Frugal Friday 364

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- Mark did a massive clothes cleanout. We took one giant trash bag to donate of his shirts and pants.

- Friday afternoon we went to the park to play for a while. After the park, we pre-shopped a friends' garage sale. For $28 we brought home 1 GIANT pop-up book, 2 chapter books, 1 activity book, 4 pairs of jeans for O, 2 shirts for O, 3 skirts for Annabeth, 1 dress for Annabeth, 1 pair of shoes for Annabeth, doll clothes, and 1 pair of jeans for me. The shoes alone would have been $55 at the store! Thank you Tarvin Family for letting us shop early!

- Sunday we enjoyed lunch with Mark's parents and then headed to the apple orchard. We met up with Luke, Cassidy, and Jackson and all picked apples, played on the playground, and the kids had apple slushies. It was a gorgeous day which meant it was super crowded. We headed to Southeastway Park to play for a while. I SO love having my kids grow up close to both side of the family 

Apple Orchard Fun

- Tuesday the kids enjoyed a Zoom puppet show put on by some of our favorite Library Ladies. After dinner, we headed to library for three new bags of books. I love exploring through books with the kids and I am so thankful for our local libraries.

- Wednesday we picked up the mums from Annabeth's fall dance fundraiser. We enjoyed delivering them to friends and family this week. Thank you to everyone who purchased. 

- I have tried to buy fall birthday and Christmas gifts from local stores or direct sales businesses but I did score a few deals on Zulily. One box came early in the week and had free snack samples! Then a second box came it had our name and address but the order inside wasn't ours. When I called Customer Service they said it had already been resolved at their shipping place and that we could keep/donate the items inside. We got snack samples again as well as three masks and a vegetable scrub brush. I never would have ordered those things but free is always nice! They also gave me a $10 credit for the "hassle" 

- We spent many mornings and evenings outside. Owen has REALLY been working on riding his bike without training wheels. I think he'll have it soon if he just lets himself be brave!

- Frugal Fail: This fall we have had many days where we have needed/will need long hours of childcare. In the past, I have often traded with friends for a short appointment here and there but these long days would impose on their homeschool days. Almost all of our doctors' offices have limited visits to one child/the parent so I have to leave the other with a sitter. We have been fortunate enough to find a dependable college girl who actually plays with our kids (board games, dance parties, outdoor play, etc) but it's going to be very pricey as the fall goes on. 

We are looking forward to a weekend of getting lots of projects done as a very special girl has a birthday next weekend!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 363

 Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- Last Friday, we drove down to Evansville. We celebrated my sister's birthday and had a special dinner cooked by Mama at home. We were happy to gift Lu all gifts purchased at small businesses in Nashville and Franklin and also from a home-based direct sales business. We know that this year shopping small and shopping local will be more important than ever.

- Saturday Mark and the kids hit some end of summer sales at sporting goods stores. They found a new pair of tennis shoes for Annabeth and a baseball helmet for Owen at great prices. After a quick lunch at the house, they headed to the lake for an afternoon out on the boat with my dad.

- Saturday Mama, Lu, and I headed to Owensboro for the day. My Momaw (age 90) was in the hospital recently. This was the first time I had been down to see her. It was such a blessing to spend the day with my best friends, the lovely women of my family and to have another little celebration for Lu's birthday.

- Sunday, before driving home, we went to Reimann's Farm Market in Darmstadt. They have really expanded from their little road-side stand from my childhood and now have mini golf, toy cars to race, and tons of fresh, local produce. We loaded up on local honey as well as our produce for the next few weeks. After we checked out, we hopped in some golf carts and the owner took us on a tour of the fields. She explained planting, growing, and harvest seasons to the kids. She answered our questions about growing our own garden and then allowed the kids to pick their own pumpkins off the vine. 

Pumpkins picked straight off the vine. 

- Sunday evening when we got back in town Mark made a quick grocery run. He spent about $90 for the next week and a half of groceries. 

- Our friend Jeanette shared a Hello Fresh code and we got three FREE meals! Thank you Jeanette - they will be our weekend dinners! You can get $40 off your first order here. 

- Tuesday evening, Owen had his first Lions meeting. Mark has been involved with scouting for over 25 years and he is very excited to share his love of Scouting with Owen. Also, if you feel so inclined, Owen is selling popcorn to help raise money for dues and for his troop fund. You can support his popcorn sale here. 

- Wednesday night I dropped Annabeth off at dance class and then delivered books in Greenwood. I am SO thankful for friends and customers who reach out and say "Do you have _____?" and let me help them meet their book needs. 

- Yesterday afternoon, the kids enjoyed some park play while I enjoyed a outdoors, socially distant craft class through our local libraries. I was glad to get outside with friends! We also traded veggies while there - we got tomatoes from a friend's garden and she got spaghetti squash from our over order/under eating of them this week.

