Five Frugal Things, road trip style
1. We stopped at Aldi for road trip snacks.
We loaded up at our home Aldi for the trip out there, and then before we headed back home, we stopped at the Aldi in Ohio.
So convenient to have an Aldi in both places. 😉
And snacks and drinks at Aldi are so much cheaper than snacks and drinks at gas station shops on the highway.
2. I filled up my tires with air before we left.
Properly inflated tires mean better gas mileage, of course.
Bonus points because I got air at a gas station which doesn't charge for it. And I stopped there when I was already nearby, so no extra gas necessary.
3. We barely ate out while driving.
Aside from our Aldi snacks, we spent $8 on food during our drives.
4. Mia and I went out for appetizers and desserts.
We ate dinner at her house with our kids, and then went out after her son went to bed.
No babysitter necessary (Sonia's old enough to babysit, and since Mia's son was asleep in bed, all Sonia had to do was watch a movie with the Zoes, which wasn't a job at all!), and chips and salsa plus brownies make for a cheap night out.
And really, the point of the two of us going out was to have time to hang out, not to eat a fancy meal. The company is what made it so good!
5. We spent money on experiences.
Fair food, ride bracelets, and pool admission aren't technically frugal (though hey, that pool was only $9/person, which is way cheaper that it would be here at home for slides and splash pad and lazy river!), but those experiences make for great memories and shared fun times with friends.
Totally worth it.
1. used sourdough starter discard to make a double batch of sourdough pancakes this morning to put in the freezer for breakfasts.
2. Took my husband grocery shopping with me (or he took me with him?) so we both could provide input and get what we (and the kids) like, meaning he'll now actually have enough to eat at lunches so he'll be tempted less to eat out.
3. Canceled our bathroom flooring installation last minute. Hired a plumber to check our bathroom for some suspicious water (after a plumber had already been out). And are we ever glad we did. It took 6 hours to fix the leak and would have destroyed the flooring had we not gotten it checked out. Fortunately we have a great plumber. Unfortunately, 6 hours of plumbing work made up for all of our frugality this week.
4. Returned a library book before it incurred a fine. But I didn't finish the last 20 pages 🙁
5. Had friends over for lunch after church rather than going out to lunch at a restaurant.
This is so fun! I'm particularly impressed that you were able to roadtrip with three people and hardly eat out! I have much to learn. 🙂
This week:
1. I'm using a free pass to LA Fitness to try out their lap pool.
2. We've been really good about not eating out lately. Woohoo!
3. I made coffee for hubs this morning and made him a hot breakfast. No takeout needed on his way to work.
4. I'm taking time this week to work heavily on myself and my business. It's frugal because I'm devoting much needed time and elbow grease instead of throwing money at my problems.
5. Tonight I'm cooking minestrone for dinner with dried tortellini that I bought on sale.
1.) After my mother requested four halved chickens for a barbecue (it was my grandmother's birthday) I bought four whole chickens at 69 cents a lb. Pre-halved chickens were $1.49/lb.
2.) The leftovers of the chicken butchery (wing tips, backbones etc.) ended up in the stockpot which made for one flavorful stock.
3.) Used the cord off of a broken VCR to repair a cord on a receiver for my brother. So nice to spare part of it before it goes off to the e-waste recycling.
4.) Playing some old games that I bought ages ago. Always good to finally get enjoyment out of things I already paid for instead of wanting something new.
5.) That said ... I used a 15% off coupon on eBay to finally buy a Nintendo Switch. I've been wanting one for a long time and this was the best deal I've seen. Of course, now I need to save for a game but that's just a minor detail!
Sounds like a fun and frugal trip! Sometimes when hubby and I go on a date, we just eat dinner at home and get a boba green tea for $4-5 and share it between the two of us.
The last time we had the tea, however, neither of us could sleep until 2 AM since we drank it so late. I ended up buying the green tea powder from the store. It tastes the same and is so much cheaper!
I wish caffeine had that effect on me!! I can drink coffee at 10 pm and still crash easily.
