Friday, January 26, 2024

Frugal Friday 524

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Mark took a custom job through his Etsy Shop. I worked my travel business

- Friday night it was still very, very cold so Annabeth and I went to walk at the community center after dinner. Owen worked on his snow igloo out back while Mark cleaned up dinner.

- Saturday morning I had coffee with a fellow travel advisor/friend. She and I serve very different client bases and have had different personal travel experiences. We are both working towards a big goal in 2024 and have committed to meeting each month to help each other learn new things and to hold each other accountable. She taught me something I had been very confused about in our back office system and it made my life SO much easier this week with bookings! 

- Saturday night Annabeth enjoyed a movie night with church youth group. Another family did dinner and hosted, I had the fun of getting to know the parents of the family. We found we had many things in common - music, Louisville, and Disney - so it was a fun night for both Annabeth and me.

- After church and Sunday School, we took Mark's mom lunch. We all played games afterwards - Tenzies for some and Yahtzee for others. 

- Annabeth had youth group on Sunday night. Mark took her while Owen and I did the Sunday reset at home.

- Owen got his haircut for the first time since October this week. His regular gal was on maternity leave and he took the past few months to grow his hair out. Mark did some trimming at home but overall we enjoyed saving the cost of three haircuts. Owen LOVES choosing different cuts and came back with a doozy. He's thrilled with his new look: 

- I am cooking my way through Tieghan Gerard's Halfbaked Harvest: Super Simple cookbook. So far every single thing we have tried has been so good! This week I made her bread, chicken potpie, and lemon cod. All were fantastic!

I HIGHLY recommend Tieghan Gerard's cookbooks.
We borrowed from the library, and then got one as a gift. I love them
as I feel like a "real" cook and we are yet to try a recipe we haven't liked. 

- I made the very difficult decision to step away from leadership with my book business. I made a slight change to my role in 2022 hoping to have less stress/more flexible time but ultimately it wasn't quite enough. I will remain a Brand Partner with PaperPie and you can still shop my site here. I am thankful for the flexibility and freedom to step out of leadership in to a smaller role with the company. I will transfer those working hours to my travel business

Overall we are SO thankful that the cold left us this week and have really enjoyed being back outside more with 50+ degree days!! 

We are looking forward to our first busy dance weekend of the year. 

Happy Savings to All! 



Friday, January 19, 2024

Frugal Friday 523

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday night we had dinner a home, took a long/cold outdoor walk, and played games as a family.

- Saturday we used our local library pass to enjoy the day at the Indiana State Museum. This was the kids' first visit and our first time there since our first year of marriage. It would have been $88 for us with museum tickets + parking. Thankfully we had the free pass and they gave us a coupon to spend only $4 on parking. 

- We renewed our pass to our local community fitness center this week. Mark has a free gym at the station to use, the kids obviously workout at the dance studio, and I really prefer at home videos or outdoor walks BUT the weather has turned just too cold over the weekend. It worked out well as I walked 4 days this week on the indoor track. We receive this pass for free as Mark is a city employee.

- Sunday evening Annabeth had her first lock-in with our church youth group. I volunteered a few hours and had a great time getting to know the friends she talks about from church. I really enjoyed a big all building game of tag and was proud to be the first person to find a hidden object AND beat the middle school taggers back to base! Annabeth was shocked I had those kind of skills - all of my Lakeview training stayed with me after all. 

- Monday we took the morning to volunteer with Seeds of Caring at the Madame C.J. Walker Theater. I saw many posts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children asking people to DO things vs posting a picture and quote for his holiday. The kids loved working with this program was it was activities designed FOR kids to do. 

The kids and Mark making cards to go inside of dental kits

- After volunteering, we went to lunch with L&C, the kids, and Mark's mom. It was Miss Oaklynn's 3rd birthday and we were so happy to celebrate the sassy princess with some chips and queso.

- I won a planned from the Well Planned Paper company this week! Thank you to the owner and creator Justina Murphy for this prize! I can't wait to put it to good use! 

- I kept meal plans basic and tried to make as many items from scratch as possible. We repeated Saturday night's dinner on Wednesday. I made this white lasagna soup. I had to buy some larger containers of spinach, chicken broth, half-and-half, and so I decided to make it twice vs wasting ingredients. Always shop your shelves first. 

- I worked a TON this week. I have set a BIG goal for my business this year and after missing it last year I have my eyes on the prize this year. If you are looking for help with 2024 or 2025 travel plans - please reach out! I'm happy to help. a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com

- Mark, unfortunately, has worked a great deal of overtime this week. This winter, dreary season is difficult for SO many. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with suicidal thoughts look for help here. 

We are sad that the icy, cold weather impacted some plans for the weekend but we are confident that God has us right where we can be safe and sound. 

Happy Savings to All! 




