Frugal Friday 509

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday night was our first night home in about a month! It was wonderful to have dinner together, do some outdoor chores, and then to take a walk as a family.

- Saturday we enjoyed lunch and outdoor play with most of the Indy Rileys. The kids love playing with their cousins and wanted to stay all day. 

- Sunday after church, Annabeth and I dropped our items at the HWGA Fall Kids' Sale. I am back to Express Tagging and we set nearly 700 items. We plan to use this money towards "fun" activities on an upcoming trip.

- I had mentioned that we were doing a Low-Spend-August and that was in preparation for September's big expenses. We prepaid the kids' dance classes for the year - saving 5%. 

- We also booked plane tickets for a trip in 2024. I was hoping to wait, to see if they go on sale, but the trip ends on a holiday weekend and prices were beginning to already creep up and some flights were selling out. We really wanted non-stop flights and certain times as to maximize our time away with fewer hotel nights. We ended up going ahead and buying the tickets thankful that we did have a LUV voucher from Southwest. Saved: $100.

- We booked a hotel for later this fall. It's just one night and we're going to be so busy that we'll truly just be sleeping there. Since we weren't worried too much about a pool or activities, we searched multiple sites and found a deal with great cashback and we were able to cash in some rewards for it as well. Saved: $90 

- We cancelled two of our streaming services. We are so busy that we really don't watch much TV and Mark got a new phone which needs paid for over time. We "got back" $25 in the monthly budget by cancelling the streaming services which covers the addition of the phone to the phone bill. This was a great way to update what we needed without creating new costs in the monthly budget.

- Sunday night was Owen's last night of Fall Ball. He's had a great season in Shelbyville and we really appreciated the positive atmosphere, great coaching, and nice facilities. His Spring Ball is only about 5 minutes from the house so it was a bit of a gamble to drive 30 minutes each way, both in the sense of time and gas money, but we felt like it was well worth it. He already can't wait for next season! 

We've had a GORGEOUS Fall Ball Season - look at that sunshine!

- Wednesday we shopped the HWGA Kids Sale. We went in with a list and stuck to it. We found an Indiana State History Workbook $1, Baseball Helmet $10, and then the kids each chose a toy for $5 total. I do not buy toys at stores or garage sales/kids sales so the kids each took along their own money. Owen spent $3 on some cars and Annabeth spent $2 on a Barbie Dream Closet. We paid $17 with tax for retail value of $130 in items! The kids' sale runs through tomorrow, which is 50% off day, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds - go find some deals!

- Now that the mornings and evenings are fairly cool, we've lengthened our daily walks. Monday night was our longest about 4.5 miles on a trail through town. The kids were at dance class and Mark and I enjoyed the time to just walk and talk. 

- We had a VERY busy week with some extra classes for the kids. Stayed true to our goal of cooking at home and/or packing in dinners. We did have more "dinner" type meals for lunches and then packed out leftovers or sandwiches for dinners.

- I worked both of my businesses this week as fall selling season is here. PaperPie released our MidSeason Titles a week early which was a surprise even to us Brand Partners. Walt Disney World also put out deals of up to 30% off for January 9 through the end of March! Message me about your winter WDW trips today! :) 

- Yesterday we enjoyed some free fun with a park date with friends. They are friends we usually see in a big group so it was great to connect one-on-one and the weather was a perfect 70!

- My Thursday evening Bible class was cancelled last night due to a power outage in town. This worked well as Mark ended up having to work for the Coroner's Office.  

We are looking forward to a busy weekend with the beginning of birthday fun for Annabeth and some camping for the boys.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 508

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- I redeemed a credit from PaperPie towards items in our Brand Partner shop. I was able to get both kids a new book shirt and a new umbrella for the family for free. Thanks PaperPie!

- Mark spent Saturday morning volunteering at another Eagle Scout's project. This one was a collection for Wheeler Mission. Mark has a set amount of money that he donates towards each of his Scout's projects. This has been a bit costly as we've had two Scouts to support in the last few weeks. We've adjusted other parts of our budget to make that happen.

- Saturday morning the kids danced at the Shelbyville Art's Festival. They had a great time performing dances from last year and it felt like a great kick-off to fall! 

Owen LOVED this VW car driving dog as well as the owners'

VW Bus and photobooth. 

- We donated Bear Grylls and The Impossible Quest books to a book drive that our church youth group has put together. They are collecting books for kids at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center. We are always happy to share books!

