Friday, September 4, 2020

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! 

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