The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

My 3-Minute Minimal Makeup Routine (Quick, Easy & Cheap)

This will either be a post you find tremendously interesting or a complete yawn-fest.

Most makeup tutorials I see online feel wildly unrealistic for me.

I want fast. I want cheap. I want minimal.

My entire everyday…

Fa La La or Nope Nope Nope: Christmas Songs I Love (and Don’t)

Other years, I’ve run an official poll or done a Top Five/Bottom Five summary about Christmas music. This year, I’m going to live on the wild side and get loosey-goosey and talk about music…

Christmas, Holidays, Personality Insights
Dec, 10, 2025
51 Comments

More Frugal Things Lately

Are these posts getting boring? (Don’t answer that question.) I seem to keep coming up with things to write about!

(Perhaps I also feel the need to counteract my recent post about frugal losses.)

FREE PARKING

When…

Frugality, Money
Dec, 09, 2025
29 Comments

Top Five/Bottom Five: Fruit

This is another Top Five/Bottom Five I must have done on my old blog? I was sure I’d done it here, but can’t find it.

Time to fix that!

In general, I like most types…

Happy Things Friday: 5 December

And just like that…it’s December.

We’ve had snow (and a snow day!) and it is very much beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Right now, everyone else is in bed and I’m starting this post…

Q & A: Our Family Trip to Europe

I’ve had some questions about our upcoming trip to Europe, so I thought I’d do a post to work through each of those!

In all honesty, I feel like I still have so many…

Life, Parenting, Travel
Dec, 04, 2025
40 Comments

Five Recent Frugal Fails

I love sharing a good thrifted find or money-saving wins. It’s fun! It’s satisfying! It feels like getting a metaphorical gold star.

But in the interest of transparency, here are a few recent frugal losses….

My 3-Minute Minimal Makeup Routine (Quick, Easy & Cheap)

Fa La La or Nope Nope Nope: Christmas Songs I Love (and Don’t)

More Frugal Things Lately

Top Five/Bottom Five: Fruit

Happy Things Friday: 5 December

Q & A: Our Family Trip to Europe

Five Recent Frugal Fails

Hi! I'm Elisabeth...

Search

Travel

GUESTS

BOOKS

Recent posts

On My Shelf: Books Read July 2026

Never Have I Ever… Part 19.

Happy Things Friday: 31 July