~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~August 2022 Frugalistas~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[mommyoffive]

End of summer, back to school time, and hot temps!  Any frugal plans for the month?

[prairiewindmomma]

The sky has a tint of apocalyptic orange this morning---I assume from the wildfires to the south of us. Our air quality is holding, but I plan to leave with the kids if the AQI goes over 200 or so. I'm hoping the smoke from the fires to the south of us all blows towards Nevada/Utah/Idaho instead (sorry!), but it's so dependent on wind direction. Schools here start back in September--universities start in late September. So, August is all summer fun for us!  We were at the beach again yesterday, and I expect we'll be there a lot this month to avoid summer heat and wildfire smoke.  Anything over AQI100 means the kids and I have to stay indoors, and we get restless after a while. The air is a lot cleaner and cooler at the beach. Dh has some time off of work, so there's a chance we might fly out for a break also if it's a bad wildfire year. It's one of the things we plan for in the emergency fund. 😔 In 2020 I stayed too long at home before leaving and coughed for weeks afterwards. 

We're finishing up our summer maintenance list since the fall rains can come as early as September. 🤞our solar goes on, but we have a bit of work to do regardless.  I still have more windows to caulk (to prevent smoke leakage), and some interior touchup painting to do.  

My other big project for the month revolves around working on maintaining our grocery budget despite inflation. I finally found soybeans, so I can try my hand at making oat milk and soy milk. I'm planning on using the leftover soy meal to try my hand at making tofu also. I'm also reworking the menu and trying new recipes.  My husband and kids have a growing list of foods they hate, and meals they will never try again, but we're working on it. I'm grateful Winco has bulk bins where I can buy things like quinoa and mung beans in small amounts. 🤣

 

[mommyoffive]

9 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The sky has a tint of apocalyptic orange this morning---I assume from the wildfires to the south of us. Our air quality is holding, but I plan to leave with the kids if the AQI goes over 200 or so. I'm hoping the smoke from the fires to the south of us all blows towards Nevada/Utah/Idaho instead (sorry!), but it's so dependent on wind direction. Schools here start back in September--universities start in late September. So, August is all summer fun for us!  We were at the beach again yesterday, and I expect we'll be there a lot this month to avoid summer heat and wildfire smoke.  Anything over AQI100 means the kids and I have to stay indoors, and we get restless after a while. The air is a lot cleaner and cooler at the beach. Dh has some time off of work, so there's a chance we might fly out for a break also if it's a bad wildfire year. It's one of the things we plan for in the emergency fund. 😔 In 2020 I stayed too long at home before leaving and coughed for weeks afterwards. 

We're finishing up our summer maintenance list since the fall rains can come as early as September. 🤞our solar goes on, but we have a bit of work to do regardless.  I still have more windows to caulk (to prevent smoke leakage), and some interior touchup painting to do.  

My other big project for the month revolves around working on maintaining our grocery budget despite inflation. I finally found soybeans, so I can try my hand at making oat milk and soy milk. I'm planning on using the leftover soy meal to try my hand at making tofu also. I'm also reworking the menu and trying new recipes.  My husband and kids have a growing list of foods they hate, and meals they will never try again, but we're working on it. I'm grateful Winco has bulk bins where I can buy things like quinoa and mung beans in small amounts. 🤣

 

Stay safe.   That is so scary to see the sky like that.  

[mommyoffive]

Earn LEGO VIP Points at Target During Holiday Shopping (hip2save.com)

[Brittany1116]

It's tax-free week for clothes here. Husband needed new work pants and we are at 6 pair for just about 100$ with sales now. Also found a pair of shorts for one of the boys on clearance at Old Navy for $1.47.

Walgreens had various items 90% off, so I grabbed flushable wipes and feminine products to donate. 

One boy was begging for new shoes just because of commercials or something. We opened the shoe tub and found 2 pair of handmedowns so he was happy.

[HomeAgain]

So far this month:

I found a lunchbox for ds and he's extremely happy about it.  I found it at BJ's: insulated, comes with its own containers, and room for a drink.  He may need one more thing for school (a calculator) but schedules haven't dropped yet.

I'm headed out to a thrift store this afternoon.  I have a few things I'm looking for like a cheap filing box, but mostly just checking out to see what kinds of things they usually stock.