- Sunday was jam-packed! We went to church, Sunday school, had the Rileys over for lunch, drove to Shelbyville for baseball, and then straight home for Youth Group. Whew! For lunch we pulled pork chops from the freezer, squash casserole, macaroni and cheese, and Owen made a Pound Cake. Mark's mom brought drinks and Luke brought salad. Owen and the little ones built forts and played with cars while the rest of us played Tonk. We all had dinner either at church or leftovers. I am so proud that even in the busyness of life we are committed to eating at home and keeping our groceries under $100/week - this allows us to spend money on experiences and things we WANT to spend money on!

- Wednesday we enjoyed homeschool day at Conner Prairie. When we first began homeschooling, this was a one day event with a few dozen families. It now spreads over four days with thousands of people attending. Our friends Jeanette and Audrey surprised the kids and it was amazing! I got in free and the kids were $16 for both. Saved: $44

- Mark took the kids to a Scout Fishing Night last night. It was $30 for all three of them and they came home with some fishing gear as well. Annabeth caught the most fish out of everyone there with 30 total!! 

We had a great week and are looking forward to a busy weekend of baseball and Jr. High Rally.

Happy Savings to All! 

Annabeth's Room Makeover

 We've just wrapped up a multi-week project of redoing Annabeth's room in anticipation of her 12th birthday. 

Before each of the kids were born, we chose nursery colors/decor for them and then redid their rooms again around age 5-6. We decided 12 would be the next good age to update everything. Annabeth wanted to switch her room from a light purple with butterfly/flower accents to a Harry Potter room. 

In all of the clean-outs we did to get ready for painting day, I failed to get before pictures. But here's the after...

First hour with nearly everything in the room.

She chose the minty green wall color after staying at 

Port Orleans - Riverside last year and loving the colors there

Wizards' Spell Wallplate

We moved her princess castle growth chart - made by Grandpa Kuhn and Aunt Abby 

and her purse rack - also by Grandpa Kuhn to behind the door. 

She added her Princess Tiana print there as well. It's a great watercolor print from Jane

She and I switched desks and added these white frames above.

She painted the tea set herself and the little Harry Potter figures are from her friend Sophia.

The Luna Lovegood print is AMAZING - Luna is rollerblading on a rainbow - by Casey Robin Art

She selected the top two Hermione prints from Etsy.

The seller of the Yule Ball print also included the beautiful invitation so we printed all three.

Last spring, Annabeth and my mom chose this comforter from Pottery Barn Teen.

We all loved that it was subtly Harry Potter and that it should last many years.

The pillow was custom made by Mark - Marked by Riley

We saw this idea for Dobby House Elf curtain holders on Pinterest.

I knew our friend Susie could make them and she did!

Susie is the owner and creator at A Gali on a Mission -

please check out her page for any of your custom, handcrafted item needs -

all of the money from her sales go towards missions! 

Annabeth had a lot of fun putting everything todather. Thanks to Mama and Dad for the comforter and curtains and kid wrangling. Thank you to Mark for his painting and craft skills. I left links above as most of what we purchased was from small shops and we encourage you to shop small as well! 

Frugal Friday 507

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last weekend we had my parents in town for Labor Day. We bought a big batch of groceries and ate all of our meals at home but one. The kids each chose a meal, Owen - spaghetti/Annabeth - deepdish pizza, and then we did a cook-out on Labor Day. My parents did treat us to lunch out on Saturday.

- While we typically go to the lake for Labor Day, we stayed home this year for big house projects. For Annabeth's 12th birthday next month she is getting a room makeover. We painted each of the kids' rooms for their nursery, 6th birthday, and then will for their 12th. Annabeth said good-bye to her purple butterfly room and chose a mint green Harry Potter themed room. We don't quite have everything in yet but I'll share when we do.

- Monday, my parents took Owen to Hobby Lobby and he was able to choose new room decor for his room. He chose, of course, Hot Wheels. We had wanted a cars/Hot Wheels theme for his birthday a few years ago but he insisted that he loved dinosaurs and that he had to have a dinosaur room for his 6th birthday. We were gifted some decor and spent $30 on other items which was great because he's never loved it. It was so nice for Mama and Dad to take him out to get new room items that better fit him.

- It was Back-to-Dance week this week. We've got quite the busy nighttime schedule again this year but different from last year. We made some edits to our meal plans to make things easier with less food waste. I am hoping that being prepared ahead of time will make everything easier as the year goes on. We do not ever stop for fast food or sandwiches and this really takes a lot of careful planning on busy nights. 

- As cleaned out the kids' rooms, we listed some items for free and some for sale on Facebook. We have the free items spoken for and are hoping to sell a few others. We also took a big batch of free books, DVDs, and other items to our co-op's free table. 

