Introducing UFM Mastermind Groups! – Frugalwoods

I’m all about starting new things these days and so, I’m launching a BRAND NEW way to participate in my Uber Frugal Month Challenge: Mastermind Groups!!!! These will be a chance for you to meet (on video) with me and nine other frugal folks once a week for five weeks starting in January. If you don’t want to read another word and just want to join a group, go here. Otherwise, read on!

What Will We Do In Each Mastermind Meeting?

Talk to me! And 9 other frugal weirdos on video!

Over my six years of running the Uber Frugal Month, I’ve received countless emails and messages from participants asking to talk through the issues that crop up for them during the challenge. These conversations have shown me there’s a lot of value in workshopping financial questions. Money is something we’re not supposed to talk about and so many of us just don’t. We harbor secret concerns/joys/frustrations/questions and don’t have an outlet for them. This is that outlet.

• These groups will be the place to discuss every single weird money question you have.
• These groups will be the place to share every single money success you experience.
• These groups will be where you can find camaraderie and support.

Our agenda for each call will be to review the action items and prompts of that week’s/the previous week’s daily Uber Frugal Month lessons. But more broadly, it’ll be a chance to brainstorm ideas, learn from each other, share challenges/successes, ask me questions and be in a community of folks focused on improving their financial lives. I’ll guide each meeting, but since the groups will be small, I’ll encourage topics to bubble up from group members. It won’t be a rigid format where I talk at you. My goal is to make each meeting about what YOU want to discuss. It’ll be more of a conversation and less of a lecture. 

The Mastermind Groups Exist to Address:

• The lack of community and support you feel on your financial journey.
• Emotional turmoil around money–or financial trauma–that has sabotaged your past efforts to improve your financial health.
• Complicated family dynamics and history that make it intimidating to figure out how to change your approach to money.
• An inability to stick with the habits promoted by the Uber Frugal Month for the long-term.
• A fear that you’re the only person who doesn’t understand financial terminology and jargon.
• Lack of clarity on your long-term goals and how your money might impact your future.
• A disconnect between you and your partner/spouse about how money should be managed.
• Undesirable financial routines/expectations that you’ve set up with your kids and now want to change.
• Shame and guilt over not taking charge of your financial life sooner.
• The belief that you can’t learn how to manage your money.
• Embarrassment over your lack of general personal finance knowledge.
• How to create a sustainable money plan that you actually can–and will–follow.

There’s no question too big or too small for the Groups to address because, for most of us, our financial educations began after we became adults, after we made some serious financial missteps (anyone remember my story about overdrawing my checking account in my 20s? Good times). And so, we feel like we SHOULD know this stuff and we SHOULD be able to manage our money. I think it can be especially challenging for people who are super successful in all other aspects of their lives. Like folks who are high-powered professionals with kids and commitments and advanced degrees and, and, and…. doesn’t that also mean you should be a personal finance expert?!? Nope, it does not. Let yourself off the hook and come join us.

The Mastermind Groups will follow the Frugalwoods Golden Rules of being:

• 

  Pets should be seen at all times by your camera

  Non-judgmental

• Reliant upon a sense of humor (I mean, what’s the point otherwise?)
• Supportive
• Constructive
• Helpful
• Kind
• Confidential (I’m not going to record our sessions or “out” anyone or share your stories outside of the group setting)
• Empathetic
• Fun
• Encouraging of pets to be clearly seen the video chat frame

Here’s How It’ll Work

I will lead five different Mastermind Groups of 10 people each in a 90-minute video call once a week for five weeks, starting the week of Monday, January 2, 2023. I’m offering five different groups with a range of times/days to try and accommodate as many peoples’ schedules as possible. I’m limiting each group to 10 people so that we’re able to have in-depth, robust conversations and everyone has a chance to fully participate.

Since my brain functions best in bullet points, here’s the breakdown:

When you sign-up, you’ll be prompted to select your preferred day/time. Since there are only 50 slots total (10 spots per group), this is a first-come, first-serve situation. If we end up with a huge waiting list, I’ll consider running Mastermind Groups again another month.

What’s The Process for Signing Up?

1. Go here to select, and pay for, the group you’d like to join.
2. Once you’re registered, you’ll receive an email confirmation with the date, time and link for our first video call.
3. Next, sign-up for the January 2023 free Uber Frugal Month Challenge in the box below.
   • Even if you’ve taken the UFM in the past and saved all the emails, please sign-up again as I’ve edited/changed the UFM for this round and you’ll want to follow along with the same content as the rest of your group.
4. Email me if you have any questions/problems with the sign-up process (liz@frugalwoods.com).
5. I’ll see you (on video!) at our first group meeting.

Can I Join a Group If I’ve Never Taken the UFM Before?

Absolutely! No prior experience needed.

Can I Join a Group If I’ve Taken the UFM Before?

Absolutely! We will tailor our group conversations to fit each member’s needs and questions. If you’ve taken the UFM before, you’ll be able to offer valuable insights into how the UFM has shaped your financial life over the longterm.

What’s the UFM?

Not to be confused with a UFO, the Uber Frugal Month Challenge (UFM) is my FREE, 31-day holistic money re-vamp program. You can sign-up to take it at any time, but we take the UFM as a group twice a year, every January and July.

This January will be the SIXTH consecutive year for the Uber Frugal Month and I’m honored and delighted that hundreds of thousands of frugal folks from across the world have participated over the years and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars AND revolutionized their relationship to money. WOOHOO!!!! A few years ago, I launched a private Facebook group for UFM participants to share ideas, discuss challenges and be in community together. Today, I’m taking that community up a notch by launching UFM Mastermind Groups.

Wait, Does This Replace The Group UFM?

Nope! The free, email-based group UFM will still take place per usual and will start January 1, 2023. The Mastermind Groups are a new addition to the UFM–they don’t replace anything. You can still join the private Facebook group and participate in the UFM as you have in the past.

Why Are You Charging Money for These Groups?

Because my time is valuable and limited and YOUR time is valuable and limited.

Here are some things I offer for free:

1. Terrible jokes.
2. 698 Frugalwoods articles (as of this date), which are not peppered with ads, up-sells or scammy spam.
3. The Uber Frugal Month Challenge.
4. My book (which is free if you check it out from your local library).

Are The Mastermind Groups the Same as a Private Call/Private Financial Consultation?

Nope! They are completely different. Thus, if you’ve done a private financial consultation (aka private reader case study) or hourlong call with me, you are very welcome to join a Mastermind Group as it’ll be a totally different experience. If you’re interested in hiring me for a private financial consultation, you can do that too!

The full details on those are in this post and here’s where to sign-up:

1. Hire me for a private financial consultation here.
2. Schedule an hourlong call with me here.

Summary:

1. Join an Uber Frugal Month Mastermind Group if you’d like to meet (on video) with me and nine other frugal folks once a week for five weeks starting in January.
2. And/or, sign-up for my free, monthlong Uber Frugal Month Challenge, which we’ll take as a group–for the 6th year in a row!!!–starting on January 1, 2023.

Ok, that’s all I can think of to share! Any questions?