Frugal Friday 474

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- A few weeks ago, Owen saw Miss Kari our dance studio owner vacuuming up a crumb mess from the night before. He took over so she could teach Annabeth's lesson. Not only did he clean up that mess, he moved the furniture/rugs and vacuumed the whole studio for her. She kindly paid him $5 and he saved it to purchase a Titus Painting from our church. Titus is the support dog and he has little pawprint paintings for sale to help offset costs for his care. Owen was so proud to spend his money in this way. 

- Last summer, our recliner bit the dust. It was a housewarming gift from Mark's parents in our old house! We have loved it well but it could no longer hold together. This week, Mark's mom generously passed on a new-to-us recliner from her house. We had looked some in stores/online but didn't feel we could justify the purchase as it was a want vs need. Mark and Oscar are both thrilled with it!

- We have had a wonderfully mild fall. This means we just pulled out winter clothes a few weeks ago. Annabeth is down to one pair of jeans and a few leggings. We hit up Goodwill and got 5 pairs of jeans for just $13. I love to shop used! 

- Mark had the 23rd off as his holiday. We had planned a couple of different things but with the blizzard coming in Thursday night we canceled all of them and stayed home. We all played piano, sang together, finished homemade Christmas gifts, and watched movies. It wasn't at all what we had planned but it was equally lovely.

- Christmas Eve we stayed home, finished some gifts, played Countdown, and then went to the Family Service at church. Mark had kindly suggested that we get Pizza King after church as it's my family's tradition. Ours was closed though so we picked up pizza elsewhere and enjoyed a movie together at home.

- Christmas Morning was perfectly lovely. We did a very small Christmas this year as we gifted some big experiences vs stuff. Every year I take one picture on Christmas morning with the kids' favorite gifts. We don't take any other pictures/videos and it's really helpful for me to stay in the moment. 

Owen LOVED his new toothbrush and Annabeth's favorite gift was this little mirror.

Total paid for both items: $3.99 

Christmas doesn't have to cost a lot to be special or memorable. It just needs to be thoughtful.

- After brunch with Mark's family, we spent Christmas Night at church. We enjoyed the free dinner and then helped serve meals and worked on the clean-up committee. Our church served 700+ free meals on Christmas Day and we enjoyed sitting and visiting with older people, lonely people, and church friends that night. 

- This week Mark's brother and his family were in town from Illinois. We all enjoyed exchanging gifts, catching up, the kids playing, and shared great meals. We took along ham, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, deviled eggs, cupcakes, cookies, and a cheeseball/crackers. 

- We tend to lean on the side of practical for our wishlists. This year Mark's mom gave us all new bath towels and bathmats as our big gift. We were THRILLED! The last new towels we had were a housewarming gift from my parents when we bought this house - in 2013. Many of ours have been limping along since our wedding in 2009 and it was just time for new ones! So thankful for this gift! 

As I close out 2022, I reflect on this quote I read last week. I pray this year that I will live a life for Jesus sharing His Good News with everyone I meet. Here's my daily goal for 2023:

"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone that can never repay you." 

- John Bunyan 

Happy Savings to All!