Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Frugal Accomplishments 4th week of April

This past week was spring break for us.  We always try to spend spring break at home as a "stay-cation", taking advantage of things that we don't typically get to do around home.  We kept our spending relatively low, although we did spend on a few special things.  Meals were at home or picnics, mostly.  The beautiful weather allowed us to spend loads of time outside, so that was great for the boys.


  • Cooked all meals at home including:  chili without beans (I'm avoiding legumes for a few weeks to try to heal my gut) using mostly things we had in the freezer/pantry, picnic with fruit, veggies and dip, nuts, etc., made energy bites, made homemade cheese straws, salads, overnight oatmeal in the crock pot, and paleo waffles
  • Continued with regular laundry habits of washing in cold water and hanging clothes to dry
  • Listened to a few free podcasts, etc. while getting ready in the mornings
  • Visited local attractions for a discounted rate because we're local.  Every year this location offers April discounts to local residents, which is really nice.  We enjoyed seeing wildlife, hiking, and picnicking here for $9 total (it's usually $22 per person) plus the small amount of gas to get there.  The boys had a blast and because we got there early, we missed the traffic and lines.
  • We took the boys to a play of the Cat and the Hat at an area theater.  Mom purchased the tickets for us, so we just had to pay for gas to get there.  It was a sweet show, and a really nice experience for the boys.
  • Planted our garden with the boys.  We planted onions, radishes, various greens, basil, oregano, borage, beans, and cucumbers. These were all from seeds, so they will take a while to grow.  The radishes will grow quickly, which should be exciting for the boys.We had some rain, so we didn't have to water them by hand.  Most were planted in pots, but a few of the larger ones were in a small garden area we'd prepared.
  • We spent several days at The Playhouse with the boys.  They had a great time outside with the bubble machine set up on the playground, and had a great time playing with all the indoor exhibits.
  • I took advantage of a $10 off $50 order at Harris Teeter and stocked up on some items.  We hadn't done a big grocery run in a while, so we needed some staples and some produce.  I was able to make things stretch further with coupons and a raincheck for the sale price on something.
  • We gleaned a few items from the food pantry this week, though the collection from local stores was less this week, perhaps due to the holiday.
What did you do to live and save green this past week?  I'd love to hear from you!

2 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a great and thrifty spring break. My youngest was on break too. We went for free with a library pass to a local garden. All of the tulips were in bloom. We brought a picnic. We also went to 2 movies with free passes, I used to work there. We brought snacks and water. The one thing I splurged on was I treated her to a GF crepe after a doctor's appointment. I did use a coupon so I saved $1.

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  2. Sounds like a lovely spring break for you too! The little splurges are fun and bring such joy. The mornings I treat the boys to breakfast at the local bakery or farmer's market (usually with a gift card) are so fun. The joy on their faces looking into the glass fronted cases are priceless!

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