Meet a Reader | Stephanie the Midwest Librarian
Today we're meeting a reader who hails from the Midwest, but not for long. Keep reading to learn about her interesting future plans for leaving the Midwest!
1. Tell us a little about yourself
I am a law library consultant and I have been a librarian in so many different types of libraries: public, archives, military, academic, and law firm. I live in the Midwest with my husband of 33 years.
We have three daughters, ages 27, 22 and 17. I have a very spoiled rescue dog and my youngest has a ball python that I have as little to do with as possible!
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I discovered the blog in the mid-2010s when I was trying to keep myself on the frugal track.
Kristen’s children were itty bitty back then! I was drawn to her positivity, clear writing style and her pictures.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I am not genetically a saver. It is a struggle for me.
I didn’t grow up in a frugal household, as far as I know. My parents never talked with us about their finances and my mother's favorite hobby was shopping. I am always interested in saving money, but I tend to talk myself into spending. My husband is much more inclined to save than I am.
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
In mid-2026 (yes, we are counting down), my husband and I will sell the house and 95% of our belongings and become “digital nomads” – working from wherever we are (we both have remote jobs). We blog about this journey at WeekByeWeek.com.
We hatched this plan last year and ever since, I think about everything I consider bringing into the house in terms of what will happen to it when we transition.
It has really allowed me to resist that old temptation to buy things that aren’t consumable because it will just add to the amount of stuff I’m going to have to get rid of in a few years!
5. What's your best frugal win?
My office desk.
I bought it for $50 from someone who was moving on Facebook Marketplace. It was midcentury modern and very heavy! After some research I discovered it was worth significantly more than I paid for it and sold it four years later for $2000!
I also have to plug the library for those who are avid readers. I read on my mother's old Kindle and borrow e-books from my library. Your public library has e-books, audiobooks, electronic magazines, language software, genealogy databases and so much more!
I suspect I'm preaching to the choir with this group, but I would be professionally remiss if I didn't say it!
6. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
I have so many. I’ll start with student loans.
So. Many. Student. Loans. I have two master’s degrees and a doctorate (from my past life in academia) and will likely be paying student loans until I die.
I also bought a brand-new car in the early 2000s and promptly totaled it a year later (I was fine). I discovered the meaning of “upside down” in loan terms pretty quickly.
And, of course, all of the credit cards I had to work so hard to pay off. If I had a time machine and could talk to younger me, I would have some stern words for her!
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
Travel.
We travel for one to two weeks twice a year – scoping out new destinations we may want to spend a few months in down the road.
Travel planning is what keeps us going through the long Midwest winters!
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Trendy clothing.
I have discovered my style is classic, so I gravitate toward clothes that could have been worn two decades ago or two decades from now. I have been working to pare down my wardrobe even more recently. Working remotely has really helped since I don't need "work clothes" much anymore.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
Put it toward travel or home renovations.
10. What's the easiest/hardest part of being frugal?
The easiest is that I am a homebody by choice, so staying in and playing board games instead of going out and spending money is an easy choice for me.
The hardest is when I fixate on something I want and try to talk myself out of buying it. Amazon makes it too easy to satisfy purchase whims.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
My city has great culture and restaurants with a pretty low cost of living. There are great parks and walking trails and our climate is usually mild enough to be outdoors most of the year.
Professional sports teams are big here but it is easy to watch the games on tv, so we stay in and watch football and baseball a good portion of the year.
What single action or decision has saved you the most money over your life?
The decision to have my husband stay home for sixteen years to raise our children saved us so much in childcare fees.
Do you have any tips for frugal travel or vacations?
Ditch the resorts and stay in smaller towns. Rent an Airbnb with a kitchen and troll the markets for local foods.
Don’t overbook yourself with excursions. Our favorite days have been the ones without a destination where we explore what is around us. We always find hidden gems!
Did you ever receive any financial education in school or from your parents?
My dad taught me to budget (in Excel on an old Apple computer - I still use Excel for my budget to this day). Everything else I learned from Dave Ramsey, who I follow in some ways but not in others (I am a BIG fan of travel rewards credit cards!).
What is something you wish more people knew?