Dh and I are splurging on a date night tomorrow.  Youngest ds has a winter birthday and we're considering taking him to this place to celebrate.  It's kind of a reconnaissance trip, lol, to see if the entertainment is worth it. He and I will play a round of mini-golf maybe and do the go-karts.

I have yet to go to the grocery store this month. Everyone is snacking through their days with what's in the fridge instead of making full meals.  I'll grab a loaf of bread and maybe some more milk today on my way back home from the thrift shop.

[mommyoffive]

Amazon Book Sale: $5 Off $20 Book Purchase

Amazon Book Sale: $5 Off $20 Book Purchase {Includes Many of My Favorite Reads!} | Money Saving Mom®

[prairiewindmomma]

All signs continue to point to a higher than usual cow (beef) culling this fall. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/cattle-beef/market-outlook/

The above link is what I'm hearing on the ground, also, in the area I'm familiar with. The July heat wave took out a lot of the corn and other feed crops. The remaining field corn has silked out a bit behind, and isn't looking great. Soy bloomed on time and is just starting to set pods and is doing better. Pasture looks like straw.  Honestly, when we drove through in late June and early July it didn't look great at all. We came through just as the first cutting of hay came through and if it was irrigated, it was fine, otherwise...it just wasn't. Overall herd numbers are way down from the five year average for this time of year, and that's concerning for spring replacement numbers.

Anyway, all of this is to say that if you find good beef sales this month and the next, stock up if you have the freezer room.

[Brittany1116]

$2 lunch packs for kids til Labor Day at Winn Dixie and SEG stores.

 

 

https://www.winndixie.com/press/details/southeastern-grocers-launches-low-cost-meal-program-to-fight-child-hunger?DataSource={E8B9ED87-B73E-40F3-9E37-8CC0DD0B1F99}

[historically accurate]

Can't believe it's August already!

- We have tax free week coming up next week, so we'll do school supply and clothes shopping then. We need some notebooks, planners, and misc. I should do a graphing calculator as well, but I think I'll have Middle use Oldest's since she's taking the semester off college. I've lost a size so I need another pair of pants. All of my shirts are looking a little large as well, but they're still ok.

- It's my birthday month!! 

- DH should get his raise sometime during August. That'll be nice.

- We will pay off the dentist bill this month. Middle, Youngest, and I just went for checkups and no cavities, so $0 there. DH and Oldest have appts for early Sept - hopefully, no charge.

- Gas continues to inch downward - saw $4.28 today. Of course, I filled up recently at $4.39...

- Got some extra hours in at work the past couple of weeks since my clerk had surgery and is out for a month. 

- I can't even with the grocery budget - it's just gotten ridiculous, and now we've found Youngest needs to be gluten free, which doesn't come cheap. 

[Shoeless]

I stopped by Sam's Club on July 28 for an August meat and pantry stock-up. So far, we're right on track for spending $800 total on groceries for August. I spent $380 at Sam's, $28 on four 5-gallon water jugs at Office Depot, and $85 on milk, deli meat and cheese, and fresh fruits and veggies at HEB.  The month is still young, though. We'll see how it goes.

Unfortunately, we've had the dog to the vet twice since July 1 for ear and skin infections. 😞 $600. Good things he's lovable!

It's tax-free weekend here, too, but we don't need any of the things that are usually tax-free. 

I am mostly using what I've got for curriculum this year. I've only spent $24 so far for US history part 1 from Guest Hollow. We're going to cherry-pick the bits we want to do from G.H. and fill out the rest of the year with Howard Zinn and Joy Hakim.  I still need to get the teacher manual for MCT Grammar Voyage, whatever books I need for GH, and maybe the test assessments for Joy Hakim. If we do enough of the GH workbook, maybe we don't need to do the tests for Joy Hakim. I wish I could buy a download of the test assessments! That would make life so much easier.

I saw gas for $3.47 in town today. The truck stops haven't changed prices in a week; they are still at $3.49.

[mommyoffive]

42 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

Can't believe it's August already!

- We have tax free week coming up next week, so we'll do school supply and clothes shopping then. We need some notebooks, planners, and misc. I should do a graphing calculator as well, but I think I'll have Middle use Oldest's since she's taking the semester off college. I've lost a size so I need another pair of pants. All of my shirts are looking a little large as well, but they're still ok.

