Frugal Friday 533

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- A few weeks ago, Mark fixed our clothes dryer. It's been making a horrible sound for several months but we kept putting off the project because it was still working fine. We avoided the cost of a maintenance call ($90 in our area + supplies + labor) by having Mark buy everything and do it himself for just $130. 

- Friday we drove down to the lake to visit dear friends. The kids love seeing these friends on their school breaks and I treasure my visits with a friend I've had since college. Her birthday was the day before so we took along a birthday card as well as some peanut butter pie. The kids chose oranges to share as a snack. They had purchased some items from my Facebook page. I was thankful for the extra money as it helped purchase birthday gifts for April Family Birthdays.

- Saturday I spent an hour out alone and it was just what I needed. I had a meeting that was cancelled but we had already blocked out the time for Mark to keep the kids. I picked up coffee, birthday gifts for three family members, went to the library, and picked up groceries. Thank you to Kristi, Matt, and Jenn for coffee and breakfast gift cards which made my eat-out portion of the morning free to me. 

- Saturday morning Mark and Owen worked on cleaning up the backyard. About ten years ago, we put in a play area for the kids which has now become unnecessary as the play house, slide, etc have been passed on. We are not quite sure what we are going to do with the space and while we have several options, they are all pricey so we want to plan and choose them carefully.

- Saturday afternoon Annabeth baked and decorated sugar cookies for Easter. The boys took Mark's van to work and spent the afternoon cleaning it. Owen absolutely loves projects and this was his idea of a perfect day. 

- Sunday afternoon we sold Owen's old bike and helmet. A great little buddy of his bought it which made it  much easier to pass on. Typically with Facebook sales, we keep the money in an envelope that then gets used to cover dance, baseball, scouts, etc for the kids. This year though we're allowing them to keep any money earned from toys, games, bike, etc to save towards vacation. We have a very special, new location that we're headed to in January and I know know they are going to want a decent savings for it. This also helped motivate them to part with more items that they are truly finished with. 

- Sunday after church we headed to Kristi's for Easter with her. She made a special dinner, we took along cookies, and our niece and nephew told us all about their Disney trip last week. They are 3 and 5 and SO much fun!

- We had just enough daylight when we got home to get the yard mowed for the first time this season. I mowed while Mark trimmed and blew off the pavement. We typically don't work on Sundays but this was our only time to do it all week so we made it happen quickly. 

- Monday evening Annabeth took the rest of her decorated sugar cookies to dance to share with friends. There were about two dozen, obviously more than we would eat, and this created zero food waste.

- Tuesday afternoon we stuffed the treat bags for our church egg hunt. We put out empty eggs, as the tomb was empty that first resurrection morning, and then after the Bible lesson the children take home treat bags. I try to take the children along to serve as much as possible. We firmly believe that by taking our children along to volunteer and serve at church in our community it allows their faith to be moving and active. How will they learn to love others well if we leave them home when we go to serve? 

Big Purchase:

- Last week, Mark purchased not one new bike but two! Owen's birthday is in June and we had already decided that his gift would be a new bike and helmet as his are too small. Fortunately, the weather is unseasonably warm so we decided to make the purchase early so he doesn't miss the next few months of riding. Mark had also been looking for bikes and doing his research. An area bike shop had their big sale last weekend so he also got a bike and helmet for himself. I would have preferred to buy Owen a used bike as this one is not an adult size and he will need another however it was very important to Mark that he have a new bike vs a hand-me-down. I deferred to him on the matter and he made the purchase. 

Frugal Fail:

- Friday was quite busy with school, the drive to the lake, and then baseball practice in the evening. I decided that morning that we would pick-up dinner (a VERY rare treat in our house) We had some coupons and the family voted on Arby's. Even with a great coupon - saving us $15 - we still spent $35 on the meal! I was honestly in shock! I asked the cashier "Is that with the coupon?!" It was a great reminder why we never pick up food! It also helped us decide to do another "No Eat Out Meals" month in April. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 532

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday we spent the day down in Charlestown with our best friends. We have a system that one family drives and picks up coffee for the moms and the other family hosts and serves lunch. I picked up Coffee Crossing and we took along popcorn for a snack. 6 hours never went by so fast! 

