Meet an Alabama Reader | Jessy
Today we're heading to the southern part of the U.S. to meet a reader from Alabama. I think you are going to love seeing the little guys that she crochets; so cute!
Here's Jessy:
1.Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Jessy. I’m a stay at home wife and foster mom. We live in northeast Alabama and my husband teaches third grade and is the cross country coach.
I taught ballet before the pandemic but that isn’t going to start back as I was doing it through a homeschooling group that has decided not to meet anymore.
We started fostering this year and have had a toddler living with us since May.
We like hiking, visiting museums and historical sites (husband and I are big history buffs), and we have several hobbies that we enjoy.
The next photo is Little River Falls in Little River Canyon near Mentone, Alabama. There are lots of hiking trails and we like driving the loop road to see the canyon from different perspectives.
Next, this is Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama. It’s one of our favorite places to visit.
I have made my own soap, deodorant and bread.
Pumpkin bread with millet:
Whole wheat bread:
I also taught myself how to crochet last year during the lock down and I have gotten into amigurumi.
I enjoy cooking and baking and I’m the family genealogist and researcher.
One of my creations. I like to tweak recipes.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
Definitely since 2014 possibly as early as 2013 since that’s when we got married. I was a new wife trying to figure out how to spend money wisely and manage a household while finishing up college and I stumbled across Kristen’s blog.
It’s the only blog that I still follow and I have learned a lot from Kristen especially about meal planning and saving money.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
Growing up my parents had a lot of debt and my dad always told me and my siblings to never go into debt or to be sure that we could pay something off quickly. I saw and felt the stress of all that and so I try to be careful with how I spend and save money. It also helps that my husband is frugal too. 😊
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
Like I said above the stress and strain of my parents being in debt is something I did not like experiencing and there were things we would have been able to do more readily if they had not been.
I had a lot of anxiety from seeing my parents struggle with debt and I didn’t want to continue that into my adult life.
5. What's your best frugal win?
My husband 😂
Seriously though my husband is the main reason we don’t have any debt. Before we met and married he had already paid off his student loans and built our house. He saved the money up and paid for the house as he could and did a lot of the work himself with the help of friends.
So, we don’t have a mortgage and he had already established a budget.
Our driveway. The leaves were gorgeous this year.
6. What's a dumb money mistake you've made?
My first car. While I didn’t spend a lot of money on it and I paid it off quickly, it was a junk car. More money was spent on repairing it than what I actually paid for it when it was all said and done.
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
Hotel rooms.
My husband and I like to travel when we can and we have learned that it’s better to spend a little bit more for a good hotel. We can save money in other areas but we also set money aside specifically for vacations so we don’t have to worry about it.
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Also, we splurge on books!
We are avid readers and therefore we own a lot of books and buy books as gifts for others. We read a lot of children’s books since my husband teaches 3rd grade and he use to be a reading intervention teacher. He doesn’t like giving his students books to read that he hasn’t read himself and I help him out with that.
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Electronics!
We usually buy refurbished phones and we found our Mac laptop at Unclaimed Baggage for half the price of buying a new one. We will shop around and find a good deal on used electronics before we ever consider buying it brand new.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
Probably put it in savings. We just bought the newest car that either of us has ever owned. We saved the money for several years and we bought it outright knowing that we would have it for a long time hopefully.
So, we have been putting any extra money we make back into that savings account.
10.Share a frugal tip with other Frugal Girl readers
Wait before buying an item that you need if you can or see if you can borrow it from someone if it’s not something you would need to use all the time. A lot of times we will wait for a sale or see if we can find what we are looking for used or try to borrow from friends.
Also, ask older people in your life how they saved money. I learned a lot about frugality from my grandparents because they grew up in rural areas and their parents were farmers and coal miners. I can cook a meal for 10+ people for fairly cheap because my grandmother taught me how to cook. She was one of 9 kids and did most all the cooking for them.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
Most people around here will share anything especially when the garden comes in. No one around here does a small garden and once they have from it what they want they are more than happy to share what’s left. You just have to do the work.
_____________
Jessy, I love, love, love your amigurumi. So cute!!
And I loved seeing your photos of Alabama. I don't think I have a very good picture in my head about what Alabama scenery is like; I didn't know you all had waterfalls like that. Beautiful!