Try eliminating (or severely restricting) caffeine for a few days and see what happens. I was watching a video that demonstrated the body's response to caffeine, and apparently it only takes a few days for the effect to reduce, making your body more responsive to caffeine. Not sure where the video came from, but if I find it, I'll post a link.
While it's true that going caffeine-less will usually increase the effect of caffeine, that doesn't work for everyone. There are some of us for whom caffeine just doesn't keep awake. I can eliminate caffeine for a month and only get a slight buzz from a soda.
Actually I don’t drink it every day. And it gives me a nice pick me up if I have a cup between 2pm and 5pm. But by 10 o’clock at night, I’m so exhausted nothing can keep me up. :-). Two little ones plus a baby I guess. Plus I was just born a sleepy person!
My frugal things aren’t that frugal compared to most but here’s my list:
1) Took my kids to Playground World for playday instead of another local indoor play place, because it’s half the price ($6 per kid rather than $12).
2) My 5 month old is wearing hand me downs that came from a neighbor... she needs some new clothes now, she’s growing like a weed, but I’m trying to wait for a new batch of hand me downs before I buy any.
3) I bought a big supply of produce, jam, and honey from an Amish farm rather than the grocery store. Local and cheaper and tastier!
4) My six year old who is starting first grade in a few weeks will be wearing some of the same uniform items from last year, along with a few new things. As long as they fit and don’t look worn out, why not? She’ll also be carrying the same backpack.
5) My baby needs a few new toys (we unwisely got rid of our baby items before we knew we’d be having another) and I’m definitely going to check out the kids’ consignment shops in my area. We just moved so there are a few I’ve never been to!
Mine is also a vacation edition.
1) we brought our dog, which forces us to make meals at our home base, get out for walks, both frugal wins!
2) instead of buying souvenirs, we bought back to school clothes and food items that were cheaper (or not available) than back home
3) I brought reusable shopping bags which came in handy all over the place and saved me from having to buy bags. (shopping, bringing laundry to laundromat, packing shoes on way home)
4) I tracked my spending. This helps huge in planning next year’s budget. We take the same vacation every year and by tracking I know I spent $700 less this year than last.
5) I made coffee at our home base.
How good is tracking your spend - its made such a difference to me and now its a habit it doesn't take effort and I actually enjoy it - I feel a sense of achievement keeping to goals and when I overspend in one area either due to necessity or frugal fail I pick it up quickly and can reassign planned spending to rectify it, plus I find it motivates me to save even more or et more efficient
Your #2 reminded me of my vacation at the Outer Banks many summers ago. While visiting a WalMart there, I was over the moon to find a certain brand of black tights that were always sold out at my hometown WalMart. I guess black tights aren't big sellers at the beach, lol. I totally stocked up!
We are going camping soon for two days before school starts.
1. Going camping ($78 fees) instead of to Legoland (>$1000)
2. "Camping lite" - not bringing cooking gear - our car is small and is STUFFED if we bring everything. So...
3. Bringing cold food only and stopping at the grocery store on the way for this.
4. Entertainment = cards and walks on the beach
5. Can pick up my wine at the wine club spot on the way home, instead of making a special trip (45 min drive)
Ooh!! Do you have tips for frugal wine drinking? Hubby and I love to drink wine and try new ones but we’re clueless about doing it frugally.
Sounds like a great trip. 🙂 We've spent money on experiences this summer, and while they've been pricier than I would have liked, it absolutely beats spending the same amount of money on STUFF that would clutter up the house and be more for me to clean, so I've made my peace with it. 🙂
My best frugal moment of this week was when my 16 year old son asked if I wanted to go for a walk. No reason, just exercise and spending time together. I absolutely leaped at the chance, and we spent a really nice hour and fifteen minutes together, just walking and talking, a totally free activity. We both want to make this a regular thing, so I'm really looking forward to it. 🙂
That is so good you took the opportunity - years ago when I was staying with my sister & her family I went in to say goodnight to my nephews who shared a room - the youngest one said "come in to bed with me aunty & have a cuddle' I said weeelll, its late maybe another time & he exclaimed dramatically 'No! Now! or Never!' so I said 'well, better be now then so I did & he wrapped his arms around me & said 'isn't this nice?: They live far away now & that little boy is growing up fast & he may not have known it but it really was now or never; I am so glad I did.
