12 Favorite Pictures of 2023

 I always like to look back on the past year and pictures are my favorite ways to store memories.

Here is my favorite picture from each month in 2023...

January

We went to Disney on Ice as the kids' BIG Christmas gift.

I loved that they still loved all of the magic of it! 

They each got to choose a souvenir as part of the trip and wisely chose a snack

that came in a take-home cup so it was a "double" souvenir. 

February

Owen and I had Mesker Park Zoo to ourselves on a cold, winter day.

The highlight?

A half-hour private session with the penguins. 

March

Annabeth and I got our ears doubled pierced on a Sunday afternoon.

I always hoped for a daughter and I am so thankful for mine!

April

Annabeth performing her solo at Just Dance.

When she was little, she set the goal of having leaps "like the big girls"

and what a joy it has been to watch her work tirelessly to achieve that goal. 

May

We celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary with a

weekend at the lake. The dock broke as we took this picture so we ended up 

with quite the project. Mark's ideal way to spend a weekend.

June

Dance Recital Night.

We so love watching the kids do what they love to do!

July

Our last morning in Pigeon Forge. We cleaned out the freezer and 

the kids had breakfast sandwiches and Bomb Pops for breakfast so we would

have zero food waste. I love their matching shirts and big smiles. 

August

Owen played a long, HOT, Fall Ball season in a new league.

He grew so much as a player and we were thankful for great coaching and positive fans.

September

Annabeth's first Girls' Trip with Mama, Grandmama, and Aunt Lu for Lu's Birthday.

We spent a few days in Chicago and finding a safe Gelto place was the highlight

for me. I was so happy to allow her to have that simple experience of dessert out!

October

The wonder of connection. 

November

Birds at Sunset.

Long Beach, MS

December

This one is a tie for me. On vacation, Annabeth asked for us to have matching sweatshirts 

which was such an exciting moment for me! Some days she is very 12 so I take the sweet when

I can get it! 

December #2

Our day at Gracelend.

We went as Owen's 8th birthday gift but all fell in love.

It was the perfect day together. 

Thank you Dear Readers for another year of following our journey in Life, Love, and living our goal to "owe no many anything but love." 

Frugal Friday 520

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday night I enjoyed a Hallmark movie night at a friend's house. Four of us were there, we each brought snacks to keep it simple for the hostess. Her husband kindly treated us all to peppermint cocoa from Starbucks at the end of the movie. I took hot cooca cookies that the kids and I made and a cheeseball and crackers from my Mama's ladies group.

- Saturday morning I helped with our church Cookie Walk. I'm currently serving on the Children's Ministry Team and we took care of crafts and stories. The kids had made gingerbread houses the Sunday before and entered those in a fundraising contest. 

- The kids spent Friday night into Saturday at Mark's mom's house. She spoiled them with their favorite foods, games, and movies. 

- Our original Saturday evening plans were cancelled, so after dinner we check off "Drive around and look at Christmas lights" from Owen's holiday wishlist. I don't think it was quite as fun as he had hoped but we explored our neighborhood, the old downtown houses, and then drove through the Masonic Home light display. It was lovely and free!

- Sunday after church and Sunday School, Mark and Owen took Uncle Luke out to lunch to celebrate his completion of his Masters Degree. Annabeth had her final youth group of the year and enjoyed Mexican lunch and wrapping Christmas gifts from some families that the youth sponsored this holiday season.

- Monday morning we had our first snow of the season! I do think it snowed a few weeks ago while we were on vacation so this was our first snow sighting. We had to take a break from bookwork to run around in a bit. Just like I remember from my own school days, no one could sit still while snow was falling! 

- We took several books to a Little Free Library. I like to donate books to those, or share with our homeschool co-op, so people in our community can enjoy them for free vs having to buy secondhand.

- We had some small games and toys in my gift tote that didn't find a home with anyone else this year, we took them to a Little Free Pantry with a note for people to enjoy taking them if they still needed stocking stuffers or gifts for their children. 

- Yesterday morning a friend had on Facebook that she was looking for fresh cranberries. I had accidentally bought some last week so we were happy to drop them off at her doorstep. I love when God gives us just what we need to share!

- We spent the day yesterday in Charlestown with our best friends. We always try to kick off the Christmas season with Christmas together. I am so thankful for a lifetime best friend and pray our children will be best friends too!

As we look forward to Christmas, I pray that each of you know that this season isn't about fancy meals, presents, songs, silly sweaters, or anything except for the One who came for us all. He came, as a baby, lived a perfect life, and died that we might life. Forever. With Him. 

Frugal Friday 519

 Happy Frugal Friday!

We're back with our usual content! Here's how we've been saving money/spending money wisely/making extra money the past few weeks:

- We've been checking off our low-cost/free activities from our Christmas Check List. Last week, Annabeth and I used giftcards to get Snowmen cookies and peppermint mochas at Starbucks. We took a long walk around downtown Franklin to look at lights and to enjoy time together. Friday night, we went to the Trafalgar Library for Merry Prairie. Annabeth was too old for many of the acitvities but still enjoyed looking at the gingerbread houses and petting the reindeer. Owen loved all of it still and was most excited for face painting and Santa. He insisted that we wait for Santa, in a 45+ minute line, "just in case" I'm wrong and Santa's real. He has an item he just decided he wanted and he had to cover all of his bases. 

