never felt cheated. But I did feel cheated that we never went camping or did outdoorsy things.
@Rose, I’m sure you think that’s a negative and would rather spend the money.
@Rose, I’ve never really felt that my family could afford expensive theme parks and things like that. We prioritized different things, and had many great times for cheap or free. Wealthier grandparents took my child and cousins to Disney World once, and yes, to us, it was a fancy, luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime splurge. Now, today, my grandchildren go to Disney, cruises, world-wide luxury trips, which they seem not to appreciate or really enjoy much at all. Their college is paid for, as are their cars, toys, computers… they are great kids who really don’t know any other ways, and they’ve never been without the world at their fingertips.
Hi, Paige! Mothers of three boys deserve a special seat at the table! I had two boys only a year apart. The cereal rules were (1) no cereal with marshmallows; and (2) no cereal costing more than $2 a box. That was back when milk was $1 a gallon.
@Jean, My parents and grandparents were very poor when they arrived in the U.S. My grandmother, who did most of the cooking (we lived in a three story tenement for years, and we ate most meals with my grandparents) decided cereal was an insane American extravagance. For years my breakfast was hot macaroni with ice cold milk poured on it. For a treat she would sprinkle sugar on top. It still is my favorite breakfast! (not with sugar, though.) In fact, it is one of my top comfort foods, no matter what time of day.
@Lindsey, I always say that if someone offered me a fancy dinner out or my childhood comfort food (Minute Rice with soy sauce), I'd have a hard time choosing!
Hi Paige!
Your words, "I realized in my 20s that to save for what mattered to me, I would have to save money on stuff that didn’t matter at all," really resonated with me.
It's a great tip and if I had heard those words earlier, I likely would have been in a better financial position today. Or maybe not because I was too young back then with friends who was out trying to have it all...
Thanks for sharing!
@kelly, Turns out I wasn't perfect at all either! I kick myself for having a "financial advisor" who for years took 1% of our investments as payment. It was a pittance in the beginning, but when our investments began to grow, I realized 1% was suddenly a lot of payment for what he was doing. The path is never straight.
I agree with #13, too. My parents took us (four kids!) on a two month long vacation one summer; we had a pop-up camper and also stayed with numerous friends and family. We had the best time and I developed my love of hiking during that trip. I told my parents at the Grand Canyon that I was going to live there and I actually moved there in my late 20's and raised my two kids there for ten awesome years!
@Viktoria M Sacker, That is so so cool! I live in Arizona and love the Grand Canyon, especially the North Rim.
I loved this interview, Paige. The BFF – Brothers’ Fun Fund is such a good idea and such beautiful way of nuturing a good relationship between siblings.
Please, Paige, I'd love to know the $3.50/box haircolor. At 63 I still dye my hair, because I have a "youngish" (still no wrinkles!!) face and would have been completely gray by about 38, which I didn't feel "ready" to be. Funnily, I still don't feel ready! Ha, as Kristen says. They recently discontinued the John Frieda Foam Color I used to use, and I need to replace it with something--and cheap haircolor fits my ethic. Your input is/will be appreciated by me and others.
@VY, I use Revlon ColorSilk in light ash brown. Any grocery store has it - look on the bottom shelf 🙂
I also give some tips on using it in some comments above too VY!
@Paige,
Thank you so much for responding! I was wondering if it was ColorSilk. I used that a few times in the past..back when they would occasionally have it 2/$6 at Walgreens on sale. Thanks for sharing your tips re the developer too. Very helpful.
I refuse to get my hair dyed at a salon too! I did it once; it didn't look any better than when I did it at home, and it cost so much!
I love the idea of the BFF fund too. That's an awesome thing to do for your kids.
I grew up in a low-income neighborhood so no one I knew growing up took fancy vacations but we camped nearly every weekend during the summer and took a few trips to the coast and camped there, too. This was not in a camper, we didn't even get tents until I was about 11 years old. As an adult, I really appreciate that my parents made that an important part of my childhood and recognize now what a saint my mother was for bringing real plates and silverware along, and heating water on the campfire to wash up after meals (because my dad hated paper plates and plastic utensils). 🙂
Also, yes! Hair color info, please.
