Frugal Friday 383

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend, Mark and Owen spent Friday night through Sunday evening at Winter Camp with their Scout Troop. The weekend is really for the older Boy Scouts but we didn't have a sitter for Owen for the weekend and Annabeth had dance so he went along. Mark said he hung in there with the big boys and enjoyed snow hiking, sledding, etc. 

- Friday evening Annabeth and I made homemade pretzels. We had pretzels, fruit, and veggies while we watched a movie. I love that when given the chance to choose meals our kids love to cook from scratch!

- While the boys were gone, us girls enjoyed a Saturday at Annabeth's first dance competition of the year. We did not purchase concessions or dance wear.

- On Sunday, Annabeth and I stopped for coffee on our way to lunch at Mark's parents' house. We were able to get it FREE thanks to a giftcard from my birthday. Thanks Luke and Cassidy!

- We enjoyed Sunday lunch and play at Mark's parents' house. Annabeth loved having the babies all to herself! She loves to play with her cousins.

- We forgot to edit our Imperfect Produce order so we ended up with some veggies that we don't eat and too many of several items. We share cauliflower and tomatoes with a friend and donated butter lettuce and more tomatoes to the library's Free Little Pantry. 

- I noticed that with everyone snowed in, items were moving quickly on the Matilda Jane BST Groups. Annabeth and I quickly organized some items and listed/sold everything she's outgrown in about 20 minutes. I always buy her MJ second hand and/or on sale for a price that I know I can resell for that same price or higher. Made: $75

- Tuesday afternoon it was glorious! We invited some neighbors over to play and my kids were out nearly three hours in the sunshine! Oh happy day!

- Wednesday we met friends at a local park. The kids loved being out and about in the warmer weather!

- Wednesday evening Mark and I took Owen on his Valentine's Day. We had given him a Build-A-Bear giftcard and he enjoyed picking out a new pup. We also treated him to dinner and ice cream. He was so happy to be out with just Mark and me and proudly held our hands through the mall. 

Date Night

- We did Walmart pick up for our groceries. This is the third time we've done the pick-up and it really is helping us stay on goal/budget. Our total for the week was $73.05 plus I had about $4 back through Ibotta so all of our food for the week under $70!

Let's talk about groceries for a minute. The MOST requested item I have is how to save on everyday expenses BUT when I have shared groceries totals in the past I always get messages like "We could never spend that little!" or "We eat super healthy and it's expensive" or "You must buy junk"

So... I decided to breakdown by category what we bought this week. I did our shopping at Walmart my budget was $100. (Please remember we still have items at home like fruit, veggies, etc it's not as though my pantry was bare before I went shopping) 

Fresh Produce: Sweet Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Yellow Squash, Purple Onions

Meat/Seafood: Ground Turkey, Chicken Breasts, Shrimp

Pantry Items: Pasta Sauce, White Rice, Gnocchi, Parmesan Cheese, Carb Counter Tortillas, 3 Bags of Quest Chips

Freezer Items: Spaghetti Squash Noodles, Sweet Corn, Kashi Protein Waffles

Cheese/Dairy: Shredded Mozzarella, Shredded Monterey Jack, Bolthouse Ranch, Skim Milk, Yogurt

Misc: 2 Perfect Protein Bars, Laundry Pods, Sugar Pearls (for a birthday cake next week)

I try to plan at least two meatless dinners a week, no my people are not always happy about that, but it's a huge money saver and they get protein through beans/veggies and always are given a lunch meat option at lunch. We already had breakfast items on hand and for lunch we usually have lunch meat/cheese wraps, fruit, and veggies or leftovers. 

We had such a wonderful week - SO much sunshine, time with friends, and a special belated Valentine's celebration yesterday with our best friends the Eblings.

We are looking forward to more sunshine and time with people we love this weekend.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 382

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Saturday morning Mark and I enjoyed a Car Date with a special Valentine's Breakfast Box from Main & Madison. They ran a sale on this set and we each had a breakfast sandwich, fruit cup, iced cookie, and juice for only $20. We used a giftcard making it FREE!

- Saturday afternoon I used some giftcards to purchase two new home decor items at Hobby Lobby. They were both on sale so I spent just $15 out of pocket for both of them.

- Sunday was Valentine's Day. We made homemade cards and gifted the kids a book and handmade toy. Annabeth got a Princess Jasmine and Princess Tiana doll both handmade by our friend Susie. Susie makes and sells all of her items to raise money for various charities close to her heart. You can support her work here: A Gali on a Mission

- Sunday was also my 34th Birthday! Mark gifted me an amazing new piece of wall decor and the kids got me a bag of all of my favorite treats.

- We had Sunday lunch at Mark's parents' house. They ordered stuffed crust pizza and served chocolate chip cookies for my birthday. I was gifted two coffee house giftcards AND coffee for home. Thank you everyone!

- On Monday, Mark was out of the office for the holiday. We enjoyed having him home for some of the day. He took each of the kids out on a little mini-date to run necessary errands. They each enjoyed being out with him and one-on-one time at home with me as well.