- Saturday and Sunday was the kids' second dance competition. It was in Zionsville, roughly an hour drive from the house. We debated a hotel but the hotel prices were very, very high for the weekend plus the cost of having a dog sitter. We drove back and forth each day, packed our meals and snacks, and didn't buy any souvenir dance items to have as low cost weekend as possible. 

Annabeth in her lyrical costume

Annabeth in her jazz duo costume 

- Sunday evening we came home just exhausted from the weekend and were thrilled to cash in some Papa Johns rewards and a gift card for almost free pizza. That made all the difference as I fell asleep right after dinner! What a weekend though. Each of the kids showed so much improvement from the last competition and had a great time.

- Monday afternoon my dad came into town. He stayed through Wednesday afternoon and the kids had the best time with him! He had fun watching a bit of each of their dance classes and took them out on an adventure day on Tuesday. They cashed in some Christmas gift cards, shopped for used books, visited the library, and went out for lunch. 

- While they were out on their adventure, I took the morning to organize and enter all of my Express person's items for the Spring HWGA Sale. The sale isn't until the end of April but it felt great to get this task done so early. I will organize and enter our family's items tomorrow.

- Mark did a custom job with his Etsy business and I was up early yesterday making Disney Dining Reservations for clients. 

- We spent just $36 at the grocery for the week. For dinners we had BBQ Ribs/Homemade Mac and Cheese/Green Beans, Ruben Pizza, Chicken Nuggets and Fries (a rare treat), and Black Bean Enchiladas. 

- We did not spend any money outside of groceries, gas, and the cost of two scheduled appointments. We did stop at Miller's Dry Goods while out on a field trip and picked up some low cost baking items ahead of Easter baking season. 

- Yesterday we enjoyed a field trip to the Levi and Catharine Coffin House. Our homeschool co-op organized the trip and we received free admission as a school group. After the house tour, we made our way down the street to the Quaker Meeting House for lunch. They kindly offer their facility to school groups for a suggested donation of $1/person and also give a short talk on their local historical involvement with the underground railroad. Quakers and Methodists overlap in many ways and I admire many of their practices and beliefs so it was neat to learn more. We saved $23 off admission prices. 

We are looking forward to a really fun afternoon with friends today and then the beginning of Holy Week on Sunday. We look forward to listening this week for that Still Small Voice. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 531

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we had a doctor's appointment up north so we headed to the Indiana State Museum after. By combining the trip north we saved gas vs doing two trips. We used the library pass for the museum and only paid $4 for parking. The kids spent over 2 hours at the Lego exhibit. Saved: $56

The Riley Family Homeschool 

Lego Time

- Friday night into Saturday I spent nearly seven hours training on Royal Caribbean Cruises. So far with my travel business, I have only really worked with Disney Cruise Line and I wanted to branch out to better serve my clients. Are you looking to travel in 2024 or 2025? Reach out to take advantage of my FREE services at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com 

- We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with our three nieces and one of our nephews. We had a great time having dinner with them, playing games, and getting conned into extra bedtime stories by the little ones. I am so thankful for precious time with each of these sweet kids. The rest of the adults were at the Trinity Treasures Dinner Auction. While Mark and I didn't attend, we both donated baskets to support the cause.

- Sunday after church we went to Kristi's to celebrate all of the family's February and March birthdays. It was great to have the IL Rileys in town and made celebrating all together even more fun.

