Happy Frugal Friday!
Here's how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:
- Friday night we had stir-fry dinner and movie night. We made chicken sti-fry, egg rolls, and watched many episodes of Gilmore Girls. It was much more affordable than eating out and still felt special.
- Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a swim birthday party for one of Owen's favorite friends. The pool was kind enough to give swim passes to guests beyond just the party time and so the kids were able to swim the whole afternoon. Thank you to my sweet friend Lauren who sent home the extra Anna-Safe treats she had purchased for the party. I am forever thankful for friends who have safe foods for Annabeth.
- Sunday after church we went to my nephew's baseball game. After the game, we went to Mark's mom's house for dinner and belated Mother's Day. I am so thankful for the gift of cousins for my kids - they truly love spending time with all of their cousins.
- Mark's mom did a grocery delivery order. When it came, it had bottled water that she doesn't care for. They refunded her for those and sent the correct ones. She kindly gave us the three cases!! We plan to take them on a trips later this summer.
- Somehow over the course of our booster seat years, we ended up with five seats across our vehicles and the grandparents' vehicles. I've passed two along to a friend and last weekend I passed along the remaining three to a friend who is a social worker in the city. She will be able to use these to drive some of her clients. We were glad to have the room in the garage and to have them go where they will be used.
- Monday our friend Kelley and her girls had us over. With her church ladies group, she had started some diamond dot suncatchers that will be given to a local nursing home. We were able to complete nearly all of the rest of them as we visited. Annabeth particularly enjoyed this activity. Kelley is a great encouragement to me in always finding ways to bless others.
- Tuesday we dropped a science text book off to a friend. We finished it this spring and she mentioned looking for something different for her daughter for next year. I was happy to pass it along!
- The kids had studio dance pictures this week. As always, we did not buy any pictures. With our dance fees the kids do already get pictures from competitions do we don't spend double buying the studio ones too. Saved: TONS of money
- My debit card is set to expire next month. The new one arrived, I activated it, but chose not to save it to any of my devices. This stopped me from impulse spending this week. Saved: $25
- Last night my parents treated all of us to dinner at Bucca di Beppo for our anniversary. Mark's mom also let us know that she will keep the kids for us for a whole day so we can have a day date sometime! Thank you all!
Frugal Fails:
- Somehow, even though we double check everything, Annabeth and I left her jazz shoes at her last competition venue. We didn't notice there or while processing the bags at home but we did notice when it came time for pictures this week. We searched the cars and house and didn't find them. So, she borrowed some for pictures and I ordered a new pair. This was especially painful as she had worn them literally four times and they would have worked for the next few years :(
- Based on previous years' Nationals schedules and the kids' routines this year, I had guessed we would only be away four nights this summer. We've paid a ton for condos the past two years in Pigeon Forge so I decided to book a hotel room to save BIG. A tentative schedule has come out and it shows the kids will dance every day of the competition meaning we will be there seven nights. At the hotel, this would be an additional $500+ As it was a basic hotel room with mini fridge and no other ammeneties, I decided to check VRBO and AirBnB to see if anything was left for about the same price. In the end, I found a condo for a little less than the extended hotel stay. I am excited this means we will be able to cook with a full kitchen vs eating quick food in a hotel room or being very tempted to eat out. While we don't love spending the additional money in rentals and also three more days of paying a dog sitter, I was relieved to find a rental around the same price as the hotel.
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