All of that, she says, makes it more than worth the delivery fee. And because she isn’t stressed by toting her two younger kids in a store, she has time to make good decisions. Not only does it save time and make it easier to resist temptation, she says, but you can track your spending while you shop and remove items if you go over budget. One of the cost-saving systems Suardi swears by today is online grocery shopping. They established this practice, she says, to avoid a lifestyle that would need two incomes to maintain. Then they decided that whenever Suardi made money, it would immediately go into savings. Then, they started putting systems into place that would allow them the lifestyle they imagined.įirst, they cut back on eating out and weekend travel. They discussed their needs (food, rent, household items), their goals (a home, a family, satisfying careers) and the big changes that were looming: children, a move back to the States and additional training for Enrico. Luke, left, and Mark play in the sunroom as their sister Sofia does her homework at the dining room table. “Being frugal has led me on interesting paths and made us a better, closer family.”
“We live frugally out of necessity, but I would continue to do so even if I had a lot of money,” says Suardi. They clean their own home, shop at thrift stores, don’t have cable, walk instead of drive when they can and eat most of their meals at home.
The adults drive used cars and use pay-as-you-go cellphones. However, they are also both in their mid-40s, have four children (ages 10, 8, 4 and 1), almost no money in retirement and a 100-year-old house that needs work.įor Suardi to remain an “at-home working mother” while they bulk up their retirement savings, the family cuts corners wherever possible: The children attend public schools and co-ops and wear secondhand clothing.
#FRUGAL FOODIE MAMA FULL#
With her husband, Enrico, now working full time after recently completing his medical training, and with Suardi earning money by writing, the couple has more income than ever before. “My philosophy,” she says, “is about finding the fun in saving and keeping life simple so we have time for what’s important.” Mark, left, and Luke help their mother tend the edible garden in the front yard, which grows tomatoes, kale, basil, blueberries and arugula. Her expertise, she says, is based on learning to live on a shoestring since college, first as a single young woman in New York, then as the wife of a doctor in training. On her blog, Frugal Mama, she shares her experiences, offering insight on creating a high-quality life on a small budget. “I can also make dinner every night and take care of the house.”įor Suardi, thrifty living is at the heart of the life she craves. “I don’t make a lot of money, but the trade-off is that I can be home with the kids,” she says. While Suardi, 42, has fashioned a lifestyle for her family that is reminiscent of a slower, less stressful era, she is also decidedly 21st century: She blogs about her life, and gets paid for it. Later, the family might make pizzas (using herbs they’ve grown), tidy up the house (with cleaning supplies they’ve made), watch a DVD (TV programs are not permitted) or play games the children invented. On many days, she can be found with her children in the front yard of her home in Tenleytown, tending their edible garden. Amy Suardi recently started growing some of her family’s food.
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