Since I’ve had this site up and running, the most common question I get is what theme I’m using. There are so many themes to chose from, from free to several thousands of dollars; admittedly, the decision can be overwhelming. Throw in the fact that some of us are new to blogging and really aren’t developers, making the decision to actually pay for a theme can be a scary thing.
How much time can I afford to waste on trying themes? The free themes will look like everyone else’s, why would I want that? If I pay for a theme and I don’t know how to use it, how will I tell my wife/boyfriend/my conscience? Those are just a few questions that constantly swirl in your head until you finally choose that theme.
When I made my switch from Blogger to WordPress, the first thing I had to do was decide on a new theme. I wanted a theme with a clean look that loaded fast and was easy to configure. Although I can do some coding, I prefer not to because (a) I’m not particularly the best at it and (b) I’d rather spend my time writing content and optimizing my site.
During the first few days, I experimented with several themes but didn’t fall in love with any of them — until I stumbled upon frugal theme! Don’t let the name fool you. Whether you’re fresh from the blognip farm or looking for a new solution for your existing blog, a frugal theme can provide tremendous value.
It’s not for everyone but if you want an uncluttered looking site that is supported well (thanks Eric Hamm!), frugal theme is one worth looking into. In fact, don’t just use freebloghelp.com as an example, look at other frugal sites to really see the potential. You’ll find others have really taken the theme to another level with their creative designs. Just head over to frugal themes and click on Gallery. You’ll not only see great looking blog sites but you’ll also find that some people are using it for their non-blog sites, essentially using it as a content management system (CMS) for their websites.
Right now, you actually get both the frugal Premium and frugal Professional themes for one price, $79. Who knows how long Eric will leave the combo price up for. If you haven’t decided on a theme yet, do a little research on how much other themes cost. Many paid themes are also under $100 but the admin modules are lacking. Sure, the end product looks great…if you know what you’re doing. You won’t have that problem with frugal. Before you buy, just look at the video tutorials in the support area to see how easy the admin functions are. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Using a frugal theme is like pushing the blogging Easy Button.












I am a business professional
with an entrepreneurial spirit. Although I have an MBA and managed websites and IT departments
for several Fortune 500 companies ...
Yeah, Frugal is definitely one of the top themes along with Thesis and Flex. I spent about 5 hours hunting through free themes to find mine, and I still can’t customize it as much as I want.
the first thing I’m going to do once props blog starts making more money is get a paid theme that provides support for the user. It’s 100000% worth it!
He Gabe:
Very interesting and extremely informative. Dude, I am coming back to this blog to learn how to get my website and other stuff out into the ether. Thanks and
Write on!
Stu
Frugal looks really clean, just as you described. I’m going to check it out for some of my websites.
Great information! I will definitely keep up on reading articles from Gabe Young.
IM ACTUALLY JUMPING FROMM THEME TO THEME, I THINK I SHOULD TRY FRUGAL ONE OF THIS DAY.
thanks for this,
-Nhoel of http://keywordspeak.com
Gabe, thanks for the info. This sounds really good and I will continue to check out your blog for the very useful information you post. I am very new to this all, and tired of spending lots of money for things that do not work or that I do not know how to make work. Your articles make sense and sound like they come from experience.
Keep them coming!
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I recommend anyone serious about blogging pay the token amount for a premium theme. It’s a really good deal to have a theme that is actively maintained by someone with a vested interest in keeping it up to date. I use Thesis myself, but that’s a matter of taste.
Wow, this is some great information. Thanks!
[...] use, has good support and optimized for search engines, one option is the one that I currently use. Frugal theme is a great choice in my opinion. You could use this link to learn about and purchase a Frugal theme. While you’re there, [...]
Thanks, your post is very informative and gives me an opportunity to try out Frugal theme. So far I have been using atahulapa and perhaps it is time to give a new look with frugal!
Frugal has been good to me. I’ve been using it for several of my sites and haven’t switched to anything else. One day, I may use a different theme for this site but only because it’ll be time for a refresher.
Anyway, if you try Frugal, please use the sponsored link on the right pane or use this link: http://www.frugaltheme.com/139-0-1-10.html. Thanks!
i am using Thesis on my blog, didnt knew about Frugal before.
But thesis is also one of my fav and best theme i ever used and really good experience it gives
I have nothing bad to say about Thesis. It’s one of the most popular themes for a reason!