Frugal Friday 449

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday morning Owen had an eye exam. We took three pairs of old glasses to be donated. We also stopped on way home from Chic-FilA for lunch as Owen had a coupon for a free kids' meal. 

- Saturday morning I got to sleep in and Mark and the kids did a city hike. They hiked 5 miles and stopped at the Farmer's Market for a treat at the end of it.

- Sunday morning we did a 2.5 mile family hike on a local trail. We love walking as a family, or one-on-one with the kids, as it is such an organic way to foster conversation. 

- Mark chose the meals for Father's Day and Annabeth made him a special cake. We had a nice, low key afternoon at home. We gifted him a photo gift as well as a new watch in a style that he had been wanting for quite some time. 

- Monday - Thursday the kids enjoyed VBS at Grace UMC. This was the church we attended in 2020-2021 while our own church was closed due to the pandemic. The kids were very happy to see the teachers and friends that they love there. 

- Monday afternoon we met up with friends at a local park. They lived here several years ago and the kids took gymnastics with Annabeth. They moved away for their last army station and have moved back for retirement. The kids didn't remember each other but I had the BEST time catching up with Sarah while they played. Sarah is always so stylish and is so very creative. I always come away from our conversations feeling energized and ready to get out and do things!

- Tuesday and Wednesday Owen had his first appointments with the orthodontist. We are thankful for a Dr. that does a free consultation and x-rays to start off and for one that has a conservative but effective approach to treatment. 

- This week I celebrated 5 years in my book business! It truly has been life and finance changing for our family. You can currently join UBAM to curate your own book business for just $5! 

- Wednesday night was Owen's first night of Rookies Tournament play and his last game of the season. The Cubs played a great game and he was happy that when they lost that at least it was his best bud's team advancing in the tournament. We all met up for ice cream after the game and used free cone coupons from the library summer reading program.

- Last night we had a pitch in dinner with the Rileys. MJKEN were in town for a quick visit and it was great to have all of the cousins together. We look forward to seeing them again in July!

We are looking forward to a quiet weekend as we prepare for a busy week next week.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 448

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Thursday - Saturday I attended the Usborne Books & More National Convention. I opted for the virtual option due to some commitments here at home as well as cost. I received wonderful training and encouragement as well as a generous book and merchandise credit from Home Office. I LOVE what I do and feel so blessed to be celebrating 5 years in a job that I love! Through the rest of June, you can join my Book Team for just $5. Let me know if I can answer any additional questions for you. 

- Friday morning we enjoyed bowling with the kids' friend A for her 11th Birthday. We used our Kids Bowl Free Coupons (Click here to sign up for your own) Our friends generously covered the kids' shoe rental making it a free outing for us. We hosted them to lunch at our house afterwards.

- Friday evening through Thursday morning we dog/house sat for Mark's mom. She was away on a trip with some other family members. The kids LOVE staying at her house and I always try to make it feel like a vacation by doing special things close to her house. She left us pizza money so we ordered pizza one night. I used the extra bit of it to pay for u-pick strawberries on Sunday afternoon. We really lucked out and it was only about 85 and decently breezy after the thunderstorms. The kids had a great time and picked several pounds of strawberries. 

- Sunday evening a Facebook friend posted a small task that she needed done. Mark ran over and finished it in about an hour. Made: $50

- Monday morning we spent 3.5 hours creek stomping and hiking. The heat really held off until afternoon and we were mostly in the shade in the creek. We saw frogs, little fish, squirrels, dragonflies, butterflies, a water snake, and even a gorgeous owl. 

- Monday evening was Owen's last regular season baseball game. The Cubs won their 2nd game of the season and O sealed the win with a play as catcher - out at home plate! Way to go O!

- Tuesday morning was the kids' dance rehearsal and their recital was that evening. My parents came to town for the show. I did quick BBQ Chicken in the crock pot with some salads as sides. It made for easy set-up and clean-up. The kids danced really well and Annabeth was especially honored to receive the Moyra McCain Memorial Scholarship.

Recital 2022

- Wednesday we spent the day with my parents. They played lots of games, built K'Nex with the kids, and Mama facilitated water balloons. Thank you Aunt Nancy for the water balloons! They also treated us to dinner out at our favorite Mexican place. Thank you all! 

- We all went to Goodwill and for just $18 my parents bought the kids - 2 books, 10 clothing items, a unicorn light for Annabeth's room, and a roller coaster K'nex building set! Several items were 50% off color and it was 30% off for Senior Citizens. Just the building set would have been $40 new!