We always LOVE the reindeer! 

- Saturday morning we volunteered at church for the Potato Drop. It's not quiet as exciting as it sounds as we don't actually drop the potatoes from anywhere. We met many, many kind people and enjoyed handing out over 39,000 pounds of potatoes! We could see by the end that we still had many pallets left so we did our best to help with the extra by delivering to little free pantries we knew of and to neighbors and friends.

- Saturday afternoon we had the laziest of lazy December days. We watched an entire season of a holiday baking show, Annabeth made gingerbread kiss cookies, and Owen and I got in a mile and a half Christmas light walk after dinner.

- Sunday after church, we took nachos to lunch with the Rileys. Annabeth's cookies were a hit there as well as at youth group that night. We love baking and it's always nice, especially for our waistlines, if we bake when have a plan for where to take it.

- My sister-in-law and her family brought Annabeth a HUGE box of hand-me-downs. Annabeth was thrilled to have a whole new wardrobe of fleece sweatshirts, tops, and dresses. Thank you Cass and Cindy!

- Monday we drove down to Charlestown to keep our friends' children for the afternoon. Our friend lost his father last Thursday quite suddenly. We drove down to help with childcare and while the five kids played I ran the dishwasher, did some laundry, vacuumed, and wiped down the kitchen. I am not always great with words but love to love people with acts of service. It was a blessing to pray for them as I cleaned.

- Monday evening was the kids' dance holiday party. Both of the kids have been very into making bracelets this year and they asked if that could be their teachers' gifts. I agreed and they have spent weeks picking the perfect colors and designs for every teacher. Mark and I had a date night thanks to a giftcard we found in a drawer! We rarely if ever pick up food so it was truly special treat. 

- Tuesday morning we drove back down to Charlestown for the funeral. We were very blessed with a beautiful memorial service not so much about the man but about what Christ did in his life. I was so encouraged that the family chose such a strong gospel message. I am still so proud and in awe of our friend A, age 8, who gave a beautiful memorial message for his grandpa and led us all in the Lord's Prayer. 

- Wednesday evening Mark's boss took the department out to dinner. Mark had a great time with co-workers and enjoyed winning $20 on his lottery scratcher gift. 

- We passed along a bag of clothes from my mom to my mother in law. We also did some pre-holiday cleaning out and took a bag of items to donate. We took books we are finished with to free little libraries. More on our decluttering mission in the weeks to come!

We are looking forward the the holiday celebrations to come next week!

Happy Savings to All! 

Review of Guesthouse at Graceland and Graceland Mansion

 In April, I booked a simple beach week for our family trip this year. We've done several big trips since 2020 and we needed a smaller, more affordable trip. I found a great place to stay right on the beach in Gulfport, MS and we planned several free excursions. Then, for Owen's 8th birthday we decided to surprise our Elvis Lover with a stop at the Guesthouse at Graceland and Graceland Mansion on the way home. 

Up first, the Guesthouse at Graceland. Our overall review 3/5

The Guesthouse Lobby

If you click the above link, you'll see that the Guesthouse is advertised as a "Luxury Elvis Hotel." We beg to differ. In our travels, we have stayed at several other Four Diamond hotels which have been INCREDIBLE so we had very high expectations for this hotel as well. 

Pros: It is an easy walk, or extremely short drive, to Graceland. If you're just in Memphis for Elvis then the location is perfect. It is in a bit of a rundown area so we really appreciated the guarded parking lot ($10 for the night). There are four restaurants and we ate dinner at EP's Grill which was fantastic and also grabbed a morning coffee which was fine. The highlights were the included nightly movie (ours was "Viva Las Vegas") and 9 PM PBJ bar. The service was exceptional. 

Movie night!

Cons: It really is not as special or luxurious as other hotels at this price point (our room was $230 before fees thanks to a First Responder Discount). Our room was larger and the bathroom was larger than your average hotel but they were not nearly as "Elvis" as we had hoped for. Our other Four Diamond hotels have been historic which maybe gave them the more special luxurious feel. The lobby is not very large, very basically decorated, and yet they want everyone to gather there for nightly music so it was quite crammed night and day. The kids were also very disappointed that the beautiful pool is outdoors and not useable year round. 

While Mark and I weren't completely thrilled

Owen was in heaven! He LOVED it.

After our night there, we spent 5 hours the next day at Graceland Mansion and Museum. 

Owen has always been a huge Elvis fan and just couldn't believe we were taking him there. Mark was the only of us who had been and assured me it was worth the detour.

Mr. O with his Elvis hat, shades, and lip curl ready for Graceland!

What did I expect? I expected a very overpriced (roughly $45/kid and $80/adult for tickets) trip to a possibly run down house surrounded by a certain kind of music fan.

I could not have been MORE wrong! Our visit to Graceland was an experience I never knew I needed!

First of all, the home is lovingly maintained by a staff who cares tremendously for Elvis's family and work very hard to keep the home beautiful. It has quite obviously been well cared for despite the half million visitors who walk through it each year. Our tour included the first floor, basement, carport, backyard, several outbuildings that served as offices and gymnasium, as well as a sentimental stop at the Presleys' Meditation Garden. We were surrounded by true Elvis fans who felt such a quite reverence for the man, the music, and the house. It was one of the quietest and most respectful tours we have ever been on.

An afternoon in Elvis's backyard. 