- It's my birthday month!! 

- DH should get his raise sometime during August. That'll be nice.

- We will pay off the dentist bill this month. Middle, Youngest, and I just went for checkups and no cavities, so $0 there. DH and Oldest have appts for early Sept - hopefully, no charge.

- Gas continues to inch downward - saw $4.28 today. Of course, I filled up recently at $4.39...

- Got some extra hours in at work the past couple of weeks since my clerk had surgery and is out for a month. 

- I can't even with the grocery budget - it's just gotten ridiculous, and now we've found Youngest needs to be gluten free, which doesn't come cheap. 

Almost all good news.  
Happy Birthday!!  I hope you have a great day.  

Congrats on dh's raise.  

[JustEm]

How is it August already? My sister has been here for the last 2 weeks and is leaving either Sunday or Monday. My parents' have been footing the bill for all outings so that has been nice.

After she leaves we have a week of getting the house back in or and solidifying homeschool plans. Then the school year starts. with the school year starting our spending will be minimum for the rest of the month because we tend to hunker down the first 2 weeks as we get in the swing of things.

I'm still waiting to hear if my girls got any financial aid for dance. That'd determine that first end of August payment. Fingers crossed 

[HomeAgain]

We priced out coffee today, trying to see if we could save a buck by going to the grocery store instead of the roaster's.  $72.00 for 5lbs of whole bean dark roast.  Everything at the grocery store hit around $13-$14/lb, and they didn't carry the dark roasts from Maxwell House or Folgers except a tiny can of Midnight, which was $14/lb.

It works out that we could save about $5/month by switching.  However, it's more bags to go in the trash (our one big bag gets recycled at the roasting facility). We're still on the hunt, but for right now we're sticking with our usual.

 

And maybe not so frugal, but today was clean out the closets day in our house. 🙂 Taking the time to really go through things let us see what we had and what we forgot about, and adjust our life accordingly.  We found an extra set of sheets for ds's bed, and sent some towels to the doggy clinic.  We're going through the games next, giving some new life in others' homes and putting the rest in a more prominent place so we spend more family fun nights at home this fall.

[prairiewindmomma]

You might look at Costco for coffee, if you have one close. Ours still has dark roast Colombian, 3lb for $20. If you order online it's $23. It's pre-ground, so not for fussy enthusiasts, but if you were comparing to Maxwell or Folgers....https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-100%-colombian-coffee%2C-dark-roast%2C-3-lbs.product.100361434.html

ETA: Here are their whole bean options: https://www.costco.com/whole-bean-coffee.html  In warehouse, we have a lot of local options too, but I live in a coffee town. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by prairiewindmomma

[HomeAgain]

@prairiewindmomma We don't have a Costco but we do have a BJ's.  We're going to try there next. It's a little bit of a drive to get there so it'll just go on our list for the next big shopping trip.  My other idea is this: use a cheaper bean from BJ's and ease it into the roast we have to make it last longer.  I figure if I mix the two it can drop the cost to a more reasonable $10-12/lb and we still get the taste we like, even if the other coffee isn't as good on its own.

[mommyoffive]

Buy 1, Get 1 Free Nature's Bounty Vitamins on Walgreens.com (Prices from $2.25) (hip2save.com)

[historically accurate]

13 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Buy 1, Get 1 Free Nature's Bounty Vitamins on Walgreens.com (Prices from $2.25) (hip2save.com)

Oooh, thanks! I did that and bought DD's CoQ10 (had a $3 coupon too) and some Vitamin C - I had some rewards points, so I got both for $9, normally would be $35ish.

[mommyoffive]

Build a FREE LEGO Red Brick Mini Model on August 10th & 11th (hip2save.com)

[mommyoffive]

saw gas for 3.57 this weekend.  filled up.

did some clothing shopping on Costco for the family.  Was going to have some of it be for back to school, but I will probably hold it for christmas.  I need to do a lot more clothes, shoes, boots, and coat shopping.  Oh and forgot new backpacks.   Everyone is growing and wearing things out.  

Kids need some new leos and tights after all these intensives.  They are still doing them.  But I think everyone except the youngest is good for shoes at this point.

did some travel hacking

signed some kids up for some camps.

