Frugal Friday 466

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday after school we took in some sunshine downtown. We parked and walked to return books to the library, voted at the courthouse, and then played at the new park. 

- Friday night we had pizza and movie night at home. We watched a movie we already had and made homemade breakfast pizza.

- After dinner, Mark volunteered at a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club. He is currently on the board and we enjoy giving to help their important work they are doing in our community.

- Saturday we enjoyed breakfast out, a rare treat but one of Mark's favorite things to splurge on. We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon walking downtown, working on Annabeth's 4H photography project, and playing at the park. A lovely part of small-town life is that we always see friends at the park and the kids loved seeing some of their friends as we visited with ours. 

- Saturday evening Mark's mom came over to keep the kids for a bit. The kids requested to have Chinese food with Nana so we made honey chicken, rice, and egg rolls before we left.

- Mark and I enjoyed a dinner out at the Elk's Club. The hosted a law enforcement appreciation dinner and Mark was asked to go. We enjoyed dinner and great conversation with two retired officers and their wives. Each of them were at the Sheriff's office when we started and we learned a great deal from them in our early law enforcement days. 

- Sunday after church we had some time before meeting family for lunch so we stopped at a different park to play. It was one that Mark had not been to and I think he enjoyed climbing and running as much as the kids did. 

- After park play, we met up with Kristi, Luke, and the kids for lunch at Jockamo's Pizza. A lot of Sundays Luke and Kristi make food for everyone so we were more than happy to pay for lunch. We all had enough leftovers for Sunday dinner as well which was great! 

- Tuesday evening Owen had his Scout Halloween Party. He dressed up as a Farmer wearing clothes we already had at home. Mark and Owen did donate three bags of candy to be passed around. 

- We enjoyed 10+ hours outside this week! The weather was really beautiful most days and our kids LOVE playing in the rain so rainy Wednesday actually meant several outside hours for us.

- Yesterday afternoon we swapped kids with our neighbors. After a quick mama chat, I took the girls to our house to play and the boys stayed at her house. We had a great couple of hours of play, the mamas caught up on housework, and we had a great conversation as well. 

- We've been purposing to have Family Night at least once a week. We are in a very busy season of life and we want to make sure we sit down to dinner and then hang out just the four of us each week. Last night we had spaghetti with homemade meatballs and then Mark/Annabeth worked on some sewing projects while Owen and I played games. 

- I spent a lot of my week running quotes with my travel business. Disney has released a deal for up to $400 savings for most nights January-March and alot of friends/clients wanted to take advantage. Is Disney a trip you'd love to take? Message me at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com for quotes!

We are looking forward to a weekend with family and fall fun.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 465

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday evening we went to the Indy Fuel Game. Mark LOVES hockey and since it was still preseason tickets were just $10 each. We also snagged two shirts for the kids from the clearance bin for $15 total. We ate dinner at home and did not buy snacks at the game.

- Saturday morning Owen and I had a Starbucks date. He found the golden egg at Easter and this year's prize was a Starbucks card. We have been meaning to go but haven't made time so this was the day!

- Mark and Annabeth remade a broken purse/hat rack. They just purchased some new hooks and now it's all ready to help keep her better organized.

- Saturday afternoon we visited the Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. My friend Katie had shared their 20th Anniversary event so we met up with her family there. Our kids had the BEST time and it was wonderful to share the fun with friends. Annabeth was especially thrilled to spend about an hour petting her favorite animal - an opossum! 

I don't think I've ever seen her so completely happy!

- Sunday after church Mark and the kids went to Kristi's for Sunday lunch. They spent the afternoon with her and the other Indy Rileys. She sent them home with blueberries, chips, and cookies. Thank you Kristi!

- While they were there, I drove down to McCormick's Creek State Park and hiked with my sister. We had a great time as we hiked several trails, had lunch, and enjoyed a long chat in the sunshine!

- We had a busy week with school, dance, 4H, and Scouts. We did our best to combine trips out to save on gas and to prepare/eat most meals at home. 

- Mark and I did get pizza out on Wednesday. We used a giftcard purchased through a friend's school fundraiser. We just had to cover the cost of breadsticks and tip this week. 