The audio tour is narrated by John Stamos. 

Paying their respect to the King of Rock and Roll

After our house tour, we spend the afternoon at the museum across the street. Here we saw some of Elvis's cars, planes, music, jumpsuits, and so much more. After Elvis died, his family remained in the house and within five years it was opened to the public for tours. Since the family still owns everything, there has been such incredible care about maintaining everything for the next generation. 

The museum intertwines home videos, tv recordings, memorabilia from 

Elvis, Lisa Marie, and so many others

Owen had a must-see list and included Evlis's Pink Cadillac 

He was also thrilled to see dozens of his jumpsuits

I was so thankful that Owen has such a love for Elvis and that Mark pushed for us all to go. We all enjoyed our day there tremendously. Graceland was a 5/5 for all of us!

**Traveler's Tip: Parking is $10 at both the Guesthouse and Graceland. If you stay at the hotel, it's a quick under five minute walk so leave your car there and save the Graceland parking fee. We felt quite silly that we had prepaid both as we definitely wasted $10. 

Frugal Friday 518

 Happy Frugal Friday and Happy December!

This week's Frugal Friday looks a little different because this time of year just feels different. It's colorful, magical, merry, and oh-so-busy.

When the kids were little I felt a lot of pressure to do all of the magical things. We saw live reindeer, living Nativities, storytimes with Mrs. Claus, made ornaments, baked cookies, sang songs, crafted, and went to soooo many Christmas events. It was fun, it was wonderful (well, kind of) but mostly I ran myself ragged only to find as they got older they didn't remember any of it.

Then 2020.

Even by December 2020, much of our usual events were modified or not brought back at all that year. We had a very simple, very quiet Christmas season with a 5 year old and a 9 year old and it was glorious! I was calm, I actually enjoyed everything we did, and it was still so magical. 

In 2021, I started a new tradition. I asked the kids each November what THEY wanted to do for the holiday season. We did the things on their list, of course went to church for Advent as well, and that was that. The season was so lovely. The kids were happy doing what they wanted, we spent very little gas/money on activities, and they loved loved loved that Christmas season.

It worked so well that I did it again last year. We had about a dozen activities on the list - some at the library, some around town, and some baking/crafting at home. We worked through the list and it was perfect.

This year, I did the same. After dinner one night the kids, now ages 8 and 12, came up with just seven "Must Do" activities for Christmas. 

Look how simple! Look how "small" they want Christmas to be. We'll use a library pass for the Eiteljorg and so our estimated budget for all of this is under $25 for the WHOLE Christmas Season. I feel comforted knowing that while others may have giant lists, big trips, or dozens of outings - this little list is all that my kids actually want to do.

Have you tried this before? What does your list look like? Maybe it's huge - maybe your kids have 100 things they want to do. That's great! That will work well for you then! 

I would never dare to say that our way is right or better than anyone else's but it is what works for us. I will note that since we have never done Santa, our children have rarely been to Santa themed events or "meet Santa" outings saving us a ton of activities right off the bat. Also, Mark's schedule at work is always very hectic for the holidays and he has worked more than half of the kids' Christmas Eve/Days. They are very used to it just being the three of us and enjoy opening gifts or doing special traditions on December 21 or 28 or whenever. His job has helped our children be thankful for any time they have with people that they love. 

As we have begun the Advent Season and as we look ahead towards the holidays, we pray that each of you Dear Readers have the holiday season that you want. That it is filled with the Light, the Hope, the Love, and the Peace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Frugal Friday 517

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- My entire PaperPie website is 25% off this week and orders over $30 ship free! Enjoy some holiday shopping at a discount while supporting my small book business. 

- Over the past week, both of the kids have completely overhauled their rooms. We moved all of the furniture, dusted, vacuumed, mopped, and sorted. Each of the kids found a small tote of items that needed to leave their room. We try to do this once a quarter and this was our big pre-Christmas sort.

- Saturday morning we slept in a bit and then did a long town hike - 6 miles - since Mark was on call and we couldn't leave town for the woods. I am thankful for that sweet time together just the four of us.

- Saturday afternoon the kids enjoyed a Crafternoon at church. Pastor Susan arranged for some painting and jewelry making time and the kids both loved it.

- Saturday evening we had our first Christmas event of the season. We watched "Christmas with the Kranks" and ate a themed dinner - complete with ham just like in the movie. It was a great way to kick off the holiday season with a day of free fun. 

- Sunday morning we slept in and went to Sunday School and late church. Since we had a few extra minutes, we did a quick sort of our cup cabinet. We parted with 18 items and donated those in good shape to a Little Free Pantry on the way to church. 

- Monday morning our washer stopped working. It washed but stayed full of water. I pailed water out twice to try to get the drain to work but with no luck. Mark stopped by between day and night shift to fix it in less than 30 minutes. Bless him for serving us so well in the midst of a very busy work season where he is serving coworkers and community as well. 

- We continued cleaning out little spaces in our home and donating what we could. 

- We held off on our Christmas decorating until last night. The kids were ready before but Mark really wanted to wait until Thanksgiving and so we did. I love having the lights up and everything oh-so-merry! We will not buy any new decor this year. We have sometimes been gifted items but save for one homemade sign from a craft fair I have not purchased any holiday decor in more than five years. We like to keep it small, it all fits in one tote, and simple. 