Hi Jessy,
Nice to meet another Alabama lady! We grew up and live in northeast Alabama. I'm glad you shared pictures of our beautiful state. I think people don't realize how much natural beauty there is here between the mountains and white sandy beaches. Alabama is also a hotspot for caves and there are many amazing ones you can visit. My personal favorite is Cathedral Caverns, probably because I can remember going there on school field trips.
Growing up my family also had a lot of debt and I felt the strain of that on the family. My husband's family are very frugal so it was nice to learn from them.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season.
@Beverly, You just posted basically what I was thinking! I am a south Alabama girl and I think our state is the best. We have a wide variety of natural beauty and so much history. We all live with it and I know people with Civil War bunkers in their back yard!
@Sabrina,
Hello, fellow Alabamians! I am in northwest Alabama, and concur that our state is gorgeous. It might not be as famous in its scenery as others, but it certainly has hidden treasures, if you are willing to look for them. Good luck to you, Jessy, on your foster care journey, as I am sure it is challenging!!
@st, Sabrina and Beverly years ago when my husband lost his job and we were starting to think about retirement I read several books about the best place on the country to retire and low and behold guess what came out number 1 for many reasons, northern Alabama. I have never forgotten this and always wanted to visit there.
I'm so impressed and happy for you that you learned from your parents' money mistakes. My sister-in-law was in serious debt all her life and sadly both her children have followed in her footsteps. It's been difficult and sad to watch!
Jessy,
Thank you for sharing today. I get the feeling that you are a calm and peaceful person from your post and that's quite a blessing in today's times! It sounds like you are an avid learner (reading, observing others and learning by their example and advice) and who doesn't like being around someone who validates and values others? I'm happy to "meet" you and to enjoy your lovely perspectives on life today!
Nice to meet you Jessy! What beautiful scenery near your home….
Thanks for sharing the beauty of Alabama as well as your crochet and kitchen talents. I had no idea it is so beautiful there. I feel a very positive attitude in your interview. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Jessy,
Great post. Thanks for sharing. You certainly married the right guy. Love your pictures.
Was it hard to become a foster parent? Is the toddler adjusting well? I hope so. I have never been to Alabama but your pictures make me want to visit.
@Anita Isaac,
It was definitely a process. We had to go through classes for 10 weeks plus home studies before getting certified. It wasn’t hard per se but it did take a good bit of time. The toddler is adjusting well. and has been worth every minute.
@Jessy, Thank you for answering. My husband and I went through classes. But at the time we had two homes and we would have had to ask for permission to take a foster child across state lines. It got too complicated. But I always wanted to foster and adopt kids. Now we live in a one bedroom NYC apt 750 sq. ft with two of our own kids. It is a blessing for sure.
I grew up in northwest Georgia and am familiar with the beautiful areas in your photos. Also a fellow crocheter, and I love your giraffe!
Hotels are something my frugal husband and I spend more on when we travel. We don't travel often and we choose inexpensive things to do when we take a trip, but we put a high value on a very clean, quiet, safe place to sleep.
I have to say, I can't argue with someone who says that splurge on books. I mean, I just bought two bookshelves to house a lot of mine.
Jessy,
First, I want to say thank you to you and your husband for fostering. It's so important! You are literally changing lives.
I loved your pictures, and Gulf Shores is one of our favorite beaches. One of my best memories is swimming there on our last day of vacation, after a big storm the night before, and we ended up swimming alongside a school of dolphins. It was amazing.
You and your husband have this no-debt thing down. I'm really impressed. Congratulations! And the crochet is indeed cute!
We used to drive over from Rome, GA when I was in college to go swimming in Little River Canyon. SO gorgeous! Thanks for sharing Jessy!
Hi Jessy, It was great to meet you! I loved your pictures of the waterfalls. I will have to put them on my Bucket List. I've driven through Alabama, but we didn't make any stops. Next time we will! 🙂 Thank you for fostering. It's so important.
Thanks for sharing, Jessy - I'm excited that Meet the Readers is still continuing! I enjoy these glimpses into different areas/people. Alabama is beautiful. I especially liked your picture of Noccalula Falls - it looks like you could go into the cave behind the falls to see the waterfall from the inside out - just lovely.
