Ten Ways to Have Family Fun without Breaking the Bank - Part 1

When we decided that we would become parents to eight children, I would be a stay-at-home mom, and Syd would work at a less stressful but lower-paying job, we knew there weren't going to be any vacation homes, bass boats, trips to Disney World, or cruises in our future. 

Still, there's no denying that families build relationships when they have fun together. But, how can a large family do this without forking over tons of money? 

Here are a 10 ways we've found to enjoy one another's company without going broke.

1. Snag inexpensive movie tickets.

Sometimes, we just want to see a movie on the big screen and experience surround-sound. Even though our mid-size town movie theater is owned by a national company, they sell movie tickets at bargain prices compared to big-city theaters. Regular adult ticket prices are $5.50 and the early bird (matinee) ticket is a mere $3.  (Okay, I'll admit it -- it's also a great opportunity for me to take a $3 nap!) We don't have a $1 movie theater, but my brother and his children are weekly customers at the one close to their home in Dallas.

Be sure to eat before you go, otherwise you'll go broke at the snack bar. You can sign up for weekly coupons, but they don't do much more than get you a 16 oz. drink and small popcorn for $4 instead of the going $5 rate.

If you don't mind watching your movie at home, then you can really save some cash by renting at Amazon Prime, Redbox, Netflix or by borrowing a movie from your public library and popping your own corn.

2. Join the science center.

This is one of my best kept secrets. You can purchase an annual family pass for 6 people at a science center such as the Science Center Oklahoma in Oklahoma City for $115. (One day admission for 2 adults and 4 children is $78.) This entitles you to unlimited admission to the center for one year, 4 guest tickets, plus a lot of other perks. The savings really kick in through the wonders of the Passport Program, a reciprocity agreement between science centers. When you go to a participating center, present the membership card to your science center, and you will receive free admission to any one of 300+ science centers across the country. You can be sure that whenever we went out of town, I pulled out my list, and we scheduled a trip to a science center!

3. Eat out on the cheap.

Dinner menu prices at most restaurants are markedly higher than the lunch prices. When we want a nice meal, we've found the lunch specials offer plenty of food at much more reasonable prices. Be careful -- not all restaurants offer their lunch menus on weekends. (Shame on you, Olive Garden!) Don't forget to check the internet for specials and coupons. Many of the chain restaurants have birthday clubs where they send a great coupon in the month of your special day.

4. Enjoy some live entertainment.

We live fairly close to a junior college. Typically, they offer good quality live entertainment at family-friendly prices. We've seen some great performances that were sponsored by our local community concert series, as well as area churches and civic groups. For example, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has a special subscription series where they come to Greenville, a town that is about an hour from here. Membership prices range from $15 for students 18 and under to $80 for a family membership of 2 adults and their children under age 18. Adult memberships are $35. Membership carries admission to three DSO Series in Greenville concerts.

This is when a subscription to your local newspaper pays off since it is a great resource for finding what's available locally.

5. Attend a few sporting events.

As our children have gotten older, they've developed a taste for attending different sporting events. We've found the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and other professional teams have priced themselves way out of  our league. The local junior college teams play some exciting games that are very entertaining to watch. If we're willing to travel a little ways, minor league and club teams like the Frisco Range Riders, the Grand Prairie Air Hogs, and Ft. Worth's new minor league Vaqueros Soccer Team have inexpensive tickets without all the glitz of the pros. (And their concession foods and parking fees are cheaper, too!)

Tune in next week for 5 (almost) free ways you can have a great time while you lower your entertainment budget.

Wednesday Eats and Treats: Amazing Omelets in a Bag

We have a little flock of laying hens, and sometimes we find ourselves overrun with eggs. At those times, we often eat a weekly breakfast dinner. These omelets are a fun change of pace, and make dinner a little easier to prepare since everyone preps their own. I serve these with bacon, homemade biscuits, and juice or coffee.

Amazing Omelets in a Bag

You will need:

2 extra-large eggs per person (or 3, if using smaller eggs)

Filling ingredients:

Cheese, shredded
Ham, chopped
Steak, chopped
Onion
Green pepper
Tomato
Salsa
Mushrooms
Salt
Pepper


Directions

1. Dice onion, green pepper and tomato. Slice mushrooms. 
2. Lay out filling ingredients in small containers on a counter. 
3. Have each person use a permanent marker to write his or her name on a quart-size, self-locking freezer bag. (Be sure to use good freezer bags. Thinner bags may burst.)
4. Crack 2 eggs into each bag and seal the top; shake, mixing eggs well. 
5. Have each person add desired filling ingredients to the bag; seal, pressing out the air, and shake again. 
6. Place the bags into water at a rolling boil for 13-15 minutes. (You can usually cook 6 to 8 bags in a large pot.) 
7. Open the bag with your name on it and the omelet will roll out easily.

Monday Musings: Week 13 & Quarterly Report

Today is the last day of March. We're 1/4 of the way through our spending challenge. It's hard to believe Easter is almost here.

Here are my stats.

This week's spending was pretty small. (It's amazing how easy it is to stop spending when your transmission is out and you have no wheels!)