- Tuesday and Wednesday night since my parents were in town, the kids stayed at our house with them. This was wonderful for me to stay at Mark's mom's by myself as our new UBAM Websites launched this week and we had a soft-launch of our summer books. This allowed me to get nearly all of my computer work done for the week in the peace and quiet. 

- Last night we took advantage of the free night at the pool. It was crowded but we found plenty of space to swim. Annabeth was brave and went off the diving board for the first times! 

We had a busy week filled with finishing up a lot of the kids' activities. I chose to drive our car vs our SUV because it has better gas mileage. We also worked to pack out lunches and snacks so we were not tempted to eat out on busy days.

This Father's Day Weekend looks different for us. We are forever thankful for the grandfathers and Mark's father who have entered the Life Eternal. I am thankful for time with my Dad this week and that we were able to celebrate him in person. Most of all, we are thankful for our Father in Heaven who made us and saved us. To God be the Glory. 

Frugal Friday 447

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- We did our weekly grocery shop through Walmart online. We spent $95 for the week which was more than the past couple weeks but were very pleased as we hosted Owen's family birthday party on Saturday and had overnight company Sunday and Monday. 

- For Owen's party, we had 10 additional family members over. When all together we are a peanut-free, treenut-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free group. To keep everyone safe we purchased four kinds of lunchmeat, three types of bread, and I made three gluten-free/dairy-free summer salads. We had plenty of salads for Saturday night and Sunday dinner leftovers. 

- Mark's mom got Owen an awesome batting practice set-up. He and Annabeth spent HOURS in the backyard working on swings. Thank you Nana!

- My parents gave Owen a bike for his birthday. Dad and I took the kids around to three stores to find the right size and style of bike for him. We were thrilled when the price tag was wrong and it was 50% off at check-out! 

- My dad took the kids out on a picnic/park date on Monday. I picked up lunch at Main & Madison Market Cafe (thank you Mark for the giftcard) and had a quiet lunch at home. 

- Owen's team won their first baseball game Monday night. My dad treated us all to ice cream afterwards to celebrate the win. Thanks Dad!

We LOVE our new dessert shop Frozen Paradise.

They are incredibly knowledgeable about food allergies and keep 

our girl safe! 

- Tuesday night Owen and I met up with my sister-in-law and her family for dinner. We had Chicago's Pizza and Red Line Ice Cream as part of a Dine to Donate for a program that my SIL volunteers with. Mark and Annabeth enjoyed the leftovers later that night. 

- Mark took in some custom orders from his Etsy shop. He made 7 soup bowl coozies for a friend (six she ordered for her boys and then we surprised her with a princess one for her) and also made our kids a Garfield one and Chicago Cubs one. 

- I thought I had gotten an awesome deal on some school supplies. I had planned to gift them alongside some great activity books for June birthdays. I had accidentally ordered these HUGE school sets of 120 colored pencils. We were able to return to Walmart for $30 back on our card. Keeping track of what comes into our home and if we will actually use it is a HUGE way that we spend wisely/save our money. I am always sure to promptly return items that we do not need. 

- Today kicks off a 2 Week Summer Reading Program with my book business. I have always used #morethanbooks and I really, truly mean that. My business is about sharing beautiful books with beautiful people. Hosting a summer reading program is a new, fun way for me to serve my community. Thank you to my book lady friend Mary for advice on running this!

We are looking forward to a fun weekend with friends.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 446

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- We got rained out on our garage sale on Friday but set up all day Saturday. We had a great time with our friends and made a decent amount of sales for all three families. We donated some of the leftovers and kept some back for the fall kids' sale. 

- We did our weekly grocery shop with Walmart online. We spent $75 for the week. Our goal has been to stay under $100/week and we have done that for the past 8 grocery orders. By buying just what we need for the week we have had very little food waste - something I am very proud of. 

- I shopped the Clinique Memorial Day Sale. I try to shop just 2x/year and always spend right above $50. I was able to get 30% off as well as free shipping and a free make-up kit. I love the summer sale for the Black Honey lipstick (I've worn this since college) and eyeliner freebie. I also earned 14% cashback through Rakuten. 

- We have been getting the mail/checking on the house of some friends for a couple of weeks. They kindly paid us in cookies for the kids and a Starbucks giftcard. Mark and I got coffee after church on Sunday and I left the rest of the giftcard to pay for the person behind me. 

