Designing A Life Fantastic -

Detailed view of the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York City under a clear blue sky.

Climbing to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty: What to Know Before You Go

We rarely do the touristy things here in New York. When you live in…

easter eggs

How to Build a Low-Waste Easter Basket Your Kids Will Love

Easter is one of those holidays that sneaks up on you. One minute it’s…

lots of hearts

Classroom Valentine’s Day Ideas That Are Fun, Affordable and Low-Waste

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is still very much a classroom tradition.…

Plitvice Lakes Croatia

Two Days at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Croatia had been on my travel wish list for a while, and when we…

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I'm Robin; traveler and lifestyle blogger.

I'm on a mission to bring more joy into my life. Follow along as I share travel tips, life hacks, easy sustainability swaps, design inspiration and more.

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Detailed view of the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York City under a clear blue sky.

Climbing to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty: What to Know Before You Go

July 11, 2026July 11, 2026

We rarely do the touristy things here in New York. When you live in the city, there's this unspoken rule that Times Square and the double-decker buses are for visitors,…

easter eggs

How to Build a Low-Waste Easter Basket Your Kids Will Love

March 23, 2026March 24, 2026

Easter is one of those holidays that sneaks up on you. One minute it’s February, and the next you’re throwing stuff in a basket. Here’s the thing: Easter baskets don’t…

lots of hearts

Classroom Valentine’s Day Ideas That Are Fun, Affordable and Low-Waste

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is still very much a classroom tradition. We did them once, in Kindergarten, and making 50 valentines was more stress than fun, and…

Plitvice Lakes Croatia

Two Days at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025

Croatia had been on my travel wish list for a while, and when we finally made it happen, there was one place I knew we had to see: Plitvice Lakes…

Woman with wallet not spending money

Why You Should Try a No-Spend Day—or Month

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025

How It Started I started doing no-spend days before I had kids — mostly as a fun little challenge to help me jump-start my savings. I wasn’t always consistent back…

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thejoyfulrobin

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Raising kids & trying not to burn the planet down ✨
Living proof you don’t need more stuff to have a great life
No perfect vibes, just what works ⬇️

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Jul 30

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There is a direct correlation between clutter and anxiety, and I’m tired of feeling overwhelmed every time I walk in my apartment. To finally get control of our stuff, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items and I gave myself a deadline of Labor Day. I was losing count so I made a tracker to keep me motivated and organized.

If you’re also in a season of decluttering, comment 1000 and I’ll send it to you.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.

There is a direct correlation between clutter and anxiety, and I’m tired of feeling overwhelmed every time I walk in my apartment. To finally get control of our stuff, I’m getting rid of 1,000 items and I gave myself a deadline of Labor Day. I was losing count so I made a tracker to keep me motivated and organized.

If you’re also in a season of decluttering, comment 1000 and I’ll send it to you.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

2 0

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Jul 30

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$👉 Take a positioning flight. Our initial plan was to fly home from Malaga, but all of the flights back to the US required a long layover. Instead, we took a short flight to Barcelona, hung out for a few days, and I was finally able to do the tower tour at @basilicasagradafamilia. Barcelona offers a lot more departures options, including a lot more options for flights with points. Which brings me to… 👉 Booking flights with travel partners, not the US based airlines. This sounds more complicated than it is. Most US airlines are our part of a larger global network. What may be 100,000 miles on Delta, could be 50,000 miles on one of the partner airlines. In our case, I booked our flights both to and from Spain via Air France for a fraction of the points it would’ve required if I booked Delta direct. And yes, one of our flights was on a Delta plane. I’ve also used this strategy to book flights to Germany on Lufthansa via Air Canada, whereas the redemption for the exact same flight on United was triple the points. Are you familiar with these options? Have you used them before? Lmk if you have questions. I happily share everything I’ve learned so you can travel more! If you are interested in earning points for free travel, my fav card has a great 100,000 point sign up bonus until July 30. Comment CARD and I’ll send you the link. Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic.$