Week 13 Spending
Groceries	$103
Leah's School Project	$45
Piano Lessons	$10
Algebra text	$4
Total	$177

First Quarter Spending (Weeks 1-13)
Category	Spent	Budgeted	Savings
Groceries	$1466	$2100	$634
Miscellaneous	$23	$360	$337
School	$251	$150	($101)
Entertainment	$332	$225	($107)
Toiletries	$174	$150	($24)
Piano Lessons	$80	$240	$160
Clothing	$180	$46	$134
Gifts	$105	$225	$120
Hair Care	$0	$90	$90
Benevolence	$0	$105	$105
Discretionary Cash	$75	$75	$0
Total	$2552	$3900	$1348

Here are some thoughts.

Initially, I found these numbers discouraging. Of course, my spending was much higher than I wanted it, and my savings were much lower. Upon a more careful examination, I realized that I’ve reduced household spending by a little more than 33%. I was already operating on a lean budget for a family of 8, especially one with 3 hungry teenage boys. That’s not too bad, but I can do better.

Instead of coming up short at the end of each month, I have money in the bank, including an emergency fund.

After groceries, my area of greatest savings was "Miscellaneous." That's no surprise since I've tried to eliminate all discretionary spending.

My biggest "bust" category was entertainment -- no surprise there either.

If I continue at this pace for the rest of the year, I can save almost $5400. This should be enough to pay for Esther’s orthodontic work which we’re scheduled to begin in April.

My goals for the next quarter are:

·       further reduce grocery spending by only purchasing dairy products, produce, and staples

·       reduce produce spending by growing our own vegetables

·       can or freeze garden produce when possible

·       reduce spending for school expenses

·       limit eating out to once a month

·       find free/inexpensive forms of family entertainment

I’m learning as I go. This move toward a more minimalist lifestyle doesn’t come easily, but I can see the progress we’re making, and I’m encouraged.

David's Adoption Story

The adorable baby pictured here is David, our child #3 and son #2. Today, at 19, he no longer fits in a laundry basket. He has successfully transitioned from the safety net of home education to taking  a 21 credit hour load each semester at our local junior college. David is excelling in school, and is a witness for Christ in his classes and in his role as a volunteer firefighter. He's always ready to laugh and adds a wonderful dimension to our family. I can't even imagine life without him.


It seems like only a very few years ago we received a morning call from our adoption agency asking if Syd could come home so they could do our home study TODAY. It had only been 5 weeks since we had contacted them asking if we could be considered as potential adoptive parents. Those five weeks were a whirlwind of paperwork, meetings, more paperwork, interviews, etc.

The agency director, dear Miss Teri Blanton, arrived early in the afternoon, with a very wet behind the ears intern in tow. We sat in the living room having a cheery conversation while Rachel (5) and Nathan (3) played nicely. I'll never forget the look on the intern's face when Rachel pulled out Eric Carle's The Very Quiet Cricket and proceeded to "read" it to Nathan.

"'Good morning,' said the spittlebug, slurping in a sea of froth," Rachel intoned in her sweet little five-year old voice.

The intern thought Rachel was a genius and I was a wonder mother. In her mind, we had passed the home visit test with flying colors. After wrapping up the formalities, Teri looked at her watch and announced, "Well, we better get going. We have a plane to catch. We are flying to Lubbock to pick up your new baby. He was born this morning."

Shock! Disbelief! Could this possibly be happening so quickly? After trying to get pregnant for 7 years, waiting and waiting for the adoptions of our first two children, we could not believe that the wheels of the adoption machine could ever turn so quickly. But it was, and our precious, precocious, delightful David was coming to join our family.

Today, that precious baby is a 6' 1"almost-man". He has traded soft-as-silk cheeks for scruffy whiskers and sweet, cooing sounds for a deep voice. He towers over me, and I am thankful he is a cooperative fellow, because I don't think I could really make him do anything. He brings his signature brand of laughter and joy to this family. And, while his older sister, Rachel, started our family on the adoption journey, David moved us to new horizons. With David, our family branched out of our 2-parent, 2-children who "look just like their daddy" comfort zone into the life of a multi-racial, large family that garners second looks wherever we go.

It's been quite a ride -- this parenting journey. Most days, I look around the dinner table, and I am in awe at the ways God has blessed us. He's provided for our every need and many of our wants. We have experienced so much joy. But there are other days when the weariness makes my heart ache -- when I feel like I cannot bear another hateful comment, I can't negotiate another peace treaty between siblings, I can't face another day of so many people needing me. I just want to be normal -- whatever that is.

The reality is that it's in the "I-can't-hang-on-another-minute" days that God works on my heart and conforms me into His image. After all, Jesus certainly had more than His share of hateful comments, arguing apostles, and people constantly needing Him. In those times, He made the effort to get alone with His Father and commune with Him. If it was so important for the sinless Savior to have time with the Father, then it is doubly important for me to do the same.  

As we travel on our journey, my prayer is that our lives will bring glory and honor to the One who created us. It's not about us and what a great family we are. It's all about Him and what a merciful and loving Father He is to us. He sustains us and gives us strength to go one living day by day, firmly entrenched in His love and grace. To Him be all the glory -- forever and ever.

