Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living BY ELIZABETH WILLARD THAMES
About the book
This book is a personal story following the author, Elizabeth Willard Thames, and her family as they transition from a life in the city to a more frugal lifestyle. The book follows the family as they retire in a homestead in the Vermont woods from a 9-5 work life in the city as young professionals. The family embraced a purpose-driven and meaningful life through frugality.
Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living is the deeply personal story of how the couple Elizabeth and Nate Thames pursue their dream of becoming modern-day homesteaders in rural Vermont. They achieved their dreams by saving a huge amount of money—more than seventy percent of their salary combined. They dubbed themselves as the Frugalwoods, and Elizabeth began documenting their journey.
Review
Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living is a respected book in the finance industry, especially when it comes to early retirement and frugal lifestyle blogging. It empowers readers to take the jump for change and turn their lives for the better. This book teaches people how to wisely handle their finances through frugal means, which in turn creates fulfilling lives.
However, this book seems to be different compared to the blogs written by Elizabeth on her website. It has a different voice and writing style. It talks about giving up the mundane things in life and leading a more frugal one, even though the author, Thames, belonged to the upper-middle class. In a way, this is a different point of view from people who have a lower-middle-class income. The circumstances are, of course, different for the two classes, and it is fairly easier to save money when you have lots of it. Sadly, this is a different story for those who survive on their lower-class income and are struggling to save money aside from the bills they regularly pay.
About the author
Elizabeth Willard Thames is the author of award-winning blog Frugalwoods.com. She is a personal finance blogger who lives with her husband and kids in a homestead in Vermont Woods. Thames holds Bas in creative writing and political science from the University of Kansas and received her MA in public administration from American University.
