Happy Frugal Friday!
Here's how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:
- Last Friday night we joined the Indianapolis Hebrew Congergation for Shabbat Service. This was our first time sharing in this kind of worship. We all learned something new, enjoyed seeing the happiness in their welcoming their Sabbath, and we spent a great deal of time in prayer after the service.
- Saturday afternoon I spent a few hours entering my Express Taggers' items for the kids sale. It feels great to have everything in the system - now I just need time to print and tag. I'll do that closer to drop off as it gets harder to store nicely once things are on hangers.
- Sunday after church we celebrated the February and March birthdays in the family. We all shared the cost of pizza, Kristi got salad and dessert, Luke made cute Pokemon cupcakes, and Cassidy had fun Pokemon decor and party favors. We were all happy to share the Pokemon theme as it was my nephew's choice. I cannot believe he is 6!
- Monday was Mark's actual birthday. The city gives all city employees a day off in their birthday month. We felt SO thankful that Mark was able to take his actual birthday off AND that he truly got the day off! There was a minimal amount of work texts and zero call outs/phone calls. We gave him his presents in the morning, he chose to go to the Indiana Mad Ants game, and then we made homemade dinner. He chose meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans. Annabeth's gift to mark was a homemade chocolate cheesecake.
Happy #37 to Mark!
We LOVED the Mad Ants game! It's open seating so we snagged
third row seats right at center court. The kids loved being able to hear
everything the coaches and teams were saying. Tickets were super affordable, concessions
were limited so also pretty affordable, and parking was free!
- Yesterday we enjoyed a field trip with our homeschool co-op to the Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. The kids had a great time coding, working with robots, and journaling. Admission to the library and classes were free. Thanks to a glitch in their parking computer system - parking was free too!
- Last night was family movie night. I made pasta bake and the kids chose Unsung Hero. We watched in a bit ago, thanks to my friend Amanda for the recommendation, but Mark didn't see it with us the first time. We love the story of Rebecca St. James and her family. I especially love it as it is a love letter to their Mom, thanking her for her unwavering belief in God and their family.
Thank you to people who have been reading my Budget Notes at the end of my blogs. It always means so much when people write in or mention in the following week!
This week I want to share three areas I stopped shopping during our decluttering journey:
1. Cheapie discount stores like Dollar Tree and Big Lots. There was a time, early in our marriage, where we did some grocery and home goods shopping at each of those stores out of necessity. Now, 15+ years later, their prices have really increased but the quality has not. I found that many items I chose to declutter because they were worn out or broken were from stores like this. Now, instead of ever bringing them into the house, I just don't shop there at all.
2. Target's Dollar Spot. Kind of like the discount places above, I used to find cute little items in the Dollar Spot for the kids, decor pieces, holiday items, etc. Over the years, I am sure I spent $100 in the Dollar Spot and after decluttering only one of those items still lives in my home. Just One. Meaning nothing else I bought was something I loved or needed. I am sorry that I wasted that money - just $1 at a time but it all added up.
3. Holiday clearance aisles. When building up our home decor, I often shopped clearance sections after holidays at places like Walmart, Walgreens, etc. While we purposed early on, to be
intentional with our Christmas decor, I was much less careful with our other holiday decor. Over the years I amassed two cabinets of plastic, glittery, cheapie decor that decorated our shelves a few weeks each year and then got put away and forgotten about. When we began decluttering I found the only ones I actually loved putting out were homemade, antique, or in some cases gifts. So, I let the rest of them go! In order to keep more out of our space, I now no longer shop these aisles at all. We have much less than we used to BUT we love what we have!
If you're on your own money saving and/or decluttering journey - what places do you avoid to keep the clutter away and the money in savings?
Happy Savings to All!