I Prefer Frugal

I've been doing some different things around here to try to save money and help our finances. I sort of look at it as a job that allows me to hang out at the pool with the kids in the afternoon. And drive soccer camp carpool. And sleep until 8:00 in the morning if I'm ready to face the kids without at least one cup of coffee first.

So I've been clipping coupons, entering sweepstakes, and looking for other ways to save money. Which led us to what I had been calling Melissa's Free Friday. Until I remembered that it was actually Thursday. I'm pretty sure that the kids need to get back to school soon if for no other reason than that I might then remember what day it actually is.

But our Free Thursday not Friday went like this. First we went to Borders where the girls each got to pick a book for participating in their Summer Reading Double Dog Dare program. I got to brush up on my negotiation skills by managing to convince Abby that The Witch of Blackbird Pond was the book she wanted. There's a slight possibility she finally relented just to humor me, but I'm sticking with superior negotiating skills.

Next stop? Barnes and Noble for free books from their summer reading program. Abby actually chose Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH without my having to pull out the heavy negotiating skills. It's as if she knew what she was up against.

We then went to the library to turn in all three of the kids' reading logs and claim their coupons for free ice cream cones from the Dairy Queen. But the bonus was it was scavenger hunt week, so they each left with a free coupon for lunch at Noodles & Company.

All in all a good afternoon on the cheap. I just don't know how I'll ever be able to top that excitement. Maybe we can find some cement to watch dry.

The Time Traveler's Mother

We took a mini vacation earlier this week. This year has been all about the mini vacation and not so much about the long relaxing week on the beach that I crave. But we're having fun and making memories as a family.

This vacation was "up north" Michigan. I've lived in Michigan for over 20 years (oh how it pains me to write that), and I still can't really define up north. I can tell you that it doesn't include the Upper Peninsula--that part of Michigan that can't be represented by holding your hand up and using it as a map. The Upper Peninsula is the UP. It too is a destination in and of itself with no need or evident desire for city names. Seriously, people here don't refer to a town if they are going up north. It's simply up north. Yea. I don't get it either.

We visited Mackinac Island. In case you're not familiar with it, Mackinac Island is about a 10 minute ferry ride away from civilization as we know it. There are no cars on Mackinac Island. There are bicycles and horse drawn carriages. There is Fort Mackinac where you can visit a recreation of a 1880's era fort. The kids actually got into the experience. They enjoyed it. They had fun.

We returned to Mackinaw City and the rest of civilization. Two days later Abby told me she wants to go back in time. But not to the 1880's era fort. She wants to go back in time to when someone else pumped your gas AND washed your windshield when you filled your tank. That's her memory from the vacation. The quaintness of the Mackinaw City gas stations having attendants who pump the gas for their customers. I'm sure that with her incredible knowledge for history Abby is guaranteed to have exceptionally high ACT scores. Gotta love it.