- Sunday afternoon we went to our friends for an Indy 500 Party. We are always at the lake for Memorial Day Weekend so this was the kids first time listening to the race. We enjoyed a great cook-out and time with friends. Annabeth made homemade chocolate oreo cupcakes to take along.

- Monday we cooked out with the Rileys. We took along macaroni and cheese, buns, chips, and more cupcakes. The guys set up the sprinkler for the kids and they all had a great time running in the water. Mark's mom sent us home with leftovers which fed us for four meals - thank you!

- Tuesday night was Owen's last night of Tigers and the Pinewood Derby. He loved building his car with Mark, racing his car with friends, and closing out a great night of Cub Scouts. 

- Yesterday was Owen's 7th Birthday. He chose all of our meals and activities for the day. We had bacon/cinnamon rolls for breakfast, homemade pizza for lunch, and eat out Mexican for dinner. Owen and I worked together to make a Triple Berry Trifle Cake for his birthday. He chose this same cake last year and it's his favorite.

- For our activities for the day Owen chose to watch a movie in the morning, paint pottery in the afternoon (we had a 20% off coupon), and we went to an animal show at the library. The library show was VERY exciting for me as Owen had asked for them to come to our house for a birthday party but the cost was just too much. Then, we got our Summer Reading flyer and say that they would be at our library on his birthday! God is good! The show was absolutely awesome and we had the best time petting animals like an arctic fox and python! 

We are looking forward to a great weekend with family in town. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 445

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night, Owen's baseball game was cancelled last minute. We ended up going to the new Frozen Paradise which has Anna-Safe options! We also went over to the brand new amphitheater, park, and playground. It was the Grand Opening so there was live music, food trucks, and we saw so many friends. I love our small town!

- After our park play, we camped out in the living room with the kids' new bunk bed cots. They were so excited to sleep on them and I feel like we'll be camping out a great deal this summer. 

In last week's post, I shared what a great deal we got on these. 

- Saturday I took my tent, books, and magic paint books to the Resources of Hope Foster/Kinship picnic. I enjoyed several hours of handing out books, painting with kids, and giving a speech about the importance of reading aloud to children of all ages. 

- Mark gave the alter flowers Sunday in honor of our 13th anniversary. We brought them home and I allowed the kids to play with them and they each made their own floral arrangements. We've enjoyed them in vases around the house this week. 

- Sunday after church, Annabeth had a special day out with Mark's mom. They went to lunch, shopping, and got Starbucks. Thank you Nana for the special day for Annabeth.

- While they were out, we took Owen and his best friend to an Indians Game. Instead of a friend birthday party, Owen asked to take this friend to a ballgame and for them to get baseball hats. We were happy to make that happen! We were able to get the tickets, parking, icees, and souvenirs for less than we typically spend on decor/food for a party. It was great for O to have just what he wanted and for it to be affordable. He declared it "the best day ever, with my best friend ever!"

Cheering on the Indians win

They won 7-1, O decided it was 7 runs for his 7th birthday

The Indians typically have a fun, free souvenir each game.

This game the kids got to make their own customized ball cards! 

- Monday was our 13th Anniversary. This was the first year that we haven't been able to go out to dinner for a date. Owen had a ballgame and Annabeth had dance pictures. We split up driving everyone all over and each had the great idea to surprise the other with ice cream when we got home. It was funny. We both thought we were being so sneaky! Great minds think alike :) 

- The kids loved the new park so much that Mark took each of them on a date to go to the new playground. They each really enjoyed that one-on-one time with him. 

- We spent our week preparing for our annual garage sale. We shopped our friends' totes first and we got great deals on books, leggings, and shoes. We traded some kids clothes for kids shoes as well. 

- Yesterday morning we got our garage sale set up about 90 minutes before the rain really came in. We each made a bit of sales before we closed down for the weather. We are inside only for friends today and then open to all tomorrow 8-2. Come see us!

We are looking forward to a busy and fun Memorial Day Weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

#13 "They showed up"

 Today is our 13th Wedding Anniversary.

A few years ago, while standing in our kitchen, we had a talk about how we wanted people to remember us. I don't remember the exact circumstances that led us to such a conversation but we quickly agreed that our hope was that people, when we're gone, would say "The Rileys really showed up." 

We talked that day about how we hope remembrances of us are stories like "Mark came to fix my dryer late one night..." or "Amy brought us a meal each time we had a baby..." or "The Rileys let us borrow their lawn mower when ours broke..." 

