Frugal Friday 436

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend we had an impromptu Scrabble tournament. It started with Scrabble Junior but Owen especially was bored very quickly so I pulled out regular Scrabble for the first time. He whooped us with a double word play on "Zest" as his first play. We played several games Friday night and again Saturday morning. 

- Annabeth has been hearing about Crumbl Cookies from friends. They aren't safe for her so we made some Saturday with ingredients that we have on hand. I don't know the exact price of these but am guessing they are pricey. We made 18 without spending any extra money.

- Sunday after church we had lunch at Mark's mom's house. Mark and his brother worked on some outdoor projects for his mom while I enjoyed playing with my niece and nephew. Kristi also gifted us an air fryer that she had but wasn't using. We had been debating asking for one for Christmas but never did. This week we made lots of roasted veggies in it as well as chicken and salmon. It is a win for sure! Thank you Kristi.

- Monday after school we went to a different library than usual. Owen was especially excited that the children's area was decorated like a castle complete with drawbridge, knights, and banners. We took extra time and walked the prairie trail, storywalk, and over a mile in the neighborhood around the library as well. We came home just to walk/ride bikes. 

- Monday after dinner we enjoyed a front porch chat with our neighbors and then an evening out at the park/baseball fields for Owen's practice. I LOVE this time of year.

- Tuesday morning we kept our neighbors for a bit. The kids all play together so well and it's a nice way to ease into our school day. I had a nice chat with my friend when she came to pick them up. 

- Wednesday we got an hour outside in between rainstorms. We did read aloud extra that day as we are currently reading Harriet the Spy and the kids are LOVING it!

- I've been collecting all of our items for the Here We Grow Again - Indy South sale. This week my Express family dropped off their items so I knew I needed to get ours processed and out of the way. I have given away a great deal of school supplies/books this winter and I have sold $150+ in kids' clothing on Facebook. We still had 126 items to tag though. We tagged over 200 items for our Express family.

Although we had a lot of rain this week, we popped out during all of the sun-breaks for some Vitamin D and happiness.

We are very excited for the weekend and to celebrate the wedding of one of my oldest, dearest friends.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 435

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night Mark and Annabeth went to a Daddy Daughter Dance. This is something that Annabeth has been wanting to do for years! We were so excited to have one in our area that was on an evening that we had open. It was a free event put on by a local church but Mark did splurge to surprise Annabeth with a corsage to wear. They also went out for pizza before the dance.

- Owen had a date night at home with Grandmama and me. They played several rounds of Sleeping Queens, we also enjoyed pizza, and then we watched the movie "Richie Rich" to round out Owen's dream date.

- Saturday and Sunday the kids had a dance competition. I made a quick grocery trip and grabbed healthy snacks and lunch items. We packed a cooler and ate safe, healthy food all day instead of buying concessions or going out to eat. Saturday night we had leftovers at home and Sunday evening we enjoyed dinner at a birthday party. 

- We do not buy any souvenirs at dance competitions. I started this Annabeth's first season and was very glad that I did as they always offer many items for sale (shirts, shorts, toys, etc) and none of them are ever affordable. Each year she gets one Nationals shirt at nationals but knows not to ask the rest of the year. This particular competition gifted each competitor a stuffed animal with a shirt with the company logo on it. They had additional clothing items for the animals for sale ($10/doll tutu) Annaebth said "I have so many things to dress my bear up at home!" I was so proud of her for using items that she already had on hand and for being content with how the bear came. 

I think the stuffed bears were the highlight of the weekend

- Monday after dinner we stopped by our friend the Kirby's house. The kids LOVED running in their yard and petting their horses. It was a great way to get out of town and onto a farm for a bit. We also walked at the Masonic Home and played at a park that evening. 

- Tuesday night Annabeth had a 4H meeting. They had a special presentation about the floriculure project and she enjoyed making her own bud vase at the end. 

I thought her arrangement turned out beautifully.

I cannot say enough about the lifeskills that I gained from 4H and I am so thankful

that my children are growing up in 4H as well. 

- Annabeth earned the right to choose our meals for the week. We had chicken/mashed potatoes/corn/gravy, stuffed crust pizza (the kids love the Sam's brand from Walmart), homemade pizza rolls, and we will have a few more of her choices this weekend. 

- Owen's baseball season began this week. Friends gifted him new cleats and a new bag. We donated a too small batter's helmet to our local Little League. We are passing on his old ball bag and t-ball bat to family members. 

- I listed several items online and sold one. I promptly made an additional Principal Payment on our mortgage for that same amount. I'll be updating at the end of the month how much additional we were able to pay down this month.

- I taught class at our co-op yesterday. My topic was snow, I was supposed to teach this in January but class was cancelled several times due to illnesses and weather, so I taught it on a 75 degree day! I have had so much fun this year and am very grateful for the group that we decided to join this year. Over our homeschool years, I have had mixed opinions about joining a co-op and I truly believe that God led us to just the right one in just the right time. We met friends at a park for play after class and we took picnic lunch. 

We are looking forward to a busy, fun weekend with gorgeous weather!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 434

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Saturday was gorgeous - 75 and sunny! We spent the afternoon at a local park, playing at two playgrounds, and then came home to spend more time outside in the backyard. 

- Mark had planned to test out a new tent-tarp with an overnight campout on Saturday but it was extremely windy so they packed it in and camped out in the living room. I am sure the tarp would have held but we had thunderstorms, tons of rain, and very high winds all night so I think it was better for the kids to be indoors.

- Sunday afternoon we went to Mark's moms for Mark's birthday dinner. We had a great time playing with our niece and nephew and Mark was very pleased with his birthday gifts. Kristi sent us home with berries and chicken. I was able to shred the chicken and we used it as the meat for Monday and Tuesday night dinners. These dinners, chicken with black beans over yellow rice and chicken taco soup, were also lunches for Tuesday and Wedndesday. 

