About Me

The boys in 1999

When I started Frugal Moms back in 1998, the internet was still pretty young and so were my kids! Sean was 8, Beau was 5 and Connor was just 1 year old. By the time I retired in 2003, they were 13, 10 and 6. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed! Where did it go?

After Frugal Moms, I took a break for several months and did nothing. It felt weird and I really missed my online friends, but in some strange way it felt like healing from the burnout (which was mainly due to the administrative side of managing a huge site and a family, and everything else!) in 2004, I started writing fiction for a while, which felt really good.

My husband was traveling all around the world on business trips, so I was often at home with the kids who were all in school. They were getting older and hanging with mom wasn't nearly as cool (especially being boys). My marriage continued to disintegrate and we were divorced in 2007.

My employee of the month picture, 2009.

So I finally had to decide what I wanted to "do when I grew up", and at the age of 37, started a career in IT. I ended up in the healthcare industry for seven years and have since moved into the financial industry.

In 2008, I met my current husband, who is a master auto mechanic. If I can't fix something, he can! He is the only person I know who is more frugal than I am! We had a beautiful frugal wedding in 2010 and had our first son (my fourth!), all within 7 weeks of each other! And not necessarily in the right order, but we got it done.

In 2012, we found a beautiful American Four Square farmhouse on five acres in a beautiful part of Illinois. (Yes, there are some!) Just two months after we moved, I found out I was pregnant with baby #5 at the age of 43.

He was born in 2013 and has been such an unexpected angel. I cannot imagine life without these little guys.

It's now 2015, and some of my older kids have been gone from home for a few years. Sean works online doing all kinds of cool stuff with internet startups. Beau is in the Marine Corps, and Connor is getting ready to graduate high school (I hope!) Nicky is 4 and Jamie is almost 2.

It's been a long, crazy road, but we are all OK. What hasn't killed us has made us stronger and stretched us a LOT. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically (especially that last pregnancy. Ouch!) We've learned and grown a lot along the way. In the words of a country song, "Sounds like life to me!"

Who knows where the road will take us next?

Aug 29, 2010 - Nicholas joined our band of boys!

October 23, 2010 - We had a modest but lovely wedding and paid cash!
Someday, I'll write about our frugal wedding.

The boys in 2010, trying on a little attitude with their suits! 

Hiking Starved Rock with the babies

Our beautiful farmhouse

Connor tiptoeing through the sunflower field. 

My latest projects!