That many times you don't have to pay for airline tickets.
We use rewards credit cards for every household expense we can and have rarely paid for airline tickets. (Make sure you pay the whole balance every month or you negate any rewards with interest payments!)
Which is your favorite type of post at the Frugal Girl and why?
The rehab posts are really fun to see. I also really like the thankful posts. They remind me to find those things throughout the day to be thankful for.
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Whoa, Stephanie, I am so impressed with the plan you and your hubby have hatched. I love it! I have considered doing something like that down the road when I have enough experience to be a travel nurse, so I'm gonna peep in on your journey as you launch.
I'm assuming your youngest will be going to college after graduation next spring, so is that how you'll be in a position where you can sell your house? Is she taking the python with her to college??
Does it make you at all nervous to think about not having a home base? I kind of think if I do travel nursing, I'd still maintain a home apartment/house somewhere, mainly because I'm not getting rid of my piano. Ha.
Will you be car-less after this move? Or will you hang on to one?
Also I have to add that I'm super impressed at the tiny size of your clothing collection.
Ok readers, the floor is yours! Leave your questions/comments for Stephanie.
Also, don't forget to check out her blog at Week By Week.
Hi Stephanie! What a win with that desk! I just wanted to share a heads up from the IT/Compliance world re: being a digital nomad. While this is not something I have a full working knowledge of, aspects of the "behind the scenes" (tax and security policy) is something my job touches on. There can be tax implications for working in more than one state (or country) for longer than a certain period of time - both you and your employer would have to pay income tax to that state after a period of time (I believe it's 2 weeks). In some cases (as with where I work) - working outside the country is prohibited except in specific circumstances. I'm sure you've done your research, but I do encourage you to look into this (and be open w/ your boss if that is possible) so that you don't accidently breach security/tax policies. Good luck, and I will be checking out your blog for sure!
@Mallory L., Thanks! Yep, we are a fully digital company with employees all over the world. My boss (and my boss' boss, who lives in Central America) are aware. We had this plan before I got this job and this was one of the things that appealed to me about working there!
@Mallory L.,
It always a good idea to check out the income tax rules. DH commuted to Atlanta for work last year and was paid by a company based in Georgia. Because he spent more than 120 nights there, he had to pay Georgia State Income Tax even though he was not a legal resident of that state.
@Stephanie D., That is awesome! Can't wait to see where your adventures take you!
@Bee, the company I work for has a large office close to the Tennessee/ Georgia border, so this comes up often at work for my coworkers based there. Plus the timezone difference!
Goodness, do you get double taxed then??
Hi Stephanie,
Nice to meet you and thanks for sharing! Libraries (and librarians) are a treasure, indeed.
@Heather Mar, nice to meet you as well!
Hi Stephanie,
Could you share how you plan to handle health care? I'm intrigued by the idea of being a digital nomad but that's the one thing that give me pause as a someone with diabetes.
@Darlene Too, Good question! We will be using my employer health care when we are in the U.S. When we are outside the U.S. we will need to play it by ear. In some countries you can buy medicine over the counter that we need a prescription for here. I get strep about 2x a year, so I would just buy antibiotics over the counter as needed. For other things that truly need medical attention, we either need to save them for when we are back in the U.S. or pay out of pocket for treatment where we are. We are lucky that neither of us has any long term health issues, which makes this an easier choice for us.
@Stephanie D., We have purchased short-term health insurance policies to cover us when we are out of the country. They were relatively inexpensive.
Oh yes, I can see how having a chronic health condition would make a nomad life difficult. You'd want to stay where your specialists are!
@Stephanie D.,
I know Guatemala has an insurance plan for international visitors. I don't know the details but I believe it's quite reasonable. When I was staying in a remote village on Lake Atitlan, one of the ex-pats had a stroke. They were able to get a helicopter to take him to a larger city and then back to Miami. He completely recovered.
It's worth checking into wherever you end up.
@Kathy M,
Oh, where did you stay, if you don't mind saying? I've been to two or three villages around the Lake, but we stayed in Panajachel (mission trip).
Wow, I look forward to being home after I retire - you look forward to selling yours and hitting the road! You have exciting retirement plans for sure, and it's great that you and your husband share goals so well.
