Happy 4th of July from The Real Frugalist!

Today’s Independence Day vibes are brought to you by: beet seeds, garden straw, and apps that pay us to go out to dinner. Freedom, frugality, and fertilizer—just how the founders intended it.

We kicked off the day with a romantic little trip to Lowe’s… by which I mean we did curbside pickup to avoid me wandering the aisles like a kid in a candy store with absolutely no impulse control. Lowe’s is my Target. I go in for straw and come out with a new hose, a flat of petunias, a tool I can’t identify but felt right, and $80 less in the checking account. So yes—click, order, pop the trunk. Financial discipline: check.

Why the straw? It’s garden armor, my friends. Weeds think they can take over our raised beds, but not today, dandelions. Not on my Independence Day.

The garden’s still chilly this morning, so I’m waiting for the sun to roll in before I plant the beet seeds I’ve been soaking. It’s a small ritual that makes me feel both practical and poetic—like Thoreau but with better snacks.

Behind the scenes, I’m working on some new goodies for you all—downloadables and eBooks I hope will make your frugal living journey easier, smarter, and maybe a little more fun. I’m thinking:

• Mini cookbooks for budget-friendly meals that don’t taste like cardboard
• Raised bed & container gardening guides for those of us who like our veggies homegrown but our digging minimal
• Frugal egg-laying chicken keeping, for the brave few who believe breakfast should come with feathers

If there’s something you’d love to see, let me know! I love creating things that actually help real people (and not just sit pretty in Pinterest land).

And speaking of help, let’s hear it for Upside and Fetch! Thanks to those little money-saving miracles, we’re going out to dinner tonight without touching our budget. That’s right—$60 in rewards, baby. Fireworks may be patriotic, but eating a meal someone else cooked with money you didn’t technically spend? That’s freedom.

So wherever you are today—whether you’re planting seeds, watching parades, grilling with family, or just enjoying a quiet moment of peace—I hope you feel good. Proud. Grateful.

Here’s to small wins, homemade victories, and the independence we create every day by living simply and spending wisely.

Happy 4th, friends. 💙❤️💙
—Mrs. Real Frugalist