- Yesterday was our first day back at co-op. We were so glad to be back with our friends. We went out to a park for recreation afterwards and packed out our lunch to save money. 

Back to Class

We had a great week and are looking forward to a BUSY weekend of baseball and dance.

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 506

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- In our big house clean-out, one of the biggest changes was changing from a TV stand to storage to one without. Since our new stand is really a record cabinet, that opens from the front, we lost all of our DVD storage. When we really thought about it, we rarely watch DVDs since nearly everything is streaming. We let the kids each keep 2 DVDs, Mark and I chose 2 for both of us, and we kept a few series. We decided to keep the complete sets of: Band of Brothers, Harry Potter, Little House on the Prairie, and Downton Abbey. We moved the DVD player, remotes, and our few keep ones to a little cabinet in our bedroom. The rest we donated with the exception of some Christian and educational ones we will take to co-op in a few weeks.

- Mark spent the weekend helping one of his scouts with an Eagle Project in Crawfordsville. The scout is doing work at the Rotary Jail Museum and Mark enjoyed helping. He also combined the trip with a drop off of our old TV cabinet. I had listed our items on Facebook and a college friend was happy to have it. We had been gifted the oak cabinet many years ago from a work friend and were more than happy to pass it along. 

- Saturday morning the kids and I met Luke, Cass, Kristi, and the kids at our fairgrounds for a Touch a Truck Event. This event was free, although we did give a freewill donation, and the three younger kids loved it. Annabeth enjoyed helping the little ones get in and out of the trucks. As always, the police and SWAT vehicles were the hit for Owen. A friend of ours, and officer Mark works with, joked "So glad you brought the kids out to look at police cars. It's a shame they can't see these at home." After the event, Mark's mom treated all of us to lunch out. Thank you Kristi! We had leftovers for dinner.

Glad he's not too old for trucks!

- Sunday and Monday we had a family TONK tournament. This is a card game the kids learned over the summer and we've had the best time all playing together. Mark, of course, won but we spent many hours playing over a couple of days. I love that it's a game with quick rounds that you can come back to whenever.

- Sunday afternoon we did a quick garage tidy. We found some trash/recycling, brought a ton of clothes in to be washed, and found a too-small life jacket and carseat that we listed on Facebook and were able to immediately pass along to others.

- Monday morning the cups fell out of the cup cabinet, again. I decided to take 10 minutes to take them all, wash down the shelves, and just put back what we wanted. The kids decided to part ways with 6 cups from birthday parties/restaurants. We still have FAR more than we need but it was a good start on the clean-out. 

- Tuesday was Owen's first night of Bears. He is thrilled to be back with his cub scout friends and is ready to take on the new year. He is selling laundry detergent, dish soap, and trash bags as a fundraiser so please let me know if you'd like specifics on that. All the money he raises will go towards his individual fees. 

- Wednesday we had an appointment downtown. We were early so we enjoyed a cool, almost-fall morning walk while we waited. After dinner that night, we headed to the Blue Park for some fun. The kids are really doing well with five-day school weeks but I want to make sure that we're still having plenty of outdoor time and movement. 

- In addition to passing along the cabinet last weekend, we also passed along a wicker chair and clothes dresser. All of these items had been handed down to us and we were happy to pass them along. It truly feels like we moved - every room in the house has been rearranged. It was all the fun of moving without the huge hassle or cost!

We're looking forward to a fun weekend with family in town and a BIG project in Annabeth's room.

Happy Savings to All!

Frugal Friday 505

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Friday we kept my nephew for the day. His family moved over the summer so we loved seeing their new house and exploring their new neighborhood. It has a park just down the street so we spent several hours there playing, meeting friends, and exploring. The kids were all thrilled to find a praying mantis and spent over an hour observing it! I love the gift of time with my nieces and nephews.

- Friday night was opening night for Fall Ball. O played a great game, made several great plays from the outfield, and got a base hit. We are LOVING this league. I did treat the kids to dinner out since we were running from McCordsville to Shelbyville between babysitting and the game. They loved that treat.

- We were away from the house about 14 hours on Friday so we had some neighbor friends come let Oscar out twice for us. The girls did a great job and he loved all of the extra attention. We paid them in puppy chow as a thank you for watching our pup.

- Saturday we mowed the lawn, ran some errands, and got our chores all done by 3. I traded kids with our neighbors and she took the boys, I took the girls. The kids had a great time playing with friends, away from their siblings, and it made for a great Saturday. 

