Well, I don't think 2 people without jobs could be any happier than Andrew and I are. Don't get me wrong, financially we took a big hit, but when we decided I'd be staying home, we buckled down. We almost never eat out anymore; the occasional fast food dollar menu purchases do occur, but for the most part I've been buying fresh, making tons of stuff homemade, stretching my grocery bill, consuming leftovers and saving money! I've tried to coupon and it was a waste of my time and efforts. What I can do is purchase wisely and use what I have. We've been doing great at not letting food expire (happened all the time before) and using what we have. I can buy a whole little chicken for about $6 and pull 3 meals, plus leftovers, from it. I've been buying ground pork instead of ground beef for certain recipes and we buy the store brand on almost everything! Anyway, I didn't mean to make this post about shopping and groceries (how boring), but about the fact that we've been doing pretty good. Andrew and I are both actively looking for work at this time. But in the meantime, we are finding some really awesome cheap or free things to do around our area. Just because we don't have a lot of money doesn't mean we have to be bored!
We take full advantage of our Netflix ($7/month) subscription. We have family movie nights very often. We also have been checking out the free movie of the month at a local church theater. Tonight, we're taking everybody (this means Hadley) to see Dolphin Tale. $1 popcorn and sodas, plus a free movie, can't beat it! Last summer, Andrew got us a Magic House membership. At the end of this month, we'll be checking out Dr. Seuss's birthday party there and in April we're going to check out the Easter activities they have - can't wait for the egg roll. And if this wonderful weather continues to stick around, I feel some zoo and science center visits coming on. Maybe a picnic in Forest Park, followed by a chocolate malt at Crown Candy? Mmmm, this girl is ready for summer!
I'm constantly on the internet, trying to find out what we can do around here or in St. Louis for free or cheap that would be great for the kids. That Magic House membership was an awesome idea - I sense a Christmas present idea for next year. We've went several times already and it's Avery's favorite place to go. And thank goodness my parents have a pool for this summer - I can't wait to relax in the waters and get Avery some professional swimming lessons.
We still pay a very small fee monthly for her ballet and tap lessons. It's so cheap I know we can come up with the money from somewhere. And she loves it. We have a recital coming up the first weekend in June. I cannot wait to see the little kids - they crack me up! Avery is very serious about it and genuinely enjoys ballet and tap.
I hope we can keep finding cheap and free things for the kids to do - I want her to experience so much, and Hadley is almost at the age where she's going to start really noticing things. :)
