Frugal Friday 432

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we drove down to Charlestown to spend the day with our best friends. We had not been able to get together since before Christmas so we had a great time celebrating three birthdays, sharing lunch and ice cream sundaes, and talking/playing for hours. Thank you Rose and family for the wonderful time together!

- Mark took his Boy Scout Troop to Winter Camp. They were gone Friday evening to Sunday evening and had a great, safe weekend of camping together.

- The kids danced at Celebration Talent on Saturday. Since Mark was out of town, we spent the night at home (vs a hotel in Zionsville) for Oscar and left before 6 AM to be at dance. I woke up at 3:30 to pack breakfasts, make coffee, and to pack lunches. With careful preperation we didn't eat out any meals or snacks on Saturday. My parents came up around noon to let Oscar out and were kind enough to have dinner ready for us when we got home after 5. That was a HUGE blessing after a long day!

This was before the sun was even up!

They were such great sports about the early wake-up call and hour drive.

Owen really enjoyed his first competition.

He did a great job despite being VERY nervous beforehand.

Annabeth was very pleased with her performaces.

Two of her three groups placed first and her solo was First Overall in the Junior Protostar category. 

- Sunday, after church, my parents treated us to lunch out and a shopping trip to Costco. Thank you all! 

- Monday morning Owen and I had a Starbucks date. Owen earned this through our Behavior Rewards System at home. I was able to get it for free thanks to a giftcard from my friend Nicole.

- I contacted my friend Rebecca about purchasing some prayer themed gifts for some friends battling cancer. Rebecca was able to help me find the perfect gifts from her Mary & Martha site* and has also added these friends to her own prayer list. It is such a joy to support a friend in business and in sharing the Good News. 

- Monday, for President's Day the HSDLA had 40% off Government Books. I chose two books that we've had on our list for a while. This was a great savings for the next couple of school years.

- Monday evening I met with a group of homeschool moms.We were each asked to bring a snack to share. I took a cheeseball, made by my Mama's ladies church group, and crackers. 

- We bought 1/2 a pig in 2020 and went through the meat in about 7 months so last year we bought a full pig. We have sourced some great deals on local beef and chicken as well this year so the pork has held through longer. As we approach the one year mark, I wanted to make sure that we were using all that we have so I shared about 15 lbs of meat on our homeschool co-op page. 

- We did a huge cleanout of our reading corner and school room. We spread it out over two days but completely removed every item, deep cleaned, and then only returned the things we love. We have a big tote to share with friends, donated a big box, and recycled a big tote of paper/workbooks as well. This was a huge project and I am very thankful to have it done.

We are looking forward to a busy weekend with class for Mark, dance for Annabeth, and the start of baseball season for Owen.

Happy Savings to All! 

*I do not receive any kind of compensation for sharing her site nor did she ask me to. I share because I truly love the beautiful products that I have purchased in the past and am always happy to share a friend's business. 

Frugal Friday 431

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend we all met in Evansville to celebrate Valentine's Day and my birthday. This was our first trip down in almost two months so we were very excited to see everyone. I received some great kitchen items and my sister made me homemade peanut butter fudge. We spent Sunday in Owensboro and celebrated my birthday and my cousin Adam's birthday. We used to do our birthdays together as kids and it was fun to have our kids all together to celebrate his 39th and my 35th birthdays.

My little Valentines

Owen's shirt is from last year and Annabeth found this sweet heart dress thrifting 

last summer. I love holiday outfits, especially at bargain prices!

- Monday was my actual birthday. I started off my new year with a sunrise walk and got over a mile in before 8 am. It was a great way to wake up #35. We spent the morning with my dear friend Nicole and her daughter and then headed back north after lunch. Mark had dinner ready for us and we gave the kids their Valentine's. The day was very low-key but spent with most of my favorite people. I thank and praise the Lord for my life. I pray that I will wisely use this next year to serve Him and His people. 

My sunrise walk. 

I really loved that the sun in the branches looked like a heart!

Valentine's Day picture with my Forever Valentine

- I received a giftcard in the mail for completing a COVID test study. I actually did the study in December but finally received my payment. We will save it for our eat-out and fun money for our summer vacation. The study was relatively quick and easy and I was glad to be able to quickly earn the money for our trip.

- Mark and the kids generously gifted me a gift certificate to my favorite make-up lady's shop. I was able to choose new makeup and I am going to try a new skincare product as well. Thank you Mark and kids! You can also shop with my friend Amanda via her Younique Site. 

- My friend Holly does incredible work raising money for the Little Red Door Cancer Agency. It was my pleasure to put together a basket for raffle for her Scrap Pink Weekend. I did a "Crafty Night In" basket complete with adult coloring books, magic paint book, coloring implements, chocolate, and a cozy candle. I hope her event is a great fundraiser for LRDCA. 

- Yesterday after co-op we enjoyed bowling with our school friends. As a school group we were able to enjoy the school rate of just $5/kid. That covered shoes and two games of bowling. It was a great time!

Frugal Fail: Wednesday night Mark and I treated ourselves to our first ever, and I mean EVER, fancy steakhouse dinner. We went to RFD and had the most wonderful dinner! This was such a special treat. Thank you to our parents who gifted us Valentine's Day and Birthday money. 

We are looking forward to a hectic weekend with all of us going many different directions. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 430

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Saturday, we surprised the kids with a quick little detour on the way to Mark's mom's house. We saw the Acton treasure Veal's Ice Tree. It's only about five minutes away from his mom's house and yet we've never been. It was a fun surprise for the kids and really beautiful to see!