We committed, early on, to put others first. To have our actions be an outward sign of the deep devotion that we both have to the Lord. We know it is not our works that save us and that we are saved only by the goodness of God's grace so that we cannot boast in ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-10) But especially as a United Methodist Christian I believe that our acts are our means of sharing God's goodness and grace. We want people to say "Those Rileys sure are different. I wonder what makes them that way..." that way we can say "Hey Friend! Let me tell you about Jesus."

We selecting our wedding verses (Colossians 3:12-15 and Romans 12:9-18) we really wanted verses that were different then the typical wedding "Love is patient, love is kind..." readings. We viewed the readings of those verses as a second kind of vows. A way of saying to our family and friends, THIS is how we are promising to live as a couple.I go into more detail about those verses and why we chose them in our 5th Wedding Anniversary post. The beginning of that Romans passage is "Don't just pretend to love others, really love them." 

For our 7th Wedding Anniversary I reflected on marriage being like an improv act, the secret is saying "yes." I still believe that to be true. The willingness to step out, step forward, step together is such a powerful thing. In our efforts to show up for others we've also learned over the years to show up for each other. At thirteen years, our marriage has outlasted many of our friends and I truly believe the secret is that we have committed every.single.day. to show up for the other one. Even on days when we are tired, grieving, or struggling we have remained committed to doing life together. 

Our hope, our prayer, is that the Lord would grant us many more years to serve Him, His people, and to show up for all of you. If anything good comes from us, know that it's Him. 

05.23.09

I remember thinking "I couldn't love him any more"

I was so wrong. 

I love him more everyday. 

Frugal Friday 444

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday morning we stopped at Nana's Daylight Donuts. We picked up a half-dozen for the kids' friend K who was celebrating her 9th birthday. We dropped them off with a cute note for her. We also got a dozen for the weekend as we had my parents visiting. They were all free as we had a giftcard.

- Saturday we were at the kids' last dance regional from 7 AM - 9 PM. It was a very long dance day. I packed lunches, snacks, and water so we did not buy any concessions at the venue. Annabeth did take along some money and chose to buy some little toys at from the dance company. 

- My parents did treat us to dinner between dances at Enzo pizza. We finished a rewards card so we will have $5 off our next visit.

- Sunday we went to late church and then enjoyed a Gratitude Luncheon. This was the first bbq meal/outdoor meal that our church has had since the pandemic began. We celebrated 57 years of church history with an emphasis on being thankful that our mortgage is finally paid off! The church's founding pastor and his wife visited as well as conference superintendent Dr. Fulbright. We had a wonderful catered lunch, music from Leta Gentry, a ukulele club played praise music, and we even had someone play the bagpipes. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! 

Owen REALLY enjoyed the church picnic.

He ate two plates of chicken wings and mac and cheese.

He was also the most interested in the music. 

- After the luncheon, we went to the mall for Mama and Dad to gift Owen his Christmas gift. They treated him to a stuffed animal and some accessories from Build a Bear. He was SO happy!

- After the mall trip, we came home to learn a new card game (Countdown) and shared BLT's for dinner before they drove home. As they left, we returned several items that they had let us borrow. I also had cleaned out my closet and passed on several purses to Mama and Lu. Each week we have more and more items leaving out home so they can be used/loved elsewhere. 

- Tuesday evening Annabeth had the fun of meeting llamas at her 4H meeting. We had a great Q&A and meet and great with the llamas. 

- Mark had another sale in his Etsy shop. 

- A friend listed a camping item on Facebook Marketplace. Mark had been looking at the Disc O Bed cots for camping for a while but we had not made the purchase due to pricing. They are $430 new and we were able to buy very gently used for $200. These are cots that we can use or the kids can use so they are a great value for us!

- I sold several items that we are no longer using. I made more than enough to cover the cost of the cots and for a summer class for Annabeth. 

- I made $7 doing a quick survey for the Nielson Survey group. These come in the mail every now and then. I love doing them because they are quick and free to mail back. 

- Wednesday night we had a free ice cream date. Our favorite ice creams were buy one, get one free at Meijer. We also used a $3 off your order coupon and a $1.50 off your order coupon AND got $2.60 cashback from Ibotta. This meant they PAID US $2.00 for buying the ice cream. 

- We are checking on a friends' house/getting mail for them for the next couple of weeks. When they brought their keys by they generously brought us bags of produce that would spoil while they are gone. Thank you all - this really helped our grocery budget this week!

We are looking forward to a busy weekend spent with great friends!

Happy Savings to All!