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!