Free Kids Bowling This Summer

Looking for a fun and frugal family activity for the summer? Kids can bowl 2 free games per day at participating bowling centers. My nephew took advantage of this last summer and had a blast! Find participating bowling centers near you.

My Fear of Sewing Machines

I am afraid of my sewing machine.

(It's okay, I'll wait while you have a good laugh.)

My friend Shari posted this SUPER-CUTE maternity re-make, taking a "tent-ish" shirt and ruching the sides. She had originally found the directions from Jill. This is a cute maternity re-fashion, but it can be done for regular shirts, too. I just saw a girl's shirt for sale at Target that had this exact ruching method, with the elastic stitched down the inside. Both ladies said it was "super simple" and "very easy", which I'm sure it is for most people. But I'm not most people.

Yes, I took home-ec in middle school and learned how to work a sewing machine. Yes, I own a small "mighty mender" I got from my mom. Yes, I've tried to use it more than once in the past 10 years, but those attempts were unsuccessful. I can sew on a patch or a button with a needle and thread, but I'm just not good with my sewing machine. Usually I can live with that.

But I REALLY wanted to try this project, since I have several "tent-ish" maternity shirts that I would love to update (like the one pictured here--sorry, I'm not a good photographer, either!). Shari and Jill made it look and sound easy--Shari said it took her 10 minutes. But they both used a sewing machine. Hmmmm. . . how was I going to do this?

I decided to try with a needle and thread. (pausing for snickering--it's okay, I deserve it) I knew it would take longer this way, but I reasoned it would take me twice as long to get out the machine and figure out how to work it. Plus, a needle and thread doesn't scare me. I sorta got the idea, but it didn't turn out right. The stitches just weren't close enough together.

But I STILL really wanted to try it. Ted said I should invite over a friend who isn't scared of sewing machines and watch all the kids while she zipped through my shirts for me. This probably wasn't a bad idea, but I was too embarrassed. I decided to face my fear of THE MIGHTY MENDER. I'm the mom of (almost) 5 girls. I should probably get this fear under control, don't you think?

I brought it up from the basement and set it up. I didn't want to deal with changing the thread and re-threading the bobbin and all that, so I decided that the cream thread that was in the machine would work fine with a light pink shirt (don't look too closely, okay?).

I got everything all set to go and was still in the process of psyching myself up when one of the girls noticed me. "SISTERS!! Mommy has the sewing machine out!" Great--now I have an audience--as if I wasn't nervous enough! Of course they wanted to help, so I thought things through. I was still trying to figure out how to pull the shirt through the machine WHILE stretching the elastic AND hit the on and off button, all while trying to keep things relatively straight on a machine I was afraid of. I decided help wouldn't be so bad.

I held the shirt and fed it through while H stretched the elastic. G was in charge of the on/off button. Because the "psyching myself up" process had taken so long, M and F had lost interest. I assured H that the machine was going to turn on and things would start to move kinda fast, but that I wouldn't run over her fingers. She didn't seem scared at all. I was practically shaking! I took a few deep breaths and said, "let's do it!"

The machine whirred to life and whisked along quickly. I wished I could slow it down! We had a miscommunication which caused a minor flub-up, but we got one side done. An hour later H helped me with the other side. It's not very neat (remember, you promised not to look closely), but here are the results. If you see me wearing this in person, please DON'T ask to see my stitching! It's not as cute as Shari's, but I think it is better than it used to be.

Maybe one of my girls will have a desire to become a seamstress someday. Or maybe they'll have a talent with sewing machines (which to me would mean they could sew a straight line without freaking out). I can hope that knowing how to sew skips a generation in my family (read "their grandmothers can teach them")! Despite my fear, I will try not to quench their desires.