Wedneday Eats and Treats: Amanda's Crockpot Mac and Cheese

My daughter-in-love, Amanda, brought this macaroni and cheese to our family Thanksgiving feast this year. It tastes great and can be made ahead of time. I served it with crusty rolls, baked ham and steamed broccoli for Sunday lunch.

Amanda's Crock Pot Mac N Cheese

24 oz macaroni -- any shape is fine
2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
2 cans Campbell's cheese soup
Salt and pepper to taste

** Be sure to spray cooking spray in crock. For faster clean up, I plan to use a crock pot liner next time I make this.**

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

2.  While macaroni cooks, combine remaining ingredients in crock pot. 

3.  Add macaroni, mix well. 

4.  Cook in slow cooker on low for an hour or so until sauce sets, only stirring once or twice. (I've cooked this on low for 3 hours while we were at church.)

Monday Musings: Week 12

I finally feel like life has settled down some. We safely made the trip to Austin and back on Tuesday. My sister, Claire, and her family were here on Thursday, and Nathan and Amanda were with us from Friday until Sunday afternoon. We celebrated Miriam's 19th birthday with a family dinner including Grammy and Papa, and then nine of us went to the family Fun Center for an afternoon of skating, while Syd, a.k.a. Mr. Fix-It, stayed home and repaired one of the cars. 

Here is my breakdown of spending for the past two weeks.

Food                   $338.41

Gifts                  $9.07

Clothing              $30.39

Toiletries           $22.14

School (Essie)    $26.24

Skating              $64.00

Entertainment   $1.30

Piano Lessons     $10.00

Toilet Seat        $10.59      

Total (2 weeks)  $512.14

My grocery total seems high, but the cupboard was worse than bare after I returned home. We also bought travel-friendly food for the trip to Austin so we didn’t have to stop at any restaurants. Having the birthday dinner and company for the weekend upped the grocery bill since we’d rather grill ribs and chicken than make Nate and Amanda eat Hearts of Palm Casserole. J

It’s been a really long time since I bought beef at the store, and I was shocked at the price of ground chuck. I think it’s time to head to the sale barn to pick up a calf to feed out for next year when the freezers have been emptied.

Skating was $8 per skater rather than the $5 each I was expecting, so that was a bit of a budget buster.

I’m happy to announce that everyone is well this week. I wish I could say the same for our vehicles. Our commuter car has a cracked transmission housing, so we must determine if the value of the car warrants the cost of the repair. With that car out of commission, Syd will be taking the van to work, so I’ll be without wheels. It’s a good thing our calendar is blessedly blank this week. I’m hoping we can get back in our home school routine, and get a lot accomplished here at the Boxed N Ranch.

Building a Family

In celebration of the 19th birthday of our sweet Miriam, I decided to share some of the story of how God created our beautiful family. When we began the journey of parenting, we were clueless to the heights of joy and the depths of pain we would face. Parenting our crew has drawn Syd and I closer to each other and to the the God we serve. I wouldn't trade it for anything, although I'd correct a few many mistakes I've made if I had it all to do over.

For those of you who don't know our history, we have adopted eight children as infants. Five of our children have African American heritage and one of them is Native American. Our first adoptions were termed "touch adoptions," in that we had letter and photo contact that was filtered through our adoption agency. No identifying information was shared, to the point that one child's birthmom had to use a pseudonym since she has a very unique first name.

The day we became parents to Rachel, April, 1989

Rachel (2) and baby brother, Nathan, Summer of 1991

Fast forward a few years. We were a "perfect family." We had a daughter and a son who were 27 months apart in age. They even looked like us, so no one knew we had adopted them unless we chose to tell our story. As we were having a dinner celebrating our 11th anniversary, Syd and I began sharing what was on our hearts. There was room in our hearts and home for more children, and we just couldn't get away from the nagging feeling that God had other plans for us. We prayed and prayed, and when we knew the Lord's direction for us, we contacted the adoption agency. We knew there were children from minority groups who needed forever families, and we asked the agency if we could be considered for one of these children. It wasn't long before David joined our family.

David's first day as a Newman, July of 1994

Seven months later, we were licensed foster parents, were about to finalize David's adoption, and were a shepherding family to birthmoms who needed a place to stay. We welcomed a birthmom into our family on a Monday afternoon, believing she had about 6 weeks until her delivery. Surprise...less than 36 hours later, she delivered a healthy, full-term baby girl in our living room! After the birthmom returned to her family, the agency asked us to provide foster care for the baby. David was only 7 months old, but we loved babies, especially this one, so we agreed. It didn't take long to fall in love with Miriam.

David, Nathan, and Miriam, March of 1995

Many agencies were moving toward open adoption, but our agency wasn't one of them. When we had the opportunity to adopt Miriam, we jumped at the chance, and thus became our agency's first open adoption in which the birthparent and adoptive parents met, formed a relationship, and mutually agreed to the placement. The details of how God worked in amazing ways to make Miriam a part of our family are material for another post, but let me just say that we serve a mighty God and that the fatherless truly find compassion in Him. (Hosea 14:3)

Syd and Miriam taking a nap, March of 1995