Friday, January 12, 2024

Frugal Friday 522

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday, the kids and I enjoyed a FREE day at the Eiteljorg Museum as we checked off the final item from our Christmas Bucket List "Jingle Rails." It was shockingly busy as more people were still on Christmas break than I realized. Thankfully, we had the free pass from the library so we can go again another time. The museum does validate parking which saved us $20. Over all, the day without the pass and validation would have been $64 - our cost - free. 

- We enjoyed several free meals this weeks thanks to generous Christmas gifts. My parents gifted us bean soup, dear friends of Mark's gifted us a DIY deep dish pizza kit, and my sister-in-law's parents sent over pulled pork and chips. Thank you all for gifts that helped our grocery budget this week!

- Friday into Saturday Owen and Mark had a lock-in with the Cub Scouts. Owen managed to stay up until 4:30 AM having a blast with his friends. They got home Saturday morning and went right to sleep.

- Annabeth entered her first art show at the library this year. She and I went on Saturday to see her piece and to see what other middle and high schoolers in our county had created. Annabeth, in true Annabeth fashion, voted for her friend Delaney's artwork vs her own for the "People's Choice Award." 

- Sunday night at youth group they did a White Elephant gift exchange. Annabeth took coloring supplies and a grown-up coloring book that was quite popular she said. She came home with some chapstick, new cup, and a new game. It was actually a game her cousins introduced her to last week and she loves! That was a fun surprise. 

- We took 30+ items to donate this week. Hooray for less stuff!

- We continued eating meals at home. We had three scheduled eat-out meals for the month but other than that we are eating at home for the month of January. Ironically, three meals out is MORE than normal but at least this is keeping us from impulse stopping for food. 

- The kids have had the BEST time building Legos, reading books, and enjoying all of their new Christmas gifts. I love that even when January is rainy and cold we always have plenty to do. 

Annabeth reading a new book from Christmas.
Oscar must have been tired - it made him yawn

- This week was grey and rainy all the way to sunny and 45 yesterday. We made a point of getting out and walking at least a mile each day. It makes such a difference in my mood when we have some fresh air and sunshine (or cold wind). Owen loves to ride his bike and happily heads out with me each day to ride. 

- I worked a TON this week as people are booking up their 2024 travels! Disney and Universal were hot places to book for spring vacations. Can I help you plan your 2024 trips? Let me know at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com

- Last night, my friend Crystal messaged about working a Southwest airline deal. I was SO thankful she helped me navigate editing our flights and we ended up with $178 in flight credit! I would have liked cash back but we'll hopefully find a way to use the flight credit in the future. I have only flown 1x in the past 15 years so I really appreciated the help learning a new skill - thank you! 

We are looking forward to a fun and busy weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 





Friday, January 5, 2024

Frugal Friday 521

 Happy Frugal Friday!

On January 1, I wrote about our decluttering goal (2,024 items in 2024).

Today I want to share how we have been working to eliminate clutter in the first place. While we are in no way minimalists or trying to have "only"a certain amount of items in our home the biggest goals for me have been: easy and purposeful.

First of all, I want, deeply desire, a neat and tidy home. The best way I have found to do that, for our family, is to simply have less. Fewer toys, clothes, kitchen items, etc means we have less in general to pick up. Each day we do a 20 Minute Tidy and over the last few years we've really worked our way down to a Daily 8 Minute tidy. It does help that the kids are older and more efficient in their work but it also makes it easier to have less!

I also want to be purposeful, mindful about using the resources God had given us. If we spent most of our money on stuff, is that furthering God's kingdom? Is it sharing the love of Christ for others? Or is it storing up treasures earthside? Also, if we have things that we aren't using...sharing them CAN be a way of sharing God's love with others.

7 Simple Ways We've Eliminated Clutter

1. We sort mail immediately. We read and file important items, reply immediately to bills or letters, and we recycle the rest. We don't stack mail or keep it in files. We let it go.

2. I don't aimlessly shop after holiday sales. In the past, I would hit up stores the day after a holiday for napkins, plates, party favors, decor to hold back for the next year. More often than not we'd never even use those items. Now, I keep a list of what we actually need and also shop those sales if I truly need a specific item like tape or wrapping paper.

3. I stopped participating in many gift exchanges. I have found, especially as I got into my 30s, that between church, friends, homeschool groups, and work that I was invited to more and more gift exchanges for the holidays. Everything from giftcard swap, handmade items, ornaments, to $15 and under. Especially after COVID and with working remotely, many of these were on Zoom. I finally realized it was was really eating into our own holiday spending budget and I rarely if ever got an item that really added value to my life. I started saying "no" and you know what? Not a single person minded!

4. I have clear storage solutions for holiday decor. One large tote holds our Christmas items and it goes in a closet with the ornament totes. In our china cabinet, I have two little cabinets for all of the rest of decor for the year. Once those get full, I choose not to add more until I have sorted and cleaned out others. I really enjoy simple holiday decor and we really only have items we've thrifted together or gotten from family members, I personally don't want to load up on items from box stores to cover every surface. It means I never get that "Ah! There's stuff everywhere!" feeling during the holidays. 