1. I had a $2.50-off coupon for contact lens solution that I actually remembered to use when I bought a bottle. For some reason the coupon didn’t work, and the cashier and I were both confused. She apologetically directed me to the customer service line, which was l-o-n-g. I thanked her and headed over. As I stood in line, I wondered what percentage of people would stand in a 15-minute line for a $2.50 coupon!
2. Had coffee with a friend. I had a gift card for the place we met. For as much as I enjoy eating out, that gift card has been hanging around a long time!
3. Used up the last of my medical flexible spending money for 2018. It’s not so great that the money was gone in July, but good that I used up every penny, like I make a point to do every year. That last purchase every year is always tricky because it’s for an odd amount, but my pharmacy kindly let me use my medical card for the amount that was left on it, and my debit card for the rest, for a prescription.
4. I’d always seen the rack of gift cards at Sam’s that were less expensive than the dollar value of the gift cards themselves, but never had occasion to buy them until recently. I knew my family was going to a place that we could use the reduced gift cards, so I bought some. The overall savings percentage was small, but it still made me happy.
5. Met my sister to walk at a local mall. We usually get a soda or iced tea afterwards at the food court, but this time we didn’t get anything. Also, when we were done we realized we’d walked for two hours! A lot of catching up and free exercise.
I am so with you on your 1. & 4. The thing is when you do the little things consistently they add up to big savings & every dollar you invest elsewhere grows. This year I decided to follow up all the little savings I can which includes taking back fresh food items that don't last a reasonable time to the supermarket ( they have a 100% satisfied or your money back deal). I take things back with my next planned trip & the savings are small but they add up! I bought a celery that was all brown in the middle so I took it back & got $1.50 back. If you make looking after the pennies a habit the dollars look after themselves.
$2.50 for fifteen minutes is a wage of ten dollars an hour with no taxes. Not bad!
I'm going on a family vacation soon and it won't be frugal. But I can do a bit:
1. Bring snacks for the plane and a water bottle for the trip.
2. Have a friend drive me to the airport (something we do for each other with some frequency).
3. Resist the family's urging to buy STUFF. I'm all for buying something local and indicative of the place, but certain of my family members seem to like buying little bits of crud everywhere we go. One thing I will buy is a Christmas ornament that indicates where it's from - my Xmas tree theme is travel.
4. Resist the family's urging to buy too much food when we eat out.
And finally, a non-travel-related one:
5. I started a supper club. I picked friends who prioritize good food and who will be good company for each other, but - as of right now - I'm the only one who knows all of them. Even if (hell, who am I kidding? ~when~) I splurge on food, it'll still be less than going to a restaurant with them.
I really lover the idea of a supper club (even the name sounds fancy)!
Love the supper club idea
Love hearing of your fun times!
1. We've been attending free community events the last few weekends. Kids got to play carnival games, win prizes, and we weren't as lonely/bored when my husband worked weekends.
2. Two of my friends had an abundance of veggies in their gardens. We picked fresh food &
got to visit a bit.
3. No new backpack/lunchbox/registration fee/school supply list saved us money this time of year. This is our 1st year homeschooling.
4. Sold some curriculum pieces that were not a good fit. Picked up workbooks from thrift store/dollar store for my toddler to play school with us:) Also picked up our mini whiteboards, clipboards, and organizers at Dollar Tree.
5. On desperate days for dinner, have been using Little Caesar's or $1.99 Wendy's kid meals. Sanity saver:)
So happy you all had a fabulous trip! Great photos, too!
