Early spring we tagged along on one of Casey’s work trip to Orlando. Each Christmas we like to do a trip in the next year as our family’s present, so for our Christmas 2018 trip we took advantage of Casey going to Orlando and we all went to Disney World! Casey and I both really enjoy Disney, but had always said we’d wait to make a Disneyland/World trip until our kids were old enough to “enjoy it.” (You pay a lot for that Disney magic, we wanted to make sure we’d get our monies worth!) We didn’t know how Rhett would do since he was so young, but he had an absolute blast! It actually changed my opinion on Disney with small kids- he may not remember, but I always will! I loved watching him experience all the sights, rides, characters and shows- it’s true what they say about experiencing magic through your kids’ eyes. The weather was actually pretty cold and rainy while we were there, but we were coming from an even colder and snowy Utah, so it didn’t stop our fun! I’ve been reminiscing on this trip a lot lately and thinking we need to compare it with Disneyland… what do you say, Casey? (;

This spring I also relaunched my shop, Baby Gowns Co, which sells knotted baby sleepers. It’s been a labor of love, especially while I was pregnant and put on bed rest! But it’s been really fun and I’ve loved being able to improve my sewing skills. I’m proud of what I’ve grown and have lots of dreams and goals for my shop and am excited (and nervous, to be honest!) to see where things go.

We grew a garden, which was definitely Casey’s labor of love (you can read about it here) and it was so much fun to watch grow and eat from it all summer and into the fall! He spent so much time tending to it and learning all about the fruits and vegetables he grew, and honestly really has a talent and true green thumb! We’ve been missing it these past few weeks since the frost came and killed everything off!

We spent a few days in McCall, Idaho, where Casey’s dad lives. My sister-in-law Sierra got married in the most picturesque wedding there on the lake. She made all of her own decorations and gave me allllll the DIY project goals! Casey’s dad walked her down the aisle and Rhett kept calling for “grandpa!” He kept doing it during the ceremony as well and couldn’t understand why his grandpa wasn’t turning around to play with him. He was being so cute and sweet, but I’m sorry it kind of ruined the ambience, Sierra! It was such a beautiful wedding and a fun trip spent with family.

The biggest event of the summer was definitely the arrival of our second son, Jack. He was induced three weeks early since I was high risk with preeclampsia. Everything went well, other than my epidural wearing off right as it was time to push- that was real fun. Not really, it wasn’t fun at all haha! He has a head of dark brown hair, which was a total surprise to us since Casey, Rhett and I were all bald babies- we didn’t know we could make a baby with hair! He also has the sweetest bright blue eyes, which none of the rest of us have, but I’m hoping they’ll stay that way! Rhett is obsessed with Jack, always wanting to hold, kiss and love on him, which I feel has helped make the transition a lot easier. He is such a sweetheart and the perfect addition to our family, we seriously love him so much!

After Jack was born I blinked and now it’s three months later. I wasn’t kidding when I said this years been the fastest! Rhett turned two, which also blows my mind! He’s at such a fun stage right now, so celebrating his birthday was extra special. He knows every word to the Happy Birthday song and looooved that everyone kept singing to him haha! We woke him up by filling his crib with balloons, which are one of his very most favorite things and we’ve decided we’ll continue this tradition with each of our kids forever haha! He is the most loved little two year old and just the best. These boys bring so much fun, joy and cRaZy into our lives.

We’ve also started making changes to our home, which is really exciting to me. We have lots of big plans for the house, so it’s fun to see things finally happening. I’d love to share our ideas, before and after’s and progress here on the blog- let me know your guys’ thoughts and if thats something you’d all be into!

I have a feeling these next two months are going to go even faster, but am excited for the upcoming festivities, holidays and fun with our two little ones!

KITCHEN

• Plates and bowls
• Utensils
• Glasses/ cups and mugs
• Pots and pans
• Baking sheet
• Serving utensils
• Mixing bowls (various sizes)
• Cutting board
• Knives
• Watcher pitcher
• Hand towels
• Paper towels
• Dish soap
• Sponge and cleaning rags
• Hand soap
• Microwave
• Fire extinguisher

BATHROOM

• Toilet paper
• Hand towels
• Face towels
• Bath towels
• Bath mat outside shower
• Hand soap
• Complimentary travel size toiletries
• Clorox wipes
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Multi-surface cleaner
• Toilet brush and plunger

BEDROOM/ Living Space

• Extra set of sheets
• Pillows
• Nightstands with lamps
• Television
• Heater/ fan
• Hangers in the closet
• Extra blankets
• Laundry hamper

I feel like there are little things missing, so I’ll be sure to update this list if I come across more items to include! I would love to hear what YOU have included in your Air Bnb or if there are items that you’ve appreciated and were impressed by in your travels! Let me know if there’s anything we should add to our list!

Costco Robes- These babies are plush, long and ohhhh so cozy. I love a good robe, especially during the cold winter months, and you just can’t beat Costco’s price! If you aren’t a member, try Amazon! OR join Costco because you are missing out on awesome products and prices there! There are both men’s and women’s robes and are cheaper in store than they are online!

New Slippers- These are also Costco finds (so seriously, RUN to your nearest store!) and are such an awesome gift! I have had my favorite pair for yeeears and am finally coming to terms with the fact that it’s time to upgrade- but they have lasted me a solid 10 years of consistent wear! Here is the link to the women’s slippers and here is the link for the men’s slippers. Trust me, these will be a hit!

Portable Charger- This one is a little on the pricier end of the gift guide, but it is SUCH good quality and comes in quite h andy! I cannot say enough good things about my Anker Charger. You can plug anything with a USB port into it, which I love, and it will fully charge my phone from dead SIX TIMES. That is crazy. Everyone needs one (or two!) of these!