I semi-follow Dave Ramsey as well. I'm like you, with cash-back credit cards that are paid off in full monthly, I decided it was worth it to have one of those. I don't travel enough to use travel awards.
And speaking of Dave Ramsey, I haven't heard his reaction to the new thing of being able to charge your Door Dash and pay for it in payments with Klarna, but I know I've heard other's reactions. Does anyone here think they would EVER do such a thing?
Sorry, I digress. Thank you for submitting Stephanie, and the dog picture was a sweet addition.
@JD, I had to Google Klarna (guess I'm woefully outta touch 😉 ) but no way would I ever do that. Sounds like a really bad idea all around. I've been laughing at my own CC provider lately because every time I spend over $100, they offer me the option of installment payments. I don't get the concept, isn't that the purpose of a CC unless you're paying it off every month, which btw, we do, but still?
I laughed when I read your "When baseball and football season overlap!" comment. What a creative solution!
Will you use rentals, or are you planning on getting an RV for your travels?
@Kris, Since we will be mostly island hopping, we will use Airbnb, primarily. They have easy monthly rental options and some renter protections that are important for us. In some of these areas, vacation scams are abundant, so the more protection the better!
@Kris, I recommend the book Your Keys, Our Home by Debbie and Michael Campbell. They have some great tips on how to do this full time!
Thanks so much for this, Kristen! Yes, we are able to do this because the last bird will be leaving the nest next year to go to college. We will be back here for Christmas and summer breaks while she is in college so she has somewhere to go. We are also going to Airbnb in the area the first year as she gets her "sea legs." But she is a very independent kid and she has sisters here to visit when we are gone. Yes, the snake will go with her!
Yes, we are a little nervous about not having a home base, but it's a good nervous! We will be storing a car here; our city is not great with public transportation so a car is a necessity.
Thank goodness you don't have to travel with the snake. Hehe.
Will you maintain a storage unit in Michigan or are you going to literally just own what's in your suitcases?
@Kristen, we will borrow part of my oldest kid's basement to store some heirloom items. We will either have a storage unit for a car or rent garage space from the same oldest kid.
Oh, that's perfect! I can imagine there are some sentimental items you just can't part with.
Hi Stephanie! Loved the photo of “When baseball and football season overlap!”. Very creative solution!
Librarians and libraries provide such amazing services to the community. I wish everyone would take advantage of what they have to offer.
@Beverly, Both teams are projected to go to the post-season again this year, so we’ll be doing this again, I’m sure! (It’s a very “first world" problem, I know)
Welcome, Stephanie! I love these posts!
We are like you in terms of using a points credit card (the points are associated with flights) and we use them to fund annual trips. It's a great hack and a really nice way to see the world without breaking the bank.
And libraries are the best!
Future glorious travel stop suggestion:
Upper Peninsula of Michigan from August to mid October.
Stephanie it was so nice to meet you! I will check out your blog…
@Stephanie, I have a cousin there! Yes, I'll bet it is beautiful! Also, PEI in Canada is on my list. Big Anne of Green Gables fan here!
@Stephanie D., PEI is on my Bucket List, too! 🙂 I am also a huge Anne of Green Gables fan!
Stephanie, this is all so exciting! Thanks for sharing part of your life with us and providing a link to your blog to follow along on your journey. (I especially enjoyed seeing your minimal wardrobe and your before/after pics of downsizing.) Just the other day, my husband and I were discussing the upside of renting Airbnbs for the rest of our lives.
@MB in MN, you might like the book Your Keys, Our Home by Debbie and Michael Campbell.
@Stephanie D., thanks for the recommendation!
Stephanie, Thanks for a glimpse into your plans. I am in my first year of retirement and a major focus is on travel as well. My farmer husband and his walnut orchards keep us rooted in Northern California but he is a good egg about my migrating seasons. He actually came with me to Antartica which was amazing.
