Frugal Friday 457 (On Thursday)

 Happy Frugal Thursday!

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

- Friday after dinner we checked the final item off the kids' summer list: wash the car. Owen said "this is the best night ever."

- Saturday we had a long, slow day and it was lovely. After working nearly 40 hours last week and schooling, the house had very much been let go. I was happy to take Saturday to do 10 minute cleans in most areas to get everything sorted again.

- Sunday after church we made an impromptu stop at a local sunflower field. Owen and I go each fall and walk together. This year we stopped with Mark and Annabeth too. We cut 6 (they were 3/$1) flowers and took some to Mark's mom and brother and added some to our own table decor this week.

- Sunday for lunch Mark's mom treated us all to pizza and sides. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and we made fall camping plans around a mid-afternoon campfire. I am so thankful for each of these precious afternoons together. 

- We cleaned out our deep freeze as August is our meat-reset month. We had about five packages of pork left from last year's pig and the three cuts we wouldn't eat I listed on Facebook for free. They were quickly claimed by a family who loves to grill and we were happy to pass them on. We purchased a full pig last August and have eaten all but about 15 lbs that we shared with friends over the course of the summer.

- I have mentioned several times that we are not eating out this month. A HUGE part of that is our meat-reset which means we buy 90% of our meat for the whole year in August which is $$$. We made the final payment on our pig. Sunday afternoon our favorite beef farm (Burgett Family Farm) listed an incredible deal on the last of their grassfed USDA beef and so we claimed that for a HUGE savings. Our kids are pretty picky when it comes to meat and will only eat "Miss Benni's Cows" and turn their noses up at store bought beef. We now have all of our beef, the pork is coming soon, for the year. 

- I made the formal announcement last Friday night that I am now a Travel Planner at Magical Vacation Planner. I am both Disney and Universal certified and look forward to helping others plan vacations all over the world. You can find me on Facebook, online, or book directly via e-mail at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com My services are FREE!

Epcot - November 2021

I can't wait to help others experience the magic!

We had a busy week getting ready for a big adventure this weekend (thus the Thursday post)

We look forward to checking in with you all again next Friday. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 456

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, Owen and I met with a new homeschool group for a farm field trip. We enjoyed a morning out at Dollie's farm and learned about peacocks, chickens/roosters, flowers, mint, and more. It was under $15 for each of us and we had the most lovely morning. 

- After class, we drove to Evansville to pick up Annabeth. She had a wonderful week visiting family but we were happy to get her back! While staying in Evansville the kids enjoyed hours of playing with my parents, snow cones, visiting with Aunt Lu, and many rides in the old Buick.

- Saturday we went to Owensboro for the day. We enjoyed visiting with Momaw and her "Porch Posse" of friends. We also spent the afternoon swimming at a family member's house. We also had the surprise of seeing my cousin Jordan. We haven't seen her in several years and it was wonderful to visit with her.

- The kids had a lemonade stand Saturday as well. They have found that Momaw's house is a prime location for a stand and they quickly earned over $60! They are saving the money for vacation souvenirs. 

- Sunday I enjoyed worshiping at Old North UMC. I always love being home for church. We have been praying for the Old North congregation as their new pastor arrived this summer.

- We have remained committed to not purchasing eat-out food. This has felt really difficult on busy days but we are keeping to that goal. We spent just $65 on groceries this week. Our dinners were pork loin/mac and cheese/veggies, bacon/pancakes/fruit, chicken schwarma salad, chicken quinoa salad, and minestrone with homemade bread.

- Wednesday we met friends at the park. It was a gorgeous, just 80 degree, day! The kids had a great time and I was so relieved to feel the heat of summer lifting.

- Mark had a sale in his Etsy Shop. He's started on Christmas gifts and custom orders so his shop is pretty empty. That being said, always feel free to contact him with custom order requests.

- Last night we had a Back to School Ice Cream Social with our homeschool co-op. It was so wonderful to have nearly all of us together again. Classes start in a few weeks and we all couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to see what the Lord does with our group this year.  