- While I did some in person and online window shopping for Black Friday, I didn't find any deals that were too good to resist. We have done most of our Christmas shopping and so I didn't have anything I needed to get. While at the pharmacy this week, the kids found the perfect gift for Momaw so we did buy that. It wasn't on sale or a deal but the sheer joy they had at the thought of her opening it meant full price was just fine :)

- We ate our meals at home and took along freezer pizzas to Thanksgiving lunch at Mark's mom's house. I hope that you all had the best Thanksgiving possible and I'll leave you with this message that I also shared on Facebook alongside a picture of my freezer pizzas: 

Thanksgiving Lunch Prep ✓

I've always had an unpopular approach to Thanksgiving with kids. When mine were little, they hated most traditional fancy Thanksgiving food soo... we took Lunchables.

Now, they are only mildly interested in the fancy food, so we're making pizza instead.

We left early from lunches so they could nap, we arrived late for dinner to let them nap all the way, and we never over committed to too many events. It didn't always make me popular with grown-ups BUT the kids had lovely, slow holidays that they weren't miserable through and I have sweet, stress free memories.

Let this be your sign to do holidays your own way, set boundaries, say "yes" or "no" depending on how you want to spend your holidays, and do these things knowing it will help you savor precious time with people you love.

SAVOR PRECIOUS TIME. Love to you all Dear Readers, Thankful for you!

Frugal Friday 516

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- We picked up our freezer beef last week. This year we split half a cow with two other families. We each got about 100 pounds of frozen grassfed beef. We always purchase from our friends at Burgett Family Farm. 

- Friday Mark was off work. He and the kids took a long hike in the morning. In the afternoon, we took the time to do some deep cleaning around the house. The fall has kept us very busy and away from the house quite a bit so we'd let some projects go. It was good to get them done.

- Saturday morning I volunteered alongside eight other ladies from our homeschool co-op at the Midwest Food Bank. This was my first time serving there and was quite fun. We packaged bread boxes, food pick up pallets, and completed several cleaning projects. I look forward to going back with the kids.

- We spent Saturday afternoon with Mark's mom. We treated her to lunch and enjoyed time spent together. On the way home, Mark scored a deal on bell peppers. We got 32 bell peppers for $10. We flash froze them and filled up the veggie part of the freezer. 

- Sunday after church we went to Mark's mom's house. The boys did some little fall projects around the house while the kids played. Kristi treated us to lunch and sent us home with many leftovers. Thank you!

- We had another, unusually warm, gorgeous week this week! I made sure to make lots of time for outdoor play, walks/bike rides, park play, and just extra time outdoors. Soon enough it will be cold and grey and this weather needed to be taken advantage of.

- A big box of PaperPie books arrived. I cashed out a party for rewards and was able to get gifts for 2 nephews, 2 nieces, Annabeth, and a special friend all for under $15 shipped! WOW! 

- I've finally gotten in the Christmas shopping mood. In addition to the above book deal, I found some deals at Marshalls stores in Greenwood and Franklin as well as an additional 25% off lowest price deal at the Dick's Sporting Goods Outlet. We have finished about 90% of our shopping and are doing well on our budget. 

- Mark did some more custom jobs through his Etsy Shop. 

- We ate our meals at home this week. We had lots of leftovers for many meals and only cooked "real" dinner two nights with a beef roast with veggies and homemade pizza being the main meals this week. I put in our grocery order for the next week + our Thanksgiving offerings and spent $115. 

- My hair had gotten very long and I was very much in need of a trim. As always, I decided on a whim to give myself a haircut (Christy, if you're reading this, don't abandon me as your client, I couldn't stop myself!) I cut 5-6 inches and saved $40. Oscar's groomer cancelled on us this week so we saved the cost of his groom as well. 

Not bad for an at home cut and curl :) 

- Yesterday after co-op we spent the whole afternoon at a sunny park with friends. It was GLORIOUS! The little ones were pulling their shoes off and running in the sunshine. 70 and sunny in November - yes please!

Overall this week, I am just so so thankful for the beautiful sunny weather! It's made for happy children and happy parents! Oh how we love the sunshine!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 515

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Mark did some small custom jobs through his Etsy Shop.

- Friday night we were tempted to order in pizza but had meat out thawing so we were good and cooked dinner. We had pork chops, stuffing, apples, and veggies. 

- Saturday we attended a free library event called the Pumpkin Drop. We were able to take our pumpkins from our porch and the library, along with the local fire department, dropped them from a tall ladder. Both kids absolutely loved this and it was a great way to "recycle" our pumpkins. 

- Sunday after church we picked up groceries for the week for $75. When I share our grocery totals, they also include items like soap, toiletries, laundry detergent, etc. This week we had dish soap and kitchen trash bags in the cart making it a bit more than last week. Dinners this week were: Chicken Alfredo, Italian Wedding Soup, Chickpea Tacos, Ham/Green Bean Casserole/Rolls, and Salmon with roasted veggies. 

- Sunday afternoon we did our final big fall yard clean up for the fall. We raked, mowed, and put up our buckets from our bucket garden. This was our first year bucket gardening and overall it was an expensive, basically fruitless, experiment. We brought in fewer than 10 veggies all summer with it. I don't have receipts but know that the actual plants were $15 plus the cost of soil and buckets. We are definitely at a loss on it. 