My current project is 7 continents and the 63 National Parks. If all goes well, I will have 40% of the Parks completed and only Asia and Oceania left by the end of the year. I have found that a hotel credit card is much more lucrative for me than airplane miles. I put all household expenses on it. My card gives me fourth night free, anniversary nights, and pays my annual fee. I have a week at an all inclusive beach resort in Morocco for about $500, over half my hotel nights for this week's Florida, and family holidays. Often there is a kitchen. When there is not, I pack meals I can heat in the rooms if it is a thrifty month. I am also a backpacker which saves on travel costs tremendously.
I have discovered this year I am a homebody and like to touch base after about 2 weeks. Who knew? I have bookmarked your blog to see how your journey goes.
Oh, that's interesting about the hotel card. Which one do you recommend?
@Kristen,
IHG. They will have a points promo a couple of times a year - I think mine was 125,000. That could be a nice four nights somewhere.
@Mary Ann, You traveled to Antarctica? Wow! How was that? My dad is on a mission to visit national parks too. For Christmas I bought him a water bottle with spots for stickers of the national parks. As he visits them he can add a sticker!
Smart about the hotel rewards card. There are so many options for credit card rewards if used responsibly. I’m a fan!
@Stephanie D.,
Antartica was the closest experience I'll ever get to landing on the moon. Life is precious and protected. There are no land mammals native. Moss is protected. You can not sit, stand, lean or touch anything. That is how life there is valued. It is awe inspiring in its scapes and humbling when you return to the abundance of life here in North America.
I have a scratch off poster for the parks. The three most difficult will be in Alaska.
I cannot wrap my head around not having a home, because I NEED my own dirt, outdoor space, place to unload and regroup, filled (but not too full) with the stuff that feels right to me. And a community where I know the people, am there for them and vice versa.
So I am in awe and rather gobsmacked that someone would choose to live nowhere in particular. You now have a new subscriber to your blog, @Stephanie D!! I will be like the kid next door, watching you through the knothole in the fence.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I completely get that. It will be interesting to see what we miss when we start this. Right now, we don't know what we don't know! Ignorance is bliss!
Sometimes the Meet a Readers from people who are the most unlike me are the most interesting. I have zero interest in traveling for its own sake; I have no interest in professional sports (except for our usually hapless AAA baseball team, which the Bestest Neighbors and I cheer on in person for a few games a year); and I banished TV from the house years ago. But different strokes for different folks, as always. And we do share a belief in paying off credit cards in full every month!
Yes! It's so interesting to see the varied ways people live their lives.
@A. Marie, I wish I could banish the tv sometimes! Then sports seasons roll around again (the only one we don’t watch is basketball) and I know I would be out at Sam’s buying a new one!
How exciting! Also - I LOVE the library, I tell people all the time it is a "fountain of free"! Mine has museum and orchestra passes, and you can borrow tools/small machinery for household fixer upper tasks!!
@Cheryl, I'm going to check to see if mine has orchestra passes! My youngest is an aspiring composer!
Nice to meet you! It will be interesting to see how your plans work out. I am happiest with travel for a particular goal or project or interest, or in general with a home to go to. Maybe my father, who loved to travel and didn't care where, influenced me more than I realized?
@Kristina, Yeah, I think we’re going to have to find a few places where we set some roots we can come back to over the years. I suspect we’ll find 3-4 places that we always gravitate to and where we have made friends. Hopkins, Belize is already like that for us.
Hi Stephanie! I loved reading about your life. Rosie is a cutie, and your travel pictures are beautiful.
Can you talk more about the specifics of how you're getting rid of your things? Are you selling items (and if so, how?), donating them to charity, giving them away to friends and family? Are you doing it a little at a time, or waiting until it's closer to the time you'll sell your house? I've always thought of myself as a minimalist, but I often look around my home and realize I have way more stuff than I need.
@BJS, Yes, yes, and yes! We started early on with some easy things, like long overdue attic and basement clean outs. We digitized all of our photo albums one weekend. Now we’re into a more intentional clutter-removal. We’re doing a room a month until we move. The goal is for everything that can be re-homed in that room to be gone by the end of that month. We started in guest rooms, which were easy. We’ve saved rooms we truly live in for closer to the end. And every time I paint a room, we fill in the holes from pictures and shelving and those leave the house.