An unusual week for us because I was in the hospital 5 days, but we still managed these:
1. Stayed away from the cafeteria;
2. Wonderful Husband picked up snacks on the way to visit me so he and the kids didn't have to resort to vending;
3. Friends from church brought in meals all week, and still are;
4. Church and Upward Sports friends kept our children for several hours each day, also feeding them;
5. As soon as I feel like watching, we'll get the free month of PureFlix TV, which includes lots of Christian programming for our kids and us.
I love PureFlix!
So sorry to hear about the hospital visit - 5 days is long...I hope you feel better and that all gets back to normal soon (btdt!).
I'm so sorry you were in the hospital! It's so lovely to have friends to help you in hard times, though, isn't it?
I cut my husband's hair.
We have done some remodeling (not frugal, but termite damage), and my husband wanted to replace the vinyl mini-blinds we took down with faux wood blinds. The 2" would not fit, so he finally decided to put the old mini-blinds back up after washing them. We saved several hundred dollars and reused perfectly good blinds.
We prepared lunch for six adult guests yesterday instead of going out. With a 1-yr old and an infant added to the mix, it was much more relaxing on everyone than going to a restaurant. We spread the prep/cooking over 2 days, and a great time was had by all. Bonus: our house was given some extra cleaning/attention (see above re:blinds lol).
I have used $20 worth of coupons on sale-priced school supplies at Staples.
I am using my freezer to prevent food waste.
I, too, have a vacation edition:
1. Our vacation spanned 2 cities, and we stayed with a friend in the 2nd city, saving the cost of lodging. She also generously cooked breakfast and dinner for us on 3 days, saving us the cost of eating out. We, in turn, bought them some hostess gifts from our city for their family and treated them out to ice cream one night.
2. We stayed at an Airbnb in the first city, and bought groceries for breakfast and snacks. We did splurge on eating light lunches and dinners out. Also, we walked everywhere in the downtown core and saved on using gas in our rental car.
3. Brought snacks and refillable water bottles for the plane ride.
4. Visited some free attractions (museums, parliament, parks) during our trip.
5. Bought some clothing, a towel, and food as souvenirs, all of which can be used/eaten!
6. This was not frugal, but our connecting flight home was cancelled and we had to spend a night in NYC, which meant an unplanned night at a hotel. While we couldn't get a hotel voucher, I asked nicely and got 4 meal vouchers for our family for dinner at the airport. While my husband was calling for hotel rooms, my kids actually behaved themselves and caught the attention of another Delta employee, who complemented them on their behavior and offered me 4 more meal vouchers, which paid for breakfast the next day! We had $120 worth of food paid for!!
1. Got a reusable swim diaper on clearance for my baby.
2. Stopped snacking at night after the kids go to bed. I'm doing it to help lose the baby weight, but less food consumed makes less food to buy. Win-win.
3. Paid the water bill on time. I had to drop off a check today because we missed seeing an electronic one in time, but it's better than being late.
4. Went to the bank (which is right next to Aldi) to get a check printed. We stopped buying checks because we do it all online or our bank will do a cashier's check for us for free on the rare occasion we need one.
5. Made coffee at home. Hot coffee in the morning and iced coffee in the afternoon if I'm needing an extra boost. But all at home where it's way cheap. And still delicious.
Way to go on the travel food bill! When we used to take vacations with our kids, we always packed food for the trip, too. It saved time and money to have drinks and snacks along. I also packed sandwiches and fruit, but the snacks were ones they wouldn't normally get, so they were real treats for the kids. It made them happy enough they didn't need to buy along the way or eat out.
1. I found upholstery fabric on sale and used a 15% off coupon along with it. It's store pickup, so no delivery fee. I'll be able to do all four chair seats for just over $19 with Waverly fabric.
2. I am keeping my fingers crossed - I've been doing really well at using leftovers and what we already have when cooking. I've spent 70% of what I normally would have spent for the first two weeks of August.
3. I refilled my mechanical pencil at work. The pencil was a free sample that came with an office supply order, and I already had lead here to fit it. It isn't saving me money personally, but it saves my employer money, and as a start up, that's important.