 

 

[mommyoffive]

Lands' End Kids Waterproof Parkas Just $33.98 (Regularly $120) (hip2save.com)

good deal on coats.

[prairiewindmomma]

We buy these squall jackets from Lands End and they are good!! They are truly waterproof.

[heartlikealion]

@mommyoffive camps? How long do they run or is this considered an end of summer camp? 

My kids returned to school this week. Every time I turn around their school picks a new uniform distributor. Last year was Land’s End (polo with school logo ran like $40). But the kids can continue to wear the LE stuff this year. The new place is more affordable but xh is still waiting on orders. They ship to the school now to save. I don’t think they care where the bottoms come from but the tops with logo are more complicated. I’m not 100% sure. Anyway unless xh requests money, I assume my child support will just have to help. He says it goes straight to tuition, though. He got dd a new backpack & lunch bag. I have 2 of her lunch bags here. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them. They’re still functional backups or for other outings. 

My boss proposed this side gig and then never followed up after my last email so I dropped it. It’s not worth it. 

I am still waiting on my car title so haven’t started paying auto ins yet. 

I was mistaken about being hired by Tutor Me Education. If you read the email closely they say you can move forward with the application process (after an initial misleading you’ve been accepted type thing). I didn’t have time to devote to watching the tutorials etc yet but there is no curricula. I think it operates like Wyzant where you just book through them. Probably not even a practical source of side income unless you find families that want virtual lessons so you save gas. I may eventually finish setting it up. 

Still moving into my new home and a little annoyed about bugs and rodents. Clearly this home has bugs so I ordered food grade Diatomaceous Earth but what a pain. There’s a critter (or more) running through my walls/attic??? I told the landlord but not sure how they will handle it. The man wanted to put poison in the entrance he saw outside but I’d rather they use another method. I see no entry to the attic from inside so I can’t even look for droppings etc. The wife agrees with me we’d rather try to get them out another way. But it’s not my money so who knows if they will hire a critter catcher or what. 

I need to figure out a supplemental income. I sold my a/c window unit yesterday. I’m still debating about doing a booth at the school fall fest this year. I don’t know if you need a cottage license to sell baked goods at this type of event. Obviously I need to deal with the ants etc first. But I have baked here and am very careful with my food - don’t leave it on the counter unattended. I set up a card table, actually. 

I learned the hard way that things mold on the counter fast. I threw out a bag of peaches and pineapple last week. I have peaches in my fridge but they’re hard so I took a couple out at a time to ripen. 

My dad says I need a higher paying job (I’m still in a contract with this job til Feb) but I’m not sure a) if that’s practical here and b) at what cost — lose flexibility to pick up kids from school etc. I guess I’d just pay for after school care for dd on those days if I had to. But after school goes til like 5:30 or 6 and if I worked in the city I’d be late to pick up. Ugh I’m probably overthinking it. 

No one believes me when I say I don’t qualify for govt/state programs. My neighbor told me to apply for this discount on phone service but per usual it’s based on income/household size and I make too much as a 1 person household. I don’t get to claim kids as dependents. 

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

@mommyoffive camps? How long do they run or is this considered an end of summer camp? 

My kids returned to school this week. Every time I turn around their school picks a new uniform distributor. Last year was Land’s End (polo with school logo ran like $40). But the kids can continue to wear the LE stuff this year. The new place is more affordable but xh is still waiting on orders. They ship to the school now to save. I don’t think they care where the bottoms come from but the tops with logo are more complicated. I’m not 100% sure. Anyway unless xh requests money, I assume my child support will just have to help. He says it goes straight to tuition, though. He got dd a new backpack & lunch bag. I have 2 of her lunch bags here. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them. They’re still functional backups or for other outings. 

My boss proposed this side gig and then never followed up after my last email so I dropped it. It’s not worth it. 

I am still waiting on my car title so haven’t started paying auto ins yet. 

I was mistaken about being hired by Tutor Me Education. If you read the email closely they say you can move forward with the application process (after an initial misleading you’ve been accepted type thing). I didn’t have time to devote to watching the tutorials etc yet but there is no curricula. I think it operates like Wyzant where you just book through them. Probably not even a practical source of side income unless you find families that want virtual lessons so you save gas. I may eventually finish setting it up. 

