Frugal Friday 445

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night, Owen's baseball game was cancelled last minute. We ended up going to the new Frozen Paradise which has Anna-Safe options! We also went over to the brand new amphitheater, park, and playground. It was the Grand Opening so there was live music, food trucks, and we saw so many friends. I love our small town!

- After our park play, we camped out in the living room with the kids' new bunk bed cots. They were so excited to sleep on them and I feel like we'll be camping out a great deal this summer. 

In last week's post, I shared what a great deal we got on these. 

- Saturday I took my tent, books, and magic paint books to the Resources of Hope Foster/Kinship picnic. I enjoyed several hours of handing out books, painting with kids, and giving a speech about the importance of reading aloud to children of all ages. 

- Mark gave the alter flowers Sunday in honor of our 13th anniversary. We brought them home and I allowed the kids to play with them and they each made their own floral arrangements. We've enjoyed them in vases around the house this week. 

- Sunday after church, Annabeth had a special day out with Mark's mom. They went to lunch, shopping, and got Starbucks. Thank you Nana for the special day for Annabeth.

- While they were out, we took Owen and his best friend to an Indians Game. Instead of a friend birthday party, Owen asked to take this friend to a ballgame and for them to get baseball hats. We were happy to make that happen! We were able to get the tickets, parking, icees, and souvenirs for less than we typically spend on decor/food for a party. It was great for O to have just what he wanted and for it to be affordable. He declared it "the best day ever, with my best friend ever!"

Cheering on the Indians win

They won 7-1, O decided it was 7 runs for his 7th birthday

The Indians typically have a fun, free souvenir each game.

This game the kids got to make their own customized ball cards! 

- Monday was our 13th Anniversary. This was the first year that we haven't been able to go out to dinner for a date. Owen had a ballgame and Annabeth had dance pictures. We split up driving everyone all over and each had the great idea to surprise the other with ice cream when we got home. It was funny. We both thought we were being so sneaky! Great minds think alike :) 

- The kids loved the new park so much that Mark took each of them on a date to go to the new playground. They each really enjoyed that one-on-one time with him. 

- We spent our week preparing for our annual garage sale. We shopped our friends' totes first and we got great deals on books, leggings, and shoes. We traded some kids clothes for kids shoes as well. 

- Yesterday morning we got our garage sale set up about 90 minutes before the rain really came in. We each made a bit of sales before we closed down for the weather. We are inside only for friends today and then open to all tomorrow 8-2. Come see us!

We are looking forward to a busy and fun Memorial Day Weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

#13 "They showed up"

 Today is our 13th Wedding Anniversary.

A few years ago, while standing in our kitchen, we had a talk about how we wanted people to remember us. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led us to such a conversation but we quickly agreed that our hope was that people, when we're gone, would say "The Rileys really showed up." 

We talked that day about how we hope remembrances of us are stories like "Mark came to fix my dryer late one night..." or "Amy brought us a meal each time we had a baby..." or "The Rileys let us borrow their lawn mower when ours broke..." 

We committed, early on, to put others first. To have our actions be an outward sign of the deep devotion that we both have to the Lord. We know it is not our works that save us and that we are saved only by the goodness of God's grace so that we cannot boast in ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-10) But especially as a United Methodist Christian I believe that our acts are our means of sharing God's goodness and grace. We want people to say "Those Rileys sure are different. I wonder what makes them that way..." that way we can say "Hey Friend! Let me tell you about Jesus."

We selecting our wedding verses (Colossians 3:12-15 and Romans 12:9-18) we really wanted verses that were different then the typical wedding "Love is patient, love is kind..." readings. We viewed the readings of those verses as a second kind of vows. A way of saying to our family and friends, THIS is how we are promising to live as a couple.I go into more detail about those verses and why we chose them in our 5th Wedding Anniversary post. The beginning of that Romans passage is "Don't just pretend to love others, really love them." 

For our 7th Wedding Anniversary I reflected on marriage being like an improv act, the secret is saying "yes." I still believe that to be true. The willingness to step out, step forward, step together is such a powerful thing. In our efforts to show up for others we've also learned over the years to show up for each other. At thirteen years, our marriage has outlasted many of our friends and I truly believe the secret is that we have committed every.single.day. to show up for the other one. Even on days when we are tired, grieving, or struggling we have remained committed to doing life together. 

Our hope, our prayer, is that the Lord would grant us many more years to serve Him, His people, and to show up for all of you. If anything good comes from us, know that it's Him. 