- I got our groceries ($82 for the week) on Walmart pick-up. $12 of that was candy to donate to the kids' dance studio for Trunk or Treat. $4 was in dog treats that I accidentally ordered the small instead of mini so they were too big for Oscar. We will donate them to FPD for Benny the therapy dog. 

- Yesterday we had co-op. After class, we took a picnic lunch to a park to play with friends. We all had sandwiches, blueberries, and on co-op days the kids get fruit snacks as dessert. It was 50 and sunny which was SO lovely after the snow Tuesday morning!

We are looking forward to a busy weekend. Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 464

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday we spent alllll day with our best friends down in Charlestown. Rose made lunch and dinner. We brought dessert and fancy coffee drinks for the mamas. We celebrated Annabeth's birthday, talked for hours that passed like minutes, enjoyed the kids' version of "Masked Singer," and then surprised them all with a trip to see the Bigfoot Monster Truck. 

Thumbs up to free monster truck fun! 

- Saturday Mark and Owen went over to Lowe's for a special firetruck day. They saw real firetrucks, got some crafts to come home and build, and had lunch. It was a great free community event. 

- Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a friend's birthday party and had taco dinner there.

- Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch at Mark's mom's house. Mark and Luke did a ton of yard work with the help of the little boys. Annabeth, Kristi, and I talked and giggled at all of the adorable things that Oaklynn says and does. 1 is one of my favorite ages - they just have so much going on!

- Mark was off Monday for the holiday. I got to sneak out for a bit to grab coffee with a giftcard and to pick up the grocery order. Even just 20 minutes out and about is such a mood booster for me. 

- Monday and Tuesday Owen was sick so we had some low key days around the house. We did get some good fall cleaning done and caught up on all of our laundry while he rested.

- Mark took a custom order for his Etsy shop. We are always thankful when friends reach out to him vs shopping elsewhere. 

- I received my two checks from the Fall Kids Sale. I was able to use one of them to pay for an upcoming AirBnB stay. I love being able to sell items we no longer use so we can have experiences we'll remember forever. 

- Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the park in the rain. It was so fun to see that even at 11 years old, Annabeh and her friends can still love playing. I had a great time catching up with my friend too. 

We are looking forward to a fun weekend.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 463

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- My parents came to stay Friday-Wednesday for a big birthday week for Annabeth. She had the best time eating special meals, baking a cake, playing about 400 games, visiting the Eiteljorg Museum (thank you JCPL for the pass to get in free and for free parking - a $50 savings!), and so much more. 

- Friday night through Sunday evening Mark, Dad, and Mr. O camped out with Mark's Scout Troop. It was Dad's first time going along and they seemed to have a great time. They came home with a big of rocks, fossils, and crinoids. 

- Sunday afternoon I picked up the remainder of our sale items. I saved some books back for the spring sale, untagged several books to take to swap at our next homeschool co-op meeting and bagged up dresses from Annabeth for a friend. I dropped those off on Tuesday at her house.

- Tuesday I had an orthodontist appointment and since my parents were in town I got to go alone! They took the kids to the library, park, and out for a picnic while I went up north. 

- Wednesday was Annabeth's 11th Birthday. We always allow the kids one eat-out meal and one special activity alongside a day off school/choosing all of the day's activities. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, Italian Wedding Soup/bread for dinner, and eat-out lunch at Chicago's lunch buffet. We also went to the library, walked downtown. got treats at Hoosier Candy Cupboard, and played board games all afternoon. She had dance in the morning and the evening so we fit in birthday fun where we could.

Hoosier Candy Cupboard now has birthday pins!

We go for nearly every family birthday so this was a fun surprise. 

Wearing her favorite gift - macaroon Minnie ears from Owen

She can't wait to wear these on our next trip

- Yesterday we had our bi-monthly co-op. This year, we had school pictures taken and for the first time ever my 2nd and 6th grader will have "proper" school pictures and they were gifted by the photographers. After class, we packed out lunch to a park with friends. I also selected 5 new-to-us books from the Free Bin. We took some CDs, DVD, and a book to trade with others. 

- Last night, Annabeth took a 3D Printing Class at a local library. She learned about the history of 3D printing and designed her own 3D bookmark. Library staff will print it and we can pick up next week. I am SO thankful for our amazing libraries and all of the free classes and resources they provide. 

