About Me

My name is Cate.

I am 22, and I live in Louisville, KY with my husband, preschool-aged daughter, and newborn son—not to mention our dog and three cats. Our household is always busy!

I’ve always been financially savvy, but I developed hyperemesis (excessive nausea) during my first pregnancy and I lost my job as a nanny. Suddenly, my husband and I went from being a couple who had an extra $1,000 after paying our bills every month to a couple who barely had enough money to pay those bills in the first place. Together we dove headlong into frugal living. I began cooking all of our meals from scratch, using coupons, making my own household cleaners, and wearing out my library card.

In the two and a half years since we began living frugally, we have paid off about $14,000 in medical and student loan debt, bought a house, welcomed home two babies and several pets, committed to eating local, sustainable meat, and opened our eyes to the joys of living simply. These days, we love to spend quiet weekends at home playing board games, eating home-cooked meals, reading library books, and playing with our children. We focus less on the stuff and more on the experiences.

While this blog bloomed from a desire to write about frugality and simple living, I also delve into topics relating to the environment, feminism, my identity as a rape survivor coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, living as a nonreligious family in America, and my life as a stay-at-home mom.

I was born in Baltimore, but after living in the south for 12 years, I add syllables where they don’t belong (i.e. “pa-ants”), and there’s always a pitcher of sweet tea in our fridge. I hope you find my blog to be just as welcoming as you’d find my home.