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.

DIY basement flooring for next to nothing

The carpet in our basement was getting really gross. We keep the litter box down there and so litter was always getting into it, plus that’s where one of our cats likes to run to throw up. And his food is really good at staining. (He doesn’t throw up as often anymore now that we’ve got him on a special diet and hairball meds, but that’s a whole nother post.) So I decided that the carpet just had to go.…

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Cheap upgrade for air vents

Ever since we replaced our cream colored carpeting for honey strand bamboo flooring, my husband has hated our white air vents. To him, they stick out like sore thumbs around the rooms. But at that time, we researched the price of new wood air vents-and we stopped looking. It was definitely cost prohibitive, and that was how we felt when I was still working. ($20-40 per air vent) So, in keeping with my plan to show my husband that we…

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Hyperthyroidism?

I had my first appointment with my endocrinologist today, and it turns out that I actually most likely have hyperthyroidism- not hypo. This seems strange to me because I already have most of the hypo symptoms… More blood tests and we’ll see where we go from here. I find it interesting that the best treatment for hyperthyroidism is to make you hypo and then take meds to regulate it for the rest of your life. Also, I found out that…

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How to Make Halloween Ghost Lights for Free

This craft cost us nothing and was a fun way for us to decorate the stairs up to our front door for trick or treaters. We collected empty gallon milk cartons for weeks. Then we had a great time with our kiddo drawing spooky faces on each one. I cut an opening in the back, weighed it down with a rock, and stuffed in some white Christmas lights. Voila! It really looks great at night. Picture coming soon.

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Four leaf clover jewelry

My daughter is one of the luckiest people. I’ve never found a four leaf clover, but she has found at least five in her short seven years of life. We picked and dried a few of them to make into these beautiful lucky necklaces. I’d never tried making this kind of jewelry before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was quite easy! I plan on trying my hand at a few other plant inspired pieces now that…

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Bay window curtain rod for half circle window

Our master bedroom has a wonderful huge window that is rounded at the top (uh, what’s this style called?) And I love it! For me, it is the main focal point of the room, working together with the bed. But for the longest time, we debated how to even put curtains up on this window because, in addition to the round top, the ceiling is also slanted on both sides. This makes it impossible to have a straight curtain rod…

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My gas company’s 10 tips for saving on winter energy bills

My gas company sent me a brochure in October with tips to prepare my home for the winter to help me spend less on the gas bill! I truly enjoy when my utility companies send me tips on how to save money by giving them less of it! Ha ha, it’s quite a deal, really. I often wonder if they do this because they want their customers to be more likely to be able to afford and, therefore, pay their…

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Homegrown tomatoes

I picked four more today! We’re getting pretty close to the end of the season, but I’ll be enjoying the delicious flavor of fresh summer tomatoes in my sauces during the cold winter. I’ve got five freezer bags filled and ready! Growing your own tomatoes and other veggies and saving them in the freezer is a cheap and yummy way to enjoy them all year.

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why we love our electric vehicle

Our Nissan Leaf is electric! (Boogie woogie)

We have owned an electric lawn mower for more than a decade and it continues to be one of our greatest larger purchases ever. (I go on and on about why it’s been so great in this other post.) So, when we unexpectedly found ourselves in need of a new vehicle, we were naturally interested in electric vehicles. Unsurprisingly, this month we bought a pre-owned electric vehicle! I’m in love! And it’s only been a few days. Here’s why it…

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How I Saved Over $300 on Glasses for My Kid

How I Saved over $300 on Glasses for My Kid

My kiddo was so lucky! Her eyes held out until second grade before needing assistance in seeing. I myself had to get glasses in first grade. She suddenly was struggling to read the board at school and the teacher moved her to the front row. So off we went to the eye doctor. Luckily, our health insurance includes vision coverage for dependents, so we didn’t have to have separate vision insurance for the appointment or for the glasses-or so I…

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