We had a busy week and the huge blessing of having my parents in town for many days. I am so grateful for time together. We are looking forward to a weekend of free, family fun!

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 462

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night we had Annabeth's birthday with her friends. We bought tickets to see the 6th Harry Potter movie at our local historic theater ($28 for 6 people) and took the girls all out for Frozen Paradise ($26 for 6 people) The girls all came with Harry Potter themed outfits, loved the ice treats, played on the courthouse lawn, and stayed out VERY late to enjoy the movie. I was happy to skip buying decor for a party and to support local businesses. Annabeth said it was the perfect night out with her best friends and I loved that it was exactly what she wanted!

- Saturday morning the kids performed at the Franklin Fall Festival. It was the last performance of their favorite dances from last season. I walked to a coffee cart where Mark's friends work and they really kindly gave us our coffees free. (Saved around $10) We also stayed after the kids danced for a free magic show. Mark, Annabeth, and me all got called up to help in the magic which was a Bucket List item for me! I have always loved magic and illusions. 

- Saturday afternoon we drove down to McCormick's Creek State Park for a family wedding. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, Savannah and Aunt Cheri had carefully thought out every single piece of the decor, hand making so many items, and it was truly just so beautiful. Join us in praying for Michael and Savannah as they begin married life. 

- Sunday morning I snagged a Shutterfly deal on stationary and address labels. I got 10 cards and one set of labels free - Saved $39.98!

- Sunday after church we went to Kristi's for Annabeth's birthday lunch with the Rileys. The Indy Rileys were sick and the IL Rileys had a change in travel plans but we brought over homemade Luna Lovegood cookies. Kristi got all the things to make homemade sushi too. One of her gifts was a new Monopoly game so we played a round before dropping Luke's gift by his house for his birthday.

 

Annabeth's homemade Luna Lovegood glasses cookie. SO cute!

Her baking skills amaze me.

 - Sunday evening Annabeth and I dropped 300+ items by the Here We Grow Again Indy South Sale. My two usual families skipped this sale so I took on a new consigner. Thank you to the Asher and Sichting families for saving wire hangers for me and to Cassidy for passing along some of her unused tagging supplied. I only have about $10 invested before the sale begins which means more profit! 

- A local dance family ran a Cards for a Cause fundraiser through my book business and earned over $350 towards their dance fees! Wow! I love how quick and easy this fundraiser is. They turned in money and orders last week and this week their accounts are credited and cards have arrived. Truly so quick and easy!

- I picked up a coffee yesterday. I used a giftcard making it free!

- While tempted to order in dinner last night for Family Movie Night, we resisted and Mark and the kids cooked dinner together. Annabeth made eggs and Mark and Owen made biscuits and gravy. We watched the new Call of the Wild movie and had a great dinner. 

- Through October 5, I am running my annual Fall Book Drive to benefit the Riley Cheer Guild. If you feel led to donate here is my link: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8NFiXHkMfh

We are looking forward to a busy weekend, with family in town. Thankful for each precious moment with those we love.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 461

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday after school, the kids and I drove down to Evansville. My parents treated us all to sushi dinner. It was lovely to stop by to see our dear friend Helen and to give her a hug. The pandemic had kept us apart for far too long. After dinner, Lu and I went for a long walk while the others stayed back to have a bonfire.

- Saturday we traveled down to Reelfoot Lake, TN. We enjoyed a BBQ lunch, visited a couple of areas at the state park, and saw the nature preserve. The kids were especially excited to see the raptors on display. Owen saw his bald eagles and Annabeth saw her owls. Both were in heaven!

- Sunday we went to the Discovery Park of America. I can't begin to explain how much there was to see and do there so I'll just leave a link for you to add it to your own exploration bucket lists. We opened and closed the museum and still had SO much we will have to go back to see!

- We had a sunset dinner at Blue Bank Resort. The view was gorgeous, the food was great, and it took me back to the dozens of waterside meals I shared with my own grandparents. It meant so much to me to be able to travel with Dad, Mama, and Lu and to have my kids make precious memories with them. Thank you to my parents for spoiling us with the beautiful lakehouse stay, museum tickets, and meals out. It was wonderful!