In case one of you wants to try this, here's the basic idea. It is simple--even though it took me over an hour. If you aren't afraid of your sewing machine, I'm sure it won't take you nearly that long! Take a piece of elastic and sew it onto the bottom of your shirt along the side seam, about an inch up. Then STRETCH the elastic while you machine-sew up the shirt, preferably almost to about the bust-line (mine didn't quite go up far enough, but oh well). I meant to buy some elastic last weekend but forgot, so I took the elastic band out of some of H's adjustable waist jeans that had gotten holes in the knees. So for me, this project was free (monetarily, not emotionally)! :-)

Sugary Cereal Mom Tip

One thing you may not know about me--I am a cereal mixer! Our family has been mixing cereal and oatmeal for years, but it occurred to me that many of you might not know this tip. Like most kids, ours like sugary cereals (okay, adults often do too!). To cut down on the sugar, we always mix a more sugary cereal with a healthier cereal (like plain Cheerios or Kix). Often our girls will mix 3 or even 4 kinds of cereal in their bowls! This doesn't only cut down on the sugar, but it makes the "yummy" cereals last longer. Here, H has mixed Kix, Blueberry Special K, and plain Life (hey, she hit three cereal companies!).

We do the same thing with oatmeal. They pick a flavored oatmeal packet which we pour into a bowl, and then we add some plain minute oats before microwaving. Again, it makes the "yummy" oatmeal last longer and cuts down on the sugar content. Now Quaker makes some reduced sugar packets, but we still mix them with plain oatmeal (though we might add a sprinkle of cinnamon or some craisins to sweeten if it needs it).

We've been cutting down on the sugar content of our cereal for years, and now General Mills wants to help, which I think is great! My Blog Spark and General Mills recently sent me some free coupons to promote the fact that they are going to lower the sugar content in their cereals. If you would like more information about cereal and kids, you can visit Cereal Health and Wellness on the General Mills website. You can also get some good coupons for General Mills cereals by clicking here (you can print it twice).

My Blog Spark and General Mills provided the coupons, links and wellness information. I didn't need the free cereal coupons (I used internet printables on my cereal deal this week and still came out better than free!), so I shared them with a friend.

Frugal Phonics Games

The following is a guest post from Angela at The Suburban Jungle.

I have been working with my children on learning letter sounds (phonics) since they were little. They love "playing" phonics. Here are some of the tools we use to learn phonics. They can be used for children as young as two (great for increasing vocabulary) and are especially fun for 3 and 4 year olds.The first picture is of a cork board I filled with each letter and sound group (I also included sh, oo, th, and ch). Then I used a tack to put an object near the letter that starts with the same sound of that letter. We made up tons of games with this board. The accompanying item is great for 3 year olds to make the sound association and serves as a fun reminder for 4 year olds.These are our phonics packets. I made one for each letter, A-Z, and the combination sounds (sh, oo, ch, th). I used ziploc bags (simple and see-through), then filled them with small items that begin with the same letter sound.

Here is a sample of a few of the pieces I collected for the letter R. In the picture, there is a Ram, Ring, Rock, Rim, Rose, Rooster, Robot, and Raisin Bran. Some of the letter packs are easy to fill (S, M, P, for example) and some are tough (x, y, z) but you can find pieces for each letter. I used small toys, things from my "junk" drawer, everyday items, and magazine and box cutouts.

The best part of these phonics tools is that you can make them for free, from things all children have laying around in their rooms or playrooms. And kids think it's fun to play with all the manipulative pieces.

All You Challenge-Week 3

During this All You Challenge, some people have been living off their stockpile or staying home to try to keep their weekly OOP as low as possible. We've been living life as normal, to show that even when you are on a budget, you can "splurge" and eat out without breaking the bank.

The first week we were on vacation, so we had to eat out, but we only spent $63.74 for a family of 6 by using up what we already had, eating simply at restaurants, and shopping wisely.

Week 2 we celebrated a birthday, and I didn't want to skip our normal routine of eating at Red Robin to celebrate just because *I* wanted to do the challenge. We even splurged a couple other times that week. But again, with shopping wisely, using coupons at restaurants, etc, we only spent $89.52 for week 2, well within our $150 budget.

This week my hubby and I had a date night planned and we went to Outback--his request--and again, *I* am the one who wanted to do the challenge, so I wanted to be able to show that you don't have to deprive yourself or your family in order to live within a budget. We used coupons, ordered water to drink and had dessert at home instead of at the restaurant, which are things we usually do anyway, so this special night out didn't break the bank (and we even had leftovers for lunch the next day!). And again, because I shop sales and coupons, we were still within our budget at the end of the week. If you'd like to see our week's menu plans, click here.

