Frugal Friday 419

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last week we took our big family vacation for the year. You can read about the money we spent and saved in my last post 

- Before we left for vacation, Mark took Annabeth out for her special birthday gift from Nana. Last Christmas, Mark's parents gifted us the fun of a glass blowing class. We loved it so much and Annabeth wanted to learn as well. The minimum age is 10 and so Mark's mom gifted her a class for her 10th Birthday this fall. She was able to made three items!

Photo Credits: Mark Riley

The flower she made.

Gorgeous!

- We ate down our freezer, fridge, and pantry stock before leaving on our trip. We were able to go the last two weeks without a grocery trip. This allowed us to really get down to the bare bones inside with just our meat freezer stocked in the garage. It was a great time/way to use up lots of fruits, veggies, etc. We did a big $150 trip when we got back into town to stock back up.

- We spent last Saturday in Evansville. Mark was able to help my sister with a couple of projects at her house and also purchased tools for her house. This will be the bulk of her Christmas gift from us. This year we are really trying to gift experiences and handmade items (with the exception of the kids in our lives who had specific book/science requests) 

- We only plan to send handful of personal Christmas cards this year. I ordered them through Shutterfly for 50% off with free shipping. Saved: $33 I also earned 2% cashback through Rakuten. Not already earning cashback through Rakuten? Sign up here to get started. 

- I used my last Rakuten check to buy a dinner on vacation. While I don't shop online often, it's great to get cashback when I do!

- I cashed out my ShopKick rewards for $20 in Starbucks giftcards. I will enjoy getting a couple of free coffees over the next couple of weeks. Don't already earn cashback from ShopKick? Sign Up Here. 

- Walking 35+ miles on our Disney trip showed Mark and me that we both need new tennis shoes. Mark snagged his online with a Black Friday sale and I ordered a pair from Kohl's with a sale. I also earned $15 Kohl's cash and 1% cashback through Rakuten. I chose the free ship-to-store option so I will have to wait until next week for them to arrive. 

Yesterday we enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday with Mark's Family. We are so thankful for the ones we shared the day with and missed the ones who were working, far away, or already Home with Jesus.

Praying you all enjoyed the holiday with those you love. Happy Savings to All!