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Happy frugal Friday!

As usual, we’re celebrating the end of the week by reflecting back on the ways we’ve saved money this week.  To catch up on the rest of the series, you can jump over here.

Some of you took a survey for me several weeks ago.  My readers overwhelmingly told me that they’d like to learn more about ways to earn some extra income.  If you agree with that statement, you’ll want to check out the first post in a new series of ways to bring in more money.  You’ll find that post here.

Now let’s check in on the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week.

5 Ways We've Saved Money This Week: An entire series full of money saving tips to use in your home.

Found bats at Goodwill.  Our oldest son has outgrown his baseball bat and really needs a new one.  In the hopes of delaying that purchase a bit, I’ve been looking around for a cheaper option.

So when I found a couple of bats at the Goodwill, I was pretty excited.  I sent some pics to the hubby and we decided that it was worth a $6 investment to get him a larger bat.  It’s not the best choice ever, but since he isn’t playing in the major leagues just yet, it will do for now.

If you shop for sports equipment second hand, always be sure that you are buying an item that isn’t broken.  A bat that doesn’t ring when you tap it gently on the floor could be dead.  Certain bats are illegal to use in certain leagues.  Always triple check.  Even if the price is only $6, you don’t want to waste money.

Using a folding chair at the table for a while.  Any of you ever watch The Middle on TV?  In that show, the youngest child, Brick, wound up sitting in a lawn chair at the kitchen table for a long time.

Our poor middle child has been sitting in a folding chair at our table for a long time.  I had looked for a chair for him from time to time in secondhand shops, but never found one that would work.

Well this Goodwill trip was a pretty good one!  I managed to find him a chair that would work great for a great price.  And that’s one less “middle child syndrome” item in our home.

[Tweet “More #frugal tips from the 5 Ways We’ve #SavedMoney This Week series! Save the kids shoes and more. “]

Summer shoes.  Do your kids tear up shoes immediately?  Two of mine are particularly hard on their shoes.  I am constantly caught between trying to spend more money on better quality that will last just a bit longer, and buying them cheap shoes since I know they won’t last long anyway.

When the temperature begins to rise, they like to wear shoes that are very easy to slip on and off as they run in and out of the house.  And I like the idea of them living in cheap shoes that help to lengthen the life of their nicer school shoes.

I used to buy $1 flip flops for each of them.  But over time I learned that they just don’t hold up well at all.  They were constantly lost if they weren’t broken.

These days I like to buy generic Croc style shoes (which I can find at my local Meijer).  My older boys got sandals similar to these.  (Although I got those at 40% off, again, at my local Meijer.  If you don’t have a Meijer, it’s similar to Walmart or Target.)

Even when I spent $12 on sandals, that saves the life of their gym shoes which cost 3 or 4 times that amount.

Using up leftovers in muffins.  I’ve used this tip in various ways before.  But I still wanted to share this particular point.

You may have read about this on the Facebook page, but I found an entire tub of yogurt in the back of the fridge, unopened.  The sell by date had already passed.  It was not a single serve container, but the larger 32 oz.  I prefer to buy yogurt this way and divide it into single servings myself.  It saves money, and each child can top it with whatever fruit, granola, or graham crackers as they please.

I also had a handful of imperfect apples that the kids weren’t eating.  So I decided to make apple muffins.

The recipe I use calls for buttermilk, so I just replaced all of the buttermilk with yogurt instead.  It turned out great!  The muffins were not dense like I suspected they might be.  Instead, they tasted rich and delicious.

Plus now we have easy food to pack in a quick lunch rather than relying on school lunches.  That’s a lot of frugal wins!

Hubby’s shoes.  I mentioned that two of my kids are hard on shoes.  Well, I can tell you where those genes come from (and it isn’t me!).

My hubby goes through shoes very quickly.  When we were first married, his tastes in shoes ran to the rather expensive end.  It’s taken some time, but I’ve finally begun to convince him that it’s possible to find quality shoes that don’t come with space rockets and flashy looks.

Don’t get me wrong.  I do not think that I have cured him of his nicer shoes habit.  But he is willing to add this to our pile of #yearofno items to help us get ahead in the areas that matter more to both of us.

As for me, I do not have a shoe habit.  I’m not a woman who gets excited about expensive shoes.  I’m content to wear the same pair of gym shoes day in and day out for years.  I probably need fashion advice.

Those are the 5 ways we’ve saved money this week!

I hope these tips have inspired you to find creative ways to save more in your own home and family.  I love hearing from my readers on ways they have saved money, so be sure to leave a comment and share your own frugal tips!

And be sure to like Medium Sized Family on Facebook!  I share lots of money saving tips and a little bit of humor to help you get through your day.