Frugal Friday 561

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we spent about 90 minutes at our local museum with friends. There was a traveling Revolutionary War Exhibit to see as well as our usual local history. It was a great way to spend a frigid afternoon with friends. Our local museum is free!

- Mark went to Winter Camp for the weekend with his Scouts. Mark volunteers countless hours each year with Scouting and I am proud of the impact he has on so many youth. 

- While Mark was away, my sister came up for the weekend! I love having her in town and the kids enjoyed it too! We treated her to Mexican dinner on Saturday night and on Sunday she took Annabeth on a little date for lunch and books from our local bookstore.

- This weekend was the kids' first dance competition of the year. Their routines were very clean and I was so proud of how they looked, especially for the first week out. We packed along lunches and snacks and did not purchase any, overpriced, dance souveniers. Early on we set the president that we would only buy dance souveniers at Nationals. This keeps the kids from asking me every time and keeps me from spending a ridiculous amount of money on sweatshirts. 

- On Tuesday, Annabeth got her braces on. She had her last orthodontic appliances in 2019/2020 which we paid off at that time. The Dr was not sure if she would need braces or not but we began saving anyway. Since then we have been socking away money in a special savings account thinking about this time. As a result, we were able to pay for them in full. We did receive a kind discount from our orthodontist for being a longtime patient and a 5% pay in full discount. We saved over $1300 this way! We absolutely could not have made this happen without careful planning and mindful saving. We'll now keep adding to Owen's orthodontic fund. 

- It was in the 60s and sunny several afternoons this week. We took our afternoon school and reading outside. We also walked, rode bikes, visited with neighbors, and took Oscar out for lots of sunshine and fresh air. I know it's False Spring BUT I was so thankful to have it!

- Yesterday we took an impromptu county tour to see Henry and Madison Counties. We drove all the way to Anderson to visit the AMOA but when we arrived it was closed! :( I double checked their social media and website and neither had any notice of it being closed so I called. A kind office lady, once she heard how far we had driven and about our county project, she let us in! We received a private tour of the building and the new student art exhibit that doesn't open to the public until Sunday! We were just thrilled!

- Last night I took my friend Justina to dinner. We have the exact same birthday and we gave each other such great gifts this year. We're both on a simple life mission and so she gifted me beautiful chocolates, no clutter there, and I took her to dinner. I am so thankful for a friend who cherishes quality time, family life, and homeschooling the way I do!

 What a, much needed, week of warmth and sunshine! We are looking forward to a busy weekend celebrating lots of birthdays! 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 560

 Happy Frugal Friday! 

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

- Last Friday we woke up to celebrate Valentine's Day! Mark and I have always just exchanged cards. We typically do something little for the kids. This year I found a deal on Lego characters so Owen got a Dumbo one to build and Annabeth got a Stitch one. 

- Last Friday was my also birthday - #38! I had the PERFECT Birthday. My parents were in town and we spent the whole day together. Mark surprised me by taking the day off work and was actually able to be home most of the day with us! In the morning, I went out for my free Starbucks while everyone else got ready. Then we went to the Willard for lunch, shopped two downtown boutiques I love, and ran by the library. We spent the afternoon playing Scattegories and Wordle. Mark made dinner of cheese bread and ice cream cookie sandwiches. Owen had read a book about Poutine this week so he also made that for everyone to try. It truly was the perfect day.

Birthday lunch with Mama, Dad, Mark, and the kids

at the Willard 

- I mentioned last week that we cleaned out the kids' clothes ahead of the Kids' Sale. When I do that I always keep a list of items they have outgrown so when we shop, I know what we need. Annabeth has a decently long list this year. While shopping downtown we found her a dress and a workout set (50% off!). We also did the Love Local punchcards and between dining out and shopping we filled two of them. 

- Saturday we split into three groups and all had date days. My Mama took me to Main & Madison for coffee, Mark+Annabeth went to Claire's to use free earring coupons, and Dad+Owen saw the new Dogman movie. 

- Sunday we had a special church event scheduled but it was cancelled due to the ice and snow. We saved the gas as well as the eat-out lunch costs. Instead, Annabeth and I went to our church with the boys and came home for a lunch of leftovers. 

