Frugal Friday 411

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I purchased a party set from a friend. She had tons of cake plates, straws, plastic utensils, etc leftover from a graduation party. We will keep some and pass some along as well. I'll be able to host 10 or more parties with what I bought and it was at a huge savings!

- I mentioned shopping the Matilda Jane release with our Trunk Keeper Danielle. In addition to my $10 coupon, one of our items was back ordered so the company generously sent me a FREE pair of earrings while I wait! What a great deal! The kids will each get an item and Mama got a free pair of earrings! They are a $16 value!

- Mark and Owen worked on a HUGE project over the course of the week. Our house was built in the late '90s and some of our light switches have begun to go out so this week they replaced all of the ones that have not already been updated. This would have cost several hundred dollars to have an electrician come and do. 

- Saturday night, Mark and I had a date night at GRT Hot Glass Studio. This was a VERY generous gift from his parents. I have loved blown glass since I was a little girl and have pieces from years of traveling and visiting museums and antique stores. The gift of making my own was incredible! Thank you Brian and Kristi. 

- Mark's brother Luke was our babysitter for the evening. We packed the kids' dinner, they helped entertain their cousins, and we thanked Luke with the gift of coffee.

- We continued our fall clean-out and took Disney and Lakeview hand-me-downs to the cousins. We also donated two bags of items to Goodwill.

- We are located near Camp Atterbury. They are currently 6.000+ refugees being housed there. We have been praying for Atterbury staff, military and civilian, as well as the refugees. After lots of prayer, we were presented with a list of needs for the community there. Many local to us have been collecting and donating diapers and formula for the babies/toddlers so I decided to donate the next most important thing  (in my opinion) - feminine hygiene products. If you want to help and want to ship straight to Atterbury you can shop their Amazon list here

- With great help from the kids, I tagged nearly 1,000 items for the Here We Grow Again Sale. This is SO much work but all of the money goes into our vacation fund and that makes it so much easier to push through the work. 

And lest you think we always spend our money wisely, I made a ridiculous purchase a few weeks ago and it arrived this week. While I did wait for a coupon code, it was still silly expensive. Check out our newest artwork titled "King Oscar"

Portrait from Crown & Paw 

We had a busy week getting school and sale things done. I did take the week off from my Usborne work. I work very hard to create a balance of school/work in our home and sometimes things have to give. 

We are looking forward to a busy weekend and especially to the sale drop off this Sunday.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 410

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night we enjoyed Cub Scout Movie Night at Camp Belzer. We popped our own popcorn and just paid a donation to the camp ($15) to get in. I had never been there so Mark took us on a short tour before it got dark. The kids loved snacking and watching the movie outside. 

- Saturday morning Mama, Lu, and I headed to Ohio for Lu's 32nd Birthday. Mama treated us all to a weekend away so thank you to Mama for giving me the best sister and for the time away!

- Saturday afternoon we visited the newly reopened Warren G. Harding Presidential Home and Library. The library is the newest Presidential Library and was so pretty. We enjoyed touring his house as well. 

- After the tour, we drove on to Columbus and settled into our hotel. We had dinner at The Old Bag of Nails and then on to the Chihuly Glass Exhibit at the Franklin Conservatory. We were able to get in a bit ahead of our ticketed time and explored the gardens a bit too. It was all so beautiful and for sure a place I want to return to with the kids! They would have loved it!

Chihuly Glass at Night

- Sunday morning we had breakfast, and took plenty of baked goods to go, from the North Market, window shopped in the Short North district, and then on to window shopping in Yellow Springs as well. It was WONDERFUL to have time away with just Mama and Lu. I did purchase donuts to bring home to Mark and a book for the kids by a local author. 

- Sunday evening Mark treated us all to dinner back in Franklin. Annabeth was at youth group but the rest of us enjoyed a Mexican dinner. We made a point to eat our souvenir Buckeye treats before Annabeth got home.

- Monday Mama and Lu took the kids out to the park, library, and grocery to pick up special lunch items. I was able to work on HWGA fall sale tagging for 3 uninterrupted hours. THANK YOU! I now have all of the sale items organized and entered into the system.

- We made due with meals this week and opted not to have a big grocery trip. We still ate well and ate down plenty of stock. For dinner we had: pancakes/bacon/fruit, Alysha's chicken and noodles, bbq pork and salads, and homemade pizzas. I just added fruits and veggies to each meal and called it good. We had plenty of leftovers for lunch as well.

- As I worked though entering all the sale items, I saw that I was going to be short on hangers. Before I shopped for some, I asked Facebook friends if they had any. Our friends the Asher Family had saved enough for me to finish my tagging! They generously gifted these to me. Thank you all! 

- Yesterday, after co-op, we met up with our co-op friends for park play. I packed our lunches and the kids enjoyed a couple of hours outside with good friends.