4. The bottom of my loafer's heel came off as I walked yesterday. I picked it up and stuck it back on. I'll use Shoe Glue on it before I wear it again.
5. I almost caved in and ordered a Christmas craft book that looked delightful. Then common sense prevailed and I remembered that last year I didn't even have time to decorate my house completely. I doubt I'll have time for crafts, so I tossed the offer.
1) Last weekend we needed to run a few errands but also wanted to do something fun with our kids. We found a new to us state park near the area we were going to be in and went hiking there after we finished our errands. We packed a lunch and used my son's Every Kid in a Park Pass to cover our entrance fee. We did stop for ice cream on the way home but it was overall a very inexpensive and fun day.
2) Resisted the urge to get a Red Box movie and watched a movie from the library.
3) My kids are going to a free Vacation Bible School which they are enjoying.
4) We attended the summer reading program wrap up at the library. My kids loved the magic show, free books, and treats. They also checked out books on magic tricks and have been spending their free time learning tricks and entertaining each other.
5) We sold our utility trailer which we haven't used in over 2 years but were keeping just in case.
1. My brother and sister-in-law are moving to a new city. I helped them pack up this past weekend. They sent me home with lots of pantry staples - like organic coconut oil, eco-friendly parchment paper, dried organic beans.
2. I had a busy weekend away from home, meaning I did not cook lunch for the work week. My mother-in-law shared her large pot of beans with me so I do not have to buy lunch this week.
3. With a good wash and minor mending, I was able to refurbish my son's water shoes he wears to camp most days. I think they should make it another two weeks.
4. Baked cookies, rather than buy them, for a family function.
5. Received a stitch fix shipment this week containing adorable white shorts and other items. Since it is the end of summer, I promptly returned the shorts instead of talking myself into keeping them for next season. Actually, I cancelled my Stitch Fix account since it is not working for me.
I feel like I've been spending non-stop since we moved, getting all the random and unfun stuff that always seems necessary at a new house. Because who packs their old toilet brushes? Ew. Anyway, I'll see what I can come up with . . .
1) Gave my eldest son's old backpack to the youngest son who is starting preschool this year. The eldest got the extra backpack I picked up for $15 on clearance at L.L. Bean a couple of years ago. It used to be my backpack for traveling/day trips, etc., but he'll get a lot more use out of it than I will.
2) Dug through the old-shoe bin for gym shoes for my middle son before buying him new ones. I found some that fit him and that are only slightly worn. He'll probably grow out of them before we wears them out, anyway.
3) Packing school lunches again. With homemade bread.
4) My husband and I decided to forgo buying a TV and DVD player. We don't have cable or any TV channels, anyway, and won't be getting them. The boys mostly watch cartoons on YouTube on the rare occasions they watch anything, so they can do that on my Chromebook. And on the even rarer occasions they watch a DVD, my husband's work laptop plays DVDs.
5) So far, everything about living in New Mexico has been more frugal than New York, not least of which is our rent, which is $600 less a month than it was at our last house. HOORAY.
$600 a month is a HUGE savings. That's going to add up so fast!
Love the travel edition!
1. Combining errands to save on gas as much as possible. 1 day was heb, Wal-Mart, and chiropractor. Next day was vet, gas station, and pharmacy. Day before was grocery store and chiropractor. Going to chiropractor 3 times a week is rough but it is only for a short time and the relief from pain is going to be worth it.
2. Did my buy anything at my recent trip to the thrift shop. I had a small list of things we needed and found none of those items so I left empty handed which is fine by me. I will check back in a couple weeks when new stock has rotated through. We only have one thrift shop in our small town.
3. Continue to use ibotta rebates. I believe I submitted a total of $14.00 in rebates this week.
1. Starting Dave Ramsey's FPU course tonight at a local church (less than 5 minutes away), initial cost was not frugal but hopefully net result will be a paid for house (our only debt!).
2. Bought my daughter some pizza gift cards (back to college care package) at Sam's and got $50 worth of gift cards for $40.