05.23.09

I remember thinking "I couldn't love him any more"

I was so wrong. 

I love him more everyday. 

Frugal Friday 444

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday morning we stopped at Nana's Daylight Donuts. We picked up a half-dozen for the kids' friend K who was celebrating her 9th birthday. We dropped them off with a cute note for her. We also got a dozen for the weekend as we had my parents visiting. They were all free as we had a giftcard.

- Saturday we were at the kids' last dance regional from 7 AM - 9 PM. It was a very long dance day. I packed lunches, snacks, and water so we did not buy any concessions at the venue. Annabeth did take along some money and chose to buy some little toys at from the dance company. 

- My parents did treat us to dinner between dances at Enzo pizza. We finished a rewards card so we will have $5 off our next visit.

- Sunday we went to late church and then enjoyed a Gratitude Luncheon. This was the first bbq meal/outdoor meal that our church has had since the pandemic began. We celebrated 57 years of church history with an emphasis on being thankful that our mortgage is finally paid off! The church's founding pastor and his wife visited as well as conference superintendent Dr. Fulbright. We had a wonderful catered lunch, music from Leta Gentry, a ukulele club played praise music, and we even had someone play the bagpipes. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! 

Owen REALLY enjoyed the church picnic.

He ate two plates of chicken wings and mac and cheese.

He was also the most interested in the music. 

- After the luncheon, we went to the mall for Mama and Dad to gift Owen his Christmas gift. They treated him to a stuffed animal and some accessories from Build a Bear. He was SO happy!

- After the mall trip, we came home to learn a new card game (Countdown) and shared BLT's for dinner before they drove home. As they left, we returned several items that they had let us borrow. I also had cleaned out my closet and passed on several purses to Mama and Lu. Each week we have more and more items leaving out home so they can be used/loved elsewhere. 

- Tuesday evening Annabeth had the fun of meeting llamas at her 4H meeting. We had a great Q&A and meet and great with the llamas. 

- Mark had another sale in his Etsy shop. 

- A friend listed a camping item on Facebook Marketplace. Mark had been looking at the Disc O Bed cots for camping for a while but we had not made the purchase due to pricing. They are $430 new and we were able to buy very gently used for $200. These are cots that we can use or the kids can use so they are a great value for us!

- I sold several items that we are no longer using. I made more than enough to cover the cost of the cots and for a summer class for Annabeth. 

- I made $7 doing a quick survey for the Nielson Survey group. These come in the mail every now and then. I love doing them because they are quick and free to mail back. 

- Wednesday night we had a free ice cream date. Our favorite ice creams were buy one, get one free at Meijer. We also used a $3 off your order coupon and a $1.50 off your order coupon AND got $2.60 cashback from Ibotta. This meant they PAID US $2.00 for buying the ice cream. 

- We are checking on a friends' house/getting mail for them for the next couple of weeks. When they brought their keys by they generously brought us bags of produce that would spoil while they are gone. Thank you all - this really helped our grocery budget this week!

We are looking forward to a busy weekend spent with great friends!

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 443

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- The kids and I went to Owensboro for the Kentucky Derby, Mother's Day, and Momaw's 92nd Birthday last weekend. We had beautiful weather and such a wonderful time with family!

- I did spend money on a hotel for two nights. We always choose one right on the river, close to the beautiful park there. This time the hotel fell short with some maintenance issues so they gave me back $25. I did make sure to book one with free breakfast, a pool, and with cashback through Rakuten 

- For Derby day, I rewore a hat from last year. Annabeth used a pink hat that we've had for several years and decorated it with items from around the house. It had the theme: Dressmaker's Shop and was adorable! She used feathers, a purse, little dresses, dress designs, and a measuring tape to decorate it. She won a prize for Most Creative hat.

- We gifted Momaw a flamingo for her yard and a beautiful succulent plant arrangement. We purchased the plant from a local friend who was selling it as part of a gymnastics fundraiser. We gifted Mama a gift certificate for a lunch date to Main & Madison. We are trying very hard to eliminate clutter in our own home and to also not pass along clutter items to others. We are focused on giving consumables or experiences as gifts. Mark took his mom to brunch and his gift to her was time working on a project. 

- We drove home Sunday afternoon. We took the scenic way as it was lovely and sunny. The kids loved all of the hilly farms, German buildings in Jasper, and seeing Amish buggies. At home, Mark surprised me with my favorite dinner that he makes. The kids gave me the sweetest gifts - Annabeth gave me nail polish and we did our nails together and Owen found my favorite candy. Mark and his mom each gifted me a giftcard to Main & Madison (great minds think alike!) 

