Frugal Friday 466

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday after school we took in some sunshine downtown. We parked and walked to return books to the library, voted at the courthouse, and then played at the new park. 

- Friday night we had pizza and movie night at home. We watched a movie we already had and made homemade breakfast pizza.

- After dinner, Mark volunteered at a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club. He is currently on the board and we enjoy giving to help their important work they are doing in our community.

- Saturday we enjoyed breakfast out, a rare treat but one of Mark's favorite things to splurge on. We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon walking downtown, working on Annabeth's 4H photography project, and playing at the park. A lovely part of small-town life is that we always see friends at the park and the kids loved seeing some of their friends as we visited with ours. 

- Saturday evening Mark's mom came over to keep the kids for a bit. The kids requested to have Chinese food with Nana so we made honey chicken, rice, and egg rolls before we left.

- Mark and I enjoyed a dinner out at the Elk's Club. The hosted a law enforcement appreciation dinner and Mark was asked to go. We enjoyed dinner and great conversation with two retired officers and their wives. Each of them were at the Sheriff's office when we started and we learned a great deal from them in our early law enforcement days. 

- Sunday after church we had some time before meeting family for lunch so we stopped at a different park to play. It was one that Mark had not been to and I think he enjoyed climbing and running as much as the kids did. 

- After park play, we met up with Kristi, Luke, and the kids for lunch at Jockamo's Pizza. A lot of Sundays Luke and Kristi make food for everyone so we were more than happy to pay for lunch. We all had enough leftovers for Sunday dinner as well which was great! 

- Tuesday evening Owen had his Scout Halloween Party. He dressed up as a Farmer wearing clothes we already had at home. Mark and Owen did donate three bags of candy to be passed around. 

- We enjoyed 10+ hours outside this week! The weather was really beautiful most days and our kids LOVE playing in the rain so rainy Wednesday actually meant several outside hours for us.

- Yesterday afternoon we swapped kids with our neighbors. After a quick mama chat, I took the girls to our house to play and the boys stayed at her house. We had a great couple of hours of play, the mamas caught up on housework, and we had a great conversation as well. 

- We've been purposing to have Family Night at least once a week. We are in a very busy season of life and we want to make sure we sit down to dinner and then hang out just the four of us each week. Last night we had spaghetti with homemade meatballs and then Mark/Annabeth worked on some sewing projects while Owen and I played games. 

- I spent a lot of my week running quotes with my travel business. Disney has released a deal for up to $400 savings for most nights January-March and alot of friends/clients wanted to take advantage. Is Disney a trip you'd love to take? Message me at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com for quotes!

We are looking forward to a weekend with family and fall fun.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 465

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday evening we went to the Indy Fuel Game. Mark LOVES hockey and since it was still preseason tickets were just $10 each. We also snagged two shirts for the kids from the clearance bin for $15 total. We ate dinner at home and did not buy snacks at the game.

- Saturday morning Owen and I had a Starbucks date. He found the golden egg at Easter and this year's prize was a Starbucks card. We have been meaning to go but haven't made time so this was the day!

- Mark and Annabeth remade a broken purse/hat rack. They just purchased some new hooks and now it's all ready to help keep her better organized.

- Saturday afternoon we visited the Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. My friend Katie had shared their 20th Anniversary event so we met up with her family there. Our kids had the BEST time and it was wonderful to share the fun with friends. Annabeth was especially thrilled to spend about an hour petting her favorite animal - an opossum! 

I don't think I've ever seen her so completely happy!

- Sunday after church Mark and the kids went to Kristi's for Sunday lunch. They spent the afternoon with her and the other Indy Rileys. She sent them home with blueberries, chips, and cookies. Thank you Kristi!

- While they were there, I drove down to McCormick's Creek State Park and hiked with my sister. We had a great time as we hiked several trails, had lunch, and enjoyed a long chat in the sunshine!

- We had a busy week with school, dance, 4H, and Scouts. We did our best to combine trips out to save on gas and to prepare/eat most meals at home. 

- Mark and I did get pizza out on Wednesday. We used a giftcard purchased through a friend's school fundraiser. We just had to cover the cost of breadsticks and tip this week. 

- I got our groceries ($82 for the week) on Walmart pick-up. $12 of that was candy to donate to the kids' dance studio for Trunk or Treat. $4 was in dog treats that I accidentally ordered the small instead of mini so they were too big for Oscar. We will donate them to FPD for Benny the therapy dog. 