- Sunday evening was the last youth group night with the leader Annabeth has had the past year and a half. Her leader, Austin, will be moving from youth ministry into full time ministry with the IL Conference. Please be in prayer for him with this new job, his new congergation(s), and especially our youth as they are sad to lose their leader and friend. 

-Tuesday we had our dear friend Pastor Susan over to lunch. Annabeth and I both serve on our Family Ministry Team at church and we met to discuss youth group and VBS items. We did simple freezer pizza, chips and dip, fruit, and cookies for lunch. I used to get very stressed hosting because I felt like it needed to be fancy. I've let that go and just serve what we have and see that the people come anyway! Simple can be best. Jen Schmidt's Just Open the Door 100% changed the way I felt about practicing hospitality.

- After co-op yesterday, I took items from the Free Table to donate around town. I really love our ability to share items with those in our group and others!

- The BIG item this week: Sunday after church we came home to find our mailbox destroyed by a snowplow. Mark took pictures and called an officer over to get a case number. We have a HOA and they are quite strict. I called to let them know that we would be having it repaired, with the correct (expensive) company, as soon as possible. Mark contacted the City Street Department and PRAISE THE LORD yesterday we got word that they will be reimbursing us for the cost of the new mailbox, post, and lettering our HOA requires! We are so thankful as it was nearly $500 out of pocket! 

This weekend is the kids' first dance competition of the year! Let's go SDA! 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 569

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday night we had a Family Movie Night but big kid style with pizza rolls and Gilmore Girls. I watched the show as it aired with my family each week in high school, rewatched on DVD in college with Leah, and then again with Mark a few years ago. I am loving watching it, while fastforwarding some scenes, with the kids now! 

- Our Saturday plans were canceled due to the friends we were supposed to visit being sick. I ended up getting all of our totes organized for the Kids' Sale instead. I listed many items on Facebook first to save me tagging time and sold about 30% of it there. Sunday morning I entered the rest of the items into the sale program. We're ready with our things now so I can move on to my Express people. 

- Mark spent Saturday afternoon making subs with the Scouts. They do this fundraiser each year for the Superbowl. We bought some and took them to Kristi's on Sunday to watch the Superbowl there. With the late game time, we stayed through the first quarter and then headed home. The highlight of the night was stories and songs from our niece. 

- As we have continued our decluttering journey, we've focused on giving away many things for free this year. Instead of just donating to places, we've been putting items on Facebook and have been surprised that every item has been quickly claimed! I feel so much better about this menthod vs donating big bins of items because it might takes weeks/months for them to be bought by someone vs us being able to gift them to someone right away that wants/needs it. This week some of our freebies were a book, a swimsuit, and phone ring holders.

- I gifted myself a manicure for my birthday. This is a special treat and I was thrilled when Liz gave me $10 off because I had left her a Google Review! If you're looking for a  great, under $50 treat for yourself, Liz is the sweetest gal! 

- As always in the winter, we're challenging ourselves to buy just what we need at the grocery. This forces us to eat down our freezers and pantry. Last month, I did our annual January clean out and was SO proud that I only had to throw away two expired items from the whole thing! I would have loved for it to have been zero but I was pleased with two. One was molasses and the other was sorghum - both purchased for a recipe no doubt and only used slightly. 

- Last night Mark took me out for an early Valentine's Day. We had dinner out with a giftcard, thrifted at Goodwill with only $10 spent there, and then Mark surprised me with Crumbl cookies. I know I am behind the times but I had not had them before. The chocolate chip, of course, was my favorite. So thankful for a sweet date.

Celebrating our 18th Valentine's Day!

Looking to save money this month? Think about a store that is a trigger for you to spend. You know the one, you just "Pop in to see what's new" and somehow spend a heap of money. Even is something is a deal, if you don't need it you are wasting money! Try to not enter your trigger store until March and see if you actually miss it. 

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 568

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday we had an Indiana exploration day. The kids and I visited three counties and I had a budget of $40 for the day. While many of our Indiana adventures have been free, other than gas, I wanted to leave some spending places for January when I know small businesses really need the income. We spent $12 at Visit Muncie on a Finnish "Garfield" book, $9 in Blackford County at a little coffee shop, $2 at the Dunkirk Glass Museum, and $12 at Mrs. Wick's Pies. We came in just under budget, shopped small/local, and had a great day out.