I completely agree about off-brand Cheerios being better. Regular Cheerios has an almost "dry-roasted" taste. I much prefer "Tasteeos" from Food Lion, which tastes better to me and has the added bonus of only costing $1.59!
Paige, I so enjoyed your post. I especially loved "to save for what mattered to me, I would have to save money on stuff that didn’t matter at all" and the BFF fund for your sons to visit one another is unique and brilliant. I also agree with your point that kids don't need anything fancy to be happy and that their twenties are a good time to follow their dreams. Thank you for the link to your book; I will be sharing it with the twenty-somethings in my life!
Store brand cereals rock! Now if only I could convince my husband to eat them.
Nice to meet you Paige,
I love "to save for what mattered to me, I would have to save money on stuff that didn’t matter at all."
I so love all this. I share a lot of your priorities:Education,experiences, thrift and family.Yes, I was drifting in my 20’s while we put my husband through grad school.I finally looked at the future we wanted and knew I needed a career too..I got great grades in school..had my son early,dropped out of college. At 28,went back to nursing school and by age 31 had a great job too! YOU’RE RIGHT.. your 20’s are sooo important! I eventually went back and became a Nurse practitioner at age 42 (By then my son was 20!!) There are so many ways to meet our goals. Love all your tips. I also colored my own hair for 25 years (went gray early) and when i wanted to grow it out, took the covid year to “look ugly” at home and now am SOO HAPPY (but I am 68 and ready for silver.) Thanks for sharing!
Paige, I loved your interview. So many interesting points.
My favorite is your 10 year old son read the fine print!! How many of us read the fine print.
Also just came back from an Alaskan cruise. We did book a balcony. In fact since balconies were booking up they upgraded us for $100 extra dollars to a balcony plus.
I knew we would use it since my husband sits on vacation balconies all the time. And the man giving me the upgrade said open the door a crack and get fresh air.
And lastly I am going to have to think about your BFFfund. Without realizing it I have been doing a version of that.
My daughter and her family live near us. My son and his wife live across the country. They come once a year and I have been paying their air fare because I am so glad they visit us.
@karen, what the heck is money for if not for seeing people we love?! And since money is likely tighter for your son and his wife becasue they're young, the utility of the money is much higher. Nice!
It sure is tough to work around multiple food issues. We have several family members with very different needs.
@A., One time I told my husband to take over the cooking. The first night he came home and made something that everyone could enjoy. He had looked up the recipe online, gone grocery shopping - the whole nine yards. I felt a little defeated because I thought, "I wonder if now that he's doing the cooking, if the kids will ever remember that I cooked for the first 24 years of their lives." The following day he walked into the kitchen, and I asked him what he planned on making that night. He looked at me blankly. He had forgotten that dinner happens EVERY night. Funny, right? He begged me to take dinner back 🙂
@Paige, I think it's hilarious that your husband begged you to take dinner back! I'm sure he has a much better appreciation for your efforts after cooking his one meal.
I dunno; whenever anyone brings up the "pack your lunch" I think of this Onion thing which sums up how I feel about it.
https://www.theonion.com/man-brings-lunch-from-home-to-cut-down-on-small-joys-1819577433
It's like, I have to go work, commute, and then I have to eat some crummy home-packed sandwich to save $3? Just shoot me now.
I do get the point about what's important for you etc.
@Rose,
Thanks for sharing that onion article! I laughed so hard it brought tears to my eyes.
That said, my husband saw that bringing a packed lunch to work meant that he had an opportunity to eat with the youngest (and least well-paid) employees at his firm. This led to him developing mentor relationships with many of them, which ultimately led to a promotion when his bosses realized how much valuable this was to the company.
So I’d say it depends how you do it. Sure, bring a lunch but don’t spend lunchtime hunched over your workstation if you can possibly help it.
@Rose, Loved that article! I'm all for buying lunch if that's important to you. And @tarynkay makes a great point about how buying lunch could actually get you promoted!
