A 30-year-old homemaker from Pennsylvania has learned how to manage a thriving household on a single income and is now sharing her tips for living a fancy frugal life.
Amy, a mom of three children under the age of 5, graduated with a degree and had a career first, working with individuals with developmental and physical disabilities and then, managing a midsized company’s human resources department.
‘We Have Not Just Survived, We Have Managed to Thrive’
When Amy and her husband, Zack, who works as a contractor, hadn’t yet become parents, they were living on two incomes, thus, their lifestyle was different. They had a meal subscription, television subscriptions, and would go out often to eat as they didn’t have to worry about finances.However, after the birth of their first child, the couple decided Amy would stay home and embrace motherhood. But the path to fulfilling this desire was not without hiccups.
“When we went down to a single income, we had some major adjustments to make,” Amy told the Epoch Times. “I live my life by the old-fashioned motto, ‘Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
With having to feed a family of five and navigating through an expensive economy, Amy said: “We have not just survived, we have managed to thrive through careful spending and cutting back on lots of unnecessary expenses.”
Practicing old-fashioned life skills has played a key role in this. Amy now cooks at home instead of eating out or using a meal subscription.
“I keep very busy with making most of our food from scratch, mending our clothes, and making do with so much that we currently have, without having to go out and buy much new stuff,” she said.
Her daily life is full to the brim with homeschooling, household chores, and baking.
Throughout the week, she tries to sprinkle in some fun activities for her children such as dance classes, library trips, and playdates.
Tips to Achieve Frugality
Amy admits that being frugal requires “quite a bit of work.”- Stock your pantry with staple ingredients that you can make many meals from.
- Learn some new skills, like basic mending and home repairs.
- Start a garden and learn to can. Get a large freezer to preserve your own homegrown vegetables. If you don’t want or have space for a garden just be wise about shopping according to the seasons, fruits and vegetables are much cheaper during their season.
- Stop comparing your life to others. Enjoy where you are right now in your life. Even when you’re collecting every bit of loose change, remember to count your blessings daily.
- Find your village. Life can feel suffocating when you’re doing it all alone.
Amy began a mom group and has a group of closely-knit friends. From swapping clothes and toys to sharing struggles, she said her community has been “life-saving.”
Moreover, the group has supported her whenever she and her family have been sick, and she reciprocates whenever she can.
‘Fancy Frugal’ Living
Amy first began her Instagram account to share about her large flower garden. However, when she posted a video of a vintage family recipe that was rooted in The Great Depression era, her account got really popular.“I then started sharing about how you can live a ‘fancy’ or aesthetically pleasing life in a frugal manner, and it just took off,” she said.
The response to her content has been incredible, with a community of over 118,000 following her journey.
“We are all looking to cut costs and make a dollar stretch as far as we can,” Amy said.
“It has been so fun and encouraging to see how many feel motivated by what I have to share and how many connections I have made with others who live in a similar way.”
Her success on social media has led her to begin writing a book about frugal living, sharing tips that she’s accumulated in her 30 years of life.
In sharing her journey with others, Amy wants people to know that she’s a normal mom.
“I’m not perfect, and my life isn’t cookie-cutter,“ she said. ”My story isn’t all that unique, there are so many other moms and dads in the same boat as me and my family. We just simply want to be happy.”
