**Had a little mini vacay to end the school break for the kids.
Went to the beach, and we lucked out with a *beautiful* day.
Stayed at "hotel parents," who treated us to several meals. More than usual. But we drove back pretty late from the beach and were on our own last night. We stopped for Greek - it wasn't that good. We are still bummed favorite little Greek place closed several years ago. The search continues... Today we went to our favorite restaurant (Mexican) at around 1:30 and we were the only ones there. Holy cow! I don't know - I often meet my friends for lunch at 1 or something - I just found it to be very bizarre. I suppose we were lucky the place was even open. Their lunch crowd is very serious about sticking to the noon hour!
Oh - and we took the kids to an old favorite hangout of ours - a nickel arcade. We spent about $13 there - definitely had fun. ($8 admissions for four - plus $5 spent in nickels).
Yes, we found several nickels on the floor - inside and in the parking lot. You'd do well if you could peruse that parking lot every day.
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Today we picked up soccer gear for BM and I stocked up on some clearance items at Target. Two $2 shirts for LM (who is always swimming in hand-me-downs, so nice to buy him something else once in a blue moon - and hey it was literally a blue moon last week). I often comment I do better at Target (which is convenient) than the thrift shops anyway. About the same, anyway, for the kids. There may be cheaper thrift shops, but it always seems to be so time consuming. Though I'd shop thrift more if I couldn't just get hand-me-downs and clearance items so easily.
I couldn't resist a cute monkey shirt that was 50%-off.
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I should probably fill up the kids' school lunch accounts, but I saw that last year the 4th grade campus had a different (private) lunch service - which was $3.25/lunch versus the usual $2.50. Ouch! Thankfully I brought it up to dh (I was aggravated if I had to pay under a different service, because if I knew I would have drained BM's account to -0- as I can not imagine the red tape to get that refunded by the district). Anyway, dh tells me he heard they dropped it. Phew!! I was thinking of telling BM "no school lunch" at that price. The only reason we buy as much as we do because it's such a good deal.
But anyway, hopefully I figure out the deal with that soon. So I can fund their lunch money - I usually do a big deposit twice a year - August and January. IT would be nice to just fund the same accounts and have $2.50 lunches. The district often changes the lunch prices too, but I haven't seen any indication that they have for this school year. Need more info, I guess.
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I don't know how we got on the subject, but we started talking about how we really need to make a Hong Kong vacation plan.
IT seems we talk about a lot of things, but talk is talk. It seems so little of what we talk about actually comes to fruition. Which I think is a GOOD thing. We talk about things and we save up for things, but priorities and wants are ever changing. I think this is one reason that I don't equate "frugality" with "deprivation" - as it is so often perceived. We probably have saved a fortune over the years not just giving in to every whim on a credit card. It's not like any of those whims are missed or mourned for - they are merely forgotten as better things come along.
& I share because I am sure I have blogged out many things that eventually completely fell off my radar.
Anyway, dh's aunt is living in Hong Kong right now and so he was saying we really need to go now while she is still living there. She was living there when he was a child, and it was an awesome memory for him to make that trip. One that he can repeat with his kids, now that she is back in HK.
Anyway, this is a plan that has been brought up very loosely many times, but is maybe becoming a "more seriously talked about" plan. I need some more firm details about exactly what we are talking about here. So, onto more talking...
Right now I think I need 2-3 years to save up for this. & we are totally fine with that. Just crossing my fingers a bit that we can do it on the sooner side. I think 2 years would be aggressive but a good plan.
End of School Break Doings
August 7th, 2012 at 05:31 am
August 7th, 2012 at 03:58 pm 1344351533
August 7th, 2012 at 07:08 pm 1344362887
August 8th, 2012 at 04:03 am 1344394987