Why I’m Almost Frugal: An Introduction

Since it’s my first post as a contributor at Almost Frugal, I thought it was only right to first say hi, and what I’m doing here.

My name is Nicole Ouellette and I started a personal finance blog around the time that Kelly started Almost Frugal. We initially bonded over speaking French and living frugally and became online friends. When Kelly asked me to contribute, I was really flattered because this is a great blog and it’s nice to get back to my personal finance blogging roots.

I live in the United States, more specifically in the state of Maine. Because where I live is rural, a lot of my life is do it yourself out of necessity but I really wouldn’t have it any other way. As you folks know, DIY is a great way to save cash and learn new things so I’ll write about some of those exploits here.

I look like a fresh faced gal straight out of college but if you look closely enough, you’ll notice some grey hair. Some of that grey (and some smile lines, to be fair) have come from running my own business. I’ll soon be in year two of small business ownership, which is my motivation for staying in money saving mode. Business will no doubt come up in my posts.

And, of course, there is the rest of my life, otherwise known as what I like: food, outdoor recreation, travel, good design, stories, French things, the internet, great friends, and a supportive family. These are what I spend my money and time on, my priorities. Being frugal doesn’t mean deprivation but instead putting money towards what matters, and I’ll be writing also about how I do this. Almost frugal for sure!

So expect from me a mixture of DIY posts, saving money tips, and some stories with a (hopefully) fun mixture of business and pleasure.

If you want to know a bit more about my personal finance backgroud/journey up to now, you can read this post at Blunt Money or check out the old Breaking Even blog. And for more about how and why I started my own business, check out this post I wrote on BudgetsAreSexy or this post on The Takeaway blog.

I can’t wait to get to know the Almost Frugal community even better. So “Hello” and “Bonjour” to you!