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Liz a.k.a. Mrs. Frugalwoods left her city life to move to a homestead in Vermont with her husband and daughter. She’s now pregnant with their second child and loving rural living. We talk to Liz about the impact of frugal living on a person’s development and the environment, her financial independence journey, and tips for those considering homesteading or buying rural property.
We LOVED our chat with Liz and think you’ll enjoy it too. It may even motivate you to go roadside scavenging next weekend for free clothes and furniture!
We also chat about…
- Collecting homesteading skills
- Embracing the power of DIY and insourcing
- Mr. Frugalwood’s chainsaw chaps (what are these?)
- Raising kids with all used things
- Guidelines for dumpster diving & where Liz draws the line
- The environmental aspect of frugal living
- Looking good on less
Enjoy this chat with Liz, and please subscribe to us in iTunes if you enjoyed it!
Show notes and links from today’s episode
- Frugalwoods (Liz’s AWESOME blog)
- Liz’s Instagram
- The Myth of Gross Used Things
- Liz’s Guidelines for Picking Up Roadside Items
- City vs Country – which is cheaper?
- Meet the Frugalwoods – Liz’s new book!!
Key takeaways from our chat with Liz from Frugalwoods
1 – You don’t need a background in homesteading to live this lifestyle
Liz and her husband Nate lived the city life for years before they left to live out their dreams of living on a homestead.
They had no idea how to do any of the homestead lifestyle tasks but they committed to the lifestyle and learned.
Her husband Nate even took a chainsaw safety course so he could fell wood (and he has chainsaw chaps – what are those?)
2 – DIY and Insourcing can bring you more in touch with your life
The “IKEA effect” is when you are happier with products you make yourself.
If you have never assembled a piece of furniture from IKEA, you have no idea what I mean. Hint: It takes forever and there are lots of little screws.
Liz and her husband love baking bread, growing their own food, tending for their home and get so much joy out of the work.
They are so glad that they made the leap to live on the homestead in Vermont.
3 – Used stuff is not gross
Liz found a $300 Lands End coat that she wears every day.
She’s raised her toddler on all used clothes and toys.
All of her furniture is sourced used.
Liz has even found clothes in the trash on the side of the road.
Her quick tips:
- When you’re sourcing on Craigslist, go into the seller’s home and get a good read on the cleanliness.
- Take stuff to the laundromat to wash first and not your house!
- You can use craigslist and buy/sell Facebook groups and get a good read of the situation.
- Use common sense. Avoid bugs!
4 – You can’t buy your way into environmentalism
When you buy used you are circumventing carbon consumption, keeping something out of a landfill, and doing your part.
Liz believes that buying used gives you a greater appreciation for your things, reduces consumption, and decreases your environmental impact.
5 – Buying a homestead requires a lot of research (+ more research)
If you’re interested in buying in a rural area, Liz recommends you look into:
- health of septic system and well
- driveway
- water runoff
- siding
- assess the health of the forest
- clock your distance to the town, grocery store, doctor’s office
- look into the internet
- cell phone coverage
- school districts
Rural properties can sit on the market for years. It’s difficult to find comps.
Liz recommends that you don’t buy a homestead for a financial investment and instead buy it because it’s the life you want to live.
It can be easier to buy a standard home than getting a loan to build a home.
Liz has a 4% interest rate which is good for a rural property. You may have to put more down.
She also counts the property as a zero in her net worth and recommends others not put stock in appreciation on a rural property (unless they live in a rural area and think it could be an investment).
Buying a rural property isn’t for everyone but something that has brought tremendous joy to her family.
She shares even more details in her new book.
If you pre-order Liz’s book before March 13th, she will send you a free signed bookplate!
Check out her book on Amazon -> Meet the Frugalwoods – Financial Independence through Simple Living
Questions for us or Liz? Leave us a comment!
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