Still moving into my new home and a little annoyed about bugs and rodents. Clearly this home has bugs so I ordered food grade Diatomaceous Earth but what a pain. There’s a critter (or more) running through my walls/attic??? I told the landlord but not sure how they will handle it. The man wanted to put poison in the entrance he saw outside but I’d rather they use another method. I see no entry to the attic from inside so I can’t even look for droppings etc. The wife agrees with me we’d rather try to get them out another way. But it’s not my money so who knows if they will hire a critter catcher or what. 

I need to figure out a supplemental income. I sold my a/c window unit yesterday. I’m still debating about doing a booth at the school fall fest this year. I don’t know if you need a cottage license to sell baked goods at this type of event. Obviously I need to deal with the ants etc first. But I have baked here and am very careful with my food - don’t leave it on the counter unattended. I set up a card table, actually. 

I learned the hard way that things mold on the counter fast. I threw out a bag of peaches and pineapple last week. I have peaches in my fridge but they’re hard so I took a couple out at a time to ripen. 

My dad says I need a higher paying job (I’m still in a contract with this job til Feb) but I’m not sure a) if that’s practical here and b) at what cost — lose flexibility to pick up kids from school etc. I guess I’d just pay for after school care for dd on those days if I had to. But after school goes til like 5:30 or 6 and if I worked in the city I’d be late to pick up. Ugh I’m probably overthinking it. 

No one believes me when I say I don’t qualify for govt/state programs. My neighbor told me to apply for this discount on phone service but per usual it’s based on income/household size and I make too much as a 1 person household. I don’t get to claim kids as dependents. 

Most schools around us start after Labor day.  Some of the camps around us go all the way through the end of August. So still more time to do them.  My kids used to start after Labor Day but the school changed last year and they go back Sept 1st now.  They get out early in May so it works out nicely.

 

I am sorry about all the issues at the new place.  I hope the ants and the critter get handled.  

I hope you can find some side income. 

[plansrme]

If anyone shops at Publix, our local Publixes (sp?) have a coupon in their flyer for $10 off of a $50 gas card with a $50 grocery  purchase. If you don't have the flyer, you can print it off online. We split our shopping into two trips because Publix #1 was out of something anyway so we could get it twice.

Edited August 13, 2022 by plansrme
requires $50 grocery (not gas) purchase

[HomeAgain]

I haven't check in here this month!  Oops! 

We don't have ds12's school supply list yet.  It's frustrating, but eh.  I think we're well stocked.  We missed the sales at Target last month on the graphing calculators but found the TI-84 CE+ color graphing one on Amazon for $114.  Not as good as $99, but better than the $160 in stores this weekend!

And his new coach seems to be on the ball.  He signed the kids up for an out of state tournament in January 2023.  We know this because he already sent out the info rather than waiting until November/December so parents won't be scrambling to finance the weekend. He has given everyone enough time to budget it in, along with figuring out work schedules and any fundraisers the kids want to do.  Can I say I'm thrilled?  It'll be ds's first experience with a tournament like this and one long overdue.

Meals this week have cost $150 out of pocket.  It's been a nice, relaxed, "Chopped" inspired bit of meal planning to clean out the fridge.  We've done egg-roll-in-a-bowl (needs some tweaking), shakshouka, cheese ravioli w/ homemade sauce, pork chops & mashed potatoes, quesadillas, and tonight is bbq chicken night (homemade sauce). Most of what we've been picking up has been fruits and vegetables, milk and cheese.  I'm attempting to cut down our sugar consumption more, if at all possible.  It's hiding in a lot of things.  At least in the bbq sauce we're controlling how much.

Final for this week - we got to turn the AC off.  YAY!!  The first week of August it was set at 78 & turning off unused zones.  Mostly just enough to keep the humidity down.  This week we have all the windows open.  I'm hoping for the electric bill to not be TOO high this month!

[prairiewindmomma]

Amazon's algorithms have the Mr. Buddy heaters (indoor/outdoor safe propane heaters) at really good prices right now if anyone is looking to boost their emergency preparedness in case of power outage or to extend their camping season. I just bought the small F232000 MH9BX one for $70 (normally $100ish). The one I bought is too small to heat a large living area--there are larger ones for that...but we seem to have hit the low point in the pricing cycle. 