The Dunkirk Glass Museum was a HUGE hit for all three of us!

We spent several hours looking and could have stayed even longer. 

For $2 it was also a steal of a deal for museum entry fees!

- Friday night we picked up Chicagos pizza and took it to a celebration dinner with friends. My friend Melissa, owner of M&S Counseling, just bought her own office building! It's been such an amazing process to watch her have this dream, look for the right place, and surprise us all by finding it so quickly! I am so proud of her and we were excited to celebrate by touring the new place. 

- Saturday we kept friends' kids while they worked on a painting project. I honestly feel like the best gift  you can gift someone with kids is the offer of free childcare. Our kids had the best time together and they got to work on their project kid free. A win-win.

- Sunday morning we split for worship. Annabeth and I visited St George Orthodox church, I drove and served as a chaperone, for her Confirmation class. Mark and Owen attended our usual church and took cookies along to the Families First Sunday luncheon. They had a great time of fellowship and Legos.

It was our first time worshipping in an Orthodox Church.

The building and service were both beautiful. 

We both were moved by the experience and would love to share 

if you ask us.

- Mark took on some odd jobs with his Marked by Riley business. I continued to meet my 2025 goal of 2 bookings/week with my travel business. Thank you to friends and family who shop with us and/or send us referrals! 

- A friend is working on sourdough. They kindly shared a loaf of bread with us. It was fantastic!

- Yesterday we took many items to share for our co-op free table. We took books and clothing. Everything that didn't get picked up I will donate to little free libraries and pantries around the county. 

- Annabeth taught her usual dance class this week and also subbed last night for a few hours. I am so thankful that her teachers have given her this opportunity to develop her own teaching style and skills. 

- We had a busy week and after co-op both kids requested that we just head home. We typically go to recreation but this week they both just wanted to rest. I am thankful for their ability to know when, and how much, they need to rest. 

I've had some great conversations recently with friends about debt free living. 

Here are five quick tips to add to your principal payments this week:

1. Do not eat out or stop for coffee all week. Anytime you would have estimate the total, or better yet use their app to find the exact amount, you saved and instead apply it directly to your principal. 

2. Buy three fewer things at the grocery. Give up some fun items or extras and, again, apply that savings to a principal payment.

3. Purpose to buy nothing new this month - other than groceries and diapers if they are must haves. Otherwise, see if you can make do with what you have at home, borrow from a friend, or simply wait and see if it's really a need. 

4. Try to find one thing in your home to sell. Even if it's a smaller, lower value item - list it on Marketplace and see what happens. When you sell it - add the amount to a principal payment.

5. Make a "big, scary" financial goal for 2025. Maybe you want to pay off a loan or credit card. Maybe you want to commit to reducing your debt by $2000 this year. Maybe you want to save up for a car in 2026. Whatever the goal is - write it down, make a plan, and then "live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." (Dave Ramsey for the win!) 

We are looking forward to a fun weekend with family and friends. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 567

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday to Sunday, Owen and I enjoyed a trip to Evansville/Owensboro. We checked off Greene County on the way, had a NYE style snacky dinner + card game night, celebrated my birthday in Owensboro with Momaw, Owen and my dad went to a blackpowder shoot and hiked, and we all enjoyed a relaxing weekend. If you live in Owensboro or visit there, I highly suggest the Windy Hollow Biscuit House. They have great southern food, knowledgeable/kind staff when it comes to dining with food allergies, and they do a lot of good in the community.

Owen has a great time visiting the black powder shoot with my dad.

They took pictures for the newsletter, hiked, and Owen loved visiting with all of the guys. 

- Annabeth spent her weekend in Illinois with the Rileys there. Kristi had planned to drive over for Nate's birthday and Annabeth was thrilled to join her. They had a great time seeing the girls' pep band and going ax throwing.

- Mark, meanwhile, stayed home and worked almost the entire weekend. He was glad he hadn't bothered to drive either place with us as he would have had to just head home anyway. He was thankful for the overtime.

