Top Ten 2014 Frugal Girl Posts
Happy New Year, dear readers! I hope you had a fun New Year's Eve.
I actually, um, spent mine working on my laundry room.
I am such a party animal.
But really, Mr. FG had to fill in for someone at work last night, so it's not like anything exciting was going on here.
And besides, the progress I made on my laundry room is pretty exciting to me.
I'll show you before and afters, I promise, but since today is the first day of the new year, I thought it might be fun to do a roundup post of the top ten posts from 2014.
(Mainly because I really, really enjoy reading these lists on other blogs!)
Just click on the title of each post in the list to open up each individual post.
1. How to lower your smartphone bill (to $21/month)
This is the top post from 2014, probably because the idea of a $21 smartphone bill is completely irresistible.
Our bill is so low thanks to Ting Wireless, and after having had my phone and their service for a year now, I can still happily say that I adore everything about my plan.
2. How to make fluffy homemade hamburger buns
Apparently there's a lot of demand out there for a good fluffy homemade hamburger bun recipe, because this one comes in at number two on the list.
These are awfully fabulous buns, and not just for sandwiches. Try one split in half, toasted, and spread with cream cheese and raspberry jam.
It's pretty much better than a Danish.
3. Because $90,000 isn't enough. Clearly.
I'm mostly pretty positive around here, but occasionally, I get annoyed about something, like, say, the "I just need more money." mindset.
To a point, this is valid (Oh my gosh, the difference between $30,000 and $50,000 is tremendous!), but if you get too comfy with thinking you "just need more money", then you'll pretty much never have enough.
4. Top Ten Things to Buy at Costco
This should really be titled, "The Top Ten Things I Buy at Costco" because heaven knows everyone's household is different.
But hey, if you wanna see what I buy, click on over!
5. How to replace a broken jean button
I used to think replacing a metal rivet would be complicated, but I was pleased to learn that it's actually super easy.
Not only did I fix my own jeans, but I also used my skills to fix a pair of Zoe's jeans just very recently.
6. How to turn ugly frames/prints into chalkboards
This is a post I did for Cabot stain, and it was so much fun. I used Cabot stain on Goodwill frames and then used chalkboard paint on the glass to make snazzy chalkboards from old, ugly frames.
7. We're going somewhere expensive (Disney!)
This trip evolved out of a partnership with Glad's food waste initiative. We'd never been to Disney as a family, so I asked you all for advice, and you came through with flying colors.
Lots of great ideas in the comments.
(And here's how our trip went.)
8. I bought a Vitamix!
I owned this blender for about a year before I wrote about it, so I guess now it's been almost two years since I bought it.
I still love it muchly.
9. How to be an obnoxious money saver
This tongue-in-cheek post was inspired by observing some not-so-pleasant aspects of frugal people (including myself!).
It probably made the top ten list because we all love to read about other people's obnoxiousness. 😉
10. 7 Tips for Making Great MyPublisher Photo Books
I had such a great time writing this post. Photographing life and then taking those photos and making them into books has always been one of my favorite things to do, and it's delightful to write about things you love to do.
You guys had some photography questions after reading that post, so this year I'm drafting up a series of posts with simple tips for taking better pictures.
___________________
Thanks so much for choosing to read my blog this year, and thank you for commenting and emailing...hearing from readers is the highlight of blogging for me.
You guys are the best. Mwah!
(Also, you have lovely taste in blogs, I must say. 😉 )
Happy New Year!
Hi Kristen, thanks for sharing. Question--yesterday and today both I've been getting several pop up ads on the mobile version of your site. Is this supposed to be happening? Thanks.
Ugh! No, that is definitely NOT supposed to be happening. I'm so sorry. I'll look into which ad network is leaking popups onto my site. Thank you for letting me know.
I hadn't read some of these, so thanks for pulling up some oldies but goodies. 🙂 Happy New Year!
I agree: it's fun to read "year in review" posts. And to do them :). I like seeing what people really connected with during the year.
