Finances on Friday!

 Each week I'm trying to link up over at Renaissance so I can share and keep track of what I did that was frugal for the week!

Here's how this week went..........

• On Saturday, our local Christian book store had most of their stuff marked down 20 percent for homeschool weekend. My daughter was invited to a birthday party and so were were able to get a gift and tissue paper and a bag for for less than the original price of the gift.
• Also, I splurged from the homeschool budget and got a small Betty Lukens bible felt set. I've been wanting one for at least three years now and always talk myself out of it. I asked David, and of course, he said to get it. So I did. It cost me $63 with the 20 percent off at the same store. I'm still trying to justify it in my mind.
• Filled up David's van with gas at Sam's and saved 6 cents a gallon.
• Made a batch of laundry soap.
• Our local community has a homeschool book benevolence where local homeschoolers and teachers can take what they need FOR FREE and donate it back when they are done. A lady keeps it organized as her ministry. It's like a big yard sale with only homeschool curriculum and you don't have to pay for it. It's like a little slice of heaven! I could spend hours browsing. Hours. I really didn't want to bring to much stuff back home this time since I just donated a ton of stuff last month, so I took a reusable shopping bag and limited myself. I found some file folder games books, and a few other odds and ends that I'll use when I start planning out next year's lessons later on this summer. I didn't get through the geography section while I was there, so I need to go back and see what I can find for that.
• Bailey wanted to play go fish, so I cut up a piece of paper into squares for her and she made her own cards. It's been fun playing with her.
• Went out with David for a date night at the dollar theater, because he really wanted to see Lone Survivor. He waited a long time until it came to the dollar theater.  I didn't have motion sickness this time, so I actually got to watch the movie. Yay! 

And here's where I wasn't frugal........

• Put off getting gas in my van so that I couldn't make it to Sam's to save 6 cents a gallon. :(
• Didn't fix David's lunch twice this week so he needed to eat out. He didn't complain, but my budget did.
• I've been keeping the AC turned down especially at night because I just can't sleep if it's warm. I hope this big old pregnant belly won't destroy my electric bill budget.
• Went to dinner last night with my book club at Los Cabos. We only go out once a quarter which really isn't that bad. I made lamingtons for everyone since, the setting of the half of the book was in Australia and they mentioned eating those. We made them for our Australia study last year for home school. It's basically sponge cake squares (I used angel food) covered in chocolate icing and coconut. Very yummy. I had a mahi taco, a shrimp taco and a seafood enchilada for dinner. It was yummy as well!

And as for the "Use It Up" challenge?

Last week I mostly used everything I had up, so I can't even think of a single thing that I used up. Which is good, I guess?

Well, I have three weeks until my due date of June 13. And, I'm always late, so most likely it will be at least four weeks. I'm just not sure I'm ready yet. It's going by so fast and, probably like every time, I feel like I have a ton of stuff to do by then.

Here are a few of my goals to finish before baby......

• Make the diaper bag from the discount fabric I got a few weeks ago
• Find some more discount fabric to make the crib skirt and then make the crib skirt.
• Get a plastic dresser from walmart to put the baby's things in. We have forgone dressers for the kids a long time ago and use shelves and baskets for clothes, but back when I had Bailey, David bought me a plastic dresser and it worked so well, that I've used it for every baby since. Right now, I have that dresser holding the three youngest kids clothes and it's in my bedroom so I can keep better track of their things. But, I'll have to get another for the new baby, because there's no more room in the other one.
• Some things that I want to get in the freezer: at least a week's worth of meals, and 2 batches of granola bars, protein bars, and banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfasts. I also want to make up some pancake mix ahead of time and stick it into baggies for a few easier breakfasts.
• Have the kids get a few things ready to plant in one of the raised garden beds.
• Finish home school next week. Except for one child who will have to do his work over the summer to get caught up.
• Settle on baby names.
• Get bag to take to the hospital packed.
• Wash the newborn things to go into the plastic dresser.

Don't forget to link up over at Renaissance and share your frugal story!