We had a great week and are looking forward to a busy weekend with dance, fall sale prep, and work for Mark.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 362

 Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- Saturday we enjoyed dressing up for the Kentucky Derby. With Oscar still recovering from surgery, we were not able to go to Kentucky but we enjoyed wearing horse clothes and our special derby hats anyway. 

                                     Annabeth and I had a special sushi at the park date before the race. She had                                                      requested some time out just the two of us and I was happy to say "yes!"

 Annabeth and Owen in their special Derby outfits. Annabeth's horse dress and hat were gifts from Grandmama-Mimi. Owen chose to wear his Louisville Cardinals hat and Matilda Jane horse shirt that I found on Zulily (just $9.99) last fall.  

- Sunday we enjoyed cleaning the yard after church. We are in the process of cleaning out our toy area and prepping for a garden for next year. The kids are VERY excited about this project and at ages 9 and 6 next summer we know they will be great ages to say good-bye to their toddler toys and hello to gardening fun.

- Sunday afternoon we had lunch with Mark's family. I especially enjoyed playing with my 18 month old nephew while his dad played games with Owen and Annabeth. Mark's parents generously sent us home with many leftovers to enjoy this week.

- Monday morning we got up early and went to Sunset Park in Shelbyville to hike the river. It was cloudy for a while and then we got to see the sun come out over the river which was really beautiful. The kids loved looking for shells/rocks, hiking in the water, and challenging limits by going just a bit too deep at times. We were pleasantly surprised when a kayaking couple stopped to talk and let the kids take rides in their kayaks! Thank you kind strangers for the fun surprise! 

Trying out the kayaks!

You never know what might happen if you say "hello" to someone! 

- We did a little fill in grocery trip last weekend and then made due for the week. I love doing this in between big shopping trips to help us really eat everything we buy. I earned $4.25 back with Ibotta. 

- We paid Annabeth's dance class fees in full for the year. We saved 5% by doing this. 

We had a good, short school week (unfortunately still long work week for Mark) and are looking forward to a weekend visit with family.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 361

 Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- Friday evening we had friends over to ride bikes. Our friends from down the street joined us and the kids all had fun playing while the parents visited. 

- Saturday, I had the pleasure of going to a baby shower for one of my former campers. She's been my friend for nearly 15 years and it's been such a blessing to go from teenager/camp counselor to both being grown up friends. 

- Oscar was neutered and had hernia surgery on Wednesday of last week. He would not live his incision sites alone without the cone collar on but unfortunately didn't fit in his crate/bed with the cone on. We debated buying a larger crate from the store but decided it was a need vs a want at this time and didn't spend the money. Instead, we took turns sleeping out in the living room with him so he wouldn't be afraid. God is SO good though and Saturday evening our next door neighbors came over and said, "Would you all happen to have a use for a bigger dog crate?" We thank God daily for the blessing of the sweetest neighbors on earth and their giving hearts! 

- Mark and I spent 8 hours pressure washing on Sunday. We did our front walk, driveway, sidewalks, back patio, and all of the kids outdoor toys like their playhouse. We borrowed the machine from Mark's parents thus saving us the cost of renting ($80+/day in our area) or paying a professional company.

- Over the weekend, we each had dates with the kids. I took each of the kids on a walk and enjoyed hearing what was on their minds/what they wanted to share when no one was around to interrupt. Mark enjoyed that same time with the other child.

I LOVE one-on-one time with our kids!

- Mark and Owen built a trophy shelf for Owen's room. Owen loved helping stain it and loved arranging all of his awards and special things on his shelf. 

- I ordered a free book with our Kellogg's Rewards. For every box of cereal bought you earn a free book. We don't generally buy cereal but Mark got it for Owen as a treat and now we have a free book coming as well!

- We finally got our air conditioning fixed. We paid less for the part and two service visits than we would have paid for a service call with a professional company. 

- Our biggest cash back for the week was a $$$ credit for our upcoming vacation. We had already paid in full for our hotel/park tickets so when a sale decreased the amount we'd need to spend our travel planner credited our bank card. Thank you to the Dillon's at Michelle and Joe Dillon - Vacation Planning for helping us coordinate this trip and helping us find the best deals.

- This week we are running our 4th Annual Cuddle Bear Drive for the children at Riley Children's Hospital. We are collecting money through Sunday and well on our way to our $400 goal. If you feel moved, consider donating here: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8sdQiPyTJG

Last year's books and bears. What a beautiful gift we were able to give!

We are looking forward to a low key Labor Day weekend. Oscar's slow recovery meant cancelling a planned trip but I think we'll find some ways to enjoy some frugal fun over the holiday weekend anyway.

Happy Savings to All!