Frugal Friday 387

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Saturday was Annabeth's second competition of the year. We opted to drive over Saturday morning (saving the cost of hotel) and we also packed our own lunches. This venue did not have concessions but we could have easily gotten food nearby. We skipped that and ate from home. We also did not buy any competition shirts or gear. 

- Sunday after church we cleaned house. This was our first big, deep clean as a family in a while and it was SO nice to have the house looking perfect for the day.

- Sunday evening we hosted Sunday Dinner for Mark's family. We served chili, fritos, cornbread, and homemade rice krispie treats. Mark and Owen made dinner and Owen and I made dessert. We had a great time visiting with everyone.

- Our neighbors had a family reunion. The grandma was kind enough to include our kids in their Kid Kits so each of our kids got bubbles and chalk. Perfect for outdoor play!

- Monday our friends the Eblings came to play after school. We served smorgasbord lunch - veggie chips, pretzels, meat, cheese, strawberries, fruit pouches, and Made Good bars for dessert. The kids put together some "plays" for the Mamas and enjoyed hours outside.

- Rose's boys are redoing their rooms and one of their old themes is the theme Owen chose for his Birthday Room Makeover for June. They sent us pictures of decor they were parting with and he chose two items. We traded those for a huge bag of hand me down clothes for her boys. Thank you Eblings!

- Tuesday night was our meatless meal this week. We had egg sandwiches and fruit/veggie smoothies. This was a great, quick meal before 4H and Scouts.

- Annabeth had her monthly 4H meeting this week. They finished up building their own rovers and raced them. Each of the kids also got to work with a large robot that older kids had built for competition. I am so thankful for my 13 years in 4H and I am so thrilled to be able to give my kids that same great experience. 

- We, once again, forgot to edit our Imperfect Order and so we had even more mushrooms and lettuce that we couldn't eat all of this week. I put it on Facebook and some friends came to pick up so they could enjoy it this week. 

- One afternoon while we were out front riding bikes, friends stopped to chat on a walk. We had not seen these friends since before Quarantine last year.  It was AMAZING to catch up in person!

-  Wednesday night I went to bed around nine. I often talk about being frugal with our finances and resources but I also think it's important to be good stewards of our time. It felt great to wake up Thursday morning really well rested. 

- We visited the library this week to check out new books, videos, and resources for school. While we do purchase some school books we keep our school budget around $250 for the year and we do that by using the library and free local resources as much as possible. 

We had a great week, spent many hours outdoors, read and painted a great deal, and are looking forward to a weekend with gorgeous spring weather!

Happy Savings to All!