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Designing a Life Fantastic

Designing A Life Fantastic

  • 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.…

    read more
  • 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…

    read more
  • Woman with wallet not spending money

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

    How It Started I started doing no-spend days before I had kids — mostly…

    read more
  • Plymouth Village

    A Family-Friendly Weekend in Plymouth, MA: History, Museums and Harbor Walks

    Plymouth, Massachusetts—often called “America’s Hometown”—is a rare mix of living history and seaside charm.…

    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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Wellness

Lifestyle

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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…

read article
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…

read article
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…

read article
Plymouth Village

A Family-Friendly Weekend in Plymouth, MA: History, Museums and Harbor Walks

July 17, 2025September 22, 2025

Plymouth, Massachusetts—often called “America’s Hometown”—is a rare mix of living history and seaside charm. From walking the decks of the Mayflower II to chatting with costumed interpreters at Plimoth Patuxet,…

read article
cluttered messy kitchen

20 Ways to Declutter Your Home to Transform Your Space (and Your Mind!)

June 14, 2025November 24, 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 months, and I'm already…

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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  • lots of hearts

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

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thejoyfulrobin

720

Show up as you are, leave better than you came
Opting you out of perfection & into presence 🤍
📍Live from NYC
If it’s here, it’s worth it ⬇️

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Mar 17

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18095250334859952
Warning: you may experience these side effects if you stop shopping for a month:
* You play dress up in your closet and created 6 new fav outfit combinations 
* Your mental load will drop. You don’t have to think about what to buy, what size to order, or what needs to be returned by when
* You’ll have less trash and packaging to deal with (looking at you cardboard boxes 👀)
* Fewer trips to the basement recycling area (see above)
* You’ll learn how to differentiate between what’s a need versus a want
* And most importantly, you will have more money to put toward your next vacation/car/home/sports (woo-hoo!)

Have you taken a break from unnecessary shopping? How did it go? I find it gets easier every time. Even one no-buy day a week adds up to new thought patterns and more money in your pocket. 

Lmk if you’d like me to share my strategies to fight the shopping urge. 

Hi, I’m Robin 👋  If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends. 

#shoppinghabits #shopless #savingmoneyiseasy

Warning: you may experience these side effects if you stop shopping for a month:
* You play dress up in your closet and created 6 new fav outfit combinations
* Your mental load will drop. You don’t have to think about what to buy, what size to order, or what needs to be returned by when
* You’ll have less trash and packaging to deal with (looking at you cardboard boxes 👀)
* Fewer trips to the basement recycling area (see above)
* You’ll learn how to differentiate between what’s a need versus a want
* And most importantly, you will have more money to put toward your next vacation/car/home/sports (woo-hoo!)

Have you taken a break from unnecessary shopping? How did it go? I find it gets easier every time. Even one no-buy day a week adds up to new thought patterns and more money in your pocket.

Lmk if you’d like me to share my strategies to fight the shopping urge.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends.

#shoppinghabits #shopless #savingmoneyiseasy
...

2 0

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Mar 16

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18122023504592830
What happened when I stopped shopping for a month:
* I got to play dress up in my closet and created 6 new fav outfit combinations 
* My mental load dropped. I didn’t have to think about what to buy, what size to order, or what needed to be returned by when
* Less trash and packaging to deal with (looking at you cardboard boxes 👀)
* Fewer trips to the basement recycling area (see above)
* I was able to differentiate between what’s a need versus a want
* And most importantly, I have more money to put toward our next vacation (woo-hoo!)

Have you taken a break from shopping? How did it go? I find it gets easier every time.

Lmk if you’d like me to share my strategies to fight the shopping urge. 

Hi, I’m Robin 👋  If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends. 

#shoppinghabits #shopless #savingmoneyiseasy

What happened when I stopped shopping for a month:
* I got to play dress up in my closet and created 6 new fav outfit combinations
* My mental load dropped. I didn’t have to think about what to buy, what size to order, or what needed to be returned by when
* Less trash and packaging to deal with (looking at you cardboard boxes 👀)
* Fewer trips to the basement recycling area (see above)
* I was able to differentiate between what’s a need versus a want
* And most importantly, I have more money to put toward our next vacation (woo-hoo!)

Have you taken a break from shopping? How did it go? I find it gets easier every time.

Lmk if you’d like me to share my strategies to fight the shopping urge.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends.

#shoppinghabits #shopless #savingmoneyiseasy
...

1 0

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Mar 15

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18099332984488637
I went to the thrift store today and the Easter aisle was overflowing.

Bunnies, baskets, pastel everything — shelves completely packed with decorations that someone bought just a year or two ago.

It was a good reminder that seasonal decor is one of the easiest things to thrift. If you love decorating for holidays, you almost never need to buy it new.

And honestly, it’s more fun to hunt for it. Sometimes the most sustainable thing we can do is just buy what already exists.

Follow @thejoyfulrobin if you like thrifting, living simply and prioritizing experiences over stuff.

I went to the thrift store today and the Easter aisle was overflowing.

Bunnies, baskets, pastel everything — shelves completely packed with decorations that someone bought just a year or two ago.

It was a good reminder that seasonal decor is one of the easiest things to thrift. If you love decorating for holidays, you almost never need to buy it new.

And honestly, it’s more fun to hunt for it. Sometimes the most sustainable thing we can do is just buy what already exists.

Follow @thejoyfulrobin if you like thrifting, living simply and prioritizing experiences over stuff.
...

7 0

thejoyfulrobin

View Instagram post by thejoyfulrobin

Mar 15

Open post by thejoyfulrobin with ID 18009543698691712
Thrift stores have rows of baskets, ceramic bunnies, mugs, stuffed animals, egg decorations… it’s all already here. Many things new with tags. 

This is proof that seasonal decor is one of the easiest things to thrift. If you love decorating for holidays, you almost never need to buy it new. You might find exactly what you need at a fraction of the cost. 

Sometimes the most sustainable thing we can do is just buy what already exists.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋  If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends. 

#thrifting #shopsecondhand #vintageeaster #sustainabledecor

Thrift stores have rows of baskets, ceramic bunnies, mugs, stuffed animals, egg decorations… it’s all already here. Many things new with tags.

This is proof that seasonal decor is one of the easiest things to thrift. If you love decorating for holidays, you almost never need to buy it new. You might find exactly what you need at a fraction of the cost.

Sometimes the most sustainable thing we can do is just buy what already exists.

Hi, I’m Robin 👋 If you believe in buying less, buying better, and prioritizing experiences over stuff, let’s be friends.

#thrifting #shopsecondhand #vintageeaster #sustainabledecor
...

9 0
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