ETA: amazon says that it's MSRP is $146, and that it's 57% off....that's a bit misleading since most other places carry it for around $100.  Here's the camelcamelcamel price history if that helps: https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B002G51BZU?context=search

Edited August 13, 2022 by prairiewindmomma

[mommyoffive]

FREE LEGO 90th Anniversary Mini Castle w/ $50 LEGO Purchase at Walmart (In-Store & Online) (hip2save.com)

[mommyoffive]

Walmart Toy Clerance is going on

 

[heartlikealion]

I'm part of a local nanny/babysitter agency but hadn't had any luck with bookings until tonight. They needed someone to agree to an overnight stay. The kids are school age so I agreed. I wasn't going to touch that assignment with a 10 ft pole if they were in diapers lol. They need me from 4:30pm Sat-1:30pm Sun. I mulled it over and came up with a flat rate for the entire job. The biggest obstacle is trying to go to church which I'll have to do on Sun night so I'll have to kill time between 1:30-4:45 pm. I feel like I'm in the adult Babysitter's Club. The parents say what they need and then one of us takes the job. We have a chat app we use to talk to each other now. 

At this point I have no idea if I need to do meals or what, but I'm ok with pretty much whatever. I'll bring a game or two from my house, too since they are near dd's age. 

I decided if I do the fall fest booth one thing I could make is scrunchies. 

I never got around to visiting the Asian market again, but I did make chicken stir fry this weekend and the kids liked it. Dd doesn't like cooked carrots but ate them up in the dish. I put some in the freezer for their next visit. I don't think it's as good as some of the restaurants, but I'm pretty sure the sauces used are the key to replicating that and I just used soy sauce. Plus the cooking oil? I use olive oil because it has a higher smoke point. 

[HomeAgain]

9 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I never got around to visiting the Asian market again, but I did make chicken stir fry this weekend and the kids liked it. Dd doesn't like cooked carrots but ate them up in the dish. I put some in the freezer for their next visit. I don't think it's as good as some of the restaurants, but I'm pretty sure the sauces used are the key to replicating that and I just used soy sauce. Plus the cooking oil? I use olive oil because it has a higher smoke point. 

Two staples get added to our sauces: a teaspoon of honey and a little bit of fish sauce.  The honey adds that restaurant-like flavor (except they use way too much corn syrup or sugar) and the fish sauce deepens the umami, making it feel more complex.  It's the first basic sauce my kids learn before we start adding things like acid, fragrance, and spice.

[heartlikealion]

5 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

Two staples get added to our sauces: a teaspoon of honey and a little bit of fish sauce.  The honey adds that restaurant-like flavor (except they use way too much corn syrup or sugar) and the fish sauce deepens the umami, making it feel more complex.  It's the first basic sauce my kids learn before we start adding things like acid, fragrance, and spice.

Maybe I could just try the honey because I'm scared of the fish sauce. Anytime I've had rice made with oyster sauce I'm so grossed out, it ruins the whole dish for me. I mean I've tried a couple made that way and don't want to finish them. I do have one really good sauce here but I hesitated to use it on the whole pan of rice as it seemed like overkill (sugar). It's the PF Chang's sesame sauce, but it's not really the flavor I'm trying to replicate on rice, anyway. 

Last night got cash back from Rakuten. It was like $9. I try to shop through Rakuten when I make my walmart purchases and a few other places. It doesn't work with Amazon, unfortunately. 

[mommyoffive]

Bought some vitamins on sale on Amazon.  We will see if they come.  I ordered the same vitamins in June before my kids left for the summer and they said they would be here before they left.  They never came.  They postponed the date and then finally cancelled the order.  However the whole time you could still order them.  Had a gift card from this that order so it was a little bit out of pocket.

 

Some good deals on Lego that are 40% off

Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft 10291 | LEGO® ICONS™ | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US

Camp Nou – FC Barcelona 10284 | LEGO® ICONS™ | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US

 

 

 

[heartlikealion]

I joined a bowling league as a substitute. The normal rate is $17/night for the players, but apparently subs don't pay that fee. We all pay a one time fee in the beginning (bowling association fees etc). I mentioned I wanted to practice and they told me that I get a discount on the practice bowling, too. So last night I went to the bowling alley and got 3 games for $5 (including shoes). I was stoked. I did really well my third game (for me it was probably my highest game to date - 174). The reason I asked to be a sub is because I knew I couldn't make the commitment/fees of the full league. I didn't know subs bowled free, though. 

