Joni Smith, Founder of Frugal Thumb

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.

Fly or Drive? Determine the Most Cost-Effective Choice

February 4, 2018

Joni Smith

Family, Finances, Life, Money Saving Apps

It’s vacation time! And you’re going out of town. But should you fly or drive to reach your destination of choice? What’s the most cost-effective option? My immediate family is spread out across the United States, so there is no dropping by on a whim, and every visit requires a planned trip. As a frugal thumb, I try to figure out the most cost-effective vacations. Should we fly or drive? What are the pros and cons of each choice? I…

Kid exercises right to privacy from parent

February 2, 2018

Joni Smith

Kid Lessons

My daughter told me that I was not allowed to go in her closet. When I went in her room later that day to clean up some toys, I noticed she’d posted a sign on her closet door: “OFf LiMBits”

Patio table bird feeder update

January 30, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I’m really enjoying the new life this bird food is giving our backyard. We’ve had deer, squirrels, and a variety of birds come visiting. Winter patio idea

Transform metal coasters into Usable coasters

January 29, 2018

Joni Smith

Home Projects

Whoever thought it was a good idea to give coasters a metal lining did not test their product before marketing it. I must be one of the few fools to buy them without realizing how awful these coasters would actually work. I just thought they looked nice. However, if there is any condensation that drips down onto these metal-lined coasters, the coaster will get stuck to the cup, and will rise with the cup when it is picked up. But…

Fixing the chirping smoke detector

January 29, 2018

Joni Smith

Home Projects

I’ve been learning a lot of new things since I took the leap and quit my job – how to cook fish, how to change the air filter, make curtain rods, refinish wood furniture, spray paint things, make necklaces, etc, etc. So when the smoke detector in our master bedroom started chirping in the middle of the night last night, I looked at it as another opportunity to learn something new! This time the lesson would be in replacing smoke…

Make Affordable Homemade Gluten-Free Bread

January 24, 2018

Joni Smith

Food, Health & Fitness

My daughter and I both discovered that we have some level of gluten intolerance in 2017, so my family is always looking for gluten-free alternatives to the wheat-y things we used to love. Bread is a big one! But it’s so expensive at the store. Even the cheapest loaves I could find run about $5 for a small loaf! It’s much more cost effective (and environmentally friendly) to bake your own. How it’s thrifty: According to my math, you’ll spend…

Refinishing an old wood table

January 24, 2018

Joni Smith

Home Projects

Today I assisted in refinishing an old wooden table that my mother in law wanted to modernize for the grandkids’ play room. We used an electric sander to remove the shiny varnish from the entire piece of furniture, and then wiped off the dust thoroughly with a damp rag. Then we used a mini roller and painted the top with gray chalk paint and wiped it to give it a distressed look before it fully dried. For the sides and…

Winter patio idea

January 22, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

We have a nice view of our patio table in the winter. Just sitting out there not being used… Well, what if it could become a beautiful focal point of the yard as a bird/squirrel hot spot, great for nature-watching while helping the local wildlife get through the cold days? Just add some fallen branches, the bottom of an old planter, and bird seed. Now we wait to be discovered… Thanks for this idea goes to my father in law!…

How to Cook boneless skinless chicken in a Crock-Pot

January 18, 2018

Joni Smith

Food

I found this article and I’m going to be trying this out tomorrow. Chicken is thawing in the fridge right now! I’m always looking for ways to do more in less time and the crockpot is sorely underutilized right now at our house. This needs to change. Here’s to making helpful healthful changes. https://www.livestrong.com/article/536887-how-to-cook-boneless-skinless-chicken-breasts-in-the-crock-pot/ EDIT: The chicken only needed to cook about four hours on the low setting so I was glad I was home checking on it every hour…

Tree recycling plans

December 29, 2017

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

One of our smaller trees didn’t make it in our backyard this year, so my husband cut it down. Ever attempting to think of DIY/RRR projects, I dragged it into our garage with a plan to make something out of it. I’m still not sure what, but I read that tree trunks need months to dry out so that’s what I’m allowing it to do this winter. In the meantime, I am researching how I’ll debark it and make into…