We have been home quite a bit and very quiet on social media because some things are changing around here! Stay tuned next week for a BIG work announcement from me! :) 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 455

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- While it's still 90+ degrees here, we have done the kids big clothing clean-out. I was able to sell enough on Facebook to cover their audition fee for dance!

- We had a couple of Visa giftcards come to us for rebates. I saved them and used them to pay for the kids August dance classes. While we had other funds we could have used for each of these dance related costs it was nice to save them back for other things.

- Saturday we met my parents mid-way between houses to trade Annabeth for the week. She's had a great time going to book sales, the library, putt-putt, visiting Kentucky, and more! I always loved long weekends and summer weeks with my grandparents and I am very thankful that she has this time with my parents and my Momaw.

- We all missed Annabeth very much, especially Owen, but we did find ways to enjoy a special week with him. Saturday night we did take our one scheduled eat-out meal for the month and we went to Ford's Garage in Noblesville. He LOVED the cars inside and the food was excellent. We were surprised by the affordability of it too. After we ate, we wandered around Cabela's for a while. The boys loved it, I survived it. 

- Sunday Mark volunteered at Trinity's Block Party. They welcomed the community to food and activities. He was able to recruit 5 new Scouts for the pack and troop.

- Sunday after church Owen and I enjoyed his friend's birthday pool party. Owen loved swimming and the bounce house. Thank you Katelyn and family for your hospitality!

- After all of that fun, we met at Kristi's for dinner. She treated us to homemade meatloaf and sides. I make terrible meatloaf so the boys were thrilled to eat hers! She was also kind enough to send us home with leftovers - thank you!

- Monday we had a lifeskills school day. In the morning we mowed the lawn and took care of some outdoor chores, after lunch we headed to the library and spent hours building with Legos, gears, and magnitiles, and in the afternoon Owen made triple chocolate cookies from scratch. He also helped me make my Great-Grandma's macaroni and cheese recipe to go with dinner. As the second child, with a homeschooled sister, Owen and I never had long, slow easy days at home just the two of us. I really enjoy working alongside him and hearing what he has to say. 

- This week Owen and I enjoyed a lot of free fun! It was tempting to fill the week with shopping for special treats or eat out meals but it was also a fun challenge to help him enjoy the little things. We took lots of walks/bike rides, played at a friends house, and played lots of games at home.

- Wednesday night we headed over to the new amphitheater to watch the So You Think You Can Dance finale. Keaton Kermode, who we've enjoyed watching grow up at SDA, was in the Final 2. We loved watching with our SDA family and enjoying time outside. We're so proud of Keaton and we can't wait to cheer for him in whatever he does next! We stayed after the event to help pick up trash and to help clean up. Owen had a great time helping and watching them take down the huge screen. 

- Around 11 PM that night, I saw on our dance page that a mom had lost a special bracelet while out at the event. I knew Mark had good lights and a metal detector and bless his soul he went out there to look until he found it! I truly love his servant's heart and always feel so blessed that he continually puts others first. 

- Yesterday, Owen and I took a lllooonnngggg anticipated field trip to the Indy 500 Museum. I had planned to only use our library 50% off pass BUT the track tour was only $40 for both of us so we did that one. We were the first group of the day and only had two other guests with us. They were there from Utah for the BMW event that was also at the track. Owen LOVED talking cars with the tour guide and the BMW guys as well. 

No milk but 2 thumbs up at the Winner's Circle. 

"I'd like to thank my team for helping me win the race" 

Owen's press conference in the 4th floor Media Room

Watching the cars on the track

*Since they were there we didn't get to do the lap on the track or

the Kiss The Bricks part of the tour.

We were still out 90 minutes which I felt like was a great value in

addition to museum admission.

Annabeth has had a GREAT week visiting my parents but we are SO excited to see her this afternoon. I tried to really savor our special time with just Owen but I missed our girl so much!

Happy Savings to All! 

Our Homeschool Lesson that Changed my Heart

 We are just a little over a month into our current school year, but last week Annabeth and I shared a lesson that changed everything for me.

