Frugal Friday 479

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend we headed to Ft. Wayne for the Refresh Dance Convention. I switched our hotel from a booking site to my business page and saved $40. We had prepaid but when we checked out their rates had changed saving us an additional $40! Instead of staying at the attached hotel, we drove 10 minutes each way and saved hundreds of dollars. 

- Saturday while the kids were at dance Mark and I visited Trader Joe's. We were on the hunt for Anna-Safe sunflower butter products. We were able to find cookies and two kinds of candy for her. We also found some safe items for Valentine's Day. We were shocked at the affordability of the produce and meat as well. Our nearest store is about an hour away but we may have to make the trip every couple of months.

- We also did lots of browsing at antique stores. This is what we used to do while dating/engaged in college. We found a few small treasures. One of the antique malls was next to a thrift shop so we popped in there too. I found a pair of like-new snow pants in Annabeth's size for $6.50! They are black so Owen can wear them eventually too. 

- We had purposed to not eat out all January. We had told the kids we would take them out in Ft. Wayne and their vote was Burger Bar. It's our favorite place there - such good food, the friendliest staff ever, and it's all Anna-Safe! She is able to have any food and any ice cream item on the menu.

- Sunday we picked up pizza and hung out with friends at their house until the kids were done with dance. It's always great to have time with dear friends and to spend little money that day.

- The kids LOVED Refresh, gained some great new skills, and had so much fun. Owen was awarded the Hollywood Dance Connection scholarship and the opportunity to dance in Los Angeles. We will not be taking him - the class is very social media/audition focused and way too mature for a 7 year old - but we are proud of both kids and their incredibly hard work all weekend!

The kids were so pumped to have class with Keaton and Anna.

The got a kick out of Keaton's poster - I think they forget that he isn't just "Big Kid Keaton" 

from the studio now. It was great to see other dancers react to his teaching. It's been wonderful

to watch all of the SDA Kids grow up and chase their dreams

Owen was so proud to earn this scholarship again this year.

- We worked really hard to have a low-spend January.We tried to find free fun for the family and by saying "we're not eating out" we avoided unplanned stops for food. This ended up being a HUGE help to our January budget as a BIG bill from my surgery in 2020 arrived unexpectedly. We had paid all of the doctor bills but apparently never paid the facility bill. We were thankful to be able to pull from savings to pay this bill.

- We had to reorder epi-pens this month as well. In the past we've been able to get them for under $50/set thanks to the Auvi-Q care plan. That has ended and our insurance would not cover them. We opted to pay for one of the (expensive!!!) Auv-i Q sets for Annabeth to keep with her at all times. We like that they talk people through using it in an emergency which we feel is important as she is out and about more now without us always being there. We worked with our insurance and allergist to find a cheaper priced, off brand epi for her back up set. Overall, again, I am thankful we could pay the extra hundreds of dollars but wish that this life saving medication was so much more affordable. 

- Yesterday we spent the whole day out of the house learning. We went to co-op, ate a picnic lunch packed from home, spent 2.5 hours playing and exploring the Greenwood library with friends, took a long walk through old town Greenwood and passed our old house, played on a playground, and went to a different library for a special NASA Mars Rover presentation. A whole day of fun that was free except for gas!

- I had the HIGHEST January sales on my big PaperPie (hundreds of booksellers) team. This is the FIRST TIME EVER that I have accomplished this goal. I am so incredibly proud for ignoring the stigma of "January is slow in retail" and just setting a goal and hitting it hard. I was highly motivated to also earn my place in the PaperPie Founders Club this month and made that happen too. Thank you to all those who shop my small business.

We are looking forward to a fun, new adventure this weekend!

Happy Savings to All! 

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