5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week #149

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I got to spend the weekend with my son in Washington D.C.  We went with a church group, so we were able to both go for very little cost (thanks to fundraising).

What an amazing trip!

We got to see so much, including going up to the top of the Washington Monument.

That wasn’t open when our family vacationed there back in the summer of ’18, so we really enjoyed those views.

And spending so much one on one time with my sixteen year old was wonderful, too.

I always love finding ways to spend quality time with my kids.  It’s harder now that there are 6 of them, but we make it happen. 😉

Now let’s get down to that Friday favorite…

The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 149

Trip to D.C.

Well, I guess I kinda spoiled this one right off the bat.  🙂

If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a trip to D.C. more affordable, check out this post I wrote about visiting Washington D.C. with kids.  

Skipped Souvenirs

I considered getting a souvenir for the kids we left behind, but thought better of it.

All it took was a minute to imagine the floors of their bedrooms.  They don’t need more clutter.

I mean, a t-shirt that says something about the Smithsonian is cool and all, but at $35 a piece…for something they might wear…just no thanks.

Instead, I picked up a bag of cotton candy at a gas station on the way home and everyone was happy.  🙂 

Dog Tags

In our county, the cost of dog tags is half price in January.  I remembered to stop in and get them on January 30th…phew!  That saved us a good $30.

Dinners

The temptation to order pizza was great this week.  But we managed to go without.

I bought a lot of freezer food before my son and I left town.  That meant that Dad and the other kids could put something easy in the oven after a busy day.

We also had a couple of nights where we ate leftovers or scrounged around the kitchen to find something to eat.

The kids are getting more creative about those “something to eat” kind of nights.  It just goes to show that if you give them a chance several times, they can really surprise you!

Structural Engineer

Well that’s a funny thing to see in a 5 ways post.

My Dad and I were working on a house project when he discovered a couple of things about a wall in our home that made him pause.

We were a little worried that there could be problems with the foundation or at least the structure of that wall.

Now I knew that if I called a foundation “guy”, he would probably just sell me his services.

(No, not every construction worker is like this of course.  But if you don’t already have a guy you trust, it can be hard to find a good one.)

Instead, I asked around and got the name of a good structural engineer.

I paid him for his expert opinion.  

He came in and gave the house a good look.  Then told us that everything looks fine, and it’s just an old house.

(Which is definitely true.  Plaster walls aren’t all they’re cracked up to be sometimes.)

By doing this, I believe I potentially saved thousands of dollars.  What a relief to know that our home is in better shape than I thought!

Those are the ways we saved money this week.

Hey, you’re the kinda person who likes to save money.  How would you like to have your grocery list halfway done? 

I’ve got a freebie that will help you with that! 

Just type in the things you buy on a regular basis and print it off.  Soooo easy.

Get it here:

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