- We did our first grocery trip in 2 weeks. I spent $68.54 at Walmart pick-up. People ALWAYS, especially now, ask "What do you spend on groceries?" and "What do you eat each week" Remember that our shelves/fridge/freezer were not empty when we went but here's what we bought this week.

Produce (Fresh): Cuties, Bananas, Onions, and Poblano Peppers

Produce (Frozen): 4 big bags of assorted frozen veggies

Meat: Lunchmeat Salami and Turkey

Cheese: Shredded mozzarella, Shredded Monterey Jack, Colby Jack Slices, and Cottage Cheese

Bread/Crackers: 1 loaf of bread, Low Carb Tortillas, and 1 box of Wheat Thins

Fridge Items: Sour Cream, Cold Brew Coffee

Pantry Items: Pop-Tarts (they were out of the little box I ordered so we got a larger box for the small box price), 4 cans black beans, 2 cans chic peas, 2 jars pasta sauce, 1 can rotel, 1 can tomatoes, lasagna noodles, and yellow rice 

- Monday after school we went to tour a new library in our library system. We ran into some friends and the kids spend 2+hours playing in the new children's area. We also found a great deal of books for the week. 

This light wall was REALLY fun (even for me!) 

The kids loved playing in the toy kitchen/restaurant.

It was neat to watch kids just learning to walk all the way to Annabeth's age (10)

explore and play together.

- A co-worker gifted Owen several pairs of baseball pants. Owen now has several pairs for this year and some to grow into for next year. We also received a pair of new-in-box cleats for the year. The pants that were too small we are passing on to a friend who is also playing ball this year.

- I listed and sold several items online. I immediately made a Principal Payment on our home mortgage. I am keeping track and at the end of the month I will share how much I made/added to our mortgage payments. We don't pay any fees to make additional payments/principal payments so I was sure to add it right away so I wasn't tempted to put the money somewhere else. This is my March Challenge for myself. 

- Last night I went to a Curriculum Night with our homeschool co-op. I took a large box of items, mostly preschool to Kindergarten ages, to share with other families. It was a huge relief to have so many materials leaving our house and going to homeschools that will use them. The mom hosting supplied dinner and we were each to bring a drink or dessert to share. I took some homemade fudge from our freezer.

- I was able to purchase Annabeth's science books for next year at a great discount. We have really enjoyed the materials we are using this year and a friend just happened to be selling the same publisher's 6th grade set for less than half of the price new. I was happy to get a deal and to buy from a friend.

- I was able to get THREE of the books that I had planned to buy for Owen for 2nd grade for FREE! This was a $55 savings!! 

We had a great week and although we miss the warm, sunny weather of last weekend we still found time/ways to spend at least an hour each day outdoors. This does such great things for our moods. 

We are looking forward to a weekend filled with dance!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 433

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Instead of having a big New Year's Resolution this year I am doing a Monthly Challenge each month. In January I did a low-spend month buying only groceries and a few neccessities for the kids. In February, I spent an extra 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 minutes in the afternoon working on little house projects. Overall, this really didn't impact my days too much but made a BIG difference over the course of the month. By the end of the month, I could really see that our home is more organized and that it's taking less and less time to pick up/maintain.

- Saturday we had a cooking/baking day. Annabeth made a Dutch Apple Pie and Owen made lasagna. We had Mark's mom over for dinner.

- Mark took a course for his work at the Coroner's Office on Saturday. He was compensated for his time and lunch was provided. 

- I booked two hotel stays for this spring. I like the ease of using Booking.com. I had forgotten to sign in though and realized when my e-mail confirmation came through that I had missed my 10% Geniuis discount. I canceled the original reservation, logged in, and made a new one to save my 10%. I also shopped through Rakuten for 4% cashback. 

- Monday morning we kept our neighbor's kids. The kids LOVED a morning of games/play and I just did a quick lunch of freezer pizza, fruit, veggies, and Girl Scout cookies. Quick to make, easy clean-up, and zero complaints. We also had some co-op friends over in the afternoon. It felt good to have people in and out of the house again!

- We had GORGEOUS weather on Tuesday and Wednesday. We spent 6+ hours outside over the two days which was wonderful. I really struggle through the winter, especially during long, dark days. To have a couple of warmer days with real sunshine made me weep with joy! I feel like I can do anything on a nice day. 

- Wednesday we finished school early so we could play at a park. We were happy to see some school friends there and the kids loved hours of play. Owen and I also walked a mile+ while Annabeth was at dance class.

- Wednesday evening Mark and I went out to dinner. We chose to eat at Big Woods so we could eat out on the porch overlooking the golf course. It was such a great, sunshiney refresh to our week.

- I avoided shopping for Easter clothing that I really wanted but that none of us needed. Often the best way to be mindful of our money is to simply say "no" and to say it often. While we do have the money, and I could have easily paid for what we wanted, both kids have plenty of items for the spring and this would truly have been a want vs need purchase.

- Yesterday was Mark's 34th Birthday. Annabeth found an adorable bison cake in a Duff Goldman cookbook and we modified it to be a buffalo cake for Mark. (Buffalo was his Wood Badge Animal and I LOVED that Annabeth knew that and wanted him to have something that was meaningful to him) I did the frosting but the kids baked the cake and did all of the fondant work. It was adorable!

Happy #34!

- Mark received money from a family member for his birthday. He spent half on an item that he has really been wanting and put the other half on a principal payment. Every little bit gets us SO much closer to being 100% debt free! I cannot wait to own our home!

We are looking forward to a fun weekend.

Happy Savings to All!