Frugal Friday 302

Happy Frugal Friday!
Did you miss us last week? We missed you all! So this is a 2 Week, MEGA Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money the past two weeks:

- I continued running my Usborne Books & More business. I am excited to have completed my certification to be an Educational Services Representative and I look forward to servicing schools and libraries. I also kicked off our Style Dance Summer 2019 Cards for a Cause Fundraiser.

- We met our friends the Eblings in Columbus. We finished out our Kids Commons Museum punchcard by treating their family to the museum. We also played at the Commons playground across the street after a packed lunch. Lots of fun for $0!

- We enjoyed a week in Chicago (well technically Barrington) for Fuzion Dance Camp. Annabeth earned a partial scholarship to Fuzion and had a wonderful week dancing! My sister came along, she drove and paid for gas, and we enjoyed a special week with Owen.

- I was able to book our hotel with a group rate from the dance camp and combined that with a 20% off summer sale. We spent just over $600 for the week - the hotel had breakfast included, a pool, and we had a bedroom/living room suite.

- We had breakfast each morning at the hotel, packed Annabeth's lunches, and Owen, Lu, and myself either had leftovers or packed lunches each day.

Here is an overview of our Frugal Fun on the trip:
Monday - We hit a Goodwill in a very nice suburb. Owen LOVES clothes shopping and found lots of items for himself including a jean jacket that he LOVES! My sister even found him a cute Chicago sweatshirt - its tag was the half off color so just $1 for that souvenir! They were doing a special sale so I also saved an extra 25% off my already low prices. We took a little walk at a park and also swam in the hotel pool.
Tuesday- Owen, Lu, and I enjoyed the morning at Citizen's Park in Cook County. They had some nice trails, a treehouse where we had a packed lunch, and nice playgrounds. We also enjoyed a few hours of play at the amazing Barrington Area Library. Our last stop before picking up Annabeth was the Crabtree Nature Center. It was really fantastic! That night we had dinner at Rainforest Cafe in Schaumberg. We had a free appetizer coupon and each of the kids got a little toy souvenir thanks to "fun money" from my parents.
Wednesday: I used a buy one, get one free coupon to get admission into Legoland. It was the first time that we have taken Owen to a place like that and he loved it! He rode his first rides, saw his first 4D movie, and loved playing on the Lego themed playground. He just got into Legos around his birthday so this was the perfect time for this treat. We had dinner at the hotel and swam in the pool.
Thursday: My sister went out for the day on her own to explore some bookshops. Owen and I did some reading and painting in the hotel until a rainstorm passed. We then walked a bit and found some offices that had a beautiful pond/walkway around them. He enjoyed waving to all of the business people. The kids and I had never been to Wisconsin so we took an hour drive north and went to Kenosha, WI. We enjoyed a beautiful rock beach, had dinner at the marina, saw a lighthouse, and played in the water until the fog rolled in and the sun set. The beach has always been my happy place and it seems that the kids feel the same way!

Sunset Beach Stroll

Kenosha, WI

Friday: We did a bit of window shopping in Barrington and a bit of real shopping at Allegro Dance Boutique. We had a little lunch out and then played at the Barrington Area Library again on a 100 degree afternoon. Annabeth had a dance showcase that night and then we headed home.

- Last Saturday, we went to our County Fair for free! We park at our friend Ann's house (thank you Ann!) saving us $5 parking fee. Due to the heat the animals were gone and the rides were closed so there were maybe 100 people there. We enjoyed looking at Annabeth's projects and getting ideas for next year when she is in regular 4H. The kids favorite snow-cone place wasn't there so we didn't buy any concessions.

- Saturday evening we went to a friend's farm for a cook-out. The kids loved riding in a big truck, feeding the ducks, and playing in the sprinkler with their friends. I love that the dads kept eyes on the kids and us mamas were able to catch up inside.

- Monday evening our family enjoyed our library's Croc Talk. This is the third summer our libraries have brought animals from the Newport Aquarium and this year the kids really enjoyed seeing an alligator. We also picked up 25 books for the week and a circuit set. We had been looking into a circuit building set for Annabeth but hadn't pulled the trigger due to the price. Now we have one to borrow for free! Our libraries are AMAZING we find so many classes and resources there! If you aren't visiting your local libraries - start now!

- Tuesday evening Annabeth and I attended her dance studio's end of the year banquet. We always enjoy this fun, dress up night to celebrate a good season.

- Wednesday night Annabeth had her dance auditions for next season. Owen and I ran some errands and enjoyed free ice cream at Freddy's thanks to a giftcard.

We had a good but busy week. Mark worked nights this week, something he hasn't really done for a while, and the kids and I got back into the school groove a bit.

We are looking forward to some fun this weekend with a special event tomorrow for the kids and Sunday we send Annabeth to summer camp alone for the first time! She will be gone half the week and we covet your prayers for her time there.

Happy Savings to All!