Friday, August 11, 2023

Frugal Friday 503

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- While cleaning out at my parents' house, I found an old tuxedo shirt I used when I waited tables. I donated it to our library's Project Prom. I also took a fancy black dress that we had been gifted but wasn't a style Annabeth loved. It was a Juniors size so we donated that too.I love that they give local teens FREE formal wear and accessories making homecoming and prom possible for everyone to enjoy. 

- Mark spent Saturday and Sunday volunteering at a Scout Training. Mark spends literally hundreds of hours a year investing in youth scouts and adult educational trainings. I used to really mind when he was gone. I was jealous of his time away doing something fun, I was envious of the friends he seemed to want to spend time with more than me, but in the past few years I've prayed very hard that God would soften my heart to this service of Mark's. It does pull time, energy, and resources from our family but I also know that Mark has been used to impact the lives of hundreds through Scouting and knowing he's doing it with the Lord in mind is such a beautiful thing. 

- Annabeth was able to spend Saturday-yesterday in Illinois with her cousins. Mark's mom said last month that she was driving over to keep the cousins while M+J took a 15th Anniversary trip. Annabeth asked if she could go along and they had the BEST time. The Fab Four as we call them are all ages 11-13 and love being together. Nana spoiled everyone with trips bowling, pool days, and back to school shopping. Thank you Kristi!

- I sent a big bag of clothes along with Annabeth for my nieces to go through. Now that they are teenagers we can share some of the same sizes! They generously sent home a tote of clothes for Annabeth as well. 

- Owen and I enjoyed the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. He took along his own money and spent $7. He tipped the guitar player and purchased cookies and Dr. Pepper for himeself. We scoured the booths to find the cheapest price on sweet corn and ended up buying out some brothers at $5/dozen. We also stopped by the FFA stand on the way home where corn was 13/$5. 

- We processed all of the sweet corn for the freezer on Saturday afternoon. We put up over 8 lbs of corn for the year, more than double what we did last year. 

- For the rest of our special "Date Day" Owen chose building with Legos, making No-Bake cookies, bike riding, and movie night. All free fun!

- Sunday after church, Owen and I attended a FREE beekeeping class at Garfield Park. They handed out little jars of honey and honey lip balm. We also enjoyed the Children's Garden and Sunken Gardens. 

My favorite little guy to explore with

He LOVED the chickens

- Monday morning, I dropped Owen off with my parents. When the kids turn 8, they get to go stay for the week. He's had a great week in Evansville with putt-putt, lake fun, museums, shopping, and soooo much more. We were all nervous that he might get homesick but he seems to be really settled into life with the grandparents. I am SO thankful that each of the kids had precious time with grandparents this week. 

- I spent my kid-free days working on the HWGA Fall Sale. I tagged hundreds of items over 7 hours of work. I have everything prepped and ready to drop off in September. 

- Wednesday I took the day off work and went to Charlestown for the day. I took coffee to my best friend and we spent all day talking. She treated me to lunch. It was amazing to have a kid-free day together. 

- I listed many homeschool books at the end of the school year. This week I finally sold two of them. Made: $40

- I sold another item of the kids clothing from my Facebook sale. Made: $15

- Mark ended up working every evening/night this week in addition to his office hours. We did have some quick dinners together but definitely not the date nights we had hoped for with the kids gone. Regardless, I am thankful for the service he provides our community. People sometimes ask how they can specifically pray for law enforcement. Please pray for their safety and for the war on drugs. Pray that people will be freed from the bonds of addiction which in turn will keep all of our communities safer. 

- Annabeth got home last night. She talked non-stop about all of the adventures with the cousins. We had dinner together, a funky one since we haven't grocery shopped for two weeks, and then played Harry Potter UNO. 

I am looking forward to picking up Owen later today. I can't wait to hear about his adventures!

Happy Savings to All!



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