- Sunday evening we went to leave for Youth Group and the car wouldn't start. With Mark out of town, I opted to just stay home and wait for him to look at it during the week when he got home. Instead of Youth Group, the kids and I took a walk/bike ride and then came in and made some No-Melt Ice Cream from Annabeth's new Universal Cookbook. We had all the ingredients on hand and the kids love creating in the kitchen. The walk and activity were a good way to make up for missing Youth Group.

- Thankfully the issue with our car was just the car battery. We shopped around a half a dozen stores and found the best deal for the battery we needed at Walmart. We saved over $100 with their price + cashback from both Ibotta and Rakuten. 

- Tuesday was Orthodontist visit for both kids. Thankfully, they are still good to go for now with the appliances they already have. I love a doctor with a great track record of treating each patient as an individual and not rushing treatment. Thanks Dr. Lazin!

- Wednesday we met friends at the park because it was 81 degrees! We wore shorts and it was glorious! After the park, we sat out front with our neighbors and enjoyed the sunshine.

- Yesterday, Owen started a two week P.E. Class at Franklin College. Both kids have loved this free program and it's one of the huge benefits of living in a college town!

On a not so frugal, but very fun note, last weekend Mark and his brothers checked "Weekend at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival" off their Bucket Lists. They took the first flights out Saturday morning, enjoyed Epcot all day, spent the night at Pop Century, and then after church together they did Sunday at Epcot as well. Before leaving town Mark took his first monorail ride as they checked out the Polynesian. They took the last flights home. It was a great, quick weekend for all three of them! 

We're looking forward to a fun weekend of service to others.

Happy Savings to All!  

Frugal Friday 514

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I closed out my 2023 Fall Book Drive for the Riley Cheer Guild. We were able to donate a dozen of RCH's most requested books. Thank you to everyone who donated!

- Last weekend, we went west to Quincy, IL for our nieces' confirmation. We are their Baptismal Sponsors and as they are the oldest kids in the family they were the first to be confirmed. It was a very special church service to share together. As their house was quite full of out of town guests, we opted for a hotel stay. We were thankfully able to find a deal with points but in order to save as much money as possible we did drive over Saturday and right back Sunday so we had just one hotel night. Thank you to Matt and Jenn for your great hospitality in the form of a pizza party and pumpkin carving on Saturday night. 

- When we travel, we now also have to keep in mind the dog-sitting fee for Oscar. Usually for our long, fall or winter trip my parents are able to keep him but for weekends and shorter trips we hire a sitter. We are very thankful to have an incredible one but it does add to the cost of each trip. This was also part of the reason we did just Saturday and Sunday for this trip. 

- We packed out snacks for the 5 hour drive each day and did not eat until arriving at our destination. This helped us avoid the, very high at the moment, cost of fast food! 

- We did our grocery shopping for the week on Sunday. I didn't realize until we got home that I had accidentally left three items in the cart from last week's Frugal Friday post where I told you how much I saved by leaving them out. So this week I ended up with an extra ketchup, mustard, and bread. Oh well. We have some in reserve now. We spent $70 on groceries for the week as many items were on sale!

- Monday we had "Recycle Day Lunch." We do this every two weeks. I pull out any items that are already open and we make a lunch out of it. This week we had turkey, cheese, Chex Mix, apples, carrots, and graham crackers. This helps us ensure we don't have any food going to waste and I like having all of the packaging cleared out to go with recycling. 

- Halloween Night Annabeth took her usual dance classes with a Trunk-Or-Treat after class. Owen went to his Cub Scout Pack Halloween Party. They always do a HUGE event that is very fun for everyone.  Mark and Owen took along $40 in candy. We gave each of the kids one plastic container (I know some families share one container but with food allergies everyone needs their own) and anything that didn't fit had to be donated. The kids had MORE fun filling Halloween baggies for Free Little Pantries than they did sorting candy for themselves! I love their hearts for others. 

Mr. Oscar Chase as an octopus

Clearly he was thrilled

- We had another busy weeks of evenings out and about and lots of on the go learning for school. We remained committed to not eating out and consuming our food at home. This week's dinners: Mexican Lasagna, Chicken Penne Alfredo, Homemade Pizza, and St. Paul's Rice. 

We had a great week and are looking forward to a special birthday party this week. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 513

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend we tent camped at Lynnville Park Friday and Saturday nights. My parents have a lakehouse on Lynnville Lake and since they bought it in 2000 we have wanted to camp out on a certain rock. This weekend we did it! Annabeth is not one for camping so she and Oscar spent the weekend in Evansville with Grandmama. We took along our tent, found firewood in the woods, and at out cold meals. We saw other people with big grills and elaborate camp equipment but we went for the basics this time. The park had their free Fall Festival on Saturday so Owen enjoyed pumpkin painting, bounce houses, hayrides, and more. 

This view!

I've wanted to camp here for over 20 years

Friday Night S'mores

Saturday Morning Rock Skipping

Our perfect, simple set up.

We told stories by the fire, looked for shells, and hiked in the woods. 

I loved the time away with my boys.

- We returned to real life this week. Mark worked overtime and I worked both my book business and my travel business. I'm busy finding winter and spring break deals for clients please reach out if you want to know more about those! 

- We spent just $70 on groceries for the week. We ate several simple suppers, used up leftovers, and enjoyed free potatoes that my dad gave us. 

