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It’s Good Friday today. If you have been reflecting on Holy Week this week, I hope you’ve had some growth in spirit.
Are you ready for Easter Sunday? I’m never sure! At least I know that my brunch menu is already planned and ready to go.
Anyway, Friday is always a frugal day on Medium Sized Family. Each week I like to share the latest 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week. You can catch up on the entire series here. Lots and lots of ideas for frugal families trying to save money.
The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
#yearofno Our family motto is still going strong as we reach the end of March! Some of the decisions to skip out on purchases have been harder than others. This week, hubby decided to forgo getting a parent shirt to match our daughter’s softball team. We want to be fair and cheer on all of our kids. But we feel like we can still cheer loudly without wearing her number on our backs.
I’m pretty sure people will be able to figure out which one is our daughter by our enthusiasm anyway.
Equipment. When you sign up your child for an extracurricular activity like baseball, it’s important to keep in mind the numerous expenses that go along with the experience. We make sure that our kids have what they need at the best price we can find it.
But we also know that we can get away with not purchasing everything at once. Our oldest child has outgrown his bat, but he can use one that belongs to a team member until we find more wiggle room in the budget for this. Plus, if we miss the rush of the early season, we may be able to pick up a great deal later.
Birthday Gifts on the Cheap. Many stores are clearancing out toys right now. I was able to find an awesome tent to fit over a twin sized bed at Aldi for just $7. That will be a great gift for my niece’s birthday.
And when I learned that bloggers could get an extra 10% off on clearanced kids items at Target, I had to take advantage of that for our coming spring birthdays! I found some super cute accessories that will be a hit.
My readers are able to take advantage of this by clicking through my affiliate link here and entering code EXTRA10 at checkout.
(Be sure to use your Target RED Debit card at checkout for even more savings, plus free shipping on any sized order!)
Think outside the box. Er, bag. We have a lot of equipment to keep up with right now, and it’s tempting to purchase a special bag with a swoosh on the side to keep track of everything.
But the funny thing about a bag is that if it’s big enough and contains what you need it to, it doesn’t have to look flashy. We found that a carry on bag from our attic does the job just fine.
Collect the Money Now. Coaching or leading a team or group can be a tough job. Many times it costs the coach extra money for a variety of reasons. We try to minimize that as much as possible.
For instance, we like to get team treats from the concession stand at the end of the game. (If we really wanted to save money, we could go the orange slices and juice box route. But most of our parks frown upon outside food. Besides, purchasing from the concession stand helps to keep the cost of signing up to play ball low.)
Many times at the end of the game, the kids run to the concession stand . And the parents look at each other trying to figure out who’s week it is to pick up the tab.
People these days just don’t carry much cash with them or they forget that it’s their turn to buy. To simplify this process, we’ve started to collect money from everyone at the beginning of the season. Then, it’s just a matter of grabbing some cash from the envelope at the end of the game. No one person is stuck with the bill every week.
Those are the most recent 5 ways we’ve saved money.
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How were you able to save this week?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
The hubby’s decided to do church softball this year, so I guess we’re in for our first season of team sports. (Our daughter’s taken swim lessons, dance and theater, but no team sports or expenses other than the lessons). It will be interesting to see whether he can find his old equipment or if we’ll be spending (I don’t think he’s played ball in a couple of decades), and also how many other expenses will be added.
Hopefully he’ll be able to find his old stuff and it’s still in good shape! I’ve kind of looked around Goodwill for some equipment that will work for us. No luck so far, but you never know.
That is smart-collecting money beforehand for team snacks.
I remember when my son did the Little League thing, the coach was into high-end equipment for ten year-olds. I remember him telling the parents to buy an Indian Glove ($250) and some compression bat ($300), which I thought was crazy. The problem became-many parents did it. One parent (somehow, our sons where on the same teams from the time they were seven and were in the same class from second grade through high graduation.) I figured spent about $60,000 on this kid’s baseball over the years. The kid is now a pothead who does nothing.
Blogger discount??? How great is that! I’m enjoying reading how you save money.
I need to take the advice to heart!
Friday Frivolity
So, instead of buying team shirts for the adults, why not let the kids make shirts for you and your hubby to wear? Everyone has fun, and I’m sure even with buying a shirt and the supplies to do so would be cheaper than the cost of one of those shirts! And, I’ll bet, the paints or whatever would last long enough to do the same next season…and season after that… 😉 Everyone wins! 😀
That’s really smart about having all the parents donate ahead of time – although I do fondly remember all the orange slices from my soccer playing days.
These are some good ideas Jaime! My son is getting geared up for baseball season, and I may have to suggest your idea of the envelope.
Like the idea of collecting the money up front for team sports. My sis has been stuck with the bill too many times when she was helping with her son’s soccer team. I’ll pass along the tip!
The phrase “No good deed goes unpunished” comes to mind! haha Hope that helps her out.
I love buying smart. You tip on getting deals at Target is a great one. I love shopping their dollar bins at the front of the store for my preschool class. Got a lot of nifty items for almost nothing 🙂
Sinea
Jamie, I love the way you think. You come up with so many ways to save a bit of money, a bit here and there adds up! I had no idea about the extra percentage off at Target! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! Yippee!
Clever money-savers! Catching up on my #FridayFrivolity reading… thank you for sharing! Pinning and tweeting…!
Thanks for the shares!