Passage 1

On Sunday mornings, Katie practices the same ritual: she sits down on her couch in Toronto with her computer and a cup of tea，pulls the receipts from her purse and makes a tally (记账)： “Groceries: $55.90. Petrol: $43.10. Hospital parking: $0. Total Spend: $99.” Then she hits PUBLISH and shares her weekly spending with the world.

Katie, a single mother of two adopted children with special needs, has to keep track of her money. Multiple surgeries over the past years have left her paralyzed (瘫痪的)from hip to knee. Unable to work her healthcare job, she is heavily in debt. To help her cope with the intense financial pressure, Katie maintains a blog(微博)called Notes From The Frugal Trenches.

The near-daily reports, which include money-saving tips ( make your own cleaning products and dog food) , stories from the free outings she takes with her kids (the park，the pool) and the realities of living with a disability (lots of hospital parking bills) , are written in the positive tone of someone who can, t afford to be discouraged.Most posts end with optimistic views such as ： “ But in all honesty it ’ s OK to have to go without,” or “ Here ’ s to a week of no non-essentials!

“The blog feels like free therapy,” says Katie in her mid-30s who doesn’ t want her last name used to protect her children ’ s privacy. “ It ’ s really helpful in looking back and remembering I can do it.Katie is one of the countless people who document their thrifty lifestyles on sites with names like Suddenly Frugal, Frugal Babe and The Frugal Mom. The bloggers range from suburban mothers to an Indian man named J. Money with a site called Budgets Are $exy.

While most frugal blogs can ’ t offer professional advice,they arguably do something more important: give readers withmoney woesemotional support and a sense of community. But unlike Katie, they don, t often deal with true poverty. Most are written by middle-class people who either fall into debt or prefer a minimalist (极简主义的)lifestyle.

Though most frugal blogs might not help readers escape poverty, professional financial planner Lauren Lyon Coles says they can make money issues simpler to understand for the average person. “A lot of people hate math, ” she says. “If you’ re connecting with someone and you relate to their story...you can learn what you need to do by accident.” Lyon Coles adds that while the financial industry “has a vested interest in keeping finances complicated”,bloggers prove that saving money can be simple. 

21.What does Katie usually do on Sundays?