- We have a new coffee shop in town, Scooters, that sent me a $2 coupon. I used that and enjoyed a coffee on Monday morning as a treat as we unpacked and settled into the week. 

- The kids have a birthday party next week and we needed one more item to put in the gift. I had hoped to find a certain book at our local bookshop, Wild Geese Bookshop, but they didn't have it. Instead the owner found me something even BETTER and we can't wait to gift it next weekend! 

- Last night, we enjoyed a FREE Halloween Party at Lucas Oil Stadium thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. They offered both free parking and free tickets to this event. We were able to go down on the field, play games, meet Blue the mascot, see cheerleaders, and more. While we aren't huge Colts or NFL fans both kids loved being in the stadium and enjoying all of the fun.

Last week, I posed a three point challenge - don't shop online, take three items out of your grocery cart, and list five items for sale from your home. How are you doing with those?

1. We chose not to shop online for the birthday gift and made a point of shopping small and local.

2. I did not add ketchup, mustard, or bread to this week's grocery cart. This caused us to use up other items we had on hand. Saved: $6.10

3. I listed some of my PaperPie overstock books for sale in my VIP Group. I have had this on my "To Do" list for weeks and this challenge made me do it finally. Made: $20+

We are looking forward to a very special weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 512

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, we enjoyed Letters from Anne and Martin at Butler University. The show was phenominal and I really enjoyed the Q+A at the end. The actors and director allowed the kids in the audience to ask questions but also posed social justice and social action questions/challenges back to the kids. This was part of Butler's free educational series. We only paid for parking: Spent $3

- Saturday Mark and Owen enjoyed the day at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Ohio. The museum was free so they only bought lunch while away. 

- Saturday Annabeth and I picked up groceries for $85 for the week, she attended a birthday party, and I worked on computer work for my travel business. It's Fall Break season so I have many groups traveling each week. The theme parks are also beginning to roll out their winter and spring break specials so I have been working on quotes for clients as well. Interested in traveling in 2023 or 2024? Just message me at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com

- I helped clients book last minute tickets to Sea World. They saved over $60 off the Sea World website sale price by booking through me! Hooray!

- Owen was in need of new jeans and snow boots. Usually, I only buy undergarments, socks, and swimwear new and try to buy all other clothing items used. However, after visiting six thrift shops without luck we decided to buy new jeans. Mark found a steal at the outlet mall with $7/pair jeans. He also found a deal on snow boots there. Not used but still a great savings. 

- We took a stack of books to a free little library. It was a different one than we usually donate to and it only had adult books. That was just fine with me. We dropped our items off and didn't bring anything home! 

- We packed up a big tote of school curriculum, chapter books, unused coloring/activity books, and some shoes/clothes and took to the free table at our co-op. It's always fun to see people pick them and to watch them have the excitement of finding them there! 

- We had several free fun meet-ups with friends this week. The kids saw friends at the Franklin library on Monday, a park on Tuesday, and the Greenwood library yesterday. I so appreciate friends that we can just meet up with, enjoy some conversation, and not have to spend money!

Free Halloween Putt-Putt at the Greenwood Library

- We have been doing the budget billing plan for our utilities for years now. Even with that, we try to be very careful about how we use our resources. Last year, our electric bill had a big jump on it not really because of what we were using but just because of an increase in their prices. We have worked VERY hard to use less this year and on our new budget are able to owe $30 less each month! That will save us $360/year!

As grocery store, gas, and everything prices rise. How can we all quickly save a little money? Here are three things to do for the rest of October that can save/earn you some serious cash quickly!

1. Don't buy anything online until November 1. I rarely, if ever, shop online. Why? It's just too easy! Things just seem to jump into that online cart and it doesn't always feel like spending real money. But...if I have to load up the kids, drive to the store, go in the store, and part with actual cash...I realize that I don't really need that item at all. Keep track of each item you think you want but don't buy for the rest of the month and see how much you save! 

2. Take three things out of your grocery shopping cart. Whether you shop on the app and do pick up or shop in store, choose three items to take out of your cart each week. For lots of fun, keep track of how much those items would have cost you. By doing this you'll let go of non-essentials and save money in the process.

3. Look around the house and find five items to list on Facebook marketplace. That old room decor in the back of the closet - let it go! Those baby clothes that your 3rd grader wore - say good-bye! Leave them on Marketplace through October 31. If they haven't sold - donate them - you don't need them anymore!

Just three little things to help your load feel lighter and your wallet heavier.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 511

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday night we celebrated Annabeth's birthday with one of her best friends. Annabeth had debated back and forth about a party theme, guest list, etc and in the end I felt like maybe she really didn't want to even have a party. Instead, we picked up her friend and shopped at Claire's, got Starbucks, and then picked up pizza on the way home. I am SO thankful that Annabeth has such a wonderful friend in Sophia and that her mom Melissa is one of my best friends. All four of us had a great night!

- We selected the girls' duet costume for the year. I have scrimped the past two years on solo costumes, spending $70 total across the two years, so we were able to spend more on a duet costume this year. We chose catalog over costume and plan to make our own enhancements. This saved us $80 over the last custom one that we purchased. 

- Saturday it was Owen's turn for birthday fun. He went to a Cub Scout friend's party and enjoyed Urban Air for the first time. He LOVED it and was excited to give J the books he had selected for him. 