Body Massager- This one is high up on my list! I watched a video about how you can use it to massage and apply pressure to spots all over your body and I am obsessed! Everyone needs a little relaxation in their life, and at just over eleven bucks, this massager can’t be beat!

Chatbooks- This is SUCH a special and personal gift, perfect for close family and friends. BUT if you don’t have pictures that you would want to compile into a book to give them, the gift of a Chatbooks gift card is perfect for them to go and create their own! Inexpensive, saves memories and will last forever- it truly is a gift that keeps on giving! You can get $10 free on your first book (which a 30 page book is ONLY ten bucks! That’s your first book free!) with the code TaraRumsey-VLJT.

Dollar Shave Club- The first box is only $5, so to me this seems like a no brainer! My husband started using their subscription and loved it, so I bought my own and have loved it as well! Dollar Shave Club razors are a great quality, very convenient and such a useful gift! 

Hello Fresh week of meals- This is another that could potentially be pricy, but you can get your first week of meals free through their site, so this gift could potentially cost you nothing! We have personally used their meal delivery service a few times and have been impressed with the quality of food and how easy they make it. Hello Fresh and fun gift idea, different from anything else they’ll find under the tree this year!

I would love to hear if you end up using any of these gift ideas this year and hope that you are having a fun (and NOT stressful) holiday season! I just wanted to thank you for being here, for engaging with us and for making this such an awesome community. We love our Fund Family friends and are glad you’re here!

Vacations can be a big expense, and even the “little expenses” can add up quickly! We have a few frugal tips on how you can save on trips and travel, making it a less stressful (at least financially) experience.

Have a vacation budget and stick to it. This one is the biggest tip and should be applied in every day life, but comes in handy on vacation! You can read all about How to Set A Budget and by doing so you will be better prepared for your trip, but also won’t have to do damage control afterwards with a credit card statement that went waaay over what you could afford. We also advise using cash whenever possible as this will help you better stay on budget as well! We never went out with all of our cash in our wallet, just in case. We just bring what we think we’ll need for the day and leave the rest back with our luggage.

Plan ahead. There is something to be said about spontaneous adventures, but it is good to have a tentative itinerary to help you make the most of your trip and to keep to your budget in tact. By planning ahead you can have ideas as to what you want to see, do, and most importantly for me EAT! On our recent Italy trip we tried to pick a few attractions per day that we knew for sure we wanted to see, then fit in other little things where possible. Planning ahead helped us best utilize our time and make sure we saw the things we most wanted to see!

Get water with your meals (or bring water with you). We all know that we need to be drinking a lot of water every day, so this is not only a healthy option, but also a very frugal one as water is typically free. In Italy, however, we discovered that water does not come complimentary like it does in the states, so we would drink from the water bottles we had on us. Some people may frown on this, but we never had anyone at a restaurant say anything to us about it. It saved us a good chunk of change over the course of our trip!

Make your own meals. Eating out always seems to add up quickly and can eat away at your budget! One way to help cut down on this cost is to bring/ make your own meals. This is especially easy for meals such as breakfast, which can be made and eaten at home before you set out for the day, or even taken with you on the run. Some of our go-to breakfast ideas include cereal, oatmeal, granola bars with fruit, bagels and muffins. Lunch is another easy one that you can make before you leave and then store in your bag until you are ready to eat it later on in the day. Some simple lunch ideas include sandwiches, salads and leftovers. Along with this I would also advise bringing snacks along, whether you have kids or not! This helps keep you energized and from having to stop to buy much pricier foods to tie you over until your next meal.

Know what things cost. Have you ever wanted something, or even gone to purchase it just to find that it was much pricier than you’d expected? This is always such a bummer, especially when you could have bought something comparable for a lesser price! By knowing the cost of something, no matter what it is, it helps you to not only keep track of your expenses, but also make wise purchases.

Do research before you go. I love finding deals on things and look for them on just about everything I purchase! For example, we knew we wanted to visit the Vatican City on our trip to Rome, so we looked online in advance to see what the best way to go about this was. We were able to purchase tickets that were less expensive than if we were to have bought them there and also found other peoples’ tips and tricks on how to get around. By searching online you can find discounted tickets, special deals, and even free attractions! Plus this helps you to plan ahead which saves you time and money!

Travel by train, bus or other public transit. Depending on where you are visiting this isn’t always the cheapest option, but especially in large cities this can be a very cost effective way to get around! It was much cheaper and easier for us to get a day pass for the bus or subway rather than call and wait for an Uber anytime we wanted to get somewhere. This was also a fun way to really see the cities we visited.

Don’t buy souvenirs that don’t have a purpose. I take this approach with any purchase I make, but find it very important while traveling not to spend money just for the sake of having a souvenir. There’s a quote I love that reads, “In the end, all we have left are memories. Bits and pieces of the time we’ve spent together. No matter how long the time was, it’ll never seem like enough…” This is so true, and even though I think it can be fun to have things to help you hold onto those memories, you don’t want to end up with a house full of meaningless knick knacks! We like to take photos of the places we visit and then have them printed into a book so that we’ll actually look back on them instead of having them sit on our phones or a hard drive. We also like to create a “tradition” out of our souvenirs we do purchase by collecting certain things from each place we visit. Our tradition is Christmas ornaments, which is fun to look back over the years at all the places we’ve gone. Other ideas we’ve seen are things like fridge magnets, paintings to frame on your wall back home, postcards that are then kept in a memory book, or patches or pins that can be kept on a jacket or blanket. These are all good ways to take something home from your trip without spending a lot or acquiring shelves and shelves of unnecessary “stuff”.

Vacations, although fun and exciting, can often become stressful. Don’t let money add to that stress! We would love to hear some of your experiences and ways you like to save money while on vacation in the comments below!