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Designing A Life Fantastic

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    • United States
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  • Wellness
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    • Sustainability
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Designing a Life Fantastic

Designing A Life Fantastic

  • cluttered messy kitchen

    20 Decluttering Challenges to Transform Your Space (and Your Mind!)

    If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter but don’t know where to start, you’re…

    read more
  • Kids picking up trash at the beach

    10 Simple Ways to Volunteer With Your Kids (And Why It Matters)

    Volunteering as a family is one of the most meaningful ways to connect with…

    read more
  • Family at the beach with no financial worry

    8 Hidden Bank Fees that Drain Your Wallet (And How to Fix Them)

    Let’s be honest — no one intends to waste money. But sometimes, the bank…

    read more
  • Hand gently placing an Easter egg in a ribbon-decorated basket, perfect for spring celebrations.

    Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Ideas That Kids (and the Planet) Will Love

    Easter can a magical time for kids — the excitement of the Easter Bunny,…

    read more

Welcome!

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.

get to know me!

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Lifestyle

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cluttered messy kitchen

20 Decluttering Challenges to Transform Your Space (and Your Mind!)

June 14, 2025June 14, 2025

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter but don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. I've been actively decluttering my home for the last six month, and I'm already…

read article
Kids picking up trash at the beach

10 Simple Ways to Volunteer With Your Kids (And Why It Matters)

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025

Volunteering as a family is one of the most meaningful ways to connect with each other—and your community. It doesn’t have to be a big, time-consuming effort. Sometimes, the smallest…

read article
Family at the beach with no financial worry

8 Hidden Bank Fees that Drain Your Wallet (And How to Fix Them)

April 23, 2025April 23, 2025

Let’s be honest — no one intends to waste money. But sometimes, the bank fees sneak in. One here, another there…and suddenly, you're looking at a decreasing bank account balance.…

read article
Hand gently placing an Easter egg in a ribbon-decorated basket, perfect for spring celebrations.

Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Ideas That Kids (and the Planet) Will Love

April 1, 2025April 2, 2025

Easter can a magical time for kids — the excitement of the Easter Bunny, colorful eggs, and of course, discovering a basket full of treats. But it can also be…

read article
Woman doing yoga

Top Beauty and Wellness Items You Didn’t Know Were FSA-Eligible

March 15, 2025March 15, 2025

Have you ever scrambled to spend your FSA funds before they expire? I certainly have. When I lost my job. I had a large amount of FSA funds to spend…

read article
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Meet Robin!

World traveler, twin mom, concert t-shirt wearing novice chef ready to break out of my boring life and to design a life fantastic.

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cluttered messy kitchen

20 Decluttering Challenges to Transform Your Space (and Your Mind!)

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thejoyfulrobin

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Helping busy moms design a joyful life by saying no to consumer pressure + yes to what matters most
✈️ Family adventures
💵 Smart spending
📍NYC

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 31

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 17991490349824526
The last time we went to Coney Island was in 2021. Not the kids are bigger, I figured it was time to go back. And it was on the kid’s summer bucket list. 

Here’s how I survived 8 hours at Coney Island on a hot summer day with the kids:

👉🏻 I bought the all-access pass so the kids could ride all the rides they wanted without me keeping track of credits. Rides are 7-15 credits, each. 1 credit = $1. It adds up fast.

👉🏻 I packed light: snacks, water, sunscreen, and our fav Turkish towels—lightweight, sand-resistant and perfect for a beach break.

👉🏻 After lunch, we took a beach break—long enough for to rest up for 3 more hours of standing around .

👉🏻 I gave the kids $20 each for games or boardwalk treats. They loved the freedom, and I loved not being asked for money every 10 minutes.

👉🏻 Lastly, I didn’t have a set schedule, I just followed their lead, running from ride to ride.

The most disappointing part of the day was realizing they weren’t tall enough to ride The Cyclone. 

Save this if you’re heading to Coney Island (or anywhere chaotic-but-fun) with kids.

What’s your go-to move on long outing days? Share your tips and tricks!

If you like honest takes, practical hacks, buying less and permission to not do it all—you’re in the right place. Follow along.