- Mark worked overtime this week and I worked my Usborne Books & More business. 

We are looking forward to a fun weekend with some great plans!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 409

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend, the kids and I took off down south for Labor Day Weekend. We enjoyed a little fair in Darmstadt, fun at Reimann's Farm Market, playing at Stoplight City, and Manna for lunch. The kids made a bonfire with Dad and played outside until after dark. They spent the last 30+ minutes of the day playing in the hose, in the dark. Sunday after church we went to Momaw's for lunch. We also had our last pool day of the summer swimming at G&A's. The kids swam for about three hours and I have to say it was pretty glorious as a grown-up too! Monday we headed to the lake and the kids enjoyed both a boat ride and rides in Grandpa Louie's 1964 Buick. It was an amazing weekend away with Mama, Dad, and Lu!

Clearly no laboring on Labor Day Weekend for Owen

Our 21st Labor Day at Lynnville Lake 

Deckhand and Skipper

- Mark stayed home to work Labor Day Weekend. He also helped with a project at his parents' house. He worked long hours this week as well. If you see an officer today, please thank them for their sacrifice of family time. 

- Monday evening Luke brought over two dressers for us. They were ready to pass them on and Mark was in need of new dressers. Thanks Luke and Cassidy!

- I wrapped up Noah's Book Drive. We are shipping 104 "That's Not My..." books to the Riley Cheer Guild at Riley Children's Hospital. I also donated my full commission to Noah Eilerman and family. Please continue to hold little Noah in your prayers.

- I also finished out two Cards for a Cause Fundraisers for dance studios. In just three weeks, we were able to raise over $700 for dance students in Franklin, IN and Louisville, KY.

- We changed some upcoming travel plans and cancelled one night in a hotel. Saved: $150

- We had a cancelled appointment this week. Saved the cost of the appointment.

- I won $10 off my September order from my Matilda Jane Trunk Keeper. Thanks Danielle! You can shop the new September release with Danielle here: Matilda Jane 

- My last two Express Taggers dropped off for the Kids' Sale. This sale I am only tagging our own items and then for three express people. We plan to use the funds for "fun money" on an upcoming trip.

We had a good, but incredibly busy, week. I am looking forward to a fun weekend ahead!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 408

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, Owen and I met Mama, Dad, and Annabeth in Montgomery to pick up Annabeth. We had lunch at Gasthof Amish Village and did some flea market shopping as well. This was a place I grew up visiting with my grandparents so it was fun to take the kids along as well. They enjoyed seeing the Amish schoolchildren, horses and buggies, and learning a bit about their culture.

- Our neighbors LOVE Gasthof and go quite often. Gloria suggested that we visit Dave's Discount Grocery while there so we made a special stop. I had not thought ahead and forgot to take cash (without phones they only take cash/checks) but Mama generously bought the kids some fun items from the grocery. 

- Saturday Mark and Annabeth spent the day working on sewing projects. Together they finished two skirts and two little bags for her. Mark also made a new summer weight sleeping bag for himself. He saved over $100 by making his own.

- Saturday afternoon/evening, I went down to Huber's in Borden. My best friend won us a spot in a photoshoot for Sunflower and Blooms Boutique by Jac. We were gifted dresses, earrings, and will get copies of the professional photos. Jaclyn also bought us all dinner and drinks. It was so fun to get dressed up for pictures and to have a fun night out with friends. Thank you Jac for such a special treat!

- Sunday after church Mark and the kids enjoyed our church's Back to School Splash. They had lunch at church, did a slip-n-slide, and then headed over to Mark's parents' for Sunday dinner.

- While they splashed, Mark's mom and I went to a family baby shower. We enjoyed catching up some of the family and showering Shelby, Toby, and Baby. I won one of the shower games and the kids were VERY excited about the candy I won :) 

- We painted Owen's room over Memorial Day Weekend and took advantage of some Lowe's rebates. The giftcards from those finally came in the mail and we look forward to our next project!

- Monday we the big fall clean-out of Annabeth's room. This was quite the process but we got it really organized and she felt good about the many items she was able to let go of. We found clothes, books, and toys that we were able to pass on to friends or donate.

- Tuesday we had a rainy day. We still spent 1+ hour outside - we just got wet doing it! The kids have talked about it all week!

- Thursday we started our new co-op. We'll go just two days a month but both kids really, really enjoyed it. This is our first ever big group, formal co-op and we're all pretty excited. We met up with friends at the park afterwards and played for three hours!

- Through September 7, I am running my Annual Fall Book Drive and this year, instead of our usual Cuddle Bears, Riley Cheer Guild asked if we could donate "That's Not My..." books so we are. Our drive is also named Noah's Book Drive in honor of a little boy from our church who has just been diagnosed with Leukemia. Noah's Book Drive Support

We hope you all had a wonderful week and that you have a great holiday weekend!

Happy Savings to All!