Why I Started a Frugal Living Blog

Why I Started A Frugal Living Blog – My Story

Reading through my posts, it occurred to me that I haven’t given you, my readers, much information as to why I chose to start a frugal living blog. I’ve been posting my recipes, deals, and tips, but before I go on… Let me tell you a bit more about myself!! Update: I now have a Self-Care blog too! You can check it out here.

Since I was young, I have always had an interest in writing. I aspire to write a book one day. (As I continue to research blogging, I’m finding it is possible with an e-book). I know I am not the best writer out there, but I enjoy it, so that is good enough for me – and hopefully you too 😀.

I have also enjoyed writing in journals throughout the last few decades of my life. Writing is so therapeutic and relaxing. It feels good to put those words on paper!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you, so I thank you! You can read my full disclaimer here.

Life as a Frugal Mommy Blogger

Fast forward, I am now a former special education teacher turned homemaker! Yet, I really never dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom.

I used to tell my mom that I would go back to work when I had the baby, no problem. She advised me I would change my mind once I saw my baby… And once again, mother knows best. (Update, my kids are now seven and nine – Wow! Time flies.)

After my son was born, I extended my maternity leave for as long as I could. Finally, after seventh months of being home with just baby and me and against all my motherly instincts, I had to go back to work.

Going back to work and leaving my baby at daycare was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Not being with him made me feel like I was missing so much and I missed him terribly. The demands of being a special education teacher in a new position (I got bumped out of my position after working for twelve years), was extremely draining and taking a toll.

Sick Days & Blogging

Nonetheless, my baby got really sick from daycare and stopped sleeping through the night, due to terrible ear infections. This broke my heart. It was very hard to watch a seventh-month-old baby get sick time, after time, after time. He eventually needed tubes in his ears at ten months (talk about parenting decisions and guilt).

After going through this, my school district allowed me to take a voluntary lay-off for the following school year and I again got to stay home with my little guy. He was now a happy and healthy – with no ear infections – little toddler. He was a little ball full of energy, that loved to run through the house and jump all over! Furthermore, during that summer, I found out I was pregnant again with baby boy number two.

I realized if I was able to work from home, I would be able to take care of my sons, even when there were sick. I wouldn’t have the stress of calling in sick and making sure there were lesson plans for a substitute teacher.

Why I Left to Become a Frugal Living Blogger

Now I’m faced with going back to work and I knew after the first time, how incredibly hard it is for teachers to have kids. How do they do it year after year? Where does a teacher get the energy to teach kids all day long and then go home to their own kids??? I give them the utmost respect! (It goes without saying, I give stay-at-home moms this same respect!)

After my second son was born, I took a leave of absence and finally resigned. This was a hard decision, as I had been working in the same district for 13 years. I left people I considered family, but continued my new life with my family.

It helped that I made money from my blog the first month I started blogging. I started to see how affiliate marketing worked and how you can actually make money from blogging. It is rewarding to help people with my passions and get paid for them. I am forever grateful for this opportunity.

-Update 2/2021-I am also so thankful I am at home now that Covid has hit. It was a blessing that I was able and still am able to be at home with my kids during these difficult times. I also started teaching from home in my pursuit of side hustles and work for a company called VIPKid because I missed teaching. Many do not realize, there are so many stay-at-home mom jobs out there and if you want to stay with your kids, you can totally do it.

If you ever have any questions about these side hustles feel free to message me or leave me a comment. I learned how to blog from other bloggers and I followed frugal living blogs like Believe in a Budget and Money-Saving Mom when I got started.

If you are considering starting a blog, check out these posts:

Frugal Upbringing

As a child my parents always emphasized budgeting, paying bills on time, and saving money wherever possible. I would say I had a frugal upbringing. I was able to learn the value of hard work and how saving money could actually help me build wealth. Since I had this instilled in me at a young age, I wanted to share my insights with others. It is a passion of mine to help others save money so they can learn to build and manage wealth.

Frugal Living Blog Time

Sitting jobless for the first time since I was thirteen, I started thinking about my frugal upbringing. I started couponing and found savings tricks to all my favorite stores (TARGET – Check out my post on Target savings tips).

My husband continues to work hard and support us. For that I am grateful. I am lucky that I have the option to stay at home with my kids. Not everyone is able to do that, but I would still like to contribute in some way.

So my idea to contribute is to combine my frugal habits with a helpful blog and see what I can make of it. I’m hoping you enjoy reading my tips and tricks to live a more frugal life!

So come and enjoy this journey with me!

What I Started a Frugal Living Blog Final Thoughts…

You now know how I got here and why I chose to blog. It means the world to me that you are reading my blog and helping me in my journey to stay home with my kids!

If you are a stay-at-home mom, you know it is not always easy to add another job to your plate. However, I feel with some hard work and dedication, I will be able to achieve my goals.

As always, I hope you enjoyed my post. Leave me a comment about your story. Did you stay home with your kids? Did you go back to work? Both are tough decisions and I support you either way. Let me know if you have any questions!

I Heart Frugal

Why I Started a Frugal Living Blog