- Mark left early Sunday morning for Bomb School in Alabama. He has been waiting many years to take this course and we are thankful that his number was finally up for the class. Mark has already served several years on the Johnson County Bomb Squad and this will allow him to expand his duties on the team. 

- Our church is sponsoring a new apartment for a formerly homeless family. They had little hearts with home items on them to donate. The kids and I took several on Sunday morning and returned them with their items at youth group Sunday night. I love that my kids really feel such joy from blessing others. We will be praying for this family and this exciting new step in their lives. 

- A friend had some boys clothing for sale on Facebook. Several of the items were a brand that Owen loves and are the right size for next summer. I was able to get four short sleeve shirts and one sweatshirt for $17. Just the sweatshirt would have been $45 new! Thanks Alysha for the great deal. 

- We did big clean outs of the kids' closets this week. Each kid had more than twenty items they had outgrown. We listed many for sale on Facebook and sold several. That helped me make back what I had spent on the next size. I love the cycle of buying and selling used clothing. 

- We received a package from Zulily that we did not order. I called the company to return it but because it did not have a shipping receipt we got to keep it. It was a size 5 dress from a VERY expensive boutique company and my sister-in-law is happily going to save it for my niece. 

- I had ordered some things for the kids online and they came in sizes/colors that weren't quite what I wanted/needed. I promptly returned everything. This gave us back $25 in our budget. We never keep items that we aren't going to use. I hear people say "I meant to take that back but never got around to it" Every dollar is worth the same amount and if something isn't exactly what I want or need than I need to return it and put that dollar to work elsewhere. 

- One of my main reasons for joining Usborne Books & More in 2017 was the desire to pay down our home mortgage at a quicker rate. Over time, I have become less diligent about applying a certain portion of my paycheck to our home mortgage. We have had other areas that needed the money more but I made it a goal this year to get back into the routine of making extra Principal Payments. I made a point this month to make the payment right as my paycheck came in. This helped me to not be tempted to spend it anywhere else. 

- Mark has been gone all week training in Alabama. Let me have a real, Mama Moment here. I used to DREAD the weekends/weeks that Mark was gone. I was bitter and angry that he was gone and that I had to stay home doing the same old things I always do. I felt left out, left behind. I felt like his life was moving forward, he was having adventures, and that I was stuck. Sunday morning we went to church and I was bitter. I mean my heart was hard. As we sang I thought "Why are you doing this Amy? You're singing about joy, hearing a sermon on love, and yet you're closed off to both of those things." So, dear readers, I decided to change my attitude about this week. I told myself - You GET to be home this week. You CHOSE the adventure of motherhood and here it is. And so, we had a week, a good week even! We missed Mark and I am exhausted but we succeeded in getting everything done and we had a great week of school. In the past the issue has never really been whether Mark is home or not but rather my attitude about my circumstances. It's amazing the peace that God gives us when we choose joy.

What can you change your mind about today? What hard part of your heart can you soften?

Happy Savings to All! 

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Frugal Friday 429

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Mark had a sale in his Etsy shop! He mailed this purchase all the way to Washington State. This is the third state that he has sold items to. We look forward to counting down all 50!

- I listed and sold several Disney items from Annabeth's closet as well as my own. We're already putting money away towards this year's vacation and this will go in that envelope.

- Saturday we made a family grocery run to Costco. So far, we are very pleased with the money we have been saving on some of our favorite items. We are always thankful when stores carry safe items for our family and are happy to give them a shout-out when they do.

- Sunday afternoon we took lunch to Mark's mom. Annabeth made orange chicken, Japanese noodles, rice, and egg rolls. We spent the afternoon playing Dominoes from 0-15. It was great fun!

- Monday afternoon we dropped Cards for a Cause boxes at our dance studio and a friend picked up her set from her medical fundraiser. Combined everyone earned over $250! Ask me today about running your own Cards for a Cause Fundraiser.

- A friend is reorganizing her wellness, skincare, and cleaning products. She had boxes of unopened products and asked about where to donate them. We were able to donate to a free little pantry, the food pantry at our church, and passed along some items to a family member. Thank you T for sharing with others!

- Tuesday the kids and I enjoyed Homeschool Day at the Capitol thanks to IAHE. I purchased our parking via an app but when we arrived at the garage the scanner was broken. I had to take a ticket instead. At the exit, the scanner wouldn't take my app barcode since I hadn't checked in with it. I had to pay the $15 parking. Thankfully, I was able to get a refund from the app ($10.75) So I did spend more than I had planned on parking BUT we chose the cheapest garage, walked, and didn't spend the $40+ it would have been to park closer. 

3/4 of the Riley Family School 

enjoying our beautiful Statehouse

We were leaving at the same time as Gov. Holcomb. 

The kids were so well behaved shaking his hand, thanking him for his service, 

and talking to him about Franklin. We are proud to pray for our leaders.

- Tuesday evening Mark, Owen, and their Cub Scout Pack enjoyed the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University. Their tour was paid for by the pack and they had a great field trip.

- In January, we always seem to do a lot of baking/cooking from scratch. This week's special items: Chicken Pot Pie, Annabeth made homemade chocolate fudge, Owen made homemade blueberry cobbler with homemade whipped cream, and I made Excellent Pound Cake. I was feeling especially homesick last weekend and thought of that special cake that Momaw and Mama make. I made it for the first time ever and just like that I was 8 years old in my Momaw's kitchen eating on the counter. 

- We had a ice/snow storm come through Wednesday night into Thursday so all of our Wednesday and Thursday activities were cancelled. This saved us the fee we pay for private lessons as well as quite a bit of gas as we had cancelled activities in several towns. 

We are looking forward to the weekend, despite bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast. 

Happy Savings to All!