Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:
- Last Saturday we took the kids, and our nieces and nephew, to Disney on Ice. We gave this as a gift to all of the kids for Christmas. Owen is the youngest at 3.5 and the oldest are 8 ready to turn 9 so we felt like this was the best year to go. I also scored a great clearance deal on Mickey/Minnie shirts for the older four and Owen wore a Mickey shirt that was Annabeth's first (sorry second child) Mark's mom also came to the show and spoiled the kids with light up ears for the girls and swords for the boys. It was so wonderful to watch all of their faces as they enjoyed the show!
This was such a fun surprise for the kids!
Annabeth loved seeing Jasmine, Owen loved seeing Mickey, and we loved
watching all of the kids' faces!
- After Disney on Ice, we had dinner out thanks to some gift certificates to a wings place in town. The kids each had a meal and Mark and I shared one. We were able to eat, with generous tip, for just $20. Thank you to the City of Franklin for the door prize gift certificates!
- We have been doing some heavy cleanouts in anticipation of our Junk Exchange next weekend. Last year we had the junk exchange, two kids sales, and one garage sales with 20 loads also taken to donate. When we started cleaning out for this years Junk Exchange I thought "we won't have much at all" and yet there it all is! Mark and I worked through the kitchen on Sunday and I also finished doing my dresser.
- We have been doing some heavy cleanouts in anticipation of our Junk Exchange next weekend. Last year we had the junk exchange, two kids sales, and one garage sales with 20 loads also taken to donate. When we started cleaning out for this years Junk Exchange I thought "we won't have much at all" and yet there it all is! Mark and I worked through the kitchen on Sunday and I also finished doing my dresser.
- Monday morning we kicked off the school week with a volcano and a crystal experiment. We enjoyed watching some science videos before working on the experiments. Both kits were a gift from Christmas. We love getting school books and supplies as gifts!
Volcano Fun!
Thank you Matt, Jenn, and kids!
- We are now five weeks out from Annabeth's first dance competition. I ordered her show shoes as I wanted to wait as long as we could for fear her feet would grow. They were lower price than when I looked in December and I earned 4% cashback through Ebates.
- I did a heavy cleanout of every single kitchen cabinet and the pantry over the course of the week. Monday night at dance a mom mentioned something she liked but didn't have. I had it, just sitting brand-new in the box for the past three years, so Wednesday I took it to her as a surprise. It felt great to give it to a person who will use it. Our kitchen cabinets now have lots of white space and we are excited!
- I did a heavy cleanout of every single kitchen cabinet and the pantry over the course of the week. Monday night at dance a mom mentioned something she liked but didn't have. I had it, just sitting brand-new in the box for the past three years, so Wednesday I took it to her as a surprise. It felt great to give it to a person who will use it. Our kitchen cabinets now have lots of white space and we are excited!
- Mark and I had a serious talk about upcoming vacation and summer budgets. We have one big bill that we pay each summer (our car insurance for the year) that we have always paid with our tax check. We put the rest of it in savings but always use a chunk for that big bill. With the news back and forth about whether tax checks will be issued we knew that we would need a firm savings plan in case they don't come. Later in the week we saw that they should be coming for sure but it was still a good thing to discuss.
- Mark changed jobs in November which led to new insurance after his first thirty days. A HUGE appeal of this new job was insurance that is so so so much better than our old insurance. Case and point: Annnabeth sees her allergist at the end of December each year. Last year the appointment and medication cost us $500 out of pocket after insurance. This year? $20 copay. The emotional and financial weight of poor insurance was heavy and it feels so incredible to know that we have good, affordable healthcare for the first time in our marriage.
We are looking forward to a busy weekend, lots of snow, and time with family and friends.
Happy Savings to All!
- Mark changed jobs in November which led to new insurance after his first thirty days. A HUGE appeal of this new job was insurance that is so so so much better than our old insurance. Case and point: Annnabeth sees her allergist at the end of December each year. Last year the appointment and medication cost us $500 out of pocket after insurance. This year? $20 copay. The emotional and financial weight of poor insurance was heavy and it feels so incredible to know that we have good, affordable healthcare for the first time in our marriage.
We are looking forward to a busy weekend, lots of snow, and time with family and friends.
Happy Savings to All!
2 comments:
Disney on Ice sounds fun. I like that you were able to give an experience rather than more stuff.
Congratulations to Mark on the new job. That is a blessing to have insurance with more coverage!
Thank you! Yes! We are so excited for what this can mean for our family! :)
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