- We had an $80 grocery bill this week and enjoyed the following dinners: corned beef pizza, pork roast/green bean casserole/mac and cheese, chicken Alfredo, chicken pot pie, and beef Ramen. I do not like to keep a lot of extra food on hand, with the exception of the beef and pork that we buy in bulk once each year. This week I used up some odds and ends from the freezer included the end of a bag of chicken, pot pie crust, tons of veggies, and some leftover pasta. We live right in town, a small town yet we have three groceries, so I don't feel the need to have a huge stockpile of food. We have always, even during covid lock-down, been able to find enough food for our family. I feel that having just what we need for each week forces us to eat what we have and to have very little food waste.

- We finished cleaning out the kids' closets and dressers ahead of the Kids' Sale. I listed many items on Facebook and have sold some. This always feels easier and faster than tagging for the sale so I try Facebook first always. Made: $18

- This week kicked off baseball season for Owen. He's grown quite a bit since the fall so new pants and cleats were a must - I was glad we've been cleaning out and that we had some extra money from that to put towards this season's gear. Last night he and Mark went to a local, free!, scrimmage to watch some game play. 

- Mark took a custom job for his Etsy Shop. Mark has been working his usual office hours but also many, many evenings and nights. He hasn't had the time to add a lot to his shop but has been taking custom orders as they have come in. Feel free to reach out if you have a sewing project that needs done.

- We continued working through our 2,024 in in 2024 cleanout. It feels SO exciting to color in each little box. The kids are really, really excited about this which I love!

- Last night Annabeth and I went to the Disney Princess: The Concert at Butler University. This was her big Christmas gift as we really try to gift experiences whenever possible. It was a beautiful concert and we loved having the night out together. With Mark's work schedule, drive time, etc it felt very rushed to try to eat out before so I made homemade beef ramen, a favorite of hers, to eat at home before we left. It still felt special, was more affordable, and we didn't have to rush. 

We're looking forward to the kids' second dance competition this weekend. Let's go SDA!

Happy Savings to All! 

 

Frugal Friday 530

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Mark worked a Friday night shift for the Coroner's Office. 

- We've had the warmest winter I can ever remember. Last week we got the grill, yard toys, and baseball items back out again. Mark grilled steaks, the boys played pitch and catch, and we ate some dinners on the patio. It's hard to believe we're able to do this in February and March! Thank you Lord!

- Saturday morning, Annabeth and I went to Space Day. This was a free event in our community to celebrate the upcoming eclipse. Annabeth really enjoyed learning about telescopes and looking at items from NASA. We had lunch together afterwards. It was great to have a day with just my girl!

- Mark and Owen spent Saturday at Trinity helping a friend with an Eagle Scout Project. Mark has been a leader for all of his adult life and has helped with dozens of Eagle projects both from his own troop as well as friends' kids' projects. Mark is also donating some very nice signs for the area of the project. Owen is enjoying being old enough to serve in this way as well. 

- Sunday was Mark's Birthday. His one birthday request was to be able to sleep in as late as he wanted. So, we set ourselves up for success by going to church on Saturday night and by having him open his gifts that night as well. We got him items and a giftcard to get ready for our upcoming Disney trip. Sunday morning he did sleep in and when he woke up he was surprised by Owen making coffee for him. Owen also had a "Menyou" with drink and breakfast choices as well as a reserved sign. It was such a great set-up! For lunch we headed to Mark's mom's house where she made a special lunch and we enjoyed the day with the Indy Rileys. 

- Wednesday night we had planned to grill out but Mark worked nearly 14 hours. When he got home and it was drizzling he did NOT want to grill. We used a pizza giftcard and cashed in for his free birthday treat on their website for dinner. It was a great solution and almost free!

- Yesterday after co-op, we met up with friends at a park. The kids played over 90 minutes before it was just too cold and windy (we had forgotten coats and were not properly dressed). We packed out lunches so we were not tempted to stop for fast food. On the way home, we took a long way and picked up a surprise piece of cheesecake for Mark as I still had a giftcard from Christmas. I know people say they hate gifting giftcards but I really love getting them! They help make ordinary days a little more special.