3. Got our A/C fixed today for only $75, it was covered under the home warranty that we negotiated with the seller when we bought the house. It is August and we live in Florida, so we are very thankful for A/C. Thankfully, it never went out, just made some funny noises.
4. Husband got a new, better job in the same town where my parents live (40 minutes away), so we ride down there together a lot and I spend the day with them helping out (cleaning, shopping, laundry, etc)
5.Been using the Shopkick app to get free Starbucks cards and got 50% off a Frappucino in the Summer Game, so with that and the Happy Hour deal last Friday, I can still feed my habit without spending real money! 😉 Also got a $5 card from Verizon Up for Amazon.
1. Loving having a garden. I haven't bought greens or herbs at the grocery store in three months!
2. We are eating down the pantry in preparation for cleaning it out just before school starts. Lots of interesting meals, but it feels good to use things up and "discover" all the things lurking in the back corner.
3. With the exception of a pair of shoes for one kiddo, I think I am done school shopping! We had very little to buy this year in the clothing department thanks to hand-me-downs and summer birthday gifts.
4. We've had lots (and lots) of smoke outside so we have been staying home and pulling out all the board games, the science kits and everything else we can think of so we don't have to go out into that awful air. On the plus side, we aren't spending any money. 🙂
5. I made a cheesecake for a family birthday and while the ingredients aren't cheap, holy moly is it expensive to buy a store-bought cheesecake. Plus I have all the extra leftover ingredients to use in meals this coming week.
I forgot something - not frugal, but honest:
My thrice-blasted, highly loathed insurance company paid me twice for one doctor's visit. That was two checks for almost $750. Despite the hell they put me through, all the interest I've forgone waiting for them to reimburse me (I'm still waiting for some reimbursements from 2017), and how incredibly tired I am of doing their daggone job for them ... I told them about their mistake and shredded the check.
I feel your pain. Arguing with my insurance company is like my second job. And we're healthy! Read your own dang policy insurance claim adjusters!
Good for you for doing the right thing.
Good for you doing the right thing
Kudos to you!
We're spending a week at our second home as our vacation this year as our home exchange fell through. Here are our five:
1) We shopped at Aldi on the way out of town too. At this point we're running out of vegetables, but hey, it's vacay, and I am loving not going to the grocery store.
2) We've been swimming at my brother's dock, on my mother-in-law's boat, and at our neighbor's pool. That is a lot of free swimming.
3) We wanted to do a kayak trip this week, and I thought about buying a kayak for it and then borrowing my brother's kayak. But then I realized we could borrow from another friend.
4) It has been a while since we gave this house a good cleaning and organizing, so that is what we've been working on this week in between swims. It's not exactly the most relaxing vacation activity, but we do find an organized and clean house relaxing. And I challenge anyone to actually relax even on vacation with three small children anyway.
5) Our primary home is rented on airbnb most of the time while we are gone.
1) My oldest son is married now and moving out of state (only 2 1/2 hours away but I am super weepy) in a couple of weeks. They came over for dinner for his favorite foods, instead of going out. He wanted pecan muffins or ice cream. He got the latter because pecan flour is $12+/pound and I don't have any anyway.
2) We are negotiating all kinds of insurance issues and a prescription help service to be able to provide growth hormone to our teeny tiny 12 year old son for the most bearable price possible. Lots of phone calls but it will be better than we feared. I guessed right as to the correct health insurance plan to pick for this situation. In December we weren't sure we would end up doing this but I am glad I picked the one I picked.
3) A new Aldi is opening in my neighborhood TOMORROW. There are discounts, coupons and a drawing for $100 for one of the first 100 people. I am absurdly excited.
4) I am heading to the thrift store to buy new jeans after the Aldi's extravaganza. I have recently lost 20 pounds and my skinny jeans are now my baggy jeans. Most of my tshirts still look okay because I hold a lot of weight in my lower half but the baggy booty makes everything look sloppy.
5) We squeaked in on our service warranty and got one last oil change in, less than 300 miles before it expired. I'll miss those already-paid-for-as-a-family-gift-from-the-in-laws oil changes. That was a sweet deal.