Outback: $16.44 including tip (Ordered Bloomin' Onion, two 6 oz. sirloins which came with salad and a side, and a side of 'shrooms)
(used free bloomin' onion coupon for doing a survey and $10 off 2 entrees coupon)
Groceries: $40.87

TOTAL All You Week 3 Spending: $57.31

Weekly Grocery Run

This week was slow for deals at the grocery store, which was fine for my budget. :-) I only did two transactions and doubled ten coupons. I bought 33 items and spent $35.79.

I also stopped at Aldi really quickly to check out their produce (which wasn't stellar that day, unfortunately). I did buy 5 items that I knew were cheaper there than at the grocery store, for a

total of $6.66.

Grocery Spending: $42.45

For purposes of the All You Grocery Challenge, I only spent $40.87. I bought 2 boxes of Ziploc baggies which I got for $0.79 each after coupons, so I subtracted those from my total.

Though it was a slow week for deals, I was able to get a few things for free with coupons. And because I shop the deals, stockpile, and cook ahead from week to week, I can make a balanced menu plan without having to buy too many things that aren't on sale, which saves us money. If you are new to couponing and want to know how to get started, you can check out my 6 Part "Coupon 101" course here (scroll down to the bottom).

On a side note, I opened up my blog to anonymous comments last week, and someone who probably doesn't know me and obviously doesn't follow my blog on a regular basis left a pretty rude comment saying that the reason I don't spend a lot on groceries is because all my family eats is processed foods. I hear this type of objection a lot from people who don't coupon, and it just isn't true. If you are used to shopping for groceries one week at a time, and then you look at only one week's grocery picture on my blog, you might wonder what in the world we are going to eat that week! However, I have started posting our menu plans (and can continue to do so, if it is helpful to people--just let me know by leaving a comment), and you can see that I do serve fruits, veggies, protein, dairy, etc. The key is just shopping smarter, buying what is on sale, and using from the pantry and freezer stockpile when it's not. That's why you won't see all the food we eat each week pictured in one weekly grocery trip because we also get fruits and veggies from the garden, pantry, and freezer. I realize not everyone shops and thinks this way, which is why I wanted to talk about it. Don't write off stockpiling, couponing or trying to save money just because you think processed foods are all you'll get. If you are willing to change your shopping habits a bit, you will save money!

And while we are talking about menu plans, here was our menu for this week:

Breakfasts: Scrambled eggs and toast, grapes, Eggo products, blueberries, cereal, Egg, ham and cheese sandwiches, pancakes; milk
Lunches: Macaroni and Cheese, baby carrots and dip, applesauce, leftovers, grapes, PB&J, blueberries, string cheese, raspberries and tomatoes from the garden; milk
Dinners: Chicken a la King over noodles, biscuits, asparagus and salad; Outback; Easy Enchiladas and salad with tomatoes from our garden; Brats or hot dogs, corn on the cob, Smiles potatoes and baby carrots; Boneless Pork Ribs, mashed potatoes, and salad; Homemade Pizza; milk

All You Challenge Week 2

Time to check in for week 2 of the All You Grocery Challenge! At the beginning of the week I had to fill up our refrigerator since we were on vacation for three weeks. Because double coupon day is Wednesday, I tried hard to not go to the grocery store until then. However, I did stop at Aldi to pick up some milk, eggs, ham, and fruit. Otherwise for meals we used what we had in the freezer and pantry. I'm so thankful I shop ahead to keep my pantry stocked and sometimes cook enough to freeze for later! This way I know there is food in the house even after I return from out of town. If you'd like some freezer tips and recipes, click here.

