Frugal Friday 486

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we had our best friends over. We served lunch and with five busy kids in the house I skipped cooking and just did Make-Your-Own-Lunchables. Between us we have over a dozen food allergies so I just offered an array of crackers, lunch meat, veggies, fruit, and safe dessert. The kids sat down to lunch for about 4.5 minutes and then were back to playing.I used to stress over cooking/serving a meal for play dates but have really let that go. It helps me be less stressed, the kids still eat, and it gives me more time to actually visit with my friends who come to visit too. 

- Last weekend the kids danced in Carmel. We loved being at a new venue with a new area around it to explore. Once again, our schedule worked out to drive back and forth saving us the cost of a hotel. We packed lunches and snacks vs eating out. We also walked and window shopped in the area we were in. No money spent and yet we had a great time!

The kids loved walking between dances.

The area had neat statues, a free little library, and more.

- Sunday evening we did splurge and each had a date with a kid. Mark and Annabeth ate at the Spaghetti Factory. It's difficult to find safe restaurants but she loves to eat out. Mark was thrilled to be able to have this special date with her. Owen and I picked up burgers and ice cream, his choice, and ate dinner at home to save Oscar after 8 hours in his crate.

- Last week we cleaned out our school room. We had some games that were still new in their boxes. We had planned to take the to the Kids' Sale but a local high school student left us a note asking for games, books, etc to be donated for her Senior Project to a local nursing home. We happily shared those games with her for her project.

- We gave several gifts this week as we celebrated birthdays and such. I try to shop small when I can so we gave gifts from Mary&Martha as well as PaperPie. 

- Wednesday the weather was gorgeous! We parked downtown, walked a few miles, played at one of the parks, and stopped in Hoosier Candy Cupboard for a gift for a party this weekend. For dinner, Mark and I had a date night at the Willard with dessert at Bakehouse 1823. (Gluten Free friends 1823 is a gluten free bakery/restaurant!) I love, love, love our small town!

We are so thankful that, at least for a few days, spring seemed to remember it was here. We enjoyed long, delicious afternoons and evenings outdoors. 

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 485

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I was alerted to a clearance sale on the history curriculum I want to use for Annabeth next year. I was able to buy both texts for $60. They each came with "minor damage" on the cover. When they arrived I had to actually search for the damage. A corner was slightly bent but we can live with that.  Saved: $20 

- The kids danced in Zionsville again last weekend. Thankfully our schedule worked out that we didn't feel we needed a hotel stay. We drove back and forth both Saturday and Sunday saving the cost of the hotel. Saturday was a long day so my parents drove up to let Oscar out. They also surprised Mark with one of his favorite meals - corned beef and cabbage. Sunday the boys stayed home for baseball and had biscuits and gravy ready for the rest of us after dance so we weren't tempted to eat out. We packed out lunches and snacks to save money as well.

- I listed the curriculum that we have finished this year online. So far I have sold one of my listings. Made: $10

- We did a big clean out of the school room. We saved backed several items for the Kids' Sale, listed some items for sale on Facebook, and donated others. Made: $5

- We spent time mapping out our summer activities. This allows us to balance fun, travel, activities, and rest. We take our summer break from school in May and June and I work hard to balance plenty of fun with plenty of true, slow summer days. I have the sweetest memories of whole days spent in my childhood backyard finishing off with a cook-out or family walk. I want my kids to have those same special days.

- We ended up baking the past few Fridays. Annabeth made homemade double chocolate cheesecake, Owen made triple berry cobbler from scratch, and Mark made double chocolate oatmeal cookie cake. We've either been out visiting or had company the last few weekends so it's been a good time to bake and share! 

- Owen started backed to baseball this week. He just plays in our local Little League which is very affordable for the season. We did have to buy a new pair of baseball pants to be the right color for his team. Other than that, everything from last year still fit. Thank goodness!

- At cub scouts this week, Owen planted seeds. We're hoping to grow our own container/bucket garden this year. We'll see how it goes...

- We put our deposit down on a 1/2 cow. We are splitting the cost and the meat with two other families. We buy our beef from our friends at Burgett Family Farm.  Last August we bought a bulk beef package and whole pig. We are on track to finish right around the time this year's come in August. Because of our bulk meat purchase we've been able to keep our weekly grocery bill between $65 and $90/week.

We had a typical spring week of school, dance, baseball, and lots of rain.

Looking forward to another dance weekend!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 484

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I have planned out our curriculum for next school year. It may seem early but I like to shop the AOP April sale and to have quite a bit of time to search used curriculum sites before buying new. So far I found a GREAT deal on Annabeth's Literature for both 7th and 8th grade. The books are used, one cover is very slightly bent, but I was able to get both years shipped for less than one year new from the publisher!

- Saturday we enjoyed a Spiderman Birthday party for our nephew's 4th birthday. He's such a bright, funny guy and I just can't believe he's already four! The kids had the best time playing party games, eating cake, and hitting the pinata. 

- After the party, Annabeth and I ran to the outlet mall for a couple of things. We had not been there in many years and were surprised at how nice it is now. It even has a giant playground - where was that when my kids were little?! We stopped in Claire's with a 20% coupon to combine with a Buy 3, Get 3 deal. When I checked out I thought my total seemed a little high but the store was packed so I just let it go. At home though, after really reviewing my receipt, I saw that I had gotten the 20% off but not 3 free. We were able to go back later in the week when we were south again for a price adjustment.

Shopping Ladies

- I haven't gotten new tennis shoes in about 18 months and as far as we walk each day, I am REALLY feeling it. I did some research online, tried on at the outlet mall, and finally Mark found me a great deal online. Original price $75 and he found them shipped for $40. Saved: $35

- After church on Sunday, the kids and I got out their new Tiny Ice Cream kit. It was a huge (no pun intended) hit! Mark got out for a 14 mile city hike. 