#coneyisland #nyc #designingalifefantastic #travelwithkids

The last time we went to Coney Island was in 2021. Not the kids are bigger, I figured it was time to go back. And it was on the kid’s summer bucket list.

Here’s how I survived 8 hours at Coney Island on a hot summer day with the kids:

👉🏻 I bought the all-access pass so the kids could ride all the rides they wanted without me keeping track of credits. Rides are 7-15 credits, each. 1 credit = $1. It adds up fast.

👉🏻 I packed light: snacks, water, sunscreen, and our fav Turkish towels—lightweight, sand-resistant and perfect for a beach break.

👉🏻 After lunch, we took a beach break—long enough for to rest up for 3 more hours of standing around .

👉🏻 I gave the kids $20 each for games or boardwalk treats. They loved the freedom, and I loved not being asked for money every 10 minutes.

👉🏻 Lastly, I didn’t have a set schedule, I just followed their lead, running from ride to ride.

The most disappointing part of the day was realizing they weren’t tall enough to ride The Cyclone.

Save this if you’re heading to Coney Island (or anywhere chaotic-but-fun) with kids.

What’s your go-to move on long outing days? Share your tips and tricks!

If you like honest takes, practical hacks, buying less and permission to not do it all—you’re in the right place. Follow along.

#coneyisland #nyc #designingalifefantastic #travelwithkids
...

8 2

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 29

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18332962159205699
The math isn’t mathing (for me anyways 😆)…is this concert math? 

Seriously though. Who can relate? There’s just something about standing in line and walking away with the same shirt thousands of your new besties have that keeps the experience going 

Drop a 💰 if you can relate to the pull of the merch table at a concert.

As for me, I love black shirts from 80s hair bands. And I do wear them, often 😆

#moneymonday #spendwisely #designingalifefantastic

The math isn’t mathing (for me anyways 😆)…is this concert math?

Seriously though. Who can relate? There’s just something about standing in line and walking away with the same shirt thousands of your new besties have that keeps the experience going

Drop a 💰 if you can relate to the pull of the merch table at a concert.

As for me, I love black shirts from 80s hair bands. And I do wear them, often 😆

#moneymonday #spendwisely #designingalifefantastic
...

21 0

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 24

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18099624352593801
A couple of years ago I made a list of 50 things I wanted to do, things that I thought would be fantastic and fun. tbh, my year of unemployment really put a damper on things, both financially and emotionally. Now that I’m in the rebound, I’m making slow progress on my list. I should cross a few more off the list before the end of summer. #joylist #designingalifefantastic

A couple of years ago I made a list of 50 things I wanted to do, things that I thought would be fantastic and fun. tbh, my year of unemployment really put a damper on things, both financially and emotionally. Now that I’m in the rebound, I’m making slow progress on my list. I should cross a few more off the list before the end of summer. #joylist #designingalifefantastic ...

12 4

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Jul 22

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 17866176012424473
What started as a way to reduce our environmental impact has also saved us money. 

Google tells me average family spends $248 a year on paper towels. Adding it up, we’ve saved $2,412 to date. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that ends up in the trash (compost if you’re ahead of the game). 

Fun fact: Americans use enough paper towels each year to equate to roughly 270 million trees.

What do we use instead? We’ve been using the same stack of cleaning cloths for years. 

What’s your favorite sustainable swap? What “must-have item” have you stopped using? Let’s inspire each other. 

Follow along for more easy sustainable swaps and permission to ditch the “shoulds.”

#designingalifefantastic #sustainabilty #lowconsumerism #anticonsumerism #moneymonday #savethetrees

What started as a way to reduce our environmental impact has also saved us money.

Google tells me average family spends $248 a year on paper towels. Adding it up, we’ve saved $2,412 to date. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that ends up in the trash (compost if you’re ahead of the game).

Fun fact: Americans use enough paper towels each year to equate to roughly 270 million trees.

What do we use instead? We’ve been using the same stack of cleaning cloths for years.

What’s your favorite sustainable swap? What “must-have item” have you stopped using? Let’s inspire each other.

Follow along for more easy sustainable swaps and permission to ditch the “shoulds.”

#designingalifefantastic #sustainabilty #lowconsumerism #anticonsumerism #moneymonday #savethetrees
...

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