Our meal plan for this week:
Breakfasts: Cereal, bananas, Eggo products, blueberries, egg sandwiches, strawberries, pancakes and sausage, milk
Lunches: PB&J, applesauce, string cheese, ham and cheese wraps, strawberries, leftovers, chips, grapes, yogurt, milk or juice
Dinners: Mahndu and "Healthified Fried Rice" and tomatoes from our garden; Lasagna, Garlic Bread and Salad; Culver's, Alfredo Pasta and Broccoli; Red Robin; Barbecue Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus; Frozen Pizza; Tacos, Quesadillas, and chips; milk

We celebrated H's birthday this week by going out to Red Robin for dinner. We saved some money by using 2 coupons (free kid's meal from the birthday club and $2 off from filling out a comment card at a previous visit), ordering water for the adults to drink (which we usually do) and Ted and I split a meal. H and G got kid's meals (one was free) and for M and F we ordered 2 sides of grilled cheese for $1.29 each. This was a tip that a Red Robin server passed on to me several years ago, and their grilled cheese sandwiches are SO good! Because it was H's birthday, the server brought 4 free ice cream sundaes for our family to share. H also got some free ice cream from Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone Creamery for her birthday for signing up for their birthday clubs, which you can do here and here. Another day we went to Culver's for some Butterburgers during their anniversary celebration. Not everyone wanted one, so Ted picked up three on his way home from work and we supplemented with broccoli and noodles we had on hand.

Aldi: $11.37
Groceries: $49.73
Red Robin: $21 including 25% tip (she did a great job!)
Culver's: $3.15
Candy at the mall: $4.27 (a splurge after family pictures)
H's birthday ice cream: $0
TOTAL: $89.52

So even though we splurged a bit on eating out this week, we were still well within our All You weekly allotment of $150 for a family of six!

This Week's Groceries

I had fun on double coupon day again! Honestly, it is such a rush for me that I can start shopping with a splitting headache and it will be gone when I am finished, even if I do four separate transactions in one hour! This might be the opposite for some of you, I realize! ;-) I know not everyone enjoys couponing, but I find it very rewarding to be saving our family so much money in this way.

We returned from a three week vacation on Sunday night. Our refrigerator was pretty bare, so I made a quick run to Aldi for a few staples to tide us over until my big shopping day on Wednesday. Because I shop ahead and keep food in the pantry and freezer, we had plenty of food on hand. Milk, eggs and fresh fruit were the biggest needs, so that's what we picked up. The girls all really like sliced ham, too, so I picked that up as well to use for lunches. My total at Aldi was $11.37.

I did four separate transactions at the grocery store on Wednesday in order to maximize my coupon savings. Because I take the time to do this, I am able to shave SO much off of our bill. I also try to shop mainly for the things that are on sale, which helps us save even more.

I was able to get these items for FREE: Dawn soap x3, Cascade rinse agent, Kellogg's cereal x5, Jennie-O ground turkey

These items were less than $1: Hunt's pudding x3, taco seasoning x2, Ronzoni pasta x2, Pasta Roni x10 (the girls favorite), Eggo Bake Shop x3, Capri Sun, bananas, lettuce, Kraft sliced cheese x4

These items were more than $1 but were on sale or I had a coupon that made them a great deal: ground beef, strawberries x2, red grapes, asparagus, Redi-Whip, Dannon yogurt x2, milk x4, deli ham

My total after sales and before coupons was over $100 (before the sale prices I think it was more like $130). My total after coupons was $49.73 for 50 items! Gotta love that!

What kind of deals did you snag this week?

All You Challenge-Week 1 Recap

We've finished the first week of the All You Grocery Challenge. Since we were on vacation, we spent more on eating out this weekend as we were driving back. We ate breakfast before leaving on Saturday and then had a continental breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning. Our lunches and dinners were at fast food places. We saved money by not ordering drinks (we normally don't anyway), ordering off the dollar menus (which we usually do anyway) and supplementing with snacks in the car. We try not to eat too much when we are on the road because we aren't really getting much exercise, so if we eat too much, we end up getting "yucky tummies". Here's the breakdown of our eating out this weekend.

Lunch at Cook Out: $16.24
Mocha at McDonalds: $2.96 (Ted needs some coffee on the road and it's a treat to get a yummy mocha. He used to get his traveling treats at Starbucks, but he's found that the mochas at McD's are good and over $1 less.)
Dinner at McDonald's: $7.93
Lunch at Taco Bell: $11.26
Mocha at McDonalds: $3.63
Dinner at McDonalds: $6.35

Eating Out: $48.37
Groceries: $15.37
Total for Week 1 (July 13-19): $63.74

This is well under our family's All You allotment of $150 a week, but is just about right on according to our normal expenses. Since we were on vacation, we spent less on groceries and more on eating out and it almost evened out.

