24 hours for ME!

Yay. It's the one night a fortnight the boys stay with their Dad. I never used to be an advocate of Me time. In fact I used to think it was selfish. Now as a single Mum I long for my Me time, and by the time that night rolls around I am desperate for some peace and quiet.

Usually on this weekend I have Saturday off work but today my boss was sick again and I was called in. Luckily when Dad (my boss) is sick in the weekends my Mum is always ok to have the boys for an extra morning. This means I didn't get my usual quiet time Saturday with the lads but it also means they had fun with Nan instead. Today they went to Time Zone. Not a very frugal option but lots of fun. To make it better value for money I had a double dollars coupon meaning for every dollar you topped up you got a dollar added (lol for free!) The boys had a fantastic time and with the offer it cost $10 for them to get to do the kinds of things the other kids at school do. A big thanks to our friends who gave one of the boys some money for his birthday for a day just like today. Sometimes being frugal and trying to pay off the mortgage early takes a back seat so the boys enjoy the same activities as their friends. Other times we manage to find even better activities for free. Also yesterday as a shared birthday gift the boys were given a Hoyts gift card. Next school holidays we can go to the movies only having to pay a small amount towards my ticket and I can keep the money for the mortgage instead. Gift cards that can be used on activities rather than "stuff" are a great idea and save the parents of the recipient money at the same time.

So after a fun morning and some time in the afternoon playing educational games online and with their Lego the boys have gone with their Dad. My house is quiet and now it's all about ME. I try to avoid housework in this childfree time but getting out into the garden is ok. I also try to have nutritional meals that are extremely cheap and take little effort to cook. Often leftovers, salad sandwiches or omlettes. That way I am still taking care of myself but saving money at the same time. Tomorrow I am aiming for a car free day which will be my biggest money saver for the weekend.

On the grocery challenge front I am going really well with the exception of milk. Remember I was supposed to be making powdered milk for cereal? Well I cannot find my make a shake thingie I use and forgot to ask Mum if I have left it at her place. This means I will most likely need to buy 3x2 litres of milk since my challenge began but will hopefully not put me too far over my $10 goal. Alternatively I could find a different container to mix the milk in and just measure the water quantity using a measuring jug.