I’m indebted to my parents, Tim and Carmen Willard; my in-laws, Rick and Debbie Thames; my siblings; and all the rest of my family for their continuous encouragement and love. I won the birth lottery and also the in-law lottery, which seems almost too lucky for one person. My parents instilled a love of reading and writing at a very young age, for which I’m enormously grateful.
Many thanks to my wonderful editor at HarperCollins, Stephanie Hitchcock, who encouraged and coaxed this book into existence through her masterful guidance and vision. Huge thanks to my agent, Sarah Smith, who adeptly shepherded me through this entire (lengthy) process. It was an honor and a delight to work with a team of such talented, dedicated, and intelligent women.
I have tremendous gratitude for all my friends who encouraged me to write this book in the first place and helped me out along the way. Thanks especially to Liz Newman for her expert advice, to Makenna Goodman for forcing me to email HarperCollins back after they asked if I wanted to write a book, to Erin Lowry for her amazingly helpful sharing of information, to Chris Goodwin for always keeping me grounded, and to Robin Junker-Boyce for her ongoing spiritual counsel and motivation to “just keep writing.”
I’m only a writer because many, many people taught me how to write. Thank you to all of my teachers and college writing professors, most especially Rebecca Curtis, Adam Desnoyers, and of course, the incredible, the legendary Mary Klayder. Thanks to my bosses who pushed me every day for better writing, including Sara Garlick, Win Lenihan, and most of all Ellen Frank, who wouldn’t let a single error slide past and who, in the process of our many (many) editing sessions together, became a very dear friend.
Massive thanks to my neighbor and friend Jean MacDonald (and her sidekick Alice), for her expert grandmotherly babysitting of Stella while I wrote and wrote and wrote. This book (and a whole lot else) wouldn’t have happened without her presence in our lives. I’m not sure what we’d do without Miss Jean.
Thank you to the dedicated and devoted readers of Frugalwoods.com who challenge me with their questions, inspire me with their stories of overcoming financial challenges, and encourage me to keep doing what I love: espousing the liberation and joy that stem from creating a life of financial stability. I also want to express my endless appreciation for the online personal finance community, which is a source of constant inspiration, education, collaboration, and true friendship.
Deepest thanks to my very young daughter, Estelle, who mastered the art of independent play at my feet while I wrote this book. Finally, profound thanks to my husband, Nate, who kindly prodded me into this whole writing adventure in the first place. Thank you for starting Frugalwoods.com with me, for being my first and last reader, for motivating and encouraging me, and for always believing that I’m capable of much more than I realize. Thank you also for always cooking food for me and loving me with abundance.