5. We don't buy our kids vacation souvenirs. Thanks to dance competitions, family trips, and my job as a vacation planner, we travel quite a bit. We have always chosen to not buy our kids souvenirs. They may choose to spend their own money on items but we don't generally buy any. We typically buy each kid a shirt, or a hat for Owen, on one trip a year. If we see an item is something they really desire, we will often have one of us get it and we hold it back for a birthday or Christmas gift. We did this at Christmas with a Elvis Pink Cadillac magnet for Owen. He was thrilled! "How did you get this to surprise me?!" By having the kids spend their own money, they really weigh the options and only bring items home that they love.

6. I keep a bag in the laundry room for items that we've outgrown or that we are finished with. Items that I save back for the kids' sale go to that tote and other items fill the bag. When the bag is full, we drive and donate it that week. It helps to simply get things out in a timely fashion. 

7. We ask for, and gift, experiences. Many years my parents gave us zoo and museum passes for Christmas. These were awesome gifts that were well used and enjoyed! Our kids also love getting to go on an eat-out meal or special date with family members. We try to gift the kids experiences for their birthday and Christmas as well. We do wrap up a small ticket or item so they have the fun of opening something and then we move on to the fun!

A no-buy, stuff-free day that ended with a beach sunset
Long Beach, MS - November 2023

In the end, I hope that each family finds their own sense of peace and order in their home. Maybe you'd come in my house and be shocked by the amount of stuff you think I have OR maybe you'd laugh at my outdated decor (that I love) and think I could really update.

How are you going to make your own a haven this year? 



Monday, January 1, 2024

2,024 in 2024

 Goal: 2,024 Items leaving our home in 2024

If you've been around a while, you know we did a massive overhaul of our home in 2020. Two big things started this change: 1. We were planning to build a new house and wanted to only move things we truly loved/used. 2. I read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning which completely revolutionized the way I held onto objects. Even though we abandoned our plans to build, you know...frugal living goals and all...we kept parting ways with stuff. 

Since then, we've done a decently good job of cleaning out several times a year thanks to the fun of having garage sales with family/friends and also the spring and fall HWGA Kids' Sales. As always though, we can do better.

My friend Justina at the The Well Planned Mama shared with me that she challenged herself to get rid of 2,023 in 2023 and even created a great printable tracker to see her progress. I fell in LOVE with this idea and so even though it's not yet 2024 we have started at our house! So far, since November 16, we have parted ways with 150+ items from our home. Want to join the movement? Check out Justina's 2024 Decluttering post with FREE printable to track your own goals. 

I was so excited about the idea that I presented it to the kids right away. It was the week they did their Pre-Christmas deep clean of their rooms so we counted many items that left the house then. We told Mark about it and he jumped right in with some sorting in the kitchen. Having the printable to color has made it even more fun!

If you've been around a while, you also know that I LOVE rules. I had to add some of my own to the challenge:

1. What constitutes an item? Some items like a book, pair of pants, etc felt obvious. But what about every little broken crayon from the school room? We're calling a pile of those just one item. Same with paper scraps or trash from projects. One big pile is one item on the coloring sheet. Maybe you're just beginning your own decluttering journey or want to count every little item - sounds good for you!

2. Although I desperately wanted to, I did not make any parameters for how many items needed to leave each week or month to stay on track. I wanted the others to be intuitive as to when they felt like it was time to part with something vs forced into it. 

3. Be wise in donating. I wanted to be careful and intentional about making sure items were leaving in a timely fashion, not just sitting in a box in the back of the car, and trying to get them to free pantries or the right non-profits to be most beneficial to others. 

But...WHY? Our why is based on previous success by decluttering so much in 2020. 

For one, We do a quick 20 Minute Tidy each day and often don't even need the full 20 minutes because everything in our house has a place and typically gets put in place. We do struggle with kitchen counter clutter, the kids' rooms, and our school room. Once a quarter we do big overhauls of those three rooms and it really helps keep down paper/junk clutter and every time we get faster at getting the big one done. 

And two, by having less stuff we actually want less stuff! It's true. As we have parted ways with so many unnecessary items, it's been very evident to Mark and myself that we've wasted a lot of money buying those things in the first place. Instead of buying things, we want to put aside money for experiences, travel, and opportunities. I plan to track everything we're able to sell as we declutter so we can see how much money we put back into our budget by getting rid of items. 

Christmas Day 2023
We did small, simple Christmas filled with useable, practical items for all
and it was such a joy to LOVE every item entering our home. 

Several times I've done a monthly challenge, for example the By the Numbers Challenge - 1 item on the 1st, 15 on the 15th, etc but the idea of a whole year was thrilling to me! I'll keep you posted on how it goes! 

Do you have any goals in 2024? Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!