Last Day of summer vacation

Today is the official end of summer, in this house at least. Tomorrow, the kids go back to school. For me, the beginning of the new school year has always been more like New Years for me than January 1st. This is the day I have resolutions that I try to implement into my life. They are typical resolutions. Lose weight, exercise more, get organized, spend more time with family, etc. I suspect that by September 5th, I will have given up and gone back to life as usual. But, for a few short days, I will be healthy, well rested and organized. Maybe blogging these resolutions will help me keep them this year?

Tomorrow will also be the start of our fall schedule. Soccer, swimming, cross country, after school dances and all the other activities children bring to a family will begin. As I try to organize these schedules onto my calendar I feel tired just looking at it. Why do I agree to all of these commitments? I feel guilty that I do not insist that the kids lighten their load a little bit. They over schedule and I allow it. But, my son and youngest daughter love being busy. They love the fact that with these activities, they make new friendships, meet new people and learn new skills. It seems as like they really thrive in such conditions. My middle daughter, takes violin 1 day a week and is truly content with her one activity. She plays because she loves to and appreciates that free time one activity allows her to have. She really is more like me in this aspect. I remember that as a child I preferred time with my friends in unstructured activities.

Post card update, nothing has arrived since our card from Chile. One week and counting. Labor Day will be the unofficial end to our summer project. Of course, we will continue to map out any cards that continue to arrive after the 7th.

Airfare to Italy

As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I took our children to Italy last summer for a summer vacation. I have decided to document the frugal steps I took to make that vacation affordable, while being fun. I can't think of a better place to start with this blog, than the beginning, which is airfare.

We knew that we were going to take that vacation for about 18 months before we left. It is not possible to buy tickets that far in advance. Knowing that, I had several months to save the cash that we would need for airfare. You can buy tickets about a year before departure, so we knew that we had 6 months to accumulate what we would need in savings. When we hit the year mark before departure, my husband started to stalk the fares. He also did a lot of research about what time of year is cheapest, how far before departure, what cities have cheaper departures, would it be cheaper to fly into one city versus another. The list went on and on. He knew that it was cheaper to take the train from Florence to Venice and fly out of Venice than it would be to fly directly out of Florence. This knowledge helped us make informed choices about our flights. We finally decided to fly out of Chicago (MUCH cheaper than flying out of Milwaukee) into Zurich Switzerland with a connection into Rome Italy. Our flight home was a bit different. We flew out of Venice, into Zurich, back to Chicago. We saved a lot of money taking this route, plus, we were able to see the Italian countryside by taking the train to Venice.

We decided to fly Swiss Air. It was OK. To be honest, I am being very generous with that OK rating. The food was inedible, the seats were the worst international seats I have ever sat it and there was a mix up with our passports in Switzerland with the airline. I think I would need to use that airline again to get a better idea of the service. Of course we chose Swiss Air because it provided the most affordable fares.

When we bought our tickets we used a credit card that gives a rebate and than paid it off right away. The rebate was applied to that credit card while we were on vacation. We had accumulated $120 cash from the tickets which we turned around and used in Italy. We were able to buy a very nice dinner in Florence, in fact my parents were able to stay with the kids the night we had that dinner. It was a memorable date for us in Italy.

Day at the zoo!

Today we went to the zoo. Milwaukee has a really nice zoo that we have always enjoyed visiting. In the past, we always had a zoo membership so that entry would be free. But, since the kids have gotten older, I have not renewed that membership. It seemed like such a waste of money. My husband's company gave us tickets, which we used today. We went against our normal routine and bought lunch today, usually we bring a picnic. I think we all agreed that we wanted to have a fun day, not worry about saving a dollar and having the luxury of walking through the zoo without a cooler and backpack.

This year the zoo has an interactive bird exhibit. It was really cool. Visitors are able to feed the birds while the sit on your shoulder, arm, even your head. The kids loved it! I was so impressed with it. Every year I am shocked by how nice the Milwaukee Public Zoo is.

Last night I took my son to middle school orientation. I can't believe that he is going to be in middle school. He is ready, I think I am too. Our family life will likely change, for the better I hope. He is planning on joining some after school clubs and activities. Those commitments in addition to my increased work schedule, his sister's activities and my husband's work schedule will really test our ability to stay organized. I think I am up for the challenge, but, of course only time will tell.