- Monday night into Tuesday we got 10.8 inches of snow! We were SO excited to wake up and play Tuesday morning. I think the kids finished their Basics in record time so we could get outside. With the windchill only around 0 we took several trips out during the day and warmed up inside in between.

SO MUCH SNOW!

All wrapped up to warm-up inside

- Wednesday night I went to dinner with friends. One had mentioned wanting pizza from the Willard in a Facebook post so I messaged her and we made plans. I had a great night out with friends and it was very affordable - just $13 with tip!

- I found a free shipping deal on an Etsy item that I have had my eye on for a while. I used my Rakuten Cashback check from this month and only spent $1.09 out of pocket. 

- The kids had each finished several craft projects so I allowed them to each choose a book from my UBAM stock. Owen chose a Stained Glass coloring book and Annabeth chose a Magic Paint book. I LOVE having beautiful books on hand to read and create with. One of the MANY perks of being a book lady!

We had a full week of school, snow play, and Read Aloud hours. We are looking forward to a busy weekend and are praying for less snow/ice next week as the past two weeks we've made and changed plans many times due to the weather.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 381

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Saturday I stopped by a local smoothie place for a protein shake as we drove out of town. I made sure to have my rewards card punched so I can earn a free smoothie in the future.

- We were set to go to Evansville Saturday after dance until Wednesday before dance class BUT a huge ice storm came through so we are still here this morning! Please pray that we will have safe travels back home today.

- The kids made homemade Valentine's Day cards and wrapped up special items for the family. They were VERY excited to give these gifts.

- We spent Sunday in Owensboro and were excited to see many family members there. We enjoyed a take-out lunch. Thank you Momaw!

- On Monday, Annabeth and I had a special day out with Mama. We ran some errands, including scoring an awesome deal at Seek and Find, and had a sushi lunch. We were very excited to see our dear friend Miss Helen there - it has been nearly a year since we've been in to have lunch with her.

- Monday night I grabbed coffee and surprised a friend with a date. Due to the pandemic we haven't gotten together in person for a year and it was great to catch up in person without kids. 

- Tuesday we enjoyed a day playing at the house until we went to Lu's for dinner. We picked up Manna for dinner and helped her with moving a few pieces of furniture.

- We were set to head back Wednesday but woke up to some serious ice so we ended up staying! Over the past two days the kids have logged some more of our #1000hoursoutside for the year and really enjoyed some ice play. Yesterday, Dad even built them a bonfire on the ice which they loved.

We are so thankful for the unexpected extra time in Evansville and for my parents spoiling us by playing about 15 different games, providing crafts, and feeding us all week. Thank you!

Ice Storm Day #1

They loved playing, even in the freezing rain!

Ice Storm Day #2

Bonfire and ice play with Grandpa

We had such a wonderful week and I was able to read two whole books! What a great kick off to #34!

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 380

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Saturday afternoon the kids and I enjoyed having our friends/neighbors over to play. It has been so long since we had a house full of crazy kids and it was so much fun!

- Mark and some friends drove south for an epic one day roadtrip on Saturday. They hit the Lodge Factory store in Tenneesee, BBQ in Georgia, and some NASA spots in Huntsville, AL before heading home. They had a great time and Mark was very happy about the great deals on cast iron.

- Sunday we went out to our friends' farm for lunch and snow play. They kids had a great time sledding and playing in the snow while the parents walked the property. They treated us to a fancy lunch - roast lamb and homemade potatoes and we supplied dessert. Thank you Evans Family for the fun day. Owen and I picked up brownies and cookies at 1823 Bakehouse in downtown Franklin. We've been really trying to support local places - especially in the super slow sales month of January.

- I stopped in the Local Grind for a smoothie. Thanks to my sister it was free with my Christmas gift-card. Thanks Lu!

- This week we had the first snow of the season that we had REAL snow to play in. Monday morning we woke up and shoveled our drive as well as the neighbors' and the sidewalk. The kids had fun making snow people and Oscar LOVED romping in the snow. They went out again after school and again after dinner! 

Annabeth with her snow woman

- I mentioned that we did a big closet cleanout for Annabeth last week. One of the few items she needs for summer is a swimsuit. I won a contest with my Matilda Jane Trunk Keeper Danielle. So I used my site credit to purchase a new swimsuit for Annabeth. I love that theirs has adorable patterns but still the full coverage swim-shirt that Annabeth likes. If you need Matilda Jane - Shop with Danielle Here. 

- I am updating some photographs in our home. They are 16x20 which can be expensive. I first tried Shutterfly and some online print options which would have been around $60 with shipping. Thankfully I checked with Walgreens Photo and was able to get them (with a coupon code) for $23 with same day pickup! I also earned 3% cashback with Rakuten 

- I spoke, virtually, to a group of about 300 book ladies on the impact of leadership on my home and our finances. I am thankful for nearly FOUR years as a Usborne Books & More lady and for all of the blessings that have come with this business.

We are continuing our massive home cleanout and took another trunk full of items to Goodwill. We said good-bye to our last high chair and last small size bike this week. It's been really cleansing to have so many items finding new homes.

We are looking forward to a fun weekend with family and some early birthday celebrations.

Happy Savings to All!