For the last two years my life has taken a new direction that I never planned for. I started this blog as a hobby, an effort to help my friends and family learn to save money. It quickly took flight, gained readers and soon took hours a day to manage. This hobby of mine soon turned into a full time job. We now had enough traffic that we were crashing servers, and were accruing a lot of cost just to keep the site going. We had to make a choice to go full speed ahead, and make this site a business or quit all together. This choice was not made lightly. I saw the benefit of both options, and together Matt and I decided to move forward with A Thrifty Mom, INC.
It has been a wonderful blessing, It has allowed Matt to cut back a little at work and spend more time at home working on the site with me. We have been able to share our way of life with thousands daily. I have been able to teach classes for FREE to my community, have a platform to teach about giving back and becoming self reliant. I have gained lots of wonderful friends in the “blog world”, partnered up with companies that I believe in and enjoy supporting. I love what this site has become, and love working from home.
BUT….. this site also takes HOURS and hours a day (about 10 hours a day) 7 days a week. The work that needs to be done is always there, even if I am sick, having a baby, on vacation….it is exhausting. I was raised on a farm, and being a hard worker is just part of who I am inside. If I do something, you better believe I am going to give it my all, and do the best I can do. BUT trying to be a good wife, mom, remodel a house, serve in my church and be a full time blogger has left me feeling like I have failed in all the above. It has put a strain on my marriage, my family, my friends, my health… trying to find balance has been very hard.
For the last year I have been fighting the fact that I need help, I can not keep this pace up. For those of you who know me personally, one thing is rather clear….. I do NOT like change or new things. So the thought totally freaked me out. LONG story short after a year of fighting with myself I realized it was time to make a change and let someone help me. Then the huge question was WHO? I thought and prayed about many different people, but for one reason or another they never felt right. About 6 months ago Matt told me “You know this Ingard gal would be great for our site”. She was one of our long times readers, I ran into her in the store all the time and she was always happy to pass along her thrifty deals. He was right but it took me 6 months to realize that. So one day I ran into her at Albertsons and asked her if she would like to help me co-write on our site.
For the last month she has been learning the ropes, helping me find deals, answering emails, writing posts, and most importantly giving me a little bit of a break. Don’t get me wrong I am still working on the site everyday. But I now have a little help, to give me a little more time to be the “wife and mommy” that I want to be. I was able to go on a trip to Utah last week and actually have a day off. It was fabulous!
How is this going to change the site or effect you all? Our site will not change, we will still be the same A Thrifty Mom you have know for the past two years…. but now with Ingard’s help I look forward to being able to take a few more hours a week to be what is most important in my life, A MOM!
I hope you will all extend a warm welcome to Ingard, we are sure excited to have her be part of our A Thrifty Mom Family!
Little more information about Ingard,
I was born and raised in Boise, the youngest of four children. My parents divorced while I was still in grade school and I stayed with my dear, sweet mother. Being raised by a single mother who by circumstance was frugal just to make the ends meet, couponing was a natural progression for me and has become a passion.
I moved to New York to be a nanny back in the mid-80s where I met my husband and was married four years later. Our three children were all born in New Jersey. We moved back to Idaho in November 2003 to be closer to my family.
I love to help others and often find myself handing coupons to my fellow shoppers. I had a long couponing dry spell once moving here to Idaho because I just couldn’t understand the way it was done here in Idaho versus New Jersey (the weekly Sunday ad matched the coupons that were available in that paper). A dear friend of mine turned me onto coupon blogs about 2 years and I found A Thrifty Mom and the rest is history. I feel privileged to join the team and am looking forward to the journey.
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Congrats to you and Matt for taking this step…my question is what took you so long ? You are both amazing but need to enjoy and live your lives beyond your site and couponing !!!
Welcome to Ingard and I will happily continue to enjoy and learn from your awesome site !!!
As a personal friend of Ingard, I just have to say YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!!! I know you made the right choice, Sarah. Ingard always puts 110% of herself into everything she does. It will be great for both of you!
Bienvenida!!!!! I will follow you everywhere.You do a wonderfull job for all us.Thank you.
Love the site and I am sure it will be great for you to have the help. Not one person can do it all and it is hard for most of us to realize that. I have passed your site on to so many people- they probably think I am crazy but I get such satisfaction letting them in on “our little secret” of coupons and great deals. Welcome to Ingard! Thanks for all you both give to us!
welcome ingard, and thank you sarah and matt for all of your continued hard work. it is better to do some things well, than to do everything “part way”, and to feel that you are not doing ANYTHING the way you want it done.
sarah, although you are being very hard on yourself, i am glad that you are taking time for yourself and your family and giving yourself the gift of allowing someone to help you. you give so much–i am very glad this site will continue, and am MORE glad that you will have a little less stress in your busy life.
Welcome Ingard! It’s nice to have you.
