Happy Long Weekend!

I’m sure we’re all ready for a long weekend to relax with our friends and families! Hopefully you’re able to enjoy the nice weather by going on a walk or throwing an impromptu BBQ party. And if you haven’t already, take this opportunity to hit up a local farmers’ market for some fresh (and very affordable) fruits and veggies. Thanks to KC Metro Moms, you can review an extensive list of farmers’ markets in the Kansas City area, including dates, hour of operation and more.  Enjoy!

 

Summer Blockbusters on a Budget

Ok parents, the kids are going to be out of school in a matter of days. (The countdown is officially on in my household – Cael’s last day of school is next Friday.) The kids are thrilled, but as a parent, the new challenge is keeping the kiddos entertained all summer…and hopefully entertained on a budget.

As we all know, summer is a big time for movies as the big blockbusters are being released to bring in extra money from us stressed-out parents, looking for a cool, indoor event for the kids. I have a few easy tips that will help keep you, the kids and your wallet happy all summer long! 

• Make it a matinee: The cost of taking a family of four to a movie with popcorn, candy and drinks could cost $75. Scratch that and hit up a matinee instead, where tickets typically cost $4-$5 less. Save on concessions by filling up on snacks before you go. Or check out one of Kansas City’s remaining discount theaters where tickets cost around $2. You still get the theater experience without as hefty a price tag.  
• Rent and save: Whether you subscribe to a monthly service (which typically costs around than $10/month) or you rent on a need-to-view basis, you can easily save money by waiting until the new releases are out of theater. If you go this route, don’t forget to carefully read the return policy to ensure you’re aware of the potential fees should you forget to return your movie on time. Another option is to check with your cable provider; it’s likely they offer movie channels from which you can rent without ever leaving your home.
• Recreate the theater experience at home: For some people, the smell of freshly-popped popcorn and a large fountain drink is the reason they go to the movies. You can recreate that same atmosphere at home – complete with popcorn, soda and even Milk Duds – for a tiny portion of the price. It’s likely you even have some of these items already in your pantry, so no grocery store runs are even necessary!

Middle School Financial Advice

As you all know from reading this blog, I’m passionate about teaching my kids about money. I have talked a lot about the “Save, Spend, Give” model and how it’s important not only to teach your kids to save, but to also give back.

But what if we asked kids to give their parents financial advice? What would they say?

My company, CommunityAmerica Credit Union, actually asked 6^th-8^th graders this very question as part of this year’s Money Smart Kid Essay Contest. (We sponsor the essay contest in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank’s Money Smart Month in April.) After carefully reviewing more than 200 essays, three winners were selected from around the Kansas City Metro for the sound financial advice they provided their parents. And after reading the essays – which can be found HERE – I think these three have a solid future in the financial industry or maybe even politics! Each winner received $1,000 to be put into a 529 college savings plan – how awesome is that?

Running on Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is such a special day for me every year. In the past, we’ve kept the holiday pretty low-key, essentially spending the day at the park or grilling in the backyard. But this year, I’m changing it up a bit and will be running in the Mother’s Day 5K with five of my girlfriends. Ok, some of you may think I’m crazy for getting up early to run, but I can’t wait! The weather is supposed to be beautiful…and us girls are going to enjoy a nice brunch after the race before heading home to enjoy a relaxing and memorable day with our families!

Typically my family would come over and we’d do a Mother’s Day get-together, but due to graduation party conflicts, we’re pushing our celebration back a bit this year. (And seriously does everyone else have a ton of graduations and graduation parties to attend right now? Sheesh.) By celebrating next weekend on the 19^th, we’re spreading the Mother’s Day love over two weekends – score for the moms! I’ve already started planning the menu, thanks to Pinterest! Did I mention it’s going to be a Mexican Fiesta (sombreros optional)?

For the menu, I’m making the following; super easy and super affordable. Enjoy!

• Fish Tacos
• Grilled Veggie Tacos
• Pink Grapefruit Margaritas OR Beer Margaritas

So tell me…What are you doing to celebrate Mother’s Day? No matter what you’re doing, I wish all you moms out there the very best – enjoy every minute of this special day!

Much-Needed Mexico

As a busy mom of three, I do all I can to be frugal. From “everything-must-go” nights (where I use anything in the fridge to make dinner instead of hitting up the grocery store) to no-eating-out challenges with my husband, we do all we can to cut corners and save year-round.

Recently, we took a little break from our saving and splurged on a weekend trip to Mexico with my best friend and her husband. We really missed the kids while we were gone, but it was great to have the opportunity to get away, relax and spend quality time with other adults. And, since we just made it a weekend getaway trip instead of a full-blown vacation, the price tag was much more affordable.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip – zip-lining, delicious food and the beach – does it get any better?

Now if only I would have planned to take an extra day of vacation to recover from my vacation…

Pinterest Food Exchange

My girlfriends and I continue to meet on a regular basis for our food exchange. It’s the best! Not only does it give me the opportunity to prepare a fun recipe for my friends, but I get to bring home a number of dinners to stock up my freezer. These meals come in so handy in a pinch if I’m running late from work or we have to run out for a ball practice. And I don’t have to go to the grocery store – it’s a win win!

