Author: <span>Harmony</span>

2020 Update: Continuing On Our Path, Changes, and New Plans

And just like that . . . 2019 is over.  Everyone seems to be discussing resolutions and reflecting, not only on the past year, but the last decade.  As we enter the New Year, my thoughts are also focused on goals and accomplishments, including the past progress of this blog …

Simple Ways to Save as a Stay-At-Home Parent

Living on a single income isn’t easy. Even if you consider yourself to be a frugal person, the increasing costs of various bills today mean that it’s incredibly difficult to make ends meet when you don’t have cash coming in from at least two people in your household. Sometimes, however, …

Our Frugal Family Road Trip To Virginia

What a fun and frugal family adventure!  We used the President’s Day school break to take a road trip down to Virginia and visited Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk.  We also spent some time with my brother-in-law and his wife in Washington, D.C.  The trip was perfect: …

Save Cash By Staying On Top Of These Outdoor Home Maintenance Jobs

The typical American household will spend $2,100 every year on home maintenance costs, according to the American Housing Survey.  However, failing to check your home for repair issues or putting off repair work can result in extra cost.  We’re certainly guilty of trying to ignore some of those smaller things in need …

2019 Update: Finances, Life & Plans For The Future

Greetings from The Smith Family!  We hope that 2019 is going well for you so far.  This blog is quite overdue for an update on our progress with finances and everything else that has been going on with us.  Read on to learn about just how much debt we’ve destroyed …

Family Road Trips: Exploring The World Together

Few things in life offer families a unique bonding opportunity the way road trips do, and seeing as this year one in three Americans will be on the road (the highest ever recorded) it’s safe to say most Americans would agree. Finding a great destination, planning out all the stops and staying …

Tips & Tricks To Save On A Family Vacation

If your idea for a family holiday of a lifetime involves traveling abroad, you’re not alone: 33 percent of American families took trips to international destinations last year, according to the AAA. While taking a long vacation with the kids may be a goal, it may seem like it will take a …

Monday Medley: Lots of Updates & Some Thoughts On Blogging When Things Are Going Well

As the end of 2018 approaches, I wanted to give everyone an update on the Smith Family.  There are a number of reasons why it’s been pretty quiet on this blog lately, including that we’ve been very busy enjoying all of the adventures that come with being a large, frugal …

A Cautionary Tale: How One Side Hustle Almost Cost Me Everything

In looking back over my blog posts over the past several years, they always seem to be a bit more spread out over the summer. It makes sense, because we’re on the go more during the warmer seasons of the year, trying to fill our days with as much adventure …