- I ordered four Shutterfly books. I was waiting for a sale + free shipping. Saved: $115

- Mark sold a set of items to a friend. He made a great profit which he added to savings. We are well on our way for our 2,025 items out in 2025. We have nearly 450 items gone!

- Tuesday evening I took a meal to a family in our co-op who welcomed a new baby this month. I took pasta bake, salad, and homemade cookies. 

- Wednesday was Oscar Chase's 5th Birhday! Each of the kids chose a special toy and snack for him to open. He eats a special diet so I did have to get snacks from Pet Smart but we found toys for under $5 at Marshalls. 

I always decorate the mantle for the kids' birthdays so Owen has 

taken to decorating it for Oscar's too. 

Mr. Chase was thrilled with h is new toys! 

- Yesterday morning, the kids and I volunteered at the Mt. Pleasant Impact Center. This project was organized by Annabeth's co-op teachers. Her class, as well as some moms and siblings, spent several hours serving breakfast, cleaning, and organizing. If you have any interest in donating or volunteering - please check out their Facebook page above for details. Their most needed donations are men's jeans, boys clothing in sizes 10+, and diapers. 

- Last night, we took yarn to a friend. She is one of Annabeth's co-op teachers and is going to use the yarn for their Valentine's class. Thank you to Mark's mom for the amazing donation of all of the yarn!!

- After dropping off yarn, Owen enjoyed a free Lego STEAM class at a local library. 

We had a great week and are looking forward to some Indiana exploring in the week to come.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 566

 Happy Frugal Friday!

Yes! We're back with our usual content!

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

- Friday night Mark and I had our first real date since our anniversary. We bought the cheap seats at the Bridgerton by Candlelight Concert and had dinner afterwards. Thank you to Mark's mom for keeping the kids and to our Outback waitress for comping our appetizer after a 90 minute wait. Saved: $11.99

The old church was beautiful by candlelight!

We had a great time!

- Mark received a giftcard as a door prize at a luncheon. It was to a restaurant that we don't eat at but his mom does. We passed it on to her. 

- Sunday, after church, I volunteered at homeschool fair at our co-op table and also spoke on a panel. We saw over 250 people at the fair and about two dozen came to our panel talk. I LOVE homeschooling and am always so thankful to be able to share it with others.

- I met a friend/client for coffee and we worked on three upcoming trips for her. Are you interested in talking travel? Let's make it happen. E-mail me at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com

- Mark was off on Monday for the holiday. We watched the innaguration as a family and prayed for peace in our country. 

- Mark did a massive clean-out in his closet and his dressers. If you've seen him lately, you will have noticed that he's lost a great deal of weight! After keeping it off for several months, he has decided to part was with his bigger clothes. We donated some to Goodwill, he took some to friends, and we put all of the sweatshirts/winter jackets/coats in little free pantries around town! It was very, very cold this week and we wanted them to get to people who needed them right away.

- Late last year, we switched Oscar's dog food to try to help with some health issues he has. It's been a huge help so we were ready to pass on a bucket of his old food. Our groomer was able to pick it up from us. We were happy to share!

- I've started a new gig on Wednesday evenings. A local non-profit was looking for childcare workers. It's a great time slot, I can work the whole shift while one of the kids is at an activity. They pay in giftcards and I will be saving them towards our fall vacation. We had gone ahead and booked a trip and when I was confident I could pay for it with my commission and kids' sale profits, this extra money each week will make it easier and faster to save! 

- Last night, I had a meeting with some moms from our co-op. I took a long chocolate chip cookies (thank you to Pastor Susan for the cookie mix at Christmas) and some prepackaged gluten free cookies for a friend who needs GF items. Again, I am so thankful for friends to share the love of homeschooling with!

We are looking forward to a unique weekend when we are doing three different things. I look forward to all meeting back Sunday and hearing about everyone's weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Our 2025 Family New Year's Resolutions

 Happy 2025 Again!

This year our family came up with three New Year's Resolutions. 

I was very surprised that they came up organically without me prompting anyone to make them.

Here's how we plan to live in 2025:

1. Choose joy and contentment 

As we read through many people's end of the year posts, Mark and I were both surprised at just how many people reported having a tough, horrible, or forgettable year. As we talked about our own lives, we mentioned just how long it's been since we felt like we've had a "hard year."