- Saturday evening Mark did a handyman job for some neighbors. Made: $60

- Sunday after church we visited a new orchard to us, Anderson Orchard, with the Indy Rileys to celebrate Annabeth's birthday. We spent $20 on apples and pumpkins and enjoyed a packed picnic lunch near the petting zoo. The kids loved the animals, live music, and pumpkins. Annabeth received a CD player from Kristi and Disney coloring book from L+C so she has been holed up in her room every spare moment to listen to books on tape and to color. 

- We passed on ballet shoes, leos, and sports bras to a family that has younger daughters and a son. It was great to be able to pass along our very gently used items to them.

- I switched Owen's dresser out from summer to fall. I took some Camp Lakeview and character items that Owen has outgrown to my nephew. We also took his old Style Company jacket, which had been handed down to us, to a younger friend at the studio. 

- I did a quick sort of my own dresser. I eliminated 15 items as well as several unmatched socks. I had been hanging on to three belts "just in case" which is just crazy because with the exception of one tunic top in 2010, I have never worn belts. I was happy to pass on many items and to have space in my drawers! 

- We had remained committed to our every day evening walks. The kids and I typically walk in the morning or during the day but it's been nice to walk as a family in the evenings as well. This is a free, low commitment habit that benefits all of us!

- Wednesday morning the kids and I enjoyed a free showing of Light Wire Theater's "The Tortoise and the Hare." Butler University has an educational series that is free to schools and homeschoolers. We just had to pay $4 for parking.

- Wednesday evening Mark and I had a coffee date. We joined a couple's connection challenge through M+J's Illinois church. We're joining virtually and one of the date options this month was a coffee date. We used a Starbucks gift card, then walked downtown, and naturally ended up having some nachos as well. The kids' evening schedules have shifted this year and we've lost our weekly date night from last year. We're really feeling that missed connection time but are also trying to optimize the night that we have just O with the two of us.

We are looking forward to a busy weekend of learning, birthdays, and more fun! Praying hourly for peace in our world and for the lives so tragically lost. We are certain that Light will triumph over darkness. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 510

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I closed out a Cards for a Cause for a dance school in Indianapolis. In just three weeks they earned several hundred dollars towards class fees. For the next two weeks, I'll be helping our own dance studio run this fundraiser. Please let me know if you would like to support our kids with the purchase of card boxes.

- My mama and Lu came up for a Girls' Weekend to help kick-off Annabeth's birthday. We ate several meals at home making a sandwich lunch, homemade breakfast pizza, and homemade sushi. Annabeth chose thrifting as her birthday activity and we visited four Goodwills on Saturday. For around $100 each of the adults got 2-3 items, Annabeth got 22 items, we found a pair of snowboots for Owen, and scored two Matilda Jane tunics for my niece! 

- While we had girls' time, the boys all camped with Mark's Scout Troop. Owen loves going along with the older kids and my Dad is really enjoying it as well. They lugged home pounds and pounds of cool rocks and fossils. Owen hopes to use some of them for 4H this year. 

- Sunday afternoon we picked up remaining items from the Kids' Sale. We really didn't have very much left at all and will be taking the girls' clothes and all of the books to our co-op to share on the Free Table. 

- Wednesday we took the morning off school and Annabeth's dear friend Audrey came to play. The girls have been friends since preschool and I love the longevity of their friendship. She and her family moved away last year and we've been doing our best to get the girls together every couple of months. They played board games, made homemade pizza, and helped me taste test Annabeth's birthday cupcakes. 

- We visited the Indianapolis Zoo yesterday with our homeschool co-op. We had enough people to get the Field Trip rate which was SUCH a huge savings. It was $10/person. Saved: $40.25 

Annabeth LOVED these monkeys who gave high fives and "licked"

the kids' hands through the glass

Owen, in his rhino shirt, with "his" rhinos

- The zoo should have been $10 to park but I did not realize the zoo is cashless. I had brought exactly $10 cash along to keep us right on budget for the day so the parking attendant sent me to zoo services. Zoo services had someone in front of me that needed to convert cash to a giftcard for many things, taking quite a while, I waited patiently and was rewarded when the worker said "Don't worry about your parking fee. I don't want to deal with it." Saved: $10 

- Yesterday was Annabeth's 12th Birthday! We thank and praise the Lord for her 12 years of life. As always, the birthday person chose the menu and activities for the day. We made cinnamon rolls for lunch, packed lunchables to the zoo for lunch, and had her eat-out meal at a Mexican place in town last night. We rarely eat out and this was the first time the four of us have eaten out together since July. We made Grey Stuff cupcakes for dessert. 

- My friend Susie is a wonderful crafter. She had some great fall items leftover after a craft fair and sold them at great prices on her page. I snagged a Disney Halloween towel that matches new pillows we have. Thank you Susie for the fun new towel and to Kristi for the pillows! 

Susie is an incredible crafter and has made many special items for us 

over the years including the new Doby curtain holders in Annabeth's room.

All of the proceeds from Susie's projects go towards either her school classroom projects

or mission projects. Want to support her? Shop her page here 

We had a great week and are looking to much more birthday fun this weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 509

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night was our first night home in about a month! It was wonderful to have dinner together, do some outdoor chores, and then to take a walk as a family.

- Saturday we enjoyed lunch and outdoor play with most of the Indy Rileys. The kids love playing with their cousins and wanted to stay all day. 

