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 …
When we purchased our new home, with 16 acres, I was very hopeful that we would be able to forage some free food for our family of seven. There is now a garden with lots of delicious vegetables, but it was very exciting to find a few edible things already …
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 …
It can be tempting at times, to focus on your accomplishments, and decide that you’ve done enough. We have been working so hard for the past decade. After paying off our debt and moving to the forever homestead, it’s been difficult to resist the lure of celebration, relaxing, and letting …
Finally closing on our forever homestead felt like so much more than just buying a house, because it represented an arrival at the destination we had been dreaming of through a long journey. From paying off debt and being surprised by twins, to surviving a pandemic, this milestone has been …
After years of hard work, and surviving pandemic quarantine with five kids in a 1,300 square foot home . . . We are finally ready to move into our forever homestead! There is a down payment in the bank and we have our mortgage preapproval letters. The next step is …
My father passed away last month. He had been in the hospital since the beginning of December, after suffering a head injury, due to a fall. The rollercoaster ride of the past few months have challenged me beyond anything that I’ve faced before in my life. In my continuing attempts …
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, …
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 …
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 …