Happy New Year to you too. You write one of my favorite blogs and I'm so glad I found it. You had a huge impact on our family this year! It started with your Food Waste Friday posts, which I found so refreshing, and I started doing the same. It's been such a positive influence for us because I have reduced our food waste A LOT just with the accountability of posting about it online (even if no one ever reads my blog) and realizing that no one is perfect. I also loved your more recent post where you shared how messy your house had become. Your pictures are so beautiful, it's easy to think that your house must be spotless (well, much cleaner and more organized than mine) at all times and it was nice to see a pictorial of what real life is too. Even though intellectually I know that there is no way everyone else's house is always immaculate, I guess I still beat myself up for not being able to duplicate this effortlessly, hahaha. Your posts are usually a breath of fresh air, informative, and I love that even though you use sponsored content and links, it's not overwhelming and you really stand 100% behind the products. Your blog doesn't feel like a shameless and endless product plug, IMO, and I appreciate it.
I also baked your sandwich bread several times (delicious and easy!) although I admit that I only did the fluffy buns once and I messed up and they didn't turn up. I need to try them again.
I just shared your post about Ting with my oldest son who is in college. He's on his dad's plan now but he'll have to start paying his own bills pretty soon and the post is so well-written and so descriptive that I'm sure he'll find it useful.
I hope your family is on the mend and that you all have a great 2015. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing all that you do.
Aww, I am so encouraged to hear that your food waste has been so minimized. Yay!!!!
Kristen, I agree with the food being minimized! Why do you think we waste so much food as a society today?
Mainly because it's so cheap, I think. If food cost us more, we'd value it more highly.
Another big factor is general cluelessness about how long food is good for and also how to salvage food that has gone slightly off (a bad spot on a pear, or a banana that's overripe).
You know, you are without a doubt correct. If we actually were able to value food and what it does for we would probably treat it differently.
What would be the best way for me as a 21 year old kid who will be two years away from home serving a mission to be able to learn how to salvage food?
Boy, that's a tough one! So much of my salvaging revolves around having a kitchen at my disposal.
If I were traveling for two years, though, I suppose I'd have to focus more on really thoughtful buying...making sure to buy only what I actually needed and then paying strict attention to using what I bought BEFORE it needed to be salvaged.
I love year in review posts, too!
I haven't been blogging for a year yet, but I did share my favorite posts on the blog today, if you'd like to stop by and see what I've been up to.
I'm looking forward to what you bring us in 2015!
Hopping over now to take a peek!
I am looking forward to your photography series! I love taking pictures but they all turn out kind of blah. I am also considering My Publisher for my 2014 book containing my blah pictures. They look beautiful.
Thank YOU for a consistently outstanding blog. I always look forward to reading your thoughts. Happy new year.
It's been a great year! One of my favorites was your take on "Because $90,000 isn't enough. Clearly." So insightful, yet practical. I always enjoy what you have to share, Kristen. Many blessings to you and your family this new year!
We took the plunge this year and bought the Vitamix. We picked up a refurbished 6300 from the factory store in Cleveland for $400 (after tax) while we were visiting family. It's been great so far, especially for keeping our freezer stocked with baby food. I haven't calculated how much we've saved by making baby food in bulk and freezing it, rather than buying stuff from the store, but I'm sure we've put a pretty good dent in the purchase price of the blender. Not to mention how much better the homemade stuff tastes.
We had a very frugal New Year's at a friend's house, homemade food, couple bottles of wine, toddlers asleep in the bedrooms (no sitters).
Our cosmopolitan friend told us that in some European country (France?) it is traditional to spend all day New Year's Eve cleaning your house, so as to start the new year fresh. So you must have been subconsciously tapping to that :-).
You should do a cookbook. You always find creative ways to use stuff. Making your own potatoe bread is amazing. I wouldn't know where to start but I love it. Keep up the good ideas.
I read your post about the family that couldn't live on $90K a year. Truly it was laughable! They are disorganized and spend all their money on crap they don't need, most likely eating out (like the pic in the post). They can't pay their electric bill, but go out to eat?! Really?!