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.

How I cured my hypERthyroidism naturally

April 27, 2018

Joni Smith

Health & Fitness, Life

Disclaimer: I’m putting this out here in the hopes of helping others who may find themselves in a similar situation. I’m not a doctor. I can only speak from my own experience. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in August 2017 and, by March 2018, my thyroid levels were back in the normal range. When none of the usual thyroid treatments worked… “So I hear you’re our problem patient,” said my endocrinologist as she walked into the room. I shifted on…

Get Your Home Guest-Ready Fast - 14-day Guide

Guide to Get Your Home Guest-Ready in Just 1 Hour a Day

April 20, 2018

Joni Smith

Cleaning & Organizing

Do you have a messy home and need to get it guest-ready fast? When you’ve got visitors coming and only a few days to get your home looking presentable, you may feel a panic attack coming on! Personally, I struggle to keep my home organized and can get tired just thinking about what needs to get done. And when guests are coming, a million mostly negative thoughts start running through my mind. Oh no! The house is a mess! What…

30 Ways to Save on Your Insurance Budget – “Saving on Necessities” Series

April 16, 2018

Joni Smith

Budgeting, Health & Fitness, Life

Life insurance, health insurance, car insurance – all necessary and could be costly. But it’s more costly to go without it. So read on for some tips to get the best deals on your insurance premiums.

7 Benefits of cutting down ornamental grass in the spring

April 12, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Yardwork

Sometimes, I feel a little embarrassed in the winter time when my neighbors have already cut down their ornamental grass, but then I remind myself of the benefits of waiting- both for me and nature! Why should you wait until the spring to cut down your ornamental grass?

29 Ways to Save on Your Bills and Utilities Budget – “Saving on Necessities” Series

April 9, 2018

Joni Smith

Budgeting, Finances

Want to save money on your monthly bills and utilities? It can be done with some savvy service switches and easy home maintenance tweaks. You may even enjoy making some of these simple changes, knowing you’re saving money while saving the environment. Read on for some ideas that you can implement right away to start saving.

33 Ways to Save on Your Auto and Transport Budget – “Saving on Necessities” Series

April 2, 2018

Joni Smith

Budgeting

Now, I know what you’re thinking. How could there possibly be over 30 ways to save on car and transportation stuff?
Well, sometimes it’s the little things that add up to big savings.

Skip the plumber and easily replace your tub spout on the cheap

March 29, 2018

Joni Smith

Home Projects

When you’re trying to save a little cash and keep on a budget each month, you find ways to maintain your home in frugal ways. For example, I had never replaced a tub spout before, but by golly, I was going to try it- and it turned out to be so easy! Everyone should be doing this themselves. We went quite a few months with our tub spout’s diverter stuck in the shower position. We tried using CLR a few…

How to Stop Refilling Your Kitchen Sink Soap Dispenser

How to stop refilling your kitchen soap dispenser

March 26, 2018

Joni Smith

Cleaning & Organizing

Our family spends a lot of time in the kitchen, and that means we tend to go through the soap in our in-sink soap dispenser every few weeks. The soap bottle under the sink is tiny and I hate refilling it as often as I need to! I always end up spilling (i.e. wasting) soap everywhere in the process of filling it. It’s also difficult to remove and re-attach the bottle because I have to have one hand above the…

Start a flower bed without pulling a single weed or using any chemicals – 5 steps

March 23, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing

Do you have an area in your yard that you’d like to use as a flower bed, but you don’t know how to get started? Or maybe you have an existing flower bed that’s just become overgrown with weeds and you’d like a fresh start with it? Well, it can be done, and– It’s actually easier than you think! In this post, I’ve got easy and cheap directions for you to get it done in 5 steps, in one afternoon!…

10 Reasons to Give Yourself a Massage with a Foam Roller

March 21, 2018

Joni Smith

Health & Fitness

If you’ve been exercising, or doing a lot of yardwork and housework, or even sitting at your desk for hours on long workdays, you may have a lot of sore muscles– and the thought of a massage might sound heavenly. However, we’re trying to be financially smarter and save money wherever possible, so those weekly trips to the masseuse may not fit into the budget. But health is very important too, and I subscribe to the saying “Your Health is…