Saturday happenings

So excited for a nice & relaxing Saturday! The only fixed commitment we have today - swimming lessons for both boys. I've even saved up cash to pay for today & tomorrow, so I'm feeling pleased about the minimal budget impact. We live in a neighborhood where many people have pools, so we've decided that it's critical for both boys to be great swimmers. Sam is already a very strong swimmer, and comfortable in the deep end. But, he's forgotten his strokes. Nick likes the pool, but isn't comfortable in the deep end, and doesn't know any strokes. Both boys have had a couple of lessons & are making great progress so far. The swim teacher is going back to college in a few weeks, so we're getting in as many lessons as we can before she goes. :-)

I also skipped the house cleaning yesterday, since I had to work from home. It's not at all conducive to a lot of video calls to have the cleaning lady running the vacuum in the background. ;-) We've already vacuumed & cleaned the bathrooms today, & we'll wrap up the rest of the house tomorrow. I'm paying both boys $5 for assisting, to save for our trip to the beach in a few weeks. They are pleased, I've still saved $80 with a few hours of work, so win/win!

Other than that, I need to go for a quick run, do either yoga or my 30 Day Shred dvd, make a menu plan for the week, and run a few errands.

I'm also watching flights for Christmas. They are currently about $150 under my planned budget, which is awesome. But, we had a ton of expenses in July & August is looking to be expensive again. In order to ensure I don't have to touch our emergency fund to cover travel costs, I may wait a few more weeks to buy. I have to request time off for work at least a quarter in advance, so the travel dates are already well known. ;-)

I made homemade salsa (tomatoes, tomatoes, everywhere!) yesterday for the freezer, plus chocolate chip banana muffins for kids lunches & snacks this week. I need to get really organized about using the food we have on hand this month & making room in our freezer for things we need. I went through & purged (this is our other freezer - not the one that was suddenly defrosted. That one is already pretty clean ;-)) to make room for other goodies, & took a quick inventory of what we have. I really need to come in under the grocery budget this month!

And, what's a post without a picture? My son asked for a "selfie" earlier in the week. Note the team USA world cup shirt, and the hair that he styled himself. He's into a "hair phase" right  now. :-)

What are you up to this Saturday?