My name is Julie. I am a wife to Matt and a mom to two little girls. We are perfecting frugal living at our home in rural Maine with our two cats and a handful of chickens (still waiting for my husband to let me get a dog…). My husband comes from a family of loggers. He is currently working in the heating oil and propane industry and does some logging and tree removal on the side. He is also a lumberjack competitor so we spend most of our summer and early fall on the fair circuit doing competitions.
I’m obsessed with: coffee, chocolate, movies, reading, organizing, classic country, the perfect chocolate milkshake, and SmartWool socks.
I can’t stand: wet socks, big crowds, the never-ending laundry pile, and mint and chocolate together.
The main part of this blog is frugal living, thrifty shopping, and living on a budget. We live on only my husband’s income. We felt it was important for me to stay home with our children. The decision was easy when we discovered that in my field (teacher’s aide/substitute teacher), I would only make $50/week after daycare.
However, everything seems to be on the rise. Food, gas, everything. To live on just one income, and get out of debt, we have to live very frugally and stretch that income as far as possible. My dad has always said that I could rub two pennies together and get a dime.
All that to say: I know first hand how hard it is to live on one income. I know how hard it is to dig yourself out of debt. The goal at Happy, Frugal Mama (formerly Logger’s Wife) is to help you learn how to live better on what money you have, to help you love life on a tight budget. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but I am here for you, helping you pull through.
If you have any questions for me or just want to chat, please feel free to contact me.