Our group met recently for our first “Pinterest Food Exchange.” I think we’re all Pinterest junkies (I know I am) and love finding/trying new recipes. I went the simple springy route and did a salad with grilled chicken and raspberry vinaigrette. You probably have all of the ingredients in your cupboard for the following recipe:

• 1 pound of grilled chopped chicken (you can also do beef)
• 1 bag of a salad mix greens
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds (or any nut really)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of Raspberry Vinaigrette (I used Kraft light)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of cranberries or chopped strawberries or blueberries

Combine all ingredients, toss and serve w/ warm pita bread!

And I have to say my girlfriends outdid themselves this time with the awesome recipes they found; check out a few below. I’ve included links to their recipes as well in case you want to try them or even start a Pinterest Food Exchange of your own!

• Chicken cordon bleu
• Penne Rosa with shrimp

Beautify your yard…on a budget

Clearly spring has sprung. You may be paying someone to mow your yard every weekend and you may be paying someone else to update your landscaping by mulching and planting. And you may be watching the money go out of your wallet just as quickly as it came in. Not fun, huh?

My Savin’ Maven colleague Rachelle Jackson was actually on KCTV-5 recently with helpful tips to make sure spring doesn’t break your budget. Check out her tips below:

• Doing your own yard work can save you big! For some it’s pure joy, but for many it’s dread pulling out the lawnmower every week or applying weed-killer to the backyard. It’s important to realize that by doing it yourself, you could save between $150-$200/month. In addition to the savings, yard work is great exercise and a great opportunity to make it fun by involving the entire family. Make it a regular task and reward the family with a backyard BBQ so you can sit back and enjoy your hard work! And if you’re totally against doing this yourself, shop around for your lawn care providers or even ask around your neighborhood to see if there’s a teenager who is looking to make some additional cash this summer, versus a professional who will likely charge you a lot more.
• Flowers add a nice touch of color to anyone’s yard, but to plant pretty flowers every year can cost you a pretty penny over time. Instead, go perennial. The upfront cost may be a little higher than the annuals, but think of it as a long-term investment…an investment that will keep your yard looking nice for years to come. I also like to set out potted plants around the deck during the summer and then move them indoors during the fall/winter. This saves money and we’re able to enjoy the plants year-round. Another way to save is to shop the fall plant sales. Sure that’s a few months down the road, but plan now to hit those sales up as you’ll see savings of 30% or more…and will put you way ahead of the game at this time next year!
• Most people think about mowing the grass and planting flowers as the biggest expenses when it comes to making your yard look nice. But oftentimes, people overlook the expense of adding patio furniture so they can actually enjoy the great outdoors and entertain friends. Patio furniture doesn’t have to break the bank – start hitting up garage sales and thrift stores now to see what steals you can find. Get creative when it comes to your finds by re-painting or re-purposing to meet your needs. Or, to get an even better deal on new furniture, hold off on purchasing again in the early fall when these types of things go on sale at your local retailers.

Kabobs Anyone?

I have a new favorite summer go-to meal for the grill – KABOBS! Don’t stop reading; I promise there are ways to make kabobs without spending a lot of time, effort and money!

My kabob-of-choice right now is chicken and veggies, including zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers and cherry tomatoes. I used a super simple honey-teriyaki marinade for both the meat and the veggies. All you have to do is combine a bottle of teriyaki sauce with two tablespoons of honey and a little bit of garlic and voila you have an easy marinade that’s sweet enough for the kids to like but healthy enough for us moms to like! And really, you can use any meat you have on hand – steak, pork, salmon, etc.

Here’s a little kabob-grilling tip for you… Put all of the meat together on skewers and then put all of your veggies on separate skewers. This will ensure your meat isn’t undercooked and your veggies aren’t overcooked as their grilling times vary. Also, feel free to marinade your veggies in the honey-teriyaki marinade for added flavor!

And now is the perfect time to start visiting the local farmers’ markets to pick up fresh in-season produce. Even if you just go to the grocery store, you will start to see produce prices dropping a bit now that they’re in season. In fact, Hy-Vee‘s red peppers are super cheap right now, so hurry in and stock up!

Happy grilling everyone! Get out and enjoy this beautiful spring weather!

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

Next Thursday, April 26, is “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” I look forward to this day every year and love having the opportunity to teach my oldest about what I do. (When Stella and Liam get older, they’ll be able to participate, too!) I actually had an interview at KMBC last year on this day and Cael came with me…and was able to meet Donna Pitman! It was so much fun!

This year, I’m teaching an activity for CommunityAmerica employees’ children who are participating. You’ve read about the passion I have for teaching kids to “save, spend and give,” so I’m going to conduct an activity on this very topic. We’ll talk about why it’s important to put your money aside into each of these three buckets…and I’ll most likely use various examples of how my kids currently do this. We’re actually going to have the kids make their own spend, save and give boxes, so not only are they learning about money, but they’re being creative at the same time!

Hope you are just as excited as I am about taking your kids to work next week!

Having a case of the…Tuesdays?

Has this happened to you before? At least it’s made for a good conversation starter for the day!!