First of all, Moab (Arches & Canyonlands National Parks) are two of the most stunning places I've ever been. The trip was fabulous, my hip was totally fine, I did some challenging hikes & had an incredible time with my friend. I'm now back, totally in the swing of family life again (soccer, AP test registration, college stuff for Nick, college move in prep for Sam, laundry, groceries, etc). It's so nice to be home, but this trip inspired me to visit more national parks when we are empty nesters. A few photos, although it's very hard to capture the scale.
Once again, so, so many expenses over the last few weeks (AP exams for spring, Moab trip, etc).
Saving on things we buy
- We are doing a few requested dinners for Sam, ahead of him moving out in just a few days! We took advantage of an offer at PF Changs (one of his favorites), along with a gift card & spent $40 for a 3 course meal for four. We had LOTS of leftovers, which was perfect, as that filled in for a bunch of lunches with Sam & his girlfriend. We ordered: 1/2 soup & 1/2 salad, lettuce wraps, 2 order beef & broccoli & 2 orders of orange chicken. It was a lot of food!
Earning money
- I've been pretty diligent about listing things on eBay, and sold a pair of shoes.
Avoiding spending
- Nick's weekend game in Fresno got cancelled due to the excessive heat, so we saved the cost of a meal out. I think the other club is actually pushing for a forfeit (which, is a little crazy, because the heat + humidity makes it a cancel according to US Soccer), which would save us a future trip to Fresno.
- I brought protein bars & hydration tablets from home for the hiking trip.
Eating what we have
- We've been trying to really use things up, particularly to clear up some freezer space. I made fajitas from prepped meat in the freezer one night.
- I made Nick a lunch out of an assortment of fridge items: pears, leftover meatballs & some Mac & cheese lingering in the fridge.
- Nick invited his classmates over for a debate viewing party (they needed to watch it for his AP Government class) & they cleared out every scrap of food in our house: leftover PF Changs, leftover Persian food from another get together, pizza M ordered, all of our fruit & veggies, snacks from the pantry, etc. We had 20+ teens in our house! I came home to a very empty fridge last night.
For others
- We planned to bring a cheesecake to a family get together, and didn't end up using it. It was a really nice bakery cheesecake, and the presentation was lovely. None of us are huge cheesecake lovers, so I posted it on Buy Nothing & a woman was celebrating a milestone birthday for her dad, who happened to adore cheesecake. Win, win.
- Matched with another person to mentor on the college front, and provided informal mentoring to two other people.
How about you? Any wins to share?
Arches is my favorite park! Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteI think I liked Canyonlands best, but they are both totally incredible! (HP)
DeleteDO NOT get me started on the inherent inequity built into AP testing fees, or the SAT,s…The College Board has a lot to explain: Collect fees for the curriculum then fees for the exams? I am glad, on principle alone, that my kids, via dual enrollment, circumvented AP classes and the SAT’s.
ReplyDeleteNo wins here, financially, but some weeks are like that.
Best of luck with the college move in! How exciting! I don’t get that experience with DD in Philadelphia. Somehow sending her stuff via Amazon isn’t quite the same!
As someone mentoring folks through the process who have a lot less opportunity... it's a STARK reminder of how inequitable it can be. I offset some of my guilt paying for my kids by volunteering to help other kids. Because, frankly, it's nuts. For AP tests, you pay for the exam, and you also have to pay to send the scores to the colleges you are applying to. No curriculum fees at our school at least. I'm really excited for college move in/worried/nervous/emotional/all of the feelings! (HP)
Delete(Meg B., btw, but pretty sure you guessed that!)
DeleteWow! Such beautiful pictures! Moab is gorgeous! So different from my landscape. I would love to see that! Glad you enjoyed it! Laughing at the 20 teens clearing out all of your food! That's awesome! I know the boys appreciate you opening your home to their friends. These will be great memories for them!
ReplyDeleteThis particular debate was also filled with some memeworthy moments, and the boys were absolutely going wild, according the videos M sent. They were hilarious. And yes, it's absolutely different scenery from where we live as well. It was amazing & so cool to see. I loved everything about it! (Well, except for the mounds of laundry upon my return home.) (HP)
DeleteI'm so glad you had such a good time on your trip. The photos are beautiful! I love that the teenagers helped clean out your fridge. LOL...They sure can eat, can't they? Nice that the lady got the cheesecake for her Dad.
ReplyDelete