- Sunday after church, Annabeth and I dropped our items at the HWGA Fall Kids' Sale. I am back to Express Tagging and we set nearly 700 items. We plan to use this money towards "fun" activities on an upcoming trip.

- I had mentioned that we were doing a Low-Spend-August and that was in preparation for September's big expenses. We prepaid the kids' dance classes for the year - saving 5%. 

- We also booked plane tickets for a trip in 2024. I was hoping to wait, to see if they go on sale, but the trip ends on a holiday weekend and prices were beginning to already creep up and some flights were selling out. We really wanted non-stop flights and certain times as to maximize our time away with fewer hotel nights. We ended up going ahead and buying the tickets thankful that we did have a LUV voucher from Southwest. Saved: $100.

- We booked a hotel for later this fall. It's just one night and we're going to be so busy that we'll truly just be sleeping there. Since we weren't worried too much about a pool or activities, we searched multiple sites and found a deal with great cashback and we were able to cash in some rewards for it as well. Saved: $90 

- We cancelled two of our streaming services. We are so busy that we really don't watch much TV and Mark got a new phone which needs paid for over time. We "got back" $25 in the monthly budget by cancelling the streaming services which covers the addition of the phone to the phone bill. This was a great way to update what we needed without creating new costs in the monthly budget.

- Sunday night was Owen's last night of Fall Ball. He's had a great season in Shelbyville and we really appreciated the positive atmosphere, great coaching, and nice facilities. His Spring Ball is only about 5 minutes from the house so it was a bit of a gamble to drive 30 minutes each way, both in the sense of time and gas money, but we felt like it was well worth it. He already can't wait for next season! 

We've had a GORGEOUS Fall Ball Season - look at that sunshine!

- Wednesday we shopped the HWGA Kids Sale. We went in with a list and stuck to it. We found an Indiana State History Workbook $1, Baseball Helmet $10, and then the kids each chose a toy for $5 total. I do not buy toys at stores or garage sales/kids sales so the kids each took along their own money. Owen spent $3 on some cars and Annabeth spent $2 on a Barbie Dream Closet. We paid $17 with tax for retail value of $130 in items! The kids' sale runs through tomorrow, which is 50% off day, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds - go find some deals!

- Now that the mornings and evenings are fairly cool, we've lengthened our daily walks. Monday night was our longest about 4.5 miles on a trail through town. The kids were at dance class and Mark and I enjoyed the time to just walk and talk. 

- We had a VERY busy week with some extra classes for the kids. Stayed true to our goal of cooking at home and/or packing in dinners. We did have more "dinner" type meals for lunches and then packed out leftovers or sandwiches for dinners.

- I worked both of my businesses this week as fall selling season is here. PaperPie released our MidSeason Titles a week early which was a surprise even to us Brand Partners. Walt Disney World also put out deals of up to 30% off for January 9 through the end of March! Message me about your winter WDW trips today! :) 

- Yesterday we enjoyed some free fun with a park date with friends. They are friends we usually see in a big group so it was great to connect one-on-one and the weather was a perfect 70!

- My Thursday evening Bible class was cancelled last night due to a power outage in town. This worked well as Mark ended up having to work for the Coroner's Office.  

We are looking forward to a busy weekend with the beginning of birthday fun for Annabeth and some camping for the boys.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 508

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I redeemed a credit from PaperPie towards items in our Brand Partner shop. I was able to get both kids a new book shirt and a new umbrella for the family for free. Thanks PaperPie!

- Mark spent Saturday morning volunteering at another Eagle Scout's project. This one was a collection for Wheeler Mission. Mark has a set amount of money that he donates towards each of his Scout's projects. This has been a bit costly as we've had two Scouts to support in the last few weeks. We've adjusted other parts of our budget to make that happen.

- Saturday morning the kids danced at the Shelbyville Art's Festival. They had a great time performing dances from last year and it felt like a great kick-off to fall! 

Owen LOVED this VW car driving dog as well as the owners'

VW Bus and photobooth. 

- We donated Bear Grylls and The Impossible Quest books to a book drive that our church youth group has put together. They are collecting books for kids at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center. We are always happy to share books!

- Sunday was jam-packed! We went to church, Sunday school, had the Rileys over for lunch, drove to Shelbyville for baseball, and then straight home for Youth Group. Whew! For lunch we pulled pork chops from the freezer, squash casserole, macaroni and cheese, and Owen made a Pound Cake. Mark's mom brought drinks and Luke brought salad. Owen and the little ones built forts and played with cars while the rest of us played Tonk. We all had dinner either at church or leftovers. I am so proud that even in the busyness of life we are committed to eating at home and keeping our groceries under $100/week - this allows us to spend money on experiences and things we WANT to spend money on!

- Wednesday we enjoyed homeschool day at Conner Prairie. When we first began homeschooling, this was a one day event with a few dozen families. It now spreads over four days with thousands of people attending. Our friends Jeanette and Audrey surprised the kids and it was amazing! I got in free and the kids were $16 for both. Saved: $44

- Mark took the kids to a Scout Fishing Night last night. It was $30 for all three of them and they came home with some fishing gear as well. Annabeth caught the most fish out of everyone there with 30 total!! 

We had a great week and are looking forward to a busy weekend of baseball and Jr. High Rally.

Happy Savings to All!