Frugal Mama article in today's Washington Post

[Anonymous]

This whole durned article was just bizarre.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how much debt this couple carries. A properly researched, non-fluff article would have had this info. We know they have at least the mortgage and (likely) his student loans from med school. I wonder if they have car loans too. They did say they walk almost everywhere but I believe they also said they have at least one car. Prob the dad has to at least drive a car to work. I also wonder if they are saving for the kids' college tuitions. Really, all in all, this family is the opposite of frugal.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the article was pointless but to direct traffic to her friend's blog. Poor journalism.

[Anonymous]

I think she has a TV series or special coming out. That is why she got the puff piece in the Post. Her blog is blah but she definitely had help on it; ie: the content is lame, but it is clean and nicely executed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$1000 would make sense if that were the only way to get a durable table and if they had enough retirement savings. Otherwise, no.

I wouldn't care about any of it if she weren't holding herself out as a model of frugality/rational priorities.

She's only paying 500 over the cheapest table big enough to do the job. If the table lasts 15 years, that is $33 per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Lady, you are 42, have 4 young kids (one fairly recently) and you have next to no retirement savings. I have news for you - YOU don't live within your budget, and claiming to be frugal doesn't change that.

I know. I still can't get over the fact that they have zero retirement savings. And, she didn't say it, but I would bet they still have student loans from his med school. The more and more I think about it, the farther from "frugal" this family is! This article was just insane.

His practice will end up as his retirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$1000 would make sense if that were the only way to get a durable table and if they had enough retirement savings. Otherwise, no.

I wouldn't care about any of it if she weren't holding herself out as a model of frugality/rational priorities.

She's only paying 500 over the cheapest table big enough to do the job. If the table lasts 15 years, that is $33 per year.

Where did you get the $500 theory? Is she not allowed to freecycle or shop Craigslist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read her blog, but the article's description of "frugal" was laughable: public schools! cleans her own house! Dear lord, most people send their kids to public schoolas and don't have a cleaning service. That doesn't scream "frugal" to me. The again, I can't afford to SAH OR live in Tenleytown, so...

Yep, that also made me laugh. She cleans her own house, the entire 2 bedrooms, all by herself. The horor!

[Anonymous]

The blog seems to have more in common with Martha Stewart than with someone on a limited budget.

Here's a picture of me growing herbs! Here's a recipe for home-made ice cream! Here's a picture of my 4 kids on our last flight overseas!

Nothing wrong with Martha Stewart, but I wonder why she doesn't just own it. it's pretty clear that her readers aren't going to learn how to live the slow, peaceful, SAHM lifestyle she promotes on her blog (and which I'm envious of, I admit!) unless they, too, marry a future doctor. She's not making sacrifices on any significant scale. Maybe she's trying to carve out her own niche and thought "frugal" sounded better than "Martha Stewartish SAHM"?

[Anonymous]

I am the real frugal mama...not the blogger, but a real mom who is truly frugal out of necessity. I work ft out of the home, yet I (gasp) clean my own home and buy groceries myself at a variety of stores by following the sales. Our fourth child is on the way, and while we do buy some new clothing we also rely on hand me downs from older siblings and cousins. We canceled the Washington post (read it online), eat most meals at home, drive used cars, send our kids to public school, etc. But I suspect most families in this area do the exact same thing...so what's so no el about her life??? Her kids can't watch tv and don't participate in sports, etc???? And they have a garden. Whatever. I can't believe she makes money of her blog....I need to start blogging.

[Anonymous]

There are fresh cut tulips on her dinning room table -- ver frugal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the real frugal mama...not the blogger, but a real mom who is truly frugal out of necessity. I work ft out of the home, yet I (gasp) clean my own home and buy groceries myself at a variety of stores by following the sales. Our fourth child is on the way, and while we do buy some new clothing we also rely on hand me downs from older siblings and cousins. We canceled the Washington post (read it online), eat most meals at home, drive used cars, send our kids to public school, etc. But I suspect most families in this area do the exact same thing...so what's so no el about her life??? Her kids can't watch tv and don't participate in sports, etc???? And they have a garden. Whatever. I can't believe she makes money of her blog....I need to start blogging.

I'm not sure she does make money off her blog, at least not very much yet.

The whole thing doesn't really add up. Her husband just finished his medical training, but they've owned a house they've been renovating for over a year? I saw the "doctor's mortgage" site, and I wonder what interest rate you have to pay to get somebody to make you a high-risk loan like that, in an expensive area to boot? It's not a Fannie Mae, govt guaranteed loan, which means the interest rate is higher. Unless he's actually been working for this past year ... in which case she's a doctor's wife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$1000 would make sense if that were the only way to get a durable table and if they had enough retirement savings. Otherwise, no.

I wouldn't care about any of it if she weren't holding herself out as a model of frugality/rational priorities.

She's only paying 500 over the cheapest table big enough to do the job. If the table lasts 15 years, that is $33 per year.

Where did you get the $500 theory? Is she not allowed to freecycle or shop Craigslist?

frugal doesn't mean destitute. She doesn't have to do the cheapest possible thing in every corner of her life. That table could last decades and is paid for by giving up less than one year of cable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$1000 would make sense if that were the only way to get a durable table and if they had enough retirement savings. Otherwise, no.

I wouldn't care about any of it if she weren't holding herself out as a model of frugality/rational priorities.

She's only paying 500 over the cheapest table big enough to do the job. If the table lasts 15 years, that is $33 per year.

Where did you get the $500 theory? Is she not allowed to freecycle or shop Craigslist?

frugal doesn't mean destitute. She doesn't have to do the cheapest possible thing in every corner of her life. That table could last decades and is paid for by giving up less than one year of cable.

"Frugal" in the blog seem to be about making tradeoffs - the $1000 table but no cable TV. If somebody else gets cable but finds a nice table on Freecycle, does that make them "frugal" too? Most of us make some tradeoffs, because most of us can't buy absolutely everything we want.

Whereas "frugal" to many people would be getting everything from Craigslist or Freecycle -- the table and that cute red sofa and all the other nice-looking furniture in pictures on her blog. And doing without the multiple (!) plane trips to Europe and all the house renovations.

[Anonymous]

I smell family money.