March 9th is ThriftyFun's Founder's Day, in remembrance of our founder and mother, Susan Sanders-Kinzel, who passed away in 2008. Susan had learned frugal ways as a single mother and was no stranger to hard work. We would always make sure to take her birthday off, calling it a ThriftyFun holiday.
With the help of her sons, Fletcher Sandbeck and Lewis Sandbeck, Susan established this website in 1999 to provide an early online forum about frugal living. Soon Susan's daughters, Jessica StewartMaize and Stella Bui-Rivet, were able to pitch in with the growing demands of the busy site. The four siblings are still in charge of the site today.
It is truly a family business. Spouses and other family members have been on staff over the years to keep the site running. That is not to mention the many friends and family that are members of the site, sharing their own ideas with the rest of the ThriftyFun community.
2020 marks our 21st year, with thousands of posted questions, tips, recipes and crafts. We continually look for ways to improve the site and the information it contains. New technologies are always emerging so changes are inevitable, but we have tried to keep Susan's frugal and caring spirit alive.
Thank you to all our contributors, regular members and newsletter subscribers who keep ThriftyFun a positive, vibrant community and a resource for so many millions of visitors. You truly are the reason for the continued success of this site. Keep amazing us with your ingenuity.
Here are some other links that you may be interested in. The first is an article published about Susan at the time of her death. The second is slightly older and shows a history of ThriftyFun.
With love,
Jessica, Fletcher, Lewis, Stella and the rest of the ThriftyFun team.
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How wonderful your Mother must have been. I have submitted many craft projects and tips here for years now not really knowing this fabulous history. My heart go out to you as you celebrate Susan's life. Thanks for all the support and kindness you have shown everyone throughout the years.
I have been a fan of ThriftyFun for a few years now, and have been posting some of your ingenious tips and recipes on social media ever since. Lovely to know about Susan and her fun and thrifty ways. She was a wonderful person to share this with others, and thank you all for your good work, and enlarging on Susan's project.
Diane Rhodes
Love the site. Like it also because it is a family based site.
Hi everyone at Thrifty Fun,
I believe I have been a member here since the site was new. If one can have a personal friend that they never met, your Mother, Susan was surely that for me. As all you other family members came to be in time. You have all been so good to Paul and me through the years. I know you remember our Golden Wedding Anniversary. We cannot think about that celebration without thinking of the gang from Thrifty Fun. And you also helped me launch my Yard Art website.
I have been a fan of your site for a number of years. I did not know the story behind how the site was set up and having read the details I wish I had known the founder as she seems to have been a wonderful person. I'm glad that the family is continuing the good work and I'm sure she is very proud of you all.
I play a lot of online scrabble and several years ago one of the scrabble players whose name I can't remember told me about thriftyfun. I was hooked and have been ever since! It was when Susan was here and doing a lot of the work herself. I really appreciate all that she did and all that you are doing. My whole family knows about ThriftyFun and make suggestions from time to time about items which I need to send in. Thanks for continuing Susan's work!
I really enjoy Thrifty Fun, thanks for all the good work.
I wish I could have met her. I was posting a tip the day I learned of her departure. I only hope she knows how much she is missed and how well the ship is sailing with the new captains at the helm.
You are an amazing family! So glad you have carried on your mom's work. You all help us every day. My best to the family.
Thank you for sharing your story and for continuing your mother's legacy. Blessings to all!
Congratulations for these many years of quality frugal tips and recipes. I key every recipe with "TF" that I copy from this site. So you may imagine there are hundreds of "TF" in my collection. I don't remember when I first joined .. I think very early on. I got my first computer in 97 and found you fairly soon after. Many thanks for your efforts.
Thank you Susan for all the Happiness and Life Remedies you continue others to encourage and share !! :) Love, Kim
This is my mother. Her presence is still all over the site, almost 9 years after her death. Sometimes, when I am looking up information on the site, I will run across one of her articles or feedback. She is helping me still. Love you, Mama!
I can tell she was a beautiful soul. I love this photo of her-- what a smile. I thank her and your whole family for bringing us this great community!
thanks so much for this site, and for sharing this wonderful story! She sounds like someone I would love to emulate one day.
I often have wondered about the story re. this wonderful site and today I'm glad to have found out.
thanks to you all!
We try to post our story about once a year, in honor of Susan. Thanks for the kind words.
I agree with all of the above, wonderful woman who started the site, all the wonderful family keeping her legacy alive, and all the wonderful members here, I am thankful to have this wonderful site.
Thanks to your mother, and to each of you who continue to carry on ThriftyFun.
Your mother made a great contribution to us all. Thank you for sharing her and continuing her work. Be Blessed.
Your mother and all of you did a great thing starting this site.
Thank you Jess for sharing this story with us all about your wonderful mother Susan.
Your mother and her legacy lives on through you and your family, and she's surely proud. What a wonderful family she made :)
And thank you, and all your family members who ALL make this site possible, I know we all appreciate everything you do.
Thank you.
Susan would be proud that you kept the site active. It is a tribute, not only to Susan, but your love for her.
Congratulations on 21 years! I found your site around 10 years ago. Time flies! Much appreciation to Susan and now her family for keeping her spirit alive and maintaining the website and all of the information as it has become a bigger and more challenging job over the years. Thank you! Cheers! Lisa
Years fly by remember early days of this wonderful site and will always remember her kindness to my family congratulations on keeping her vision and sharing
Thanks for everyone's kind words.
Very thankful you all took over the site. I have learned so much and enjoyed sharing. :)
Happy Founder's Day to your beautiful mom!
I so enjoy reading these postings and have used many ideas from it, thank you all!
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