- Mark is FINALLY home from Alabama. After a summer of one of us away nearly every week we were extremely thankful to all be back together this week.

- Sunday after church Mama and Dad came up for lunch and baseball. We made pork tacos/nachos with rice and corn. They kindly brought up the rest of the furniture pieces from my uncle's house. My uncle is moving into RV life and gifted us a record console (we are using it for our new TV stand) and two dressers. Now, for the first time since we've been married, Mark really has enough space for all of his clothes

- In the past week, we've donated two trunkfuls of items. It feels INCREDIBLE to have SO much out of the house. It's SO freeing to have less stuff. Mark and the kids each have new-to-them dressers and so their clothes are really cleaned out and organized. It gives me so much peace to know everything has a place. It's made our daily tidying session so much easier and faster.  

- I wrapped up a fundraiser with a local organization, we raised several hundred dollars for them, and kicked off fundraisers for two dance studios in Indiana and Kentucky. Want to hear more about our Cards for a Cause Fundraiser? Just ask!

- I got my quarterly Rakuten check this week. It was for $20. I love getting cashback on things I was already buying! You can click my link above to start getting cashback too. 

- This was a very rare week where we had just two evening events. Annabeth and her duet partner learned their new piece on Monday night and last night we had our Back to School Night with our co-op. Due to the extreme heat we moved it from a shelterhouse/field place to a park with a splash pad. I know it was a lot of work for our committee to shift plans and move but it was SO worth it. The kids all had a blast and it was much cooler!

Back to co-op 2023

We are looking forward to a busy weekend with family and friends. After a slowish week at home with lots of projects completed, I am looking forward to the busy. 

Happy Savings to All! 

Frugal Friday 504

 Happy Frugal Friday!

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

- Last Friday Mark picked up our pig for the year. We spent right at $500 for the meat and processing. We did the same thing last year and were down to just one pork shoulder. I am very diligent about using what we have in our freezer. Last year's pig fed us for the year and we were able to give away five hams to family and friends. We are proud to buy our pig each year from a local farmer we know and to have it processed by friends in Shelby County. 

- The kids and I spent last Friday-Wednesday in Evansville. We had a great time with my parents, sister, and the family in Kentucky. We ate lots of great meals, visited the Farmer's Market, visited Dwell several times, shopped the little Darmstadt shops to kick off our Christmas shopping, and made the best summer memories. I am so thankful for this week at home each August.

Dwell Stop #2 for us

Mama, Dad, and Owen went another time as well!

- Mark has been training down in Alabama. He has enjoyed his classes and has learned a lot it sounds like. We look forward to having him home this weekend.

- Monday I had the most special day. Mama and Dad kept the kids and worked through their Evansville Bucket List. I went down to Owensboro and spent the day with my Momaw. She was 93 in May and it was such a precious day to be able to go out to lunch with her and to run errands. Some of my earliest memories are summer days spent with her and I never take for granted that I still get to make news ones at 36 years old. To have her all to myself for the day was so special. 

- I took a bag of clothes to trade with my sister. She brought some for me as well. Ones that didn't fit either of us were divided between a bag for my nieces and a bag for a friend. I stopped by her house to drop them off around 7 on Tuesday. We chatted for a while and I realized it was really dark out. I said, "Oh gosh! It's probably 10. I should head home." It was 12:45 AM!!! I couldn't believe it - I had left my phone in my car and didn't realize at all how much time had passed! 

- Wednesday we made the trek home. We got in around 2 and O had baseball at 5:30 so I splurged on ordering pizza to come while we unpacked. I used a 20% off lunch and $10 off coupon which made it a great deal. We had it for leftovers lunch on Thursday too.

- Yesterday we spent over 9 hours cleaning and moving furniture around the house. One of my uncles is moving from a large home to RV life and we are fortunate enough to be receiving three very nice pieces of family furniture from him. Before it comes, we needed to do some moving. We moved a dresser of Mark's into Owen's room, Owen's dresser to Annabeth's room, and her small dresser into her closet. She is thrilled to have an accessories drawer "Just like on Princess diaries!" We traded out her nightstand for my desk from my office. I never sit at it to work so her drawers will work just fine as the storage I need it for. We were motivated to get it all done before the furniture comes this weekend and before we do a big paint/make-over for Annabeth's 12th birthday later this fall.

- We bagged up a garbage bag of clothes and are also taking three blankets to donate. We ran out of time to drop off to donate last night but it will get done tomorrow. I work very hard to quickly get items out of the house when we are done with them.

We are looking forward to all being home this weekend - the first time in over two weeks! Hooray!

Happy Savings to All!