Are you participating in this challenge? If so, how did you do?

All You Grocery Challenge

The All You Grocery Challenge started this week! Are you participating by tracking your food spending? We are! You get $25 per person per week, which includes all food items, both groceries and eating out. This week we haven't spent too much yet, as we're using a lot of things we had on hand. Here's our rough menu plan for this week:

Breakfasts: Eggo products, cereal, pancakes and bacon, fruit; milk or juice

Lunches: PB&J sandwiches, fruit, cheese, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, leftovers; milk or juice

Dinners: Camp Chicken and broccoli, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and salad, Chicken a la King and salad, Salsa Chili and chips, Chicken Alfredo and broccoli, Taco Bell; milk or juice

Snacks: Crackers, graham crackers, Goldfish, cheese, fruit, cereal

This was my grocery trip this week. I spent $15.37 on items to supplement what we already had in the cupboards and freezer. We might have more eating out this weekend, but we have plenty of room in our weekly budget of $150, so I'm not worried at all! My shopping trip next week will look more like normal, since our refrigerator and will be pretty bare, but "normal" for me is around $50-$60 a week. I shouldn't have any trouble staying within the All You budget.

It's been fun to have this challenge to spark conversation with my sister and my parents about their grocery and eating out habits. My dad likes the thrill of couponing and I wish we could shop together every week. My sister spends WAY too much money on eating out because she feels like she doesn't have time or energy to cook. So this week I helped her make a list of items she had on hand and recipes she is interested in trying. Then we scoured the ads and coupons and made a grocery list. I went shopping with her and showed her how to add her purchases up on the calculator and keep track of her coupons. I had to rein her in a few times from straying from her list, but she ended up doing really well. She spent $31.04 and saved $35.57! She was THRILLED to have saved more than she spent using coupons and shopping sales. I went to her house yesterday and helped her prep 7 meals to put into the freezer (Camp Chicken x2, Tater Tot Casserole x2 (in the comments section of this post), and Chicken Pasta Bake x3). Today we are going to make a menu plan, plugging meals into days so that she doesn't have to think about what to cook (it stresses her out) and she will be sure to have time to thaw something out to bake it instead of running to get take out again. She kept saying, "WOW. You are SO good at this!" but I kept reminding her that I've had seven more years of practice than she has since I'm older. :-)

How about you? Are you participating in the All You Challenge? If you are, please let me know that I'm not alone! If you are blogging about it, please leave your link in the comments.

Bargain Eyeglasses

If you are in the market for eyeglasses, you might want to consider 39dollarglasses.com or zennioptical.com (where glasses start at just $8 a pair!). Ted and I ordered ours from 39dollarglasses last year and they've been fine. I heard about Zenni later, and their glasses are cheaper and they have a much better selection. These options seem like a great way to go, especially for kids who might go through their glasses quickly. They have sunglasses, too!

If you end up ordering online, just have your doctor write down your prescription for you. It's really easy to fill things out online once you have your prescription.

Cash Only--Week 2

I was thankful that my Walgreens gift card was recharged in time to use it for the diaper deal, so I didn't have to dip into my grocery money for that. I did go to Target and spent $20.66. Groceries this week were $55.99. I know I went over, especially at Target, but I rationalized that I hadn't spent much last week. I guess we'll see how the rest of the month goes! We're almost halfway there!

Week 1 Total: $45.74 (groceries and Walgreens)
Week 2 Total: $76.65 (groceries and Target)
Total Spent: $122.39

At the grocery store I used 7 printable coupons, 2 coupons from the newspaper, 1 peelie I found on a product at the store, and 1 store coupon. I also submitted for a $6.99 rebate. At Target I used Target printable coupons, 1 newspaper coupon, 2 coupons I got in the mail, and 2 printable Mott's coupons.

Goldfish and Applesauce at Target

Guess what we're having for snack at my house?

There's a great deal on Goldfish crackers and Mott's Applesauce at Target. Go to A Full Cup and print off the $1 off Goldfish and $1 off Mott's Applesauce coupons (you can print 5 per page with the Target coupon generator). At my store the Goldfish are $1.79, making them .79 each after coupons. The Mott's 6-pack is $1.69, making them .69 after coupons. I bought a bunch to use for playdate snacks and to donate to our church nursery. Churches would welcome donations of Goldfish, because they are always a favorite snack! My kids were especially excited to find that Goldfish now come in chocolate, cinnamon, and honey flavors, in addition to lots of other kinds! I like that some are now made with whole grains.