We had a busy week but tried to take lots of time for quiet, puzzles, read-alouds (we're reading Hatchet), snuggles with Oscar.

We are looking forward to a weekend and week with lots of out of town company visiting. We cannot wait!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 529

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night Mark's mom came and watched the kids for us. They had dinner and played games together. While we did provide dinner, we were so thankful for this as it saved us the cost of a babysitter. We went out to the Cheesecake Factory with a gift card, also from her, that I got for Christmas. She wisely purchased it during a deal where you bought a card and got a $15 bonus card. The bonus card had an expiration date at the end of February so we had to go. Thank you Kristi!

- Saturday was the kids' first dance competition of the year. I ordered a new dance comps and coffee shirt from my friend Melissa and also took along a Starbucks drink for her. I had a reward to cash in, making the treat free!

- We arrived at the high school at 8:30 AM and had events scheduled through 10 PM. I knew we would be tempted to buy concessions or run out for fast food if I didn't plan well. We put a roast in the crock-pot the night before and ran home for lunch. We took along Annabeth's duet partner and had air fried potatoes, green beans, and the roast. We packed out sandwiches for dinner and took those along to the high school. 

- Sunday morning we had friends in from out of town. They were here over breakfast so I ran out to WalMart and grabbed mini donuts, bagels, cream cheese, and juice. I added some fresh fruit and it was a simple, no-cook, no clean up breakfast so we could just enjoy their company.

- We had dinners at home this week enjoying supreme pizza, chicken alfredo, chicken/potatoes/corn, bacon sandwiches, and chicken and fries. We had at least some of us out every single night so I went for quick, easy, and simple to reheat meals for zero food waste. By keeping fresh fruit and veggies on hand, I can always add to those to any meal quickly. 

- This week Disney World 2025 opened so I was busy with my travel business. This was a surprise to all of us as it typically doesn't open so early but I already have clients booking into next year! Hooray! Are you looking to travel in 2024 or 2025? Let's talk soon! 

- I babysat for a friend Wednesday night. It was such a joy to keep her sweet baby girl and they paid very well. This money went toward new shoes for Owen this week. The job came at the perfect time! 

- Mark worked overtime this week and also did a handyman job for a family in our neighborhood last night. I believe this is the third time this family has had him out for a simple, at least simple for him, project or two. They pay well and we always welcome the extra money in the budget. He put it towards a new camping item for himself. 

- As mentioned above, Owen was in need of new tennis shoes. This is always a very lengthy process so he and I took a few hours to do it last night. In the end, he wore me down enough that he got two pairs. Thanks to a sale and a coupon I spent $55 saving $100 over retail prices. 

- Last night, Annabeth subbed for some dance classes. Since her birthday in the fall, Annabeth has been teaching 90 minutes of dance class each week. She is paid for her teaching and the money is applied to her dance budget. This has really helped us cut down on our out of pocket costs and we are saving those funds towards the kids' Nationals and summer classes.  

- The kids did not approve any of this weeks' pictures for the blog so you'll have Mr. Oscar Chase to look at this week. Many have commented that they are seeing less of the kids on our social media. This has been at the request of the kids themselves. A few years ago, a Facebook friend of mine struck up a conversation with Annabeth and knew what all we had done the week before thanks to the blog. Annabeth was frightened by the encounter and couldn't figure out how a stranger (to her) would know so much. That conversation began a pull back of what and how much we choose to share here and on other platforms. Our kids do not have phones or social media but many, most, of their friends do. I realized in sharing whatever I wanted to share may have been putting more out there than they wanted. I know share each picture and post for approval from the kids first. 

King of the House. 

2,024 in 2024 Challenge Update: We have let go of 527 counted items AND made just over $100 by selling items we no longer need! Are you also working through this challenge? How is it going for you?

We're looking forward to a birthday weekend here - Happy #36 to Mark!

Happy Savings to All!