- Mark worked Saturday for a special event for work. Because of work he was unable to come with us this trip.

- Monday the kids and I drove back the 6+ hours from Tennessee so they could be at dance that night. We resisted the urge to stop and eat or pick up dinner once we got back in town. We ate car snacks and then ate  dinner at home. 

- Last night we enjoyed an Indianapolis Indians game. For years, in fact since I moved out for college, I have done EVERY survey one very receipt/website with the hopes of someday winning something. This was finally the time! Thank you to Meijer and Stouffer's Family Ballpark Experience for the game tickets (right behind home plate!) and for the giftcard which made snacks free for the kids! 

Seats right behind home plate were SO fun!

Meeting Rowdie and getting his autograph

Every game Mr. O, naturally, wants a picture with the Indians truck and cars. 

We had what felt like a really long week at home. I'm still feeling only about 80% after a high fever early in the week. Thankfully Mark's had some flexibility at work from working last weekend so he could help with the evening running for me. Looking forward to having a voice again and feeling 100% soon. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 460

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday Mark was off work, they are not offering over-time so once he hits his hours he has to be done for the week, so we did book-work in the morning and had an afternoon adventure. We explored a new hike on a Central Indiana Land Trust trail and visited Hunter's Honey Farm. We did spend a bit of money on local honey but it was not any more than grocery honey and better for us. We did splurge on fish food for fish in their pond as I have the best memories of doing that as a kid. They loved it too! We also purchased a kit,$7, to make beeswax candles at home. That was our evening project.

- Saturday Mark took the morning and hiked with a friend. They did a good 10 mile hike. They packed out a lunch so they only spent money on gas. 

- The kids and I visited the Farmer's Market for the last time this year. We spent $23 and stocked up on peppers, onions, spaghetti squash, yellow squash, zucchini, peaches, and 2 dozen ears of corn. The only item more expensive than grocery prices were the peaches. 

- We processed and froze corn for the first time. The kids LOVE sweet corn but we've just never frozen it before. It was fun to learn something new and it was a good project for Saturday morning for us. We saved $5 on grocery prices and supported local farmers. 

- Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a free Cultural Fair at the library. We met people from around the world, practiced some of their languages, made some art projects, and sampled lots of international food as we listened to presentations. 

- Saturday evening and Sunday Mama and Lu were here. We celebrated Lu's birthday with a special dinner out on Saturday, baking homemade vinegar pie together, Sunday brunch at Dale's 2 which was excellent, and, of course, a trip to Wild Geese Bookshop. I purchased a Christmas gift and used my 10% teacher discount. 

- I booked our dining for an upcoming vacation. I was able to get a gift-card with my Ibotta earnings which will make this very nice, sit-down meal completely free for us. 

- The past few weeks I have turned in two Cards for a Cause Fundraisers. The ladies running them have earned over $600 towards their children's dance fees. I love this fundraiser because it is truly so quick and easy for my customers. Please ask if you have a team, non-profit, or cause you'd like to raise money for. 

- Wednesday we took the day and went to Conner Prairie Homeschool Day. We haven't been for several years and were shocked at how busy it was! There was a long line to get in but it's a 50 minute drive so I went ahead and stayed. I am very thankful that they are so generous with their homeschool day discount. It was $14 for the kids and me to go. On a normal day it would have been $50. 

We've learned a great deal about the Oregon Trail and Laura Ingalls Wilder

this year so they were very excited to explore this wagon. 

Mr. O knows that I love pictures and asked me to make this one with him!

He didn't really remember being at Conner Prairie and LOVED seeing everything. 

- I have continued working to build my travel planning business. I have enjoyed getting quotes out to people and look forward to helping others build their vacation memories. Are you looking for help with upcoming travels? You can find me on Facebook, online, or via e-mail at a.riley@magicalvacationplanner.com 

- We did eat out a lunch this week. This was the first drive-thru trip we have made since our vacation in July and the kids were so excited! They had made an extra root beer for someone else so we also got a free drink. 

We had a wonderful but busy week. We are looking forward to lots of fun this weekend and cannot wait to see what adventures come next week!

Happy Savings to All!