We do a mixture of selling, our local Buy Nothing group, and giving away to thrift stores or family/friends. Our neighborhood allows garage sales twice a year on specific weekends, so I have used those dates to put things out for free in our driveway (I refuse to put price tags on items – if it’s small I’ll just give it away).
Libraries and librarians rule. ❤️
Whoah! Your closet, impressed. From MN. We need clothes for 30 below up thru 90. We travel a lot also so seasonal clothes come in handy. Agree, that finding your style really cuts back on clothing purchases.
One of our travel nurse friends lives in an RV so he is always home wherever his next assignment takes him. Another removed the couch from his RV so he could take his piano. Where there's a will...
@Linda Sand, that's awesome!
@Linda Sand, love this!
@Linda Sand, Wow!! That's cool! A traveling piano!
thanks for sharing. i will check out your blog. you take capsule wardrobe to a new level. we live in a 750 sq ft 1 bedroom in manhattan. my about to be 14 yr old son and my about to be 17 yr old daughter share my closet. so it would never look like yours. very impressive. love the photo of rosie and all the other photos too. good luck to you and your family. thanks for posting.
@Anita Isaac, You should do meet a reader! I would love to see your life in Manhattan!
@Stephanie D., thanks i have been thinking about it for years but am computer illiterate and hubby would have to help me with photos. he has been very sick but he made it through last week's operation. thank g-d. i missed thankful thursday because he came home from the hospital that day. i am going to get my son to help me bookmark your blog. when i had no family i wanted to retire to panama. really costa rica but i have heard panama is cheaper.
Oh yes it would be fun to feature you! No pressure but just so you know, all you have to do is answer the questions via email; I do all the work of putting it into a post. 🙂
I wonder if your son could help you with photos!
I hope that your husband feels better soon. <3
@Anita Isaac, I second Stephanie's suggestion of meet the reader. I've never been to the NE. I would love to see how you live. 3 people in 750 sqft, wow.
@Anita Isaac, best wishes to your hubby for his recovery, and to all of you as you work your way through this.
@Anita Isaac, I would love to hear about your life in NYC?!!Do a “MEET THE READER!!! “ I am sure we could all learn some things from someone who lives in an expensive city…
@Ginger Bruce, actually 4. hubby lives there too. and we have a 3yr old cockapoo named buddy.
@Madeline, i will see if my son will help with the photos. we don't have a car, a dishwasher or air condiitioning.
@Anita Isaac,
I hope your hubby feels better soon! An acquaintances from high school spends a month or so every January or February in Costa Rica....I think they own a place down there. I don't know how it compares in cost of living to Panama, but its incredibly beautiful where they stay!
@Anita Isaac,
Being in Texas, I cannot imagine a life without air conditioning! I guess here in the South, that would be like a life without heat in the Arctic.
I am green with envy regarding your travel plans! I would love to be in a position to travel like that! But since I'm not, would you come purge MY closet? (LOL)
@Sheila, careful what you wish for! LOL!
I travel all the time and it’s anything but glamorous, it’s a grind. It’s the homebodies that make destinations worth while.
@Tiana, it can be, yes. We will be staying in one spot for about 3 months at a time so we should be able to relax a bit between travel days. Weirdly, I love the travel days! My husband tolerates them in order to get to the beach!
OMG Stephanie! Your house is beautiful -- the stairway railing and the hardwood floors-- and I can't imagine wanting to sell/leave a place like that! Even though your adventures sound exciting. I guess I'm just a homebody at heart. But happy trails to you and may your travels be glorious!
I'm just curious if you have a time frame for doing this. Like are you going to do it til you reach a certain age or retire? And then will you come back to the U.S.? Buy another home? Wondered why you wouldn't rent your home rather than sell it. Also curious if you are working remote permanently --- so many employees have been called back to take seats in regular 9-5 offices. And many were not expecting that. Sounds interesting, but also a little scary. Have fun!
We sold all of our belongings in 2018 and retired in an RV. We sold our homes and have no storage units anywhere. Everything we own is with us. So my answer is YES! to getting rid of 85-90% of your belongings in order to live a nomadic life. It wasn't easy parting with (some) things but the FREEDOM has been well worth it. We will do this for about 10 years and then reevaluate.
Best of luck in your new venture!