Friday, January 13, 2023

Frugal Friday 476

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, we took a field trip to the Historic Artcraft Theatre. This is a 100 year old theater in our town and truly a treasure! I enjoyed coordinating this for our homeschool co-op. We got a brief history of the theater and enjoyed Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. My ticket was free as a teacher and the kids' tickets were $5 each for their movie, drinks, and popcorn for Owen (Annabeth is allergic so we brought her own snack)

- Friday evening I drove down the French Lick Resort. Instead of buying each other Christmas gifts, my best friend and I agreed to give each other the gift of time. We spent one night at the incredible West Baden Hotel. While this is not remotely frugal - it was a wonderful special treat and made a wonderful end to the Christmas season. We split the hotel bill and I drank water/chose affordable menu options at each meal. We skipped the guided tour ($50/person - ouch!) and did the self-guided free tour of both hotels and the grounds. It was a wonderful 24 hours of relaxation and it was such a blessing to pour into each other's cups. I feel relaxed and ready for 2023! 

This was such a beautiful location for a getaway!
Thankful for precious time together

- Monday we dropped off two carloads of donations from our homeschool co-op to KIC-IT Franklin. They serve homeless youth ages 16-25 and we were thrilled to be able to bless them in this way. I also donated over $100 of PaperPie books. Thank you to all who supported this book drive. 

- We did our weekly Walmart pick-up order on Tuesday. Total Bill: $77.05 For breakfast this week we offered the choice of toast with jam/sunflower butter, yogurt, fruit. Lunches were sandwiches with fresh fruits/veggies. Dinners: Baked ham with veggies, BBQ pork chops/roasted potato wedges/fruit, Keto Meatballs+Rao Sauce with roasted zucchini and leftover potatoes from the night before, Bacon/Eggs/Homemdae Waffles, Chicken Nachos over choice of Pork Rinds or Quest Chips, and Chicken Alfredo Zoodles. I try to do one meatless dinner a week but this week we served meat each night without breaking the budget by eating from our pork/beef in the freezer. I also try to serve breakfast for dinner one night each week and then use the leftovers for breakfast the rest of the week. 

- We did a quick clean-out in the kids' closets. We donated two bags of clothing and listed nicer items for sale on Facebook. 

- We had friends over to play twice this week. This was SUCH a treat for the kids and I am so thankful to catch up with my own friends while the kids played. 

- I had my first Zoom with my team for MVP - Magical Vacation Planners. I am so thankful for this new, fun business and I love helping people plan their vacations. 

We are looking forward to a family weekend and especially to celebrating the birthday of our favorite toddler.

Happy Savings to All! 


2 comments:

Abbi said...

Your time with your friend sounds like fun. It is always interesting and encouraging to see how you are working at saving money.

Amy Riley said...

Thank you for following along. I am always SO encouraged by your posts and frugal living tips. I look forward to reading your update today about your AirBnB as well.