thinking ahead

as we are starting to prepare for vacation i started to think ahead. i don't know about you but every time i'm on a plane as the treat cart goes by, i can't resist.
 i'm a sucker for a snack and i end up spending $5 for a tiny bag of chips.  well not this time, i bought some treats ahead of time and packaged them myself.  so for five bucks, i was able to buy an entire box of cheez-its and a package of fudge stripe cookies.

dave ramsey would be proud. 

outdoor movies

talk about cheap entertainment. what is more fun than camping out on a blanket, watching a movie under the stars? last year JH and myself discovered that the DM Art Center offers free outdoor movies in the summer months. we only made it to one flick, but it was one of my favorite movies, Sixteen Candles.

when we were in Scottsdale a few months ago, we found a shopping district that also offered outdoor movies/to-go dining specials, how fun! we were able to catch another one of my favs, Grease. it definitely made me jealous that we don't live in a warmer climate where you could do that all year round.

i did a random google search today to find out if the Art Center had this year's schedule posted but found something even better, a whole list of places that offer movies all summer long around the metro.

here are some pics from our outing last year at the Art Center:

The Numbers Are In

After a month of committing to plan out meals, spend less at the grocery store and eat out only twice a week we saved $249.71. We spent a total of $415.03 on food in the month of March, compared to $664.74 in February...and hello, there are three more days in March.

Not only did I save money but planning out menus was fun and evenings were less stressful because I knew what I was going to make when I got home instead of searching through my cupboards trying to come up with something on the fly.

April might be more difficult with a move, more visitors and a vacation planned, but I'm always up for a challenge.