Thank you for all the inspiration.
I have two children and a grand baby moving out of Friday/Saturday. I live on very little money and am looking forward to not having to feed five adults most nights and four during the day. I will miss them though. It is time so I am going to look on the bright side.
I cancelled a craft lesson because my arms keep going numb. That saved $35.
I shopped to my list and only bought five things extra. They were on good sale and will be used.
My wonderful doctor has organised appointments to see a doctor about the continuing numbness etc. He found be a doctor who bulk bills through medicare Australia. So I won't have to pay for that and these specialist doctors cost an absolute bomb.
I have done extraordinarily well at sticking my food plan. There are few left overs. Many things were used up instead fo wasted.
Bonus...the lady across the street has bought five chickens. I am happily giving her scraps for them. She gave me a carton of eggs this week.
I hope your doctor is able to help you figure out what's going on!
Well done on the self-catering travel & going out for entrée & dessert. I love FFT I find it so inspiring, lots of great ideas & makes me stop & think how I am going. My F5:
1. Subscribing to this blog - even when I don't have time to read seeing a frugal girl notification in my inbox regularly reminds me to be frugal focused & has helped me make it a habit - rather than something I come across when cleaning & think 'Oh yeah, I mean't to do that...6 month ago..."
2. Electrician bill was waaaaay cheaper than expected - yay!
3. Trained my hair to cope well with 2nd - 3rd daily washes & using less product each wash
4. Sister cooked me a lovely roast dinner last night & we watched a dvd & some comedy on utube
5. Found a bakery near me that is cheaper & resisted the urge to buy delicious snacks & stuck to my essentials
Last week was a great week for frugal things.
1. I responded to a free ad on a neighborhood app and got 3 very large planters (with dirt) and three small planters with dirt and plants for free!
2. We were treated to free suite seats (through my husbands work) to our local minor league baseball team, complete with food. There were also fireworks after the game and since we were the only ones that stayed till the end of the fireworks we got to take the leftover food home!
3. My son’s 4-H club provided rabbits for a petting zoo at the Governor’s mansion for their community day. We all got coupons to eat for free at the food trucks.
4. There is an Italian restaurant on our block. My husband helped the owner move a freezer into his basement last week. Mr Alvaro, the owner, invited our son in for free homemade gelato.
5. Bought a Fandango gift card at the grocery store when they had a spend $25 on the Fandango card get $5 off your grocery bill.
1. Received a $2 Catalina at Kroger for buying $10 worth of Kroger brand items...will definitely do this deal again!
2. Used my husband's leftover per diem money from a business trip to add to my daughter's college fund
3. Reusing books we bought years ago to inspire my son's love of reading
4. Using Rocket languages for free, thanks to our library membership
5. Found a $2 shirt for my daughter and a $3 study guide that covers all of the Chronicles of Narnia books (very excited about that find!)
Another vacation edition here too.
Stopped at son and dils house in Ohio for dinner rather than eating out on the way to Virginia.
We had planned on staying the night with them but their dog was sick and other guests were staying but my niece sent me a $25 off Booking.com coupon so we found a cheap hotel. This at least cut our second day drive down considerably.
There was an Aldi right next to the hotel. Filled the cooler up, spent $75 for groceries.
I packed a lot of non perishable food items from home so only bought meat, veggies and fruit at Aldi.
We rented a Air BNB for the week for 5 people in the middle of the mountains. It was pretty reasonable because we had the whole house and cooked 99% of meals there. We only ate out once as a birthday celebration.
I brought snacks and mini meals for the car ride there and back so not much spent on fast food.
While we spent a chunk of change for caverns, golf and the Natural Bridge we got exercise and we did some fun things together. Still stayed under budget for the 10 days we were there.
On the Blue Ridge Parkway we ran into a couple from the Netherlands who flew into Boston and are traveling the east coast to Miami. Then flying to LA and traveling up the west coast. What a trip!