- We had a busy week with kids' activities each night. I remained committed to serving dinner at home though as we ate quick, easy meals while saving the cost of eat-out food. Last week's grocery bill was $80 and this coming week we've spent $95. We have company coming for the weekend so an increase was necessary. 

- We picked up the summer schedule from our library and I made sure to register for all that the kids want to attend. If you're not using your local library - start now! We have had SO many incredible science, art, reading, etc opportunities for totally free thanks to our libraries. 

- A couple of friends have recommended a book over the past few weeks. Instead of buying online, I put it on hold at the library. It seems quite popular so I will have to wait for it but it was better than buying new as I plan to read 1x and to take notes. 

We are adjusting to our new, summer schedule and are looking forward to the kids' last regional dance competition this weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 442

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, after school, we had a big outdoor day. Walk downtown after early voting, park play with co-op friends, and an after dinner walk where we ran into more friends. They generously asked us to stop and trampoline so the kids ate ice pops and trampolined while the mamas visited. I love hours outdoors - especially when we share them with great friends.

- Saturday morning Mark and Owen had a donut and coffee date at Nana's Daylight Donuts. They used a giftcard so it was free! 

- Last week I watched a few of the Marie Kondo's Tidying Up episodes and spent Saturday morning tearing through our kitchen and DVD cabinet. We were able to clear out two totes of items! It feels so freeing to have a couple of completely empty cabinets and several partially empty cabinets in our kitchen. The hardest item to let go of? The St. Francis glitter cup from when I had Annabeth. I haven't used it in years and it was foggy/gross from the dishwasher so I was finally able to let. it. go. 

- Saturday we enjoyed Cartoons for Cans at the Artcraft Theatre. Admission for an hour+ of entertainment was just 1 canned good/person. Where else can you enjoy the live entertainment, the National Anthem, and cartoons for such a great deal?

- While at the Artcraft, we found $4 in the side of one of our seats.We made a donation to the Artcraft with it. 

- Sunday afternoon I picked up my remaining items from the kids' sale. I had a GREAT sale this time and sold 70% of my items. The leftovers I brought home, took the hangers and pins out to save for the fall sale, and toted up the rest for a garage sale in a few weeks.

- I had three Matilda Jane items come back from the sale. I photographed and listed them online. I sold 1 so far. I purchased it for $10 and sold for $15 after Annabeth wore it many times. 

- Monday and Thursday we kept my nephew and niece from 6:30a-8p each day. They are 3 and 1 and SO much fun! Annabeth and Owen had a great time "babysitting" with me and really were a great help especially with hours of playing firemen. I generally keep them and friends' kids for a few hours at a time for free but since these were long days my sister-in-law generously paid me for my time. 

- I took the kids some Disney hand-me-downs and m sister-in-law gave Annabeth some make up and hair freebies that she had gotten at work. One of the items was a box of fake eyelashes. We have to buy these for dance and so this saved us $14!

- We had a cancelled appointment this week. This saved us the cost of the appointment and I will move that money to our budget for later in the month. 

- Tuesday evening a friend surprised Mark with a Yeti Cooler. It had originally been purchased for someone else, who didn't want, and so it came to Mark. So generous! 

- We live in the city limits so our trash/recycling is dictated by who the city contracts with. Last month, that company told us we all had to get new bins for both trash and recycling. The price of them was added into our bill. It's nice to have the big, new, and clean ones but we all (obviously) had trash cans so..what to do with them? One of Mark's co-worker's lives in the county and mentioned needing a trash-tote so Mark cleaned ours and gave it to him. I was glad for this as we had purchased a nice, big $100 one a few years ago. I did not want it to just go out for heavy trash day so passing it along was a great solution! Plus it saved our friends' family the money of buying a new one. 

- Wednesday was our last day of school. I cannot believe that this rounded out our 9th year of homeschooling! What began as a response to a busy, needed to be kept learning toddler to "we'll try this for this year" has become a way of life in our home. Our family culture, our children's education, and our ability to learn and love together is all richly blessed by our commitment to home education. I am thankful to live in a state with few government restrictions and to be able to raise my children in Truth. Mark and I pray that our children fall more and more in love with the Lord and set serving God and His people (who are all people) as their life goals. 

Last Day of School - Riley Family Homeschool Class Picture

(You can even see Oscar in the window)

We are looking forward to one of our favorite weekends of the year.

Happy Derby to our Louisville/Kentucky friends. Happy Savings to All!