Joni Smith

Joni Smith

Joni is a 40-year-old wife and mother in Kansas City, MO. She started budgeting in 2013 and was able to quit her job as a computer programmer in 2017. Her family now has financial freedom, living comfortably on only her husband's teaching salary. (This includes 3 humans and 3 cats living under one roof.) These days, Joni enjoys finding simple ways to live the good life while saving money and the planet at the same time. Her hobbies include DIY projects, gardening, quilting, making self-improvement goals, and brainstorming ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Get Easy Cash Back on Groceries

Get easy cash back on your groceries with Ibotta

How does over $200 cash back sound? My sister loves Ibotta and has gotten over $200 cash back using it. With that in mind, I finally decided that it couldn’t hurt to give it a try and see what I could save. Any extra cash helps now that I’m not bringing in a paycheck. Ibotta has a free app for your phone Setup was a cinch. Just install the app on your phone and follow the prompts to select your…

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Coloring Books are not just for kids

Coloring books are not just for kids anymore

Did you like to color when you were a kid? Why as adults do we stop doing things that we enjoyed when we were younger? My theory is that we forget to slow down and enjoy these kinds of things once family life gets hectic. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s good for you to slow down and remember some of the things you enjoyed- like coloring books. You should take some time and enjoy coloring like you…

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Free Daily 5-minute Organizing Challenge

Take the daily 5-minute organizing challenge from Messies Anonymous [Email Newsletter]

I used to be completely disorganized at home until I read a book by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims. These two are the founders of “Messies Anonymous” and really know their stuff when it comes to organization. I really relate to what they say and recommend them for clutter bugs like me. So when I found out that Marsha now sends a free daily email, I was immediately on board with that. I signed up and now get daily organizing…

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Five Boxes to Declutter

Use 5 boxes to sort and organize all of your clutter

So many boxes… So much clutter… Do you still have boxes of stuff that never got unpacked when you moved? Or a place in your home that seems to accumulate all the clutter? I am supposed to have a craft space in the basement, but it has become the cluttered catch-all area in my home instead. As you can see, it became the junk room and was wall to wall boxes, including some we never opened after moving in three…

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Safely remove black mold

Safely remove black mold from your subfloor

I recently replaced the flooring in my parent’s master bathroom without any prior experience. If you’d like to read how that went, you can find the details here: Installing peel-and-stick vinyl tile in bathroom Since the first bathroom went so well, my parents wanted me to replace the flooring in their guest bathroom too. Of course, every project is a little different and this was no exception. I used a utility knife and flat head screw driver to remove the wood…

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restore a rusty metal bathroom shelf

Restore a Rusty Metal Bathroom Shelf for $5

This project idea was hatched when we had to remove the metal bathroom shelf above the toilet to prepare for installing new flooring in my parents’ bathroom. By doing so, it became clear that the silver metal had seen better days. The bathroom shelf was really rusted in places, especially along the shelf poles. In all honesty, it looked like it needed to be thrown away and replaced.  However, it’s not unusual for an over-the-toilet metal shelf unit to cost…

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5 steps to remove old linoleum

5 Steps to Remove Old Linoleum from Your Bathroom Floor

Is the flooring in your bathroom old, outdated, and showing wear and tear? Is it peeling up from the floor, bubbling from water moisture, or stained? Do you dream of getting new flooring but can’t justify paying thousands to get it done professionally? Then I have good news for you. Because this is another project that you can totally do yourself, and while sticking to a small budget. We’re talking less than $100/bathroom, depending on the size. From start to…

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Free Cash for Pedometer Owners

Free Cash for Pedometer Owners – Sign Up on Achievement Website

How do you like the sound of a little extra cash just for wearing your pedometer? Seriously, you can get cash just for doing things you’re already doing! I’m all for any free and automated ways to get a little extra cash, and myachievement.com is one of those deals! I’ve cashed in for $50 with this site so I can personally tell you it’s legit. Here’s how it works If you wear a Fitbit or Garmin pedometer (or even just…

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