Cutest, Tiniest hand churned ice cream ever!

- Monday we took the day of school because we had so many errands. We ran to Martinsville to deliver a book basket donation for a fundraiser at Precious Playmates Daycare. We had a lovely visit with my dear friend Bethany who  is the director. After lunch, Annabeth had Tween Game Day with a local homeschool co-op. After that, I had my first committee meeting at our new church. I thank and praise the Lord for His faithfulness in helping us find the right church home. 

- Tuesday we also took off school and drove down to the lake to visit our friends the Ottes. The kids had a great time playing with friends and I loved a good mama chat with my friend Katie. I am so thankful that they always open their home to us so willingly.

- I booked a holiday time Disney trip for clients. We were able to get them exactly the rooms they wanted as well as the park days they wanted. It is always a good idea to plan and book early so you can have your dream trip! You can e-mail me for quotes or bookings here: a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com 

We've added to our 1,000 hours outside this week in the snow, sunshine, and rain. Thank goodness we were outside a ton because this weekend we'll be inside watching our SDA Family dance!

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 483

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday was Mark's birthday. The city gives employees a day off in the month of their birthday and he was able to use his on Friday. The kids and I surprised him with an Indy Fuel sweatshirt and tickets to that night's game. I surprised all of them with a sleepover for the kids at Nana's. Mark was thrilled to watch the game without answering the kids' questions and making 50 trips to the bathroom for Owen. The kids had a fantastic pizza, game, and movie sleepover with Kristi. 

My favorite guy - Happy #35

- Sunday after church we had dinner at Mark's mom's house. Mark opened presents and got to choose the meal for the night - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggies, and Oreo cake. We had a great time playing with the kids and catching up with all.

- Kristi sent us home with a ton of leftovers and we were able to make a full meal from them on Monday night. This put us a night ahead on our weekly menu - thank you!

- This is our last "normal" week before spring activities pick up. We took the days to do some big clean-outs in the kids' rooms and closets. They parted with a whole tote of toys/books and lots of clothes. We took a whole trash bag to donate. I also listed quite a few pairs of shoes/clothes on Facebook and made extra money selling about a third of it.

- We have several friends/family members who work at Trinity Lutheran School Indianapolis. My friend Rebecca asked if I would donate a book basket for their annual dinner auction. I have done this each year in business and this year was happy to donate a six book "Taste of Paper Pie" basket highlighting some of our favorite books. 

- Two years ago, our friends handed down a bike to Annabeth. She was able to get a good two summers out of it but has definitely outgrown it ahead of this year. I took a picture of it and shared on our homeschool co-op page. We dropped it off yesterday to friends who have five girls at home. I have been so thankful for the gift of this bike and was more than happy to see it passed along.

- The past few years we have purchased 1/2 a pig, and in 2022 a whole pig. There are some cuts that we don't tend to eat - especially the spare ribs. Mark was able to trade all of those with a friend for ground beef. This is a HUGE blessing to trade for something that we know we will eat.

- Last night on our walk, we went to the new part of our neighborhood. They have added a walking trail around the lake and near the woods. We found so many animal prints - dog, coyote, raccoon, deer, and goose! We also found a ton of beautiful, natural rocks and best of all an arrowhead. It was truly a treat!

We did a low-spend January and February and are tying very much to do the same for March. We have a pay-down goal on our mortgage that we REALLY want to achieve this year on top of regular bills, food, and the kids' activities. By saying "no" to many other things we are more quickly saying "yes" to achieving that goal.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 482

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend the kids had their first dance competition of the season. Even though it was an hour drive time, each way, they had late call times each day. We opted to save the expense of a hotel/dog sitter and to drive back and forth. Saved: $280

Owen's groups placed 1st (jazz) and 2nd (hip-hop)

Annabeth's groups and her solo had great first runs for the season. Her

jazz line placed 2nd overall.

- We packed lunches/dinners/snacks. The concessions are quite pricey at each competition and it really saves to pack our own.We also only buy the kids dance gear at Nationals. They learned early one to only ask that 1x a year. 

- By Sunday night we were exhauseted so we used a coupon to order in pizza. This was a FANTASTIC use of money as we were so tired and so were the kids.

- Owen chose a Disney cookbook at the library. This week he made some hamburger rollups and fancy spicy corn on the cob. I LOVE that at 7 he is able to cook a whole meal with minimal help!

- Tuesday we hosted two homeschool families. We hosted from 1-3 so I did not have to serve a meal for lunch or dinner. The kids didn't even ask for a snack until the end. I did have popcorn on the ready in case they had been hungry earlier.

- Frugal Fail: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings Owen danced at the high school sectional basketball games. He did ge in free but we had to buy two tickets each night. This was $28 :( We loved watching the kids dance but the price tag really ate into our monthly "fun" budget.

- We did splurge on Dairy Queen on Wednesday night. Annabeth was still in dance class when Owen finished at the high school so we opted for a special date with just him. Both of our kids have really expressed how much they desire one-on-one time with both Mark and myself as well as time alone with both of us. We work very hard to make that happen when we can.

- Yesterday we had co-op. We packed our lunch and spent four hours at the park and library playing afterwards. I truly cannot believe how gorgeous the weather has been the last few weeks. God is so good! We drove home right at dinner time and I desperately wanted to just pick-up dinner. Avoided the temptation and came home to make choice of pasta or zoodles, red sauce with meat/veggies, and leftover fancy corn. In the end, it took less than 30 minutes and I was glad we hadn't given in to the urge to eat out. 

We are looking forward to a fun weekend celebrating a special birthday. 

Happy Savings to All!