*The Goldfish coupon expires this Saturday, so run out and grab some this week!
*The Renuzit pictured was also free after combining a $1 Target coupon and a $1 coupon from the 2/22 paper.
*The Mott's coupons are good until the 28th, so you've got some time on those yet! And make the deal even better by printing two of these .55/1 Mott's printables! Thanks Tara!

Cash: An Experiment

I decided to try an experiment this month: using cash to pay for my groceries instead of a credit card. For years, I've heard the argument that people who use credit cards spend more than people who use cash. We pay off our credit card bill each month, though, so I hadn't paid much attention.

I like couponing and we already try to live pretty frugally and within our means, so I already keep our grocery bill pretty low. But if I am more intentional and use cash to pay for my purchases instead of just swiping the credit card (which is admittedly much easier!), would I pay even less?

A couple of years ago we went to "the envelope system" with our eating out money, and we've found that we spend a lot less and are more careful about how we spend it, now that we see how much physical cash is left in the envelope.

So this month I will use only cash to pay for all my grocery purchases. I will keep track of my spending and we'll see how it goes! I also want to keep track of how many and the types of coupons I use, especially at the grocery store (just because I'm curious!)

This week at the grocery store I spent $40.30 over two transactions. I used seven printable coupons and three peelies I found on products at the store to get them for free after doubling! I also went to CVS, but I didn't spend any money OOP because I used gift cards. There I used six printable coupons, three that came in the mail, one that I won online in a sweeps (and then got in the mail), and one from the newspaper; 11 total. I might still try to hit Walgreens this week, but we'll see.

What do you do for gorcery purchases? Do you use cash or credit? I know Money Saving Mom uses cash, and she stays really true to her budget each week, like within a dollar or two, so I thought I would try it! We'll see how it works out, and if I end up saving even more!

Starting out with CVS

Are you wondering how to get started at CVS? Do ECBs and multiple transactions trip you up? Denise at The Centsible Sawyer just did two posts answering questions and detailing how to best play the CVS game. Go here and here to get your questions answered!

Coupons! Get your coupons here!

I was thinking about the hot dog concessions at baseball games ("Hot dogs, get your hot dogs here!"), can you tell? Maybe I'm ready for it to be summer, huh? :-)

Anyway, if you've clicked over to read on my blog, maybe you've noticed that I finally figured out how to get a coupon bar installed! If you see a coupon you think you might use, now you can print them straight from my blog! Just click on "Quick Print" and there you go. How easy is that?! You can also click on "scroll coupons" or "see all coupons" to see other ones that are available to you. If you have already printed a coupon twice, it won't show up on your list.

Thanks so much to Jenn for helping me out with that!

Soda Stock-Up at Walgreens

Thanks to a heads-up from Staci, I went to Walgreens and re-stocked Ted's stash of Mountain Dew for a great price! This week the advertised deal for Pepsi products was "buy 5/$15, get $5 RR", but on the display in front of the soda it also said, "Buy $20, get $10 RR". So, at $3 each, I bought seven 12 packs, for a total of $22.05 including tax. Sure enough, I got a $10 RR to use on a future purchase. So after RR, it's like I got the soda for $1.72 per 12 pack including tax, a GREAT deal for soda! Thanks again, Staci!

*Look for a rebate form near Pepsi displays. If you buy three Pepsi products and three Frito-Lay products in January, mail in for $15 in coupons.

Save on Eating Out with Kids

If you have children, you can save money on eating out by going on days when they have discounts for kids. This list was passed on to me and I've added some to it, but if you have more discounts you know about, please leave a comment! Be sure you call each place for details before you go because they may have changed their policy (and I didn't verify each one). Generally "kids eat free" means off the kids menu. Usually it is one kid's meal per adult entree, but some allow two per adult (like Perkins).