Bad news, ds had a freak accident yesterday and involved a trip to the hospital. He got stitches and a CT scan. Thankfully he's okay. He's on xh's insurance and it's kinda crappy (have to meet a deductible before they pay for just about anything). Bracing myself for 50% of that huge bill. 

Good news I got a free toaster oven from a facebook group that lists items for porch pick up etc. My last one sucked so bad I got rid of it when I moved. 

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I joined a bowling league as a substitute. The normal rate is $17/night for the players, but apparently subs don't pay that fee. We all pay a one time fee in the beginning (bowling association fees etc). I mentioned I wanted to practice and they told me that I get a discount on the practice bowling, too. So last night I went to the bowling alley and got 3 games for $5 (including shoes). I was stoked. I did really well my third game (for me it was probably my highest game to date - 174). The reason I asked to be a sub is because I knew I couldn't make the commitment/fees of the full league. I didn't know subs bowled free, though. 

Bad news, ds had a freak accident yesterday and involved a trip to the hospital. He got stitches and a CT scan. Thankfully he's okay. He's on xh's insurance and it's kinda crappy (have to meet a deductible before they pay for just about anything). Bracing myself for 50% of that huge bill. 

Good news I got a free toaster oven from a facebook group that lists items for porch pick up etc. My last one sucked so bad I got rid of it when I moved. 

I am so sorry about your ds.  I hope he is ok and is recovering well.

[mommyoffive]

Flight deals again to Europe on SAS airlines.  Economy is $400s and $500s.  P. Economy is in the $600s. 

[prairiewindmomma]

16 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Flight deals again to Europe on SAS airlines.  Economy is $400s and $500s.  P. Economy is in the $600s. 

Which airport were you pricing out of? I am going to have to look at connectors because direct out of Sacramento or LA are running over 2000.

[prairiewindmomma]

Amazon and Etsy continue to have softer pricing on goods—especially those from Europe. I have been picking up a few things from my long term wish lists while we have a strong dollar. I feel only the slightest guilt buying my own Christmas presents! 😁😉

The latest is a Marcato Atlas pasta maker. They usually sit around $100, I got it for under $70. It’s been hit or miss finding certain pasta in the stores for a couple of years now—and my noodle cutting skills with just a knife are pretty bad. 🤦 It’s a splurge for sure, but no more than a meal in a restaurant these days, and fresh pasta is so much better than boxed stuff.

[mommyoffive]

36 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Which airport were you pricing out of? I am going to have to look at connectors because direct out of Sacramento or LA are running over 2000.

O'hare

When are you looking to go?  I am seeing 500s for out of LA.   Not sure when you are looking at going and where.

This is an email from Scott's Cheap Flights more about the deal

SAS is coming in hot with a stunner of a deal to cities across Europe, from north to south. Note that for many of these routes, better prices and/or wider availability can be found if you don't mind a long stop in Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Oslo en route. If this appeals to you, try running a search without the layover filters on, and be sure to check out our Layover Guide to Copenhagen if you opt for a long stop there. 

And if you're headed that way you'll want to check out our guides to Denmark, Estonia, Bavaria, Dublin, Bologna, Amsterdam, Oslo, or London. 

Fare details:
Basic economy.
Baggage-inclusive upgrade: SAS, $27 each way. Aer Lingus, $65 each way.

 

Some routes work as open-jaw. This means you can fly into one city & depart from another. Perfect for visiting multiple cities on one trip. Keep in mind you’re responsible for getting yourself to the second airport for the return flight.

NORMAL PRICE: $800+ roundtrip

FROM

Chicago ORD 

TO ROUNDTRIP

Brussels BRU$444

Aalborg AAL$516

Aarhus AAR$515

Tallinn TLL$427

Paris CDG$447

Düsseldorf DUS$518

Bologna BLQ$477

Milan MXP$448

Riga RIX$463

Vilnius VNO$461

Amsterdam AMS$447

Bergen BGO$491

Oslo OSL$491

Stavanger SVG$497

Gdansk GDN$505

Gothenburg GOT$511

Stockholm ARN Nonstop $497

Geneva GVA$444

Zurich ZRH$490

London LHR$496

Manchester MAN$490

Edited August 18, 2022 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

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[prairiewindmomma]

I have friends in Denmark, the Netherlands, and elsewhere so I am pretty open to city. Thanks, I will look again!

