Choose Yourself

Live your best life.

Jet-setting, Spas, and Luxury

Building a frugal box makes so many aspects of money management effortless.  This weekend, I jet-setted across the country for a spa day with my stepsister.  Sounds luxurious and quite expensive, doesn't it?

Caution: Will Brake for Breaks

In the office environment, I was forced to take regular breaks from staring at my screen.  Distractions came in the form of coworkers stopping to say hello, long walks down to the campus Starbucks and in-person meetings.  A commute signaled the start and the end of the day, making it easy to shut everything off.  Working from home took away all of those automatic triggers for a mental break.  It's now on you to own your time.

Lay Off My Latte (and Other Millennial Musings)

To preface, millennials were born between approximately 1980 and 1999.  The oldest are mid 40s, and the youngest are in their 20s.  It's not just "anyone younger than me."

I wish I had more time to...

Every time you say yes, you are saying no to a million other things.

Frugal Friends Spending Symposium

There are times in life where I have been padding along, existing on autopilot.  I need something to shake things up and keep things interesting.  Sometimes that's cycling in and out of hobbies, looking at my career, reaching out to friends, or trying something new.  This week, it was the Frugal Friends Symposium.

Wonderful as always, Jen and Jill!

Little Free Libraries Update

Passion projects are so important for mental health and wellness.  My Little Free Library project took over our garage and front yard for almost an entire year.  Today, I'm excited to share that I was awarded the Todd H. Bol Awards for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of all my hard work spreading books to my community. 

Nutrition and Diet

Physical health is an important part of living your best life. Your body can do amazing things, especially when you treat it well. I've been extremely focused on healthy eating over the last year, and it's made a world of difference on my health and wellness.

It's a Boutique Fitness Life for Me

I'm not a failure for not using our home gym.

Where do we go from here? (Covid 2020)

I would never tell someone to risk health for money in this current climate by Airbnb'ing, and so many of my prior posts just don't feel empathetic to the world's current struggle. Quarantine cleaning has extended to all areas of our lives, another example of Covid leaving nothing untouched. What still has value? I feel like deleting all of it.

Right Time, Right Place

I'm about to turn another year wiser, so clearly I am feeling philosophical in my old age.

My Low Information Diet

I've been appreciating the calmness of a Low-Information Diet.  It seemed like the next logical place to practice minimalism.

Penny Hoarder Article

The Penny Hoarder shared my AirBNB tips today.  Enjoy!

How This Woman Bought Her Dream Home While Making Less Than $60K

4 Tips for Keeping Your Sanity When You’re Hosting Airbnb Guests

Envy-itis

I had a moment. The "why can't I" moment. The moment of envy from seeing someone's charmed Facebook life.

Wheat Bread 101

I’ve done it!  I’ve (kinda sorta) baked a loaf of bread!  After eating my own garden-grown vegetables last week, I’ll be like the pioneers on the Oregon Trail (except without the dysentery) in no time!  Clearly I’m progressing in the life skills department.  I wanted to share the recipe for all the other baking-challenged individuals out there.

Farmer Kristine?

It’s true! I’ve done it! I’ve eaten a vegetable that I grew myself.

I’m Officially Retired!

Well, from my Airbnb hosting duties.  I’ve hosted 74 groups, and over 380 people.  Time to share the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

Musings of an Outsourcer

As I am sitting in the living room writing this post, my new lawn service is outside diligently edging, weeding, and mowing. And it is glorious.

Book Review: Meet the Frugalwoods

The one resource you will never get back is time.  Time marches on, whether you’re ready for it to or not.  If you’re unhappy, you can’t expect that you’ll magically find happiness by continuing to do the exact same thing.  Mrs. Frugalwoods learned this lesson the hard way, but shares her insights of her newfound knowledge in a witty, thoughtful story that will likely spare you years of unhappiness and mindless consumerism.

Was It a Frugal Birthday?

I doubt some of my fellow frugal bloggers would call my fancy birthday weekend “frugal,” but rest assured, I finished off my 26th year of life with a splash.