@Paige,
If I read that right, she actually said the opposite. She said her husband packed his lunch and ate with the other employees who could not afford to eat out. Then he was promoted because he had developed mentorship relationships with up and coming employees and the company saw the value in his ability to connect with them.
@Becca, ooh! You’re right! I read it wrong and thought he went out to eat with his colleagues (which could work to get him promoted too!).
I wonder if the reason I’m not frugal is because so often, as an adult anyway, I need small happinesses to get through the day. A nice lunch, a new shirt, a mani-pedi. Putting it off or skipping it the way frugal people do every day just often just makes me more miserable. Maybe you need to have a baseline level of happiness or contentment in order to delay comforts.
@Rose, interesting. I’m happy with a pretty austere life, my siblings are totally opposite. I still treat myself but it might me a new shirt or bowl I like from Goodwill bins that costs me a quarter. Someone’s trash is my treasure lol.
@Rose, I am actually trying to be more like you. My spending muscles are so atrophied, that I realize that after of these years of saving and "optimizing" I didn't even know exactly what I was saving for. Now that things have eased up, I have to push myself to spend. This goes for time too...I spent so much time optimizing my time - trying to be as productive as possible, I forgot how to just "be" with myself.
@Tiana, totally on board with the idea that buying things doesn’t equal happiness, but a little thing like a bowl or book from thrift shop occasionally can feel like a great while helping others. It can even be more fun than going to the pricy store, buying something expensive to try to boost our mood or distract ourselves from the world or our personal and family troubles. I find a lot of happiness in helping others either by volunteering, donating things I don’t need, or by contributing money wisely, and by noticing bees on coneflowers. That can’t be bought. And I can do it or something similar everyday, everywhere.
@Rose, um, I can make a healthier and more delicious lunch than most restaurants. Are you on this frugal blog because… well, I can’t really figure that out! Or are there multiple commenters named Rose?
@Jenny,
For some of us that are extremely frugal, it's sometimes hard to understand other people's choices. But, everyone has different priorities and joys. I have a friend who is so frugal he spends almost nothing, like $100 a month except utilities. But, he has one vice, every night he buys an expensive bottle of beer from the corner grocery store to enjoy. This baffles my mind, as he wouldn't consider a newer vehicle or vacation or new clothes, but I don't criticize him because this is his joy.
You have such a pleasant looking face! Serene. Your brother's fund is genius.
@Lindsey, thank you - and nobody's ever called me "serene" - so I'm going to relish that!
GM Cheerios and Nabisco ritz crackers are the two items I can taste a difference in if I buy store brand so these are my treats! Staycations can be lots of fun with local treats thrown in.
@Suzanne, It's a sign of "contentment" that Ritz Crackers and "real" Cheerios are your "treat!" Some people need fancy jewelry, but you just need a box of crackers...how nice!
Lots of new ideas for me. Thank you for sharing!
@Edit, you're welcome. I've learned so much over the years from this blog - I'm happy to contribute.
Hi everyone, My "off-brand" Cheerios are either Great Value (Walmart) or Joes O's (Trader Joe's).
For the hair color-I was forced to use the cheapest brand when I was younger, and one time I was gifted a "salon" coloring session. Turns out I looked exactly the same. I use Revlon ColorSilk in Light Ash Brown. When you get to the hair color section look all the way down at the bottom shelf!
Thank you so much for posting. Your hair looks terrific. So much interesting information. I love your idea for keeping the sibs in each other's lives. All the best to you and your family.
@Anita Isaac, thank you - I love knowing that the kids are set up to see each other even if they can't afford it.
I let my hair go natural now, but for years I dyed it with cheap dye. So much cheaper than the few times I got it done at a salon and I didn't really notice much difference.
@Katy in Africa, - yes, no difference at all! And I'm pretty picky.
Hi Paige, Yours is such an interesting story! Your tips are unique (the genius BFF fund and hair dye alchemy) but also very relatable. I need to figure out how to adapt the BFF to my situation with slightly older kids.