Bienvenida Ingard!!…love this site..is getting better and better
Thanks for all you do! Welcome Ingard:)
Sarah, my dear! Good for you! I completely understand where you are coming from as I am struggling with the decision of whether or not to quit my second job since I do not need it anymore but have become close to a lot of the girls I work with and really love having the employee discount…trust me, family comes first, and reading this is helping remind me of that…welcome, Ingard! So glad to have you here!
Sarah ~ so good to hear you are taking more time for yourself and family! I’ve always wondered how the heck you were able to “do it all” ~ now with Ingard, maybe you won’t have to (or at least as much!). Welcome Ingard!
That is so awesome to hear Thrifty MOM!!!
I totally support help! 
You need it. You have a ton going on. I have the tiniest blog ever and I don’t even write about anything special and it overwhelms me some-days..I can’t imagine it being a full time job.
Welcome! I appreciate your site so much and understand how much work it takes to keep the site going. I too decided to start a coupon website… http://www.livinglifeonadime.com but quickly discovered that it was a ton of work and that right now I could not give it that much time, as I have 5 children at home and a full-time job doing medical transcription from home, so my site did not take off…maybe someday in the future but not now…so thanks again for all of your hard work to keep your site going!
Welcome Ingard…from a reader in Sherwood, Oregon!
Thank you Sarah for doing such a great job with your site! I appreciate all your hard work <3 and a BIG WELCOME TO INGARD!!!
Welcome Ingard!
I wondered how long it would be before Ingard would go all official on us.
So glad she’s connected to my favorite site!
Sarah, You are a very wise woman. I am a youthful grandmother who lives in TN but found your site and check it everyday as you have such a wholesome approach to everything. Your family and you do come first at this point. One thing that I have learned by being a mother was that you can cannot turn around to do things that were not done with your children. It has to be in the moment – enjoy every precious bit of time that you can have with your treasured little children. Wonderful idea to get an assistant and all that read your post will be so glad to know that you have some time for yourself and your family now. Thank you for all that you do. God Bless!
Welcome Ingard. I love your name – my 2 year old is Ingrid!
Having known Ingard for well over 30 years now, I know she will make a wonderful addition to your site. She is a wonderful girl (woman). She grew up with my daughters and I still think of them as girls! Anyway, congrats to all of you and best of luck. Your site is wonderful and so helpful and I thank you for all your time and effort on the behalf of everyone who reads it. Welcome Ingard. We love you!!!!!!
Ingard is a GREAT choice! I grew up with her and have always admired her common sense and thriftiness!
I could tell Ingrad was already helping. So glad. Keep up the good work!
Welcome Ingard! I look forward to learning more from you too.
Welcome to Ingrid. I am self-employed and it is hard for me let others to take over. But it is a necessity in order to enjoy the little things in life. I know everyone will support your decision — this is a great site.
Sarah cut yourself some slack, I’m sure you’re much harder on yourself than anyone else is. You and Matt both work hard on the site and deserve some family time for yourselves. I’m so glad you decided to keep your blog, I really would have missed ya! Even though I’m fairly new to your site I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to your emails, tips, deals and the personal side of things.
As for Ingard..I’m wanting to call you Ingrid..he he I had to make sure I was spelling it right…WELCOME ABOARD!!! Happy to see you help us all out :0)
Sarah and Matt for this awesome web site. Welcome Ingrid!!!!! Sarah and Matt go and have fun with your beautiful kids. Love you guys.
Thank you for keeping your site. Welcome Ingrad!!! Your site has helped, I sure, not only me but thousands. Thank
Jennifer
im so glad you decided to keep the site with help. out of all the blogs yours is in my top 3. wise decision because the Bible clearly states 1st wife, 2nd mother, 3rd anything else. and of course 1st God, 2nd family, 3rd church/others. i love how you keep your blog personal not just all deals. i love watching videos with your cute little daughter in it. she is a character. : ) and love love love your posts on what you buy and how you buy it –with the pics and all.
I honestly don’t know how you’ve done it this long with no extra help. You and Matt are amazing! Good for you to give yourself permission to say hey, I’m drowning here! Welcome to Ingard.
Thank you Sarah and family for deciding to continue this wonderful business. You are making a Grand decision, whoo hoo to you! Congrats and welcome Ingard!
Welcome Ingard! Glad you will have more free time as well, Sarah! You certainly deserve it.
Welcome, Welcome!! When I first started reading this post, I was afraid that Sarah was giving up A Thrifty Mom altogether. Soooooo glad that is not the case. I check this site multiple times a day!! So, Welcome again and to Sarah…Thank you for all you do and take a much deserved rest:)
welcome!
Thank You for what Matt and You do, You truly make this site one that is sought after when learning how to use coupons. Welcome Ingard, I am glad your here so we may learn your tips and tricks too…
Welcome Ingard! Always nice to have more help – sounds like you’re a great fit for the website — I LOVE LOVE LOVE this site — tell all my friends about it too! Have fun!!
Welcome Ingard and I look forward to seeing your post.