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!