Frugal Accomplishments July 14 to July 20

So life got away from me, as it tends to do (organization is definitely a work in progress, like everything else), and so it's been awhile since I've posted. I'm still however keeping track of the things I am doing each week to save money. We started this journey to manage our money better with the goal of paying down our debts and adding to our savings. This week, one more debt (the second since we started in February) has been eliminated! I feel now like were really making progress even though at first it seemed so daunting.

 My DIY'ed Totoro Party invitations

This week...

I made instead of bought: bread, Mango-Orange popsicles, and French vinaigrette.

L decided that he wanted a party based on My Neighbour Totoro, his current favorite movie. While most of the other kids won't likely be familiar with a Japanese movie from the 80's, it's going to be a fun theme to work with! I DIY'ed these Toroto invitations using this template, MS Paint, and printing them on cardstock from the craft store at home. I think they turned out really well! We are also having his party at home this year to save money, although it will be a bit of a tight squeeze.

This week, L went to his new swim class. Our city-run classes at the nearby community centre are extremely competitive to get into and I was unable to get him a spot of spring or summer, which was unfortunate, because not only is it something he really enjoys, swimming is such a valuable skill. I lucked out on a Groupon deal for a month of one-on-one lessons walking distance from our place. The original cost of these lessons would be $175 and with the deal it cost us $49!

I ordered contacts online as I usually do. I'm lucky in that I can claim the amount under my work health spending account, however tax and shipping are not covered so it costs me $20. I did a 90 second internet search and found a code that gave me free shipping, which means I only had to pay $10.

I ran out of toilet bowl cleaner last week and instead of buying more, I'm just using baking soda and vinegar.

My mother-in-law is moving and she found some old books that belonged to my husband and his sisters when they were kids and passed them on for L to enjoy. She used to buy them all the Caldecott award winners, so there were some great books in the bag.