One of our boys also lives near Boston (where he works) and I wonder if you could explain a bit more about the hotel with pool/water park. I’m thinking it might be a nice Christmas gift.
Thanks for sharing a lovely, intentionally lived life today!
@Erika JS, there are 2 choices near Boston: Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Ma and Coco key north of Boston. We’ve been to both and interestingly we felt “far away” in both! Have fun!
I’ve never worked anywhere that gave you enough time for lunch to go out, sit down, and actually enjoy a meal. But eating a gluten free mesquite smoked turkey sandwich with Hellman’s mayo can make me pretty happy, or an almond butter and cherry jelly sandwich, yum. If I want to spend money and time on a meal I want to be as far away from employers and work as possible.
@Tiana, yes! A great point. Related, since I work from home and my husband works at our office, I never felt it was fair that he'd eat out and I'd be eating from the bowels of our fridge. If we were going to go out, it should be both of us, away from work 🙂
Hi Paige! I enjoyed reading your answers. Your answer to #13 was a good reminder about vacations. It’s so easy for me to hear about people’s vacations and start to feel bad about not taking my kids in more fancy vacations.
@Andra, I totally relate - I felt the exact same way. One time we brought our (too young) kids to Washington DC. After about 20 minutes at one of the museums, my kids asked if there was a waterpark nearby. So we just went with it and left and found a waterpark. And we still talk about how funny it is that we just suddenly "gave up" mid-morning and changed our plans. Have fun with your kids and that's what they'll remember!
Paige, such interesting answers! Thank you for the book "Drift"; it will be fun to learn what you have to say about one's twenties being the time to set one's course. It is a shame that we have to make such enormous decisions when we have the least amount of experience, wisdom and brain power. Maybe I'll run into someone in her twenties to share the info with.
Loved the Brothers Fun Fund idea. Currently I am 750 miles from home, visiting my sister, and my mom who lives in the area. Do you think it would be appropriate to ask Mom for gas money to drive back home? 😎
Nice to meet you! I agree generally about kids and fancy travel, with a few cautions. I feel lucky that my parents were adventurous travelers and we shared many happy family travels, including some that weren't so happy at the time but are now funny memories. But our normal was moving a lot, and we were expected to pay attention to tour guides, geography, and history, and not to complain. I saw a group of American teenagers in France who were clearly enjoying an expensive trip without their parents. They paid no attention at all to the guide or to the chateau we were visiting, they were so absorbed in each other. Their parents wasted their money. They are likely to have reached home able to say they had been in France, but they learned nothing from the experience. I don't want to be unfair or too critical, but "vacation" is a trigger for some people that springs out of everyday life. An attentive trip to any nearby attraction can be interesting and exciting; it isn't necessary to travel a long way to exotic places to learn and enjoy. And of course it depends on the ages of the kids and what good examples their parents are, for making the effort to be good travelers: polite, interested listeners and observers, contributing to a good experience for everyone. Good travelers can be shaped close to home!
Paige and Kristen- I love this post. It hit home in so many ways… especially the “crumbs of time”. I am a long time reader and rarely (if ever) leave a comment 🙂
I screenshot your advice and sent your web page to my 22-year old recent college grad. I’m right there with you on education … I spend a lot of money on it because it is so, so, so important! And I’m going to start a “Sister’s Fun Fund”. I just love that idea.
You won’t regret the balcony. We kept going back and forth because it’s so much more expensive but we ended up splurging. Let me tell you, it was worth every penny. The room was so much more spacious. And it was nice to be able to get away from the crowds while still enjoying the breeze. It is also really nice to see the ports when you pull in. I hope you love it as much as we did!
"To save for what mattered to me, I would have to save money on stuff that didn’t matter at all." What wisdom!!!
I love the story of your son at Red Robin. Kids are great. 🙂 And I agree with what you said about kids not needing fancy vacations. My kids are still on the younger side (5, 6, and 9) but they are thrilled when we get to go to a new playground! Often on our camping trips we will try to get to a new playground everyday and it's a lot of fun.
Thanks for sharing, Paige!