Ask the Frugal Duchess a question! (Women of Personal Finance Spotlight)

[Lynn]

For this entire week (8/18- 8/24), Sharon Harvey Rosenberg of The Frugal Duchess be will be answering questions in this forum thread about blogging, personal finance, getting media attention, and how to get a book deal!

All of us have dreams of publishing a book based on our blogs or life stories. Now you can ask Sharon how she was able to land that holy grail among writers: A book deal!

As a popular columnist for the Miami Herald, Sharon can also offer useful insights on how bloggers can approach journalists to get more media attention.


At the end of the interview we will pick some of the best questions and answers from this thread and publish it on the main blog.

Welcome to Wise Bread Sharon.

[imagine girl]

Very cool news about the book. Congratulations Sharon.

I read somewhere that you sometimes write about frugal celebrities for People Magazine. Do you have any funny or outrageous stories about the frugal habits of the rich and famous?

I also remember reading that you were on Oprah once. What was it like being on her show? Are you going again for your book tour? That has to be the coolest thing evar.

[arcadian]

sharon i'm sure your friends are all into the latest trends and fashion as well. do they give you a hard time about bargain hunting for fashion?

i do love deals. however my friends who are not into frugality would give me a hard time about buying things at outlet stores or close out sales. i guess for some of them it is important to pay full price to show their status?

[Myscha Theriault]

Hi Sharon. So thrilled you're here. One thing I've noticed (or been refamiliarized with) while on the road temporarily is how difficult it can be to be frugal in large cities or while on the road juggling work, travel and navigation. So, I'm in the process of collecting some tips from urban experts. Got a great one you feel like sharing?

[Ginger]

Congratulations on your success! Can you tell us how you started the process of writing a book?

Did you know what you wanted to write about for a long time or did it just evolve?

Did you pitch your book to several publishers? What was that process like?

How do you balance blogging and a family? How are you able to maintain a good work-life balance or is that something you struggle with?

[Will]

Sharon might be experiencing some technical difficulties due to tropical storm Fay. But she promises to drop in as soon as she's back online.

In the meantime, please feel free to keep posting questions.

[Myscha Theriault]

They did get pounded. I spoke with her today. But she's very excited about answering everyone's questions. So definitely, keep posting!

[Frugal Duchess]

Originally Posted by Lynn

For this entire week (8/18- 8/24), Sharon Harvey Rosenberg of The Frugal Duchess be will be answering questions in this forum thread about blogging, personal finance, getting media attention, and how to get a book deal!

All of us have dreams of publishing a book based on our blogs or life stories. Now you can ask Sharon how she was able to land that holy grail among writers: A book deal!

As a popular columnist for the Miami Herald, Sharon can also offer useful insights on how bloggers can approach journalists to get more media attention.


At the end of the interview we will pick some of the best questions and answers from this thread and publish it on the main blog.

Welcome to Wise Bread Sharon.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. I'm so glad to be here!!!

[Frugal Duchess]

Originally Posted by imagine girl

Very cool news about the book. Congratulations Sharon.

I read somewhere that you sometimes write about frugal celebrities for People Magazine. Do you have any funny or outrageous stories about the frugal habits of the rich and famous?

I also remember reading that you were on Oprah once. What was it like being on her show? Are you going again for your book tour? That has to be the coolest thing evar.

imagine girl:

I appreciate the congrats! Thanks so much for asking a question. I was worried that I would have to get my mom, dad, and sibs to write questions.

And yeah, I used to be a stringer for People magazine. I used to try to track Jennifer Lopez when she came to Miami Beach. She had a huge mansion on the water.

At one point, it was easy to track JLo's comings and goings because she lived a big-ticket South Beach-style life. I knew when she was home or about to land at her home because the catering trucks, the florists, the pool maintenance team, the security team and more all arrived: Ka-Ching!

But then, JLo downsized that South Beach life style. She married Marc Anthony, went super low-profile (at least in Miami Beach) and must have saved a ton of money.

About Oprah: I was featured on that show several years ago in a taped segment about miracle stories. I'll try to post a link to Orpah's archives.

And yeah, it would be great if she invited me on to her show to chat about frugal living or my book! In the meantime, I can dream about the bright lights and continue to enjoy myself.

Thanks again for the question.

[Frugal Duchess]

Originally Posted by arcadian

sharon i'm sure your friends are all into the latest trends and fashion as well. do they give you a hard time about bargain hunting for fashion?

i do love deals. however my friends who are not into frugality would give me a hard time about buying things at outlet stores or close out sales. i guess for some of them it is important to pay full price to show their status?

arcadian:

First: Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks so much for asking about one of my favorite topics: Fashion!

Most of my friends, co-workers and associates are really supportive of my goals: frugal, but fashionable.

My friends cheer when I brag about the BCBG shoes that I found at Marshall's for $22. Very supportive.

But you're right. Some people are totally into self-esteem through status. For instance, once, I was sporting a pair of Payless pumps. I thought I was sooo cool, so chic. And one fashionista stopped me and asked about my shoes. A little voice inside my head urged me to just say that I had picked them up in uber-trendy South Beach.

And that's true. But the shoes (about $15) were from a Payless store in South Beach. I was totally honest about where I had found the shoes.

The fashionista sniffed and said: "Oh. Yeah. Those shoes? A little too much hardware."

Translation: She loved my shoes, until she discovered that they came from a Payless store.

But usually, I have a great time bragging about my frugal finds!

Your comments are great! Thanks!