- Yesterday we had co-op. After class, we took a picnic lunch to a park to play with friends. We all had sandwiches, blueberries, and on co-op days the kids get fruit snacks as dessert. It was 50 and sunny which was SO lovely after the snow Tuesday morning!

We are looking forward to a busy weekend. Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 464

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we spent alllll day with our best friends down in Charlestown. Rose made lunch and dinner. We brought dessert and fancy coffee drinks for the mamas. We celebrated Annabeth's birthday, talked for hours that passed like minutes, enjoyed the kids' version of "Masked Singer," and then surprised them all with a trip to see the Bigfoot Monster Truck. 

Thumbs up to free monster truck fun! 

- Saturday Mark and Owen went over to Lowe's for a special firetruck day. They saw real firetrucks, got some crafts to come home and build, and had lunch. It was a great free community event. 

- Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a friend's birthday party and had taco dinner there.

- Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch at Mark's mom's house. Mark and Luke did a ton of yard work with the help of the little boys. Annabeth, Kristi, and I talked and giggled at all of the adorable things that Oaklynn says and does. 1 is one of my favorite ages - they just have so much going on!

- Mark was off Monday for the holiday. I got to sneak out for a bit to grab coffee with a giftcard and to pick up the grocery order. Even just 20 minutes out and about is such a mood booster for me. 

- Monday and Tuesday Owen was sick so we had some low key days around the house. We did get some good fall cleaning done and caught up on all of our laundry while he rested.

- Mark took a custom order for his Etsy shop. We are always thankful when friends reach out to him vs shopping elsewhere. 

- I received my two checks from the Fall Kids Sale. I was able to use one of them to pay for an upcoming AirBnB stay. I love being able to sell items we no longer use so we can have experiences we'll remember forever. 

- Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the park in the rain. It was so fun to see that even at 11 years old, Annabeh and her friends can still love playing. I had a great time catching up with my friend too. 

We are looking forward to a fun weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 463

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- My parents came to stay Friday-Wednesday for a big birthday week for Annabeth. She had the best time eating special meals, baking a cake, playing about 400 games, visiting the Eiteljorg Museum (thank you JCPL for the pass to get in free and for free parking - a $50 savings!), and so much more. 

- Friday night through Sunday evening Mark, Dad, and Mr. O camped out with Mark's Scout Troop. It was Dad's first time going along and they seemed to have a great time. They came home with a big of rocks, fossils, and crinoids. 

- Sunday afternoon I picked up the remainder of our sale items. I saved some books back for the spring sale, untagged several books to take to swap at our next homeschool co-op meeting and bagged up dresses from Annabeth for a friend. I dropped those off on Tuesday at her house.

- Tuesday I had an orthodontist appointment and since my parents were in town I got to go alone! They took the kids to the library, park, and out for a picnic while I went up north. 

- Wednesday was Annabeth's 11th Birthday. We always allow the kids one eat-out meal and one special activity alongside a day off school/choosing all of the day's activities. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, Italian Wedding Soup/bread for dinner, and eat-out lunch at Chicago's lunch buffet. We also went to the library, walked downtown. got treats at Hoosier Candy Cupboard, and played board games all afternoon. She had dance in the morning and the evening so we fit in birthday fun where we could.

Hoosier Candy Cupboard now has birthday pins!

We go for nearly every family birthday so this was a fun surprise. 

Wearing her favorite gift - macaroon Minnie ears from Owen

She can't wait to wear these on our next trip

- Yesterday we had our bi-monthly co-op. This year, we had school pictures taken and for the first time ever my 2nd and 6th grader will have "proper" school pictures and they were gifted by the photographers. After class, we packed out lunch to a park with friends. I also selected 5 new-to-us books from the Free Bin. We took some CDs, DVD, and a book to trade with others. 

- Last night, Annabeth took a 3D Printing Class at a local library. She learned about the history of 3D printing and designed her own 3D bookmark. Library staff will print it and we can pick up next week. I am SO thankful for our amazing libraries and all of the free classes and resources they provide. 

We had a busy week and the huge blessing of having my parents in town for many days. I am so grateful for time together. We are looking forward to a weekend of free, family fun!

Happy Savings to All!