In a previous post, I mentioned that we decided to use a faux shiplap on our kitchen walls. We are loving the look and the cost! I thought I would give you a little more information on how we accomplished this DIY project, without spending a ton of money. Real shiplap boards are expensive. One 8ft…
Month: September 2020
Our Never Home is turning into our Forever Home
When we first moved in, this place was our never home. I don’t think there was one thing that Christy liked about it. But over time, we’ve changed it and made it our own. The walls were dingy and covered in finger prints. The dark blue carpet was yellow with cat piss (sounds unbelievable, but…
Re-entering the Homeschool World During Covid 19
New Jersey has been hard hit by the coronavirus. During March, April, and May, the kids and I were confined to our home almost exclusively. John did all of our shopping and errands. I was terrified that one of the kids would get sick. Fortunately, the number of new cases per day has been dwindling…
Working Toward Retirement – September
Things aren’t looking as good as they were in August due to some down days in the market, but at least we aren’t negative growth. One positive is, even though we didn’t have any real gains, at least we were able to invest $1,435. Just the act of steadily contributing and growing that base will…
Kitchen Improvements: Week 1
We have finally started the process of remodeling our 1960s kitchen. This is a project I’ve been talking about since the day we purchased our house nearly 15 years ago. For a long time, I wanted to completely gut the space. But logically, I know that pouring $30,000 into one room is a waste of…
Baby Gear: What to buy and what to skip
Today I wanted to talk about baby gear. Over the course of having 5 children, I think we managed to acquire every piece of baby equipment ever invented. I’m kidding of course, but we did end up with a lot of stuff. The funny thing is that baby’s don’t really need much to be happy. …
Saving for the future – September
Here is where we stand for the beginning of September. Our regular savings received the expected $500 and we are also able to put away an extra $386, but…we had to transfer $400 to pay for an auto repair and $76 to cover some bills going out of our checking account. Plus, my new life…
Homeschool: Tips to save you time and money
As a family, we have been a little unconventional over the years. By some people’s standards, we are a little weird. We are vegetarians, we have a large family, and we homeschool all of our children. I am used to not quite fitting the mold. Because of covid, homeschooling is now all the rage. I…