That's a great tip, to ask older people about their frugal habits. I think my grandparents often felt like what they did was "nothing special," but when you pulled the thread it was super impressive (like those meals for a dozen+)!
Third grade is such a great age for getting into books. Your husband's students are blessed to have a teacher (and his wife : ) who is into reading and able to really support that as a skill and lifelong enjoyment!
Jessy, I really enjoyed your post. Very calming and lovely. Your tip to ask older money how they saved money is terrific. You are quite talented in amigurumi (that's my new word for the day). Your foster child is sure lucky to have you at such a critical stage. We plan to visit Alabama in the next couple years and I will add your travel spots to our list!
Oopsie "... ask older PEOPLE how they saved money..."
I’m impressed at the careful way you and your husband have crafted your frugal lifestyle. You’ve avoided so many of the pitfalls that people frequently fall into. Your area looks lovely and you’ve built a rich, creative life there. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jessy,
Thanks for sharing your life and tips with us. The nature photos were lovely, I can see why you love Noccalula Falls!
You are right about asking the older generations about frugality. My grandmothers and great-grandmother taught us well through our parents. They lived through some tough and lean times with a great can-do attitude.
Happy holidays!
Good to meet you. Gorgeous shots of Alabama. I love the amigurumi (new word to me). I'm with you about staying at better quality hotels when travelling--I will do a lot of things on the cheap, but a bad hotel can completely wreck the next day for me.
Another Alabama girl here. So nice to read about you.
Jessy nice to meet you. I think people who adopt or foster children are super stars.
My husband and I travel a lot and have stayed in some sketchy hotels/motels. One time my husband said it will be a miracle if our car is still there in the morning.
Anyway several years ago we were leaving on a trip he said can we stay in a better class of hotels and I gratefully said yes. We never looked back and just plan for the higher cost.
There is nothing worse than a gross hotel room! We have also realized that we want to splurge on a decent hotel! We just stayed in a suite (there are 6 of us) and it was wonderful to have the extra room for our kids to play in.
Oh yes, a dirty hotel room or condo feels just awful. It's hard to feel at home in a place like that.
Yes, it seems like Alabama's tourism department needs to extend its reach because there are lots of us who don't realize the variety that Alabama has to offer! 🙂
Or maybe Alabama is happy as-is...an influx of tourists might not be awesome. Ha.
It is nice to meet you. You have so many wonderfully frugal hobbies. I have recently become interested in genealogy too. Wishing you peace and good health.
What you wrote about sharing from vegetable gardens made me think of the "Darling Dahlias" books series by Susan Wittig Albert, set in Alabama during the Depression. They are one of my favorite no stress reads. I enjoyed seeing your photos!
Hi Jessy! I grew up in Huntsville and my mom is from Gadsden, so your pictures are a little glimpse of home to me. I live in Baltimore now, so closer to Kristen's neck of the woods. You and your husband seem to have a lovely, peaceful life. I loved the mention of Unclaimed Baggage, what a fun place! Finding a laptop there is a major score.
Loved this post - I didn't know about the unclaimed website and it was fun to browse it. All the crazy items lost by travelers. I saw a purse valued at $3,000. If I lost a suitcase with a $3,000 purse in it, I would make sure I found it!!
Thank you for fostering - it is such an important job and the child's life will be changed because of you and your kind heart. I always wondered how I would cope with giving the child up after having him/her for a while. Have you dealt with that?
Hello Jessy! I’m from north Alabama and I get so excited to find other Alabamians on here. I majored in Wildlife sciences and a fun fact about AL is that it is number 3 in the nation in biodiversity (behind California, Hawaii) We have mountains, rivers, waterfalls, fossils and geodes that you can literally just pick up off the ground at Joe Wheeler State park, on the migratory birding trail (so many birds! Come to Wheeler life refuge in January…unbelievable), caves, bats, and then of course our beautiful beaches. So many hiking opportunities too. Not to mention our amazing football teams:)
That is just crazy that those of us outside Alabama have not heard how diverse the scenery is.
Now I'm going to have to plan a trip!
Thanks for sharing with us, Jessy, and fort including all of the pictures of your beautiful state! I love that you read a ton of children's books... I do, too! They're so fun. 🙂