When my small (apartment-sized even though I live in a large house with a ton of people) freezer looks like this, it’s time for an eat the freezer challenge. Not only can I get my freezer cleaned out, but I can save some money on groceries this week too. One of the ways I’ve been […]
Simplify Back to School Season (+ a free 30 day meal plan)
School started in our county last week. It’s a busy season. Our routines get turned upside down. The kids have all the feels! Ahh! To help myself (and my kids) ease into this transition, I think about ways to simplify back to school season. Here’s what I did this year. If you scroll down, you’ll […]
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Is it just me, or is this summer flying by? It feels like I blink, and another week has passed. I’ve learned that one way to make time slow down is by having new experiences. Travel is one way to do this. I also love exposing my kids to the arts. Last year, two of […]
Summer Vacation with Kids (Like a Lazy Genius™)
Summer vacation with the kids feels like a lot this year, for a few reasons. One, I’m now working outside the home, so child care is a concern. Two, my kids have a wide age range, so it’s challenging to meet everyone’s needs. Three, I’m only one little person, with limitations of time, money and […]
Frugal Wins, trash picking edition
When a neighbor discarded some household belongings on the curb, my daughter-in-love and I decided to take a peek. Trash picking is the ultimate frugal practice. Not only is all the stuff free, but it helps keep good stuff out of landfills. We snagged a brand new dog crate, which is now Willie’s bed. We […]
Misfits Market Review (and a coupon code)
Are you a fan of grocery delivery services? I’ve been using InstaCart for years and love it. I’ve also experimented with another: Misfits. Here’s my Misfits market review, along with a coupon code for you to use if you’d like to try it. What is Misfits market? Misfits Market offers seasonal, organic produce and claims […]
Work at Home, Homeschooling Mom of 7: a day in the life
That title was just a wee bit click bait-y. After all, only four of my children are homeschooled at the moment. The oldest two have graduated! And the youngest (5), does just a little schoolwork for kicks and giggles. Two are in high school and totally self-sufficient in their education at this point. So, only […]
Cheap Homeschooling (with Several Kids)
Considering homeschooling your kids? If you worry that you’re going to spend a lot of money on educating your children properly, read on. This post shares my tips for cheap homeschooling, even with several kids. A bit of backstory if you’re new. As of late 2019, my family has two grads (21 and 18), two […]
Lowering food costs (for a family of 9)
Groceries are my family’s biggest expense. Even higher than our mortgage. Interestingly, we spend roughly what the government says is reasonable for a family of 9. So I guess it’s not terribly bad. Still, it’s a huge figure and I know I can do better. What I Won’t Do to Lower Food Costs In the […]
I KonMari’d my home (again!)
I first talked about Marie Kondo and the KonMari method (as explained in her best-selling book, The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up) back in 2015. At that time, I decluttered my entire house using her methods. And it stayed that way for the most part! I did, however, do the process again this week. […]