This year, we are working through The Prairie Primer. This has been a DREAM since Annabeth was in about 2nd grade. Our first book was Little House in the Big Woods and we've really enjoyed rereading it and studying it with a new lens.

In Chapter 9, Laura begins to compare herself with her older sister Mary. This is a theme we will see throughout the Little House series as Laura not only looked up to Mary but often expressed wanting to be like Mary or Mary herself. 

In the unit study, it referenced 2 Corinthians 10:12, Isaiah 45:9, and Romans 19-20. I have studied these verses many times over the years, typically presented at Youth Group or at summer camp to remind young ladies to not covet the body or hair of a peer but to remember that we are "perfectly and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). 

I have also heard it presented at mother's groups to remind us that God chose us to be the mother of our own children so we don't need to wish we were as crafty, fun, insightful, or artistic as another mom around us. The adult version of that youth group lesson was to remember not to compare ourselves with others because it can cause us to become bitter. That bitterness can lead to being angry with God. 

While I really appreciate those verses shared that way, I still fall short and often pray that God will make me more fun like different friends for different reasons. This particular Unit Study taught the lesson in a way that I've never heard it though.

Laura tried to stack herself up in comparison to her older sister. I do the same thing, I try to be more like friends that I admire or social media figures who I perceive to be more Godly or patient or better homemakers than I am. In the end though....this takes my eyes off of who I should want to live like - Jesus.

Oooo...as I read that in the lesson it just struck my heart.

When I try to be more like others, even if they are positive role models and my intentions seem pure, I'm failing to desire to be Christlike. 

Christlike.

My single goal in life should be to live a life that shines the Love of Christ to all the world. 

My life verse has long since been "I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and task that Jesus has given to me - the task of testifying the good news of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)

Sharing this because Annabeth and I covered this lesson over a week ago but it keeps coming back to me over and over. If anything good comes from me, know that it's Jesus. 

I am so thankful for the gift of learning and loving

alongside my Miracle Girl

Frugal Friday 454

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Mark spent the past two weekends cleaning out the garage. He was able to trash/recycle a great deal of items, we passed on some items to others, and we have a small pile to try and sell on Marketplace. We can now fit BOTH cars in the garage. This has been a big goal of ours before winter. Our neighbors used to go to Florida each winter and we would put one of the cars in their garage and we were able to protect both from winter weather wear. They sold their Florida house last winter so we needed to come up with a new plan for our cars. 

- Saturday morning, while the kids were at dance, Mark and I parked at the end of the walking trail and walked 2 miles in to the Farmer's Market. We picked up produce for the week, a steal at just $13, and visited with friends over coffee before walking the two miles back. It was a great morning workout and we had fun talking while we walked. I always wanted to live in a Hallmark Movie Town and Franklin is definitely it! 

- The kids had dance auditions this past weekend. They are very much looking forward to the new season and we can't wait to cheer them on. 

- Mark and Owen spent some time fishing and bonding Saturday night. O was very happy to have the biggest catch of the night. 

No filter - look at that gorgeous sunset!

God really knows how to paint

- Sunday evening we had dinner at Kristi's. She had us bring home all of the leftovers as well as some snacks from her pantry. This really helped our grocery budget this week - thank you! 

- Earlier in the year, we did monthly challenges to budget wisely (time, money, resources, etc) but had kind of fallen off that wagon of purposed actions during the busy summer months. We're back at it this month with the goal to not eat out at all - we are including coffee/protein shake stops, quick items at the grocery, and any meals eaten from a restaurant. Our exceptions will be: when the kids visit the grandparents they can have whatever is offered and we had two pre-planned meals out with others that we will keep. 

- We spent under $100 at the grocery this week. We had leftovers everyday for lunch. Dinners were bean soup and cornmeal mush (part of Annabeth's school from The Little House Cookbook), homemade sushi, chicken with veggies and yellow rice, zucchini spaghetti and meatballs, and homemade breakfast pizza.

- Mark's Etsy Shop has pretty much been bought out this summer and he has wrapped up the custom orders that came in. He's now back to crafting and creating - stay tuned to see what's new! 

We enjoyed a slower week at home as we get back into school year activities.

Happy Savings to All!