About Frugal Mama

Hello there! I’m so glad you stopped by. My name is Amy Suardi, and I know from first-hand experience that it is possible to create a high-quality family life on a low budget.

Photo: TLC/DCI

Spending Less, Getting More

Frugal Mama is where I share what has worked for me — and where readers share their own money-saving triumphs and quandaries. Frugal Mama is also increasingly a place where we talk about making money, and how we can do it in a way that is rewarding while staying in balance with our family life.

Something unique about this blog is that I try to keep the focus off buying and accumulating stuff (no matter how little it costs!), and onto finding activities that are rewarding and that connect us with people and our passions.

Living on a budget does not have to be painful. In fact a frugal lifestyle can be really satisfying. And knowing that we are honoring what is really important to us — not just fun or easy at the moment — brings great peace.

I love to hear your win-wins — how you have done something for fun that turned out to save you money, or how you did something to improve your finances and realized it made you happier. Please send your tips, ideas, and experiences to tips@frugal-mama.com. I read every one and respond to you personally.

More About Me

Photo: TLC/DCI

I founded this blog because I love to write and I love to help people. Living on a tight budget has been my MO as a unfocused single, a stay-at-home mom, and a multi-tasking working mother of four.

I’ve lived on the East Coast, the West Coast, the Southwest, and the Midwest (I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio). I know what it’s like to be scraping the bottom of my barrel every month, to have to borrow money from friends so I could keep up with their lifestyle, and to work as a temp secretary — days and nights.

My husband, Enrico, and I survived over ten years of medical training on one income. We have moved all over the place from Milan, Italy to Arlington, Virginia to New York City.

Together we are raising four deliciously mischievous children and have just added a fifth: a 100-year-old house in Washington, D.C.

Where Else You Can Find Me

I also write regularly and video blog at TLC’s new family and lifestyle website, Parentables, and I clock in as the savings expert at Buttoned Up.

I have appeared on NBC morning new shows, WebTalkRadio, and have spoken to organizations such as Holistic Moms and Baby Bites of Manhattan, as well as co-hosted talks at TheMotherhood.

Photo: TLC/DCI

My unconventional view of coupons was featured in Money Talks News, my founding of Central New York Blogger Mamas was highlighted in Mom Blog Magazine, my lack of business sense in The Founding Moms, and my tips for wallet-friendly holiday gift shopping at Scripps News.

I won’t torture you with my old poetry, but you can find some of my personal essays at Mamapedia, Family Times, and Babble.

I Do Other Things Besides Write in Outer Space

As I explained in my popular post, Don’t Read This If You Want Your Life to Stay the Same, I have not always been a successful writer. In fact, I have not always been a success at all.

Even though I did manage to graduate from Brown University, I spent my twenties searching for my calling in life, working at all kinds of jobs across the country, partying, and restlessly traveling (on a shoestring, of course). I got myself in debt, lived paycheck to paycheck, bounced many a check, and thought only of the moment.

Things began to change for the better when I got married and had children.

Photo: TLC/DCI

Not only has my family given purpose to my life, but it has pushed me beyond my little self into networks of people who form our nation’s awesome communities. Over the years, I have started two babysitting exchanges; directed an all-volunteer preschool of 72 families; run sales of clothing and gear in New York City for a non-profit; and founded an organization to revitalize our neighborhood school (for which I received an award from the Arlington County School Board).

People are the key to my happiness and success. Where communities don’t exist, I think it’s important to create them. Whether it’s a block association or a walking club, helping one another is really one of the best ways to save money and make life better.

Sometimes groups are born out of a desire to connect, and then they end up taking on a life of their own. All the members of the writing circle I started in Milan, for example, went on to become published writers, and Central New York Blogger Mamas is thriving long after we left Syracuse.

Thank You Readers

Even though I am now bringing in a few bucks and my husband has finished his long medical training, our years of being resourceful are far from over. In order to achieve our goals, we must continue to fight the good fight. That means living simply — and having fun — while keeping our eye on the prize.

I love hearing from you, and I hope you will continue to tell me about your ups and downs, questions and discoveries. I want to learn from you, just as much as I want to share what I’ve learned. Contact me anytime at amy@frugal-mama.com.

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