[JustEm]

Finally heard back about financial aid for the girls' ballet tuition. Dd12 got 50% off and dd7 got 20% off so that frees up a nice chunk of money from our budget!!!

[mommyoffive]

5 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Finally heard back about financial aid for the girls' ballet tuition. Dd12 got 50% off and dd7 got 20% off so that frees up a nice chunk of money from our budget!!!

Yay.

[mommyoffive]

trying to resist buying some more airline tickets with that SAS deal.   

Added up ballet tuition for the this year as 4 kids moved up.  Still cheaper paying for all 5(dancing more days and hours) than having my 2 oldest in their old school.  

Tons of school supplies coming everyday.  Just got an expensive calculator for oldest from the school. 

[mommyoffive]

Ok, I think I can't resist this.  $486 Premium Economy flights to Dublin.

[mommyoffive]

Making all the doc/ortho/dentist apts before school starts.  Normally I would have already done the doctor ones for the kids, but we were gone the entire summer so apt fest starts next week.   Just called for eye ones and found out we haven't been in since 2014.  I feel horrible.  I didn't know it was that long ago.  They get quick eye checks at the doctor, but man I feel bad.

[mommyoffive]

Doing a ton of home improvement projects this weekend.  The kids are all working on them with dh. All the stuff we bought already so nothing out of pocket for all the work they are doing.  

[historically accurate]

Went to a college fair with Middle today. 3 more colleges went on her list. Cost: only a meal from Culver's (and college tuition hahaha).

Urgent care trip for oldest this morning. She swore her shoulder was out of socket. Turns out it was not, but they think there is a hairline fracture in it. Needs an MRI. Well, that'll bring us to max out of pocket for the family in medical this year. Medical visits for EVERYONE from here to December!!

DH's bonus was less than expected - he got spun off to a different division's bonus system, and their system is harder to make the goals than his previous one's. But we're expecting it first paycheck in September - it goes to pay for oldest's eyeglasses since hers just broke.

I worked a few more hours than normal due to my clerk being out on medical, so my last paycheck and next one are a little bigger than normal.

Saw my first gas under $4 today! Whoo-hoo!

All in all, making some itty-bitty progress here.

 

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

Went to a college fair with Middle today. 3 more colleges went on her list. Cost: only a meal from Culver's (and college tuition hahaha).

Urgent care trip for oldest this morning. She swore her shoulder was out of socket. Turns out it was not, but they think there is a hairline fracture in it. Needs an MRI. Well, that'll bring us to max out of pocket for the family in medical this year. Medical visits for EVERYONE from here to December!!

DH's bonus was less than expected - he got spun off to a different division's bonus system, and their system is harder to make the goals than his previous one's. But we're expecting it first paycheck in September - it goes to pay for oldest's eyeglasses since hers just broke.

I worked a few more hours than normal due to my clerk being out on medical, so my last paycheck and next one are a little bigger than normal.

Saw my first gas under $4 today! Whoo-hoo!

All in all, making some itty-bitty progress here.

 

What grade is your middle dd in?  

I hope your dd doesn't have a fracture.  Boo on medical bills.

Boo on the bonus be smaller but yay for the extra on the paychecks.

[historically accurate]

4 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

What grade is your middle dd in?  

I hope your dd doesn't have a fracture.  Boo on medical bills.

Boo on the bonus be smaller but yay for the extra on the paychecks.

Middle DD just started her junior year. She wants to go into nursing, so she's actually pretty easy to "shop for a college" for. She wants a small college/direct admit to nursing. Today was CTCL' fair (Colleges that Change Lives).

Youngest is a sophomore and has NO idea what she wants to do. She doesn't even know if she wants to go to college, but she doesn't know what else she wants to do. She may just start at the community college here.

Oldest is taking the year off to decide if she wants to return and to heal up her knee (surgery this summer) and apparently her shoulder now too!