Postcard update: 1 card came this week from Chile. We are 5 away from 100. So anybody who might be reading this blog. PLEASE send a postcard. We are so close to 100, I would hate to see us not make it.

Tonight's dinner was Tilapia, potatoes (from our garden) and green beans (from our CSA). It was another frugal dinner, which of course was necessary after the $34.00, really terrible lunch at the zoo.

Looking for ideas on how to save at the grocery store. Coupons always get lost in this house. I am guessing that I already use the better known tricks to save, but wonder if I am missing out on something. I am open to any suggestions.

Well, off to bed, very early in fact. I had a busy day.

Summer's End

One week left of summer. It is time. My kids are tired of summer, me and each other. It makes me sad to think that they are growing up so fast and that I have only a few more summers with all 3 of them together. We are going to make the most of this last week. My husband is taking 2 days off of work so that we can do a couple of things together as a family. I look forward to it.

The weekend was uneventful. Saturday was spent at home, laying on the couch, watching movies. Normally, we would never spend a summer day doing such a lazy activity. But, fall seems to have arrived early this year. It was a cold, wet and dreary day. Perfect for the 80's movie marathon that we watched. Thanks to Netflix on demand, free with our monthly membership.

My blogs have been short and sweet this summer. I am hoping that when the kids return to school next week, I can get back into my blogging routine. I am planning on talking about my trip to Italy in detail. I have lots of frugal tips from that trip alone.

Good night

I am so tired tonight. I am ready to say that we have had enough summer already. While I love my children and love having them home, I need a break already.

Monday my mother in law paid us a visit and took the kids school shopping. Her generosity is appreciated, as she bought the kids expensive clothes I would never agree to. I have to remind myself that it brings her joy to give them so much. I found myself a little embarrassed by her extravagance (my daughter got 9 shirts alone).

Tuesday I finally fulfilled the years long promise to take the kids to Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells. It was a great day. However, my two oldest fought constantly, by 8:00 pm I had enough. I punished them by making them clean the house top to bottom, inside and out, yesterday. They did a great job, I think they got the point. That has not stopped them from bickering a little bit today.

Today the kids were free to join the world again so there were kids here all day. They had a good time and left me alone for the most part. Of course, having children around that are not yours can prove to be exhausting, which I am right now. I better build up my strength though, both of my girls are having friends sleep over tomorrow night.

Post card update, 6 cards came today. We got 3 from Brazil, 1 from England, 1 from Michigan and 1 from Spain. Total is 93 cards received so far. Three weeks until the end of this project, looks like 100 cards will attainable.

Dinner tonight was an easy pasta dinner made with basil and tomatoes from our garden. The pasta came from the discount rack at our local grocery store. A quick, simple, cheap and healthy dinner. What could be better.

Tomorrow we are taking that much feared trip to Wisconsin Dells to go to the world's biggest water park, Noah's Ark. I feel excitement and fear this evening knowing what lies ahead tomorrow. Lines, children, heat and impatience. I think it will be a really fun day and I look forward to the time I get to spend with the kids.

Postcard update since my last post, we are at 87 cards. The kids received one yesterday from Bangkok Thailand. Again, from someone I do not know, the word is getting out about our project.

Now, on to the grocery bill. So far for this month, I have spent $124.00. The benefits of the garden and the CSA have finally paid off!! We are overflowing with produce. Tonight my husband harvested potatoes, onions, shallots, tomatoes and broccoli. That is for tonight only. We have watermelon and cantaloupe from the CSA to cover our fruit for the week. We have pounds of peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beans and zucchini for the week. Along with this bounty we have a huge bag of flour and rice. Not to mentions pounds of garbanzo, kidney and black beans. Our meals have been extremely simple, but so tasty and healthy. My kids have not complained and our budget is so happy. I really feel like we are doing something good for us and the planet.

Tonight my husband made an Indian dish made of garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic and onions. He made rice to put the beans on and homemade bread. Very frugal. So often, he inspires me to try something new, I almost always like what he has made.

Tomorrow we go school shopping with my mother in law. She is very generous to help with the school clothes, with 3 kids it can be expensive. Every little bit helps.

Off to watch Mad Men now. Have a good night.