Is our life perfect? Have our years been perfect? Absolutely not! In 2020, I faced major health issues and life changing surgery for our family, we lost Mark's dad in 2021 which has forever altered our family, we've lost family and friends, we have had bad days, financial woes, etc. 

So what is the difference?

We choose contentment. For years, we've had a sign in our kitchen that says "The secret to having it all is knowing that what you have is enough." I look at that reminder many times a day.

We choose joy. My friend Lauren once shared the quote, and I don't know the original author or speaker so forgive me on that but it changed everything for me. "Joy is not in my circumstances, it is in knowing the Lord." Ooof. I have and know the love of Jesus - what else do I need?

2. Live by our 2024 Family Quote Again: "The happiest people do the most for others." Booker T. Washington. 

Owen had this quote in a school book and chose it as his "wall verse." It hangs on our living room wall next to the Golden Rule. It was such a bold way to decide to live 2024 and it changed so much for us and our attitudes about service. It enriched our year so very much to choose daily to do for others - we all learned and grew so much that we decided to keep on living for Jesus and others.

3. Decluttering 2,025 Items in 2025

Are you surprised? Honestly you cannot be more surprised than I was when my family ASKED for this!

We decluttered 2,024 Items in 2024 and I answered your questions afterwards. I was inspired by my friend Justina at The Well Planned Mama and she offered her printable to me. The kids absolutely loved coloring in her coloring sheet and we had the best time getting rid of items. We finished in the fall and it was so freeing!

I have mentioned several times on here that even after our coloring sheet was done I kept seeing items show up in the donation box, we kept taking items to the free table at co-op, we kept passing on clothes in our family clothing trade circle, etc. I have also told people I feel like we really changed the culture of stuff in our home.

So...imagine my surprise when the kids each mentioned independently that I needed to get our 2025 sheet ready. Then, Mark asked when we were starting! Wow! So on Janaury 1 we began counting again. It's clearly been needed as we've already parted with 30+ items from our kitchen that I thought had been so carefully edited last year. 

I am genuinely curious how this project will feel this year. Last year, as we began the year, my home felt too full and I was so overwhelmed by it. But now it feels so well managed! We have so much blank space! We all have clothes that fit, items we love, items we use, and a space that I am proud of! This year instead of the project being about me, it seems to be about them. 

Here's to 2025 and chasing dreams, reaching them, and dreaming again! 

Enjoying Disney World -

SO thankful our kids are experiencing experiences and travel vs wanting stuff! 

"The Story" and the MOST Important Thing I'll Ever Do

 Both of the kids, on their own, set the goal of reading through the entire Bible with me before they end their homeschool years.

We have enjoyed countless hours in the Word, together. I am so thankful for that individual time with each of the kids. 

This fall, we decided to also read through The Story. We began in October and finished on New Year's Eve.

I cannot explain how profoundly powerful it has been to be fully invested, in the Word, every day as a family. 

I love that the kids have developed inside jokes based on Bible people and stories. 

I loved when one complained about a long car ride and the other said "You're such an Isrealite!" 

I loved when they exclaimed "This is part of that song..." and proceeded to sing part of a hymn or worship song. 

I loved when they could fill in the blanks of verses before I could even finish reading them. 

I loved the behind the scenes facts they have each learned at church and were able to share. 

I learned SO much from them, from God's Word, and from the Holy Spirit's whispers. 

The MOST important thing I will ever do is share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with my children and with the world. I pray that they cling to Biblical Truths like: love God, love your neighbor, serve others, be of good cheer, the fruits of the spirit, and so many more beautiful Truths. I am thankful we have literally been handed a guidebook on how to live - we just have to choose to do it!

My life verse is Acts 20:24 "My life is worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task set before me - the task of sharing the Good News of Christ Jesus." 

I pray that in this fall of intense reading and scripture study that they have imprinted God's Word on their hearts. 

I pray that knowing it causes them to want to share it with all we encounter - for there is not a person we will meet that was not created by God. 

Jesus came for each and everyone of us and I love sharing that beautiful Truth with all I meet!