Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

When You Long to Be More Than Just Making It

Published September 03, 2017 Updated September 15, 2017 Leave a Comment

Are you frustrated by your finances? There is hope, especially if you long to be more than just making it. Here's some encouragement just for you!

The longer I live on a budget, the more I realize how difficult it can be. I've had some very open and honest conversations with different friends over the past couple months. It's amazing how quiet we keep about our finances and at first, I was surprised by some of these revelations. But then, these conversations caused me to really think. Please note, I believe there is a lot of good in privacy with our finances. I'm traditional in that regard and believe it is also good stewardship. I don't share a lot of specific numbers on my blog because I don't want to cause others to struggle with … Read More...

What I’ve Been Reading the Past 3 Months

Published July 03, 2017 6 Comments

Life has been busy as we prepare to move but I have still been making time to read. I go through spurts of reading nothing for days and then I stay up late reading for several nights in a row. It seems that the longer my to-do list gets, the more I want to curl up with a good book as an escape from everything. A good coping strategy? Sometimes! :-) I’m determined to read 100 books this year again and June found me at the half-way mark, having read 52 books already this year. I joined the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge (MMD) to help motivate me but didn't cross many of the books off that … Read More...

What I’ve Been Reading in March

Published April 12, 2017 Updated May 17, 2017 Leave a Comment

March was a good month for reading. As I said last month, I'm determined to read 100 books this year again and joined the Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge (MMD) to help motivate me. In January, I read 8 books. In February, I read another 10 books. You can see those books with summaries and recommendations here. In March, I read 12 books. Amazingly, I only read 1 book over our Spring Break. Even though we spent 10 hours in the car driving each way to Atlanta, I spent most of my time between the kids, reading to them and keeping them entertained. When we arrived, my sister's 5 children and our 2, … Read More...

What I’ve Been Reading in January & February

Published February 23, 2017 Updated August 17, 2019 8 Comments

I love to read. In the years before kids, I easily read 100 books a year. Since Nathan and Emma came, that number was cut in half. I read lots to them, but I got out of the habit of reading for myself. This year, I'm determined to make reading a priority again. I'm doing that in a couple ways. I am reading every day. Period. Even if it's only for 5 minutes before bed, I'm picking up a book and reading. That 5 minutes always turns into something longer once I made reading a daily priority again. I joined the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2017 Reading Challenge (MMD). I'm being ambitious and … Read More...

How to Get Free or Cheap Audible Books – the Surprisingly Easy Way

Published February 13, 2017 Updated December 28, 2019 11 Comments

I love to read so this is amazing! I love knowing how to get free or cheap Audible books. And it really works!

Oh, I'm so excited to share today's post with you! You see, I'm an avid reader but I also am a frugal reader who loves to save money. When I discovered how to get free and cheap Audible books, I knew I couldn't keep this secret to myself! For as long as I can remember, I have always loved curling up with a good book to read. Now that I'm a mom of two little ones, I'm not reading the 100 books each year that I used to read (Yes, I am fast reader, too) but I am still reading quite a bit. What's most important is that I am reading to and with my children because I want to instill a love of … Read More...

The French Chef in America

Published February 11, 2017 Updated August 17, 2019 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read more in my disclosure policy.  Ever since I watched the movie Julie and Julia, I've been intrigued by the life of Julia Child. Until now, I've never actually read anything about her. I just finished listening to The French Chef in America, as read by the author (and Julia's grand-nephew), Alex Prud'Homme and learned quite a bit about the life of Julia Child. I found it a delightful listen and a well-written read! This book starts after Julia Child published her first best seller cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It … Read More...

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