I had the pleasure of interviewing Lynnae, the author of the amazing and very informative blog “Being Frugal” yesterday. This was supposed to be a very short interview, but it turned out to be a bit longer than expected (I have been known to yap) so I’d like to thank Lynnae for making time (in such short notice) to allow us into her thoughts. Let’s explore how we can be frugal in the work from home environment from our guest frugal expert, Lynnae…

1. Please tell us a little about yourself, what you do and why you blog. We’re a bit nosy

I’m a Christian, wife, stay at home mom, minivan chauffeur, blogger, amateur musician, and avid reader. I have a very full life at the moment, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I started blogging last May, because my husband and I had made a commitment to stay out of debt. I wanted to hold myself accountable to that goal, and I figured sharing it with the world might be a good way. As my blog has grown, and I’ve received so much encouragement from my readers, I’ve tried to make BeingFrugal.net a place for people to find encouragement in frugality and wise money management. Since frugality and debt free living go against the grain in our society, I try to make my site a place where readers can see that it’s OK not to try to keep up with the Joneses.

2. If you could list 3 things a blogger must do to be successful at not only captivating the readers, but getting them to stick around. What would they be?

- Be authentic when you write. If you pretend to be someone you’re not, your readers will figure it out, and they won’t stick around.

- Interact with your readers. Ask questions in your posts. I do a question post almost every Friday, and it’s usually the most popular post of the week. People like to voice their opinions. I learn a ton from my readers too! Also, be active in your comments, and answer emails. Your readers are important to the success of your blog, so treat them that way.

- Respect your readers. Even if you’re trying to make money with your blog, make sure you put your readers first. When designing your blog, make sure it’s easy for your readers to find what they’re looking for, and THEN figure out where to place your ads. And don’t place ads that will annoy your readers. Recently I talked with an advertiser I work with, and he tried to convince me to run pop-under ads. They pay well, but I won’t do it. I’m annoyed by pop-unders, and I’m sure my readers would be too. I believe it’s fine to make money from blogging, but don’t alienate your readers in the process.

3. Can you give us 3 frugal tips on raising a family?

- Time is more important than things. Focus on developing great relationships with your children, and they will be happy, even if you don’t spend a lot of money on them.

- Take advantage of free events in your community. You can provide a lot of great experiences for kids by going to free days at the museum, free storytime at the library, a free day at a local farm. There’s a lot of opportunities. You just need to look for them. Your local newspaper or newspaper website is a good place to start.

- Get to know other parents. They are an invaluable resource. I have swapped babysitting, handed down kid clothes, and had clothes handed down to me. We’ve borrowed and lent baby equipment. If you have good connections with other parents, you can borrow a lot of things, rather than buying them. And you can give back by letting other parents borrow your stuff.

4. How about 3 frugal tips on cutting household expenses? Coupon cutting?

- Don’t buy expensive cleaning products. Make your own from inexpensive (and earth friendly) ingredients instead.

- Buy local produce in season. It’s better quality and costs less, because there’s no shipping cost.

- Coupons are good, especially combined with a sale, but only use them if you would buy the item anyway. And make sure you check the generic equivalent first. Sometimes generic is less expensive than brand name items, even when you have a coupon.

5. What’s your take on the recession we’re supposedly in and do you have any advice on spending and credit card purchases/debt?

I think we’re headed for a recession, if we aren’t there already. The prices of food and gas are going up pretty quickly, and I think a lot of people are going to feel the pinch. I know I’m already feeling it.

I think it’s wise to pay off debt, if at all possible, and cut back spending. It’s also important to have a good emergency fund. I know the government would like us to spend right now, but insulating my family from the effects of a bad economy is more important to me than stimulating the economy at the moment. Economies tend to be cyclical, and we’re due for some hard times. Do what you have to do to weather the storm.

6. As you know I work from home and have been fortunate enough to spend the last 8-10 years with our daughters almost 24-7 in the home environment. Whats your take on working from home and spending more time with your family?

I think spending time with your family is always a good thing. Children need their parents around, and if you can swing working at home, I think it’s great. It’s what I hope to do in September.

That said, there are challenges to working at home. Balancing work and family is difficult, and trying to do it all in the same space is even more difficult! But it’s worth it, if you can make it work out.

7. If you couldn’t blog. Let’s say the entire blogosphere crashed… what would you do with the time you’d normally spend blogging?

Well, my house would probably be a little more organized. Other than that, my life wouldn’t change a lot right now. I’ve been a stay at home mom for the last 10 years, so I’d probably find other hobbies to keep me busy. The big change would come in September. When my son heads off to kindergarten, I’m hoping to make a good part time income from blogging, treating it more like a job (a fun job) than a hobby. If I didn’t have that option, I’d probably try to get a job as a teaching assistant in my children’s school.

8. How important do you think a household budget is and how flexible should it be?

A household budget is very important for seeing where your money goes and plugging leaks in your spending. Most people, myself included, are amazed at how much money they spend when they see it written down for the first time. I think having a written budget helps people develop the discipline to plan their spending and reach their financial goals.

That said, a budget needs to be flexible, especially when it’s a new budget. Emergencies come up, and they can really throw off a brand new budget. You just have to adjust and move on.

9. With my work from home office, I’m constantly trying to cut costs on office supplies. I shop at discount stores or buy in bulk, since the specialty office supply stores are usually more expensive. Do you have any frugal tips you’d like to share about running a home office?

Like household supplies, I just look for good deals on office supplies. I use free samples from Vista Print. I also order office supplies online from 123 Inkjets, Office Depot, and Vista Print, using sites like Ebates and MyPoints to get rewards. And my current goal is to get rid of as much paper in the office as possible. If you can do most of your work online, through email, rather than mailing and faxing, you’ll save some money.

10. I know I said I would only ask a few questions, but I have to ask. We have 3 teenage girls who’ll be heading off to college in the near future. WE NEED HELP! Can you give any advice on saving (or being frugal) for their future? Where can one turn to, if they need financial help with their children’s education costs?

College is definitely expensive these days, and I’m not a college expert. What I can tell you is that I worked my way through college, and I turned out OK, so there’s hope. My biggest advice is to make sure you and your daughters are well educated about the different types of student loans, the kinds of salaries that your children can expect from their field of study, and the danger of going into too much debt. I think it’s better to take some extra time to finish college and pay as you go, as much as possible, than to graduate college saddled with tons of student loan (and credit card) debt.

Contact the financial aid expert at your local high school or college, and ask lots of questions. Have your girls apply for any scholarship they qualify for. Even $200 at a time adds up. And if they need money for room and board, they can apply to be an R.A. after their freshman year. Often they can get a steep housing discount for working as an R.A.

I recently wrote a post on the expense of a college education, and my readers weighted in with a lot of great suggestions. You can check out the post and comments here.

Any closing remarks or tips to share with my work from home audience?

Whether it’s in finances or in your career, make sure you set some goals. If you have your goals clearly defined, you can make lifestyle changes to meet those goals. Without goals it’s hard to get anywhere. The saying is true: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So make sure you know where you want to go, and then do what is necessary to get there.

Thanks for taking the time to interview me!

This is the first interview I’ve done for Obzokee.com and I’m thrilled that Lynnae took the time to share her thoughts and experience on so many things that’s part of our daily lives as work from home parents. Be sure to go check out Beingfrugal.net and be sure to sign-up for Lynnae’s feed.