Greetings from our homestead! In the near decade since this blog was born, I’ve worked diligently to achieve better balance between work and so many other passions. Now, I have two ways to share some of my acquired skills and knowledge with everyone. As a New Years’ gift, I …
Now that all five of our children are attending public school, we’re receiving a lot of birthday party invitations. Sometimes, there isn’t much notice for the parties, or the invitations find strange hiding places for a few weeks. Here is my list of presents to keep on hand, as emergency …
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: …
Frugal parenting come with many different types of challenges. A reader and Instagram buddy reached out to me about how we pay for birthday party presents. I agree with her that dropping the kids off to be entertained for a few hours can be really nice, but is it worth …
Many are calling us “brave” for taking five kids (including almost-one-year-old twins) on an adventure to Washington, D.C., but it was the perfect trip for us right now. We were able to get away from home, enjoy some educational and entertaining experiences, and it really didn’t cost very much at …
We’re still in the process of making some big changes in my career and our plans for the future. While I believe that babies are not that expensive, they do grow up to be children, and then teenagers and adults. Terrifying! That’s why we have to take more of a …
Working moms are very busy, but I truly believe that almost everyone can find some time for at least a little side hustling. Maybe you want to earn a little extra money to pay off debt, increase investments so you can retire early, or you might just be hoping to …
I’ve been out of work for a couple of weeks now. Thankfully, life is taking on a slower pace as this pregnancy continues to wear on me. I did manage to complete one goal for maternity leave already by reading an actual book, for pleasure! Wondering what else we’ve been up …
Being healthy seems to be the focus of many as we get into the full swing of the New Year. I’m already looking forward to regaining my shape once this last pregnancy is done! As a parent, we’re always trying to make sure that our family is healthy . . . …
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that can quickly become expensive. Mr. Smith used to send beautiful bouquets of flowers to my office. They were lovely, but honestly, a waste of money. Nowadays, we’re saving our money to pay down debt and fund future adventures. But the kids should …