👉 Take a positioning flight. Our initial plan was to fly home from Malaga, but all of the flights back to the US required a long layover. Instead, we took a short flight to Barcelona, hung out for a few days, and I was finally able to do the tower tour at @basilicasagradafamilia. Barcelona offers a lot more departures options, including a lot more options for flights with points. Which brings me to…

👉 Booking flights with travel partners, not the US based airlines. This sounds more complicated than it is. Most US airlines are our part of a larger global network. What may be 100,000 miles on Delta, could be 50,000 miles on one of the partner airlines. In our case, I booked our flights both to and from Spain via Air France for a fraction of the points it would’ve required if I booked Delta direct. And yes, one of our flights was on a Delta plane. I’ve also used this strategy to book flights to Germany on Lufthansa via Air Canada, whereas the redemption for the exact same flight on United was triple the points.

Are you familiar with these options? Have you used them before? Lmk if you have questions. I happily share everything I’ve learned so you can travel more!

If you are interested in earning points for free travel, my fav card has a great 100,000 point sign up bonus until July 30. Comment CARD and I’ll send you the link.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 I’m sharing the messy, imperfect journey of buying less, living more and designing a life that feels fantastic. ...

3 0

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Jul 29

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It’s ok to skip that pre-vacation shopping trip that society tells us is normal. The best place to shop is your closet. Have fun with it!

The clothing you already own is actually the better choice. Broken-in shoes mean no blisters when you walk miles on cobblestone streets. Clothes you’ve worn a hundred times mean no surprises, itchy, uncomfortable fabric or pants that don’t fit quite right.

I went on vacation for two weeks with my family and the only purchase I made was a $12 lanyard to keep my phone safe. No new outfits, no new shoes, just the clothes already in our closets.

Be honest, how much money did you spend getting “ready” for your last vacation?

Save this for the next time you feel the urge to stress-shop before a trip.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 if you’re a mom craving less stuff, less stress, and more space for family connection and family adventures your kids will remember more than any toy, follow along.

#designingalifefantastic #familytravel #barcelona #spain

It’s ok to skip that pre-vacation shopping trip that society tells us is normal. The best place to shop is your closet. Have fun with it!

The clothing you already own is actually the better choice. Broken-in shoes mean no blisters when you walk miles on cobblestone streets. Clothes you’ve worn a hundred times mean no surprises, itchy, uncomfortable fabric or pants that don’t fit quite right.

I went on vacation for two weeks with my family and the only purchase I made was a $12 lanyard to keep my phone safe. No new outfits, no new shoes, just the clothes already in our closets.

Be honest, how much money did you spend getting “ready” for your last vacation?

Save this for the next time you feel the urge to stress-shop before a trip.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 if you’re a mom craving less stuff, less stress, and more space for family connection and family adventures your kids will remember more than any toy, follow along.

#designingalifefantastic #familytravel #barcelona #spain ...

2 1

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Jul 27

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I learned these lessons the hard way—by making them myself 😆 Agree or disagree?

Lmk if you have questions about any of these tips. Some seem counterintuitive, especially choosing Euros over USD.

What would you add to this list?

Comment eSIM if you’d like a link to the one we use.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 if you’re a mom craving less stuff, less stress, and more space for family connection and family travel your kids will remember more than any toy, follow along.

#designingalifefantastic #eurosummer #familytravel #moneymatters

I learned these lessons the hard way—by making them myself 😆 Agree or disagree?

Lmk if you have questions about any of these tips. Some seem counterintuitive, especially choosing Euros over USD.

What would you add to this list?

Comment eSIM if you’d like a link to the one we use.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 if you’re a mom craving less stuff, less stress, and more space for family connection and family travel your kids will remember more than any toy, follow along.

#designingalifefantastic #eurosummer #familytravel #moneymatters ...

173 14

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