SUNDAY

Solea Mexican Grill - kids eat free

Sergios - kids eat for $1.49

Ground Round - kid meals are .99

Good Company - kid meals are $1.25

O'Charleys - kids eat free

Grazies - kids pizza and drink for $2.50

Buffalo Wild Wings - kids eat for .99

MONDAY

HuHot - night kids eat for $1.00

Funset Blvd - get large pizza for med price & kids rides 2 for 1

TUESDAY

Cinders Charcoal Grill - kid meals half price (4pm) & free Sundae

Atlanta Bread Company - kids eat free (after 4pm)

Perkins - kids eat free (after 5pm)

Texas Road House - kids get free balloons (no discount)

Red Robin - kids get free ice cream Sundae with their meal

Fazolis - kid meals are .99 and they have crafts available

Ponderosa - kids eat free (after 4pm)
Green Mill - kids eat free

WEDNESDAY

Applebees - kid meals are .99

Tumbleweed - kids meals are .99

Sergios - kids eat for $1.49

THURSDAY

Country Kitchen - kids eat free
Perkins - kids eat free after 5pm

We have also saved considerably in the past by switching our pizza night to a night other than Friday, because many places offer discounts on Mondays or Tuesdays, especially if you do carry-out instead of delivery.

Do you have any other tips for saving money in this area of your budget? Please help us all out and let us know!

Save Money on Eating Out

I love LOVE LOVE to eat out. It doesn't even have to be fancy, I just appreciate it when someone else cooks, so I'd eat out almost every day if I could! Unfortunately the budget doesn't allow for it, so last year we started using the envelope system for our monthly eating out. At the beginning of the month, I take out the allotted amount of cash for eating out (in tens) and put it in an envelope. Then when we go out to eat we grab a couple tens out of the envelope and put the change back. This has really caused us to reevaluate our eating out when we only have X amount of dollars left for the month. We also decide more carefully what we spend it on. I'd rather order water at a restaurant than pay $2 for a soda, when I can drink a much cheaper soda at home. We often eat dessert at home, too (though sometimes it is fun to splurge!). And when it's getting later in the month and money is dwindling, we might opt for 2 trips to Taco Bell over 1 trip to somewhere more expensive.

We usually buy an Entertainment book each year, but decided against it this year. So I was glad when I discovered that even if you haven't purchased an Entertainment book, you can still print off 3 coupons for free online! Go here and type in your email and zip code and you can choose 3 different coupons from your local Entertainment Book to print out and use--without paying a dime! They will send you an activation email, then log in and print your coupons! You have to print them within 2 weeks and then use them within 2 weeks of printing. It appears you can do this with more than one email address, if you want to spread out your savings.

I'm a reluctant convert, but I have to admit that menu planning has really saved us a lot of money on eating out, too. It used to come to the end of the day and I was fried and dinner wasn't ready so I'd ask (uh, beg!) hubby to pick something up on the way home. Now that I have a plan (that's flexible, mind you!), I'm not nearly as stressed and it's a lot easier to get dinner on the table.

And don't forget to sign up for Birthday Club Freebies so that you can enjoy free food on or around your birthday!

More Yogurt!

Mmmm, we've really been enjoying my crockpot yogurt! Since no one got sick from the last batch (I wasn't worried, but some may be mildly concerned, or "wigged out", as the case may be!), I decided to make some more and tweak a few things in the recipe. This time I didn't stir in any dry milk (I forgot!), I used half 1% and half 2% milk, and I only let it sit for 13 hours. It still worked great! Because I was curious, here's some numbers:

32 oz Dannon plain yogurt = $2.77 (which yields 8 starters of 4 oz each = .35 per batch)
1 gallon of milk = $2.50 (which yields 2 batches of yogurt = $1.25 per batch)
1 batch equals 68 oz of yogurt = $1.75 (including estimated energy?), or .02 per oz!
The 32 oz Dannon plain = .08 per oz
Even when I get a 4 pk of Activia for .55 after doubled coupon, that is still .03 per oz.

So besides being yummy, it's even cost-efficient! And my yogurt only contains milk, yogurt cultures, and whatever I decide to add (like honey or fruit). No high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, or artificial colorings. And honestly, it's not hard. 10 minutes to boil, 10 minutes to cool, and then mix and let sit. I have a new favorite hobby! ;-)