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I have to admit, I’m pretty jealous of Beks travels. Just hitting the road is one of my most prevalent dreams…

It’s one that will have to wait until Gymnast graduates, at least for a long term trip. BUT…

We are taking a short road trip this next week. It’s the kids fall break. We were originally going to the GA National Fair, but it’s been cancelled due to COVID. See the image below for what they announced they are doing instead…just announced this week.

I’m not inclined to drive all those hours just for super expensive junk food.

Alternate Plan

When it first got cancelled, I began searching some alternate fun thing we could do over a 4 day weekend. Finally, I settled on Destin, FL. I booked the hotel back then (what almost 2 months ago,) and I’m glad I did because they have now doubled in price.

It’s a 6 hour drive. We’ve got the hotel for 2 nights. And just planning on beach/pool time, no great entertainment costs.

As I really begin to plan for leaving next week, I started thinking that we should take our food. We will have a microwave and refrigerator in the room. And when you are on vacation snack foods are the food of choice, right?

So I’m making a menu of foods we can take with us to save on eating out…maybe plan for one meal out per day. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Avocado bread
- Rethinking this because of how easily avocado goes bad
Bell peppers w/cream cheese + everything but the bagel seasoning
- We will wash & pre-cut the peppers so we don’t have to take a sharp knife
Peanut butter + jelly sandwiches
Microwave popcorn
Fruit cups
Parmesan crisps
Assortment of chips (small bags)
Apples, bananas, grapes and clementines
Summer sausage, sliced cheese + crackers
- Will pre-cut the sausage so we don’t have to take a sharp knife

I forgot to mention, our hotel provides breakfast, so that’s one meal taken care of each day. We will only be gone 3-4 days so I think this is plenty. I was trying to get away without taking a cooler, but I think a small one will work and we’ll take a case of water bottles along with our refillable ones.

I’d love your suggestions for easy to travel with food.

But Maybe…

As I was writing this post and searching for the information to share on the state fair, I stumbled on this…The GA State Fair is still operating this year. We’ve never been to this one. Hmm…

Not quite a road trip, but we do love the state fair. I’m going to get with the kids and see which they would prefer. My guess is the cost would be about the same.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.

Follow Up on My Goals for September

by Sara S

Well it’s October! Time to follow up on my goals for September and review some failures and successes.

Here’s how it all went down:

1. 15 No-Spend Days

This went… pretty poorly. We only had 9! And that was with me trying to use what we have! To be fair, I realized too late that I was including buying groceries as “spend days,” which I probably wouldn’t normally do. But still… there was alotta shopping this month.

Much of it was working on projects for the house and having to run to Home Depot again… and again. We also had gone through our usual stockpile of toilet paper and shampoo and such getting ready to move, so now I’m restocking. But it was still important to realize how often we were running to the store or hopping online to buy, buy, buy. Now that back-to-school is over and the house is more settled, I plan to rein this spending beast in.

2. Put $750 extra towards our debt

A success! I posted last week how I was able to pay extra and reach one of our small milestones. Felt good.

3. Work out 3 mornings a week

Oof. This was just “meh.” The smoky, unsafe air around here for half the month was a big factor, because I like to walk and run outdoors. I struggle to motivate myself to work out indoors. But once it cleared, I still struggled to do a morning workout. Luckily I did get a walk or run in by the end of at least 3 days the past two weeks.

4. Leave mornings open for school

This has been going well. My fifth and third graders are pretty independent—really they only need me when tech issues blow up. My Kindergartener, however, needs me allll the time. So I just assume I won’t be doing much besides school each morning.

Setting my expectations low—just leaving the morning open—has been good for my sanity. I’m not trying to multi-task a ton and then utterly failing. When he’s engaged in a Zoom I can squeeze in answering emails or sorting laundry, but really he needs a lot of help.

Oh, and we just found out that our fifth grader will for sure be doing distance learning until February. They haven’t made the decision for K-3 yet. Pray for us, ya’ll.

5. Play the #MinsGame

So this was both a failure AND a success. Did I win the whole kitten caboodle and minimize 465 things in a month? No. But I got rid of a lot of clutter, both physical and mental. I even went through my email account and unsubscribed like crazy to businesses and stores I don’t care to hear from regularly. It’s been so freeing.

One cool thing this month has been joining my local Buy Nothing group and learning how to better use Facebook Marketplace. I’ve gifted random things like an ironing board and old shelves, and sold kid clothes and toys. I love the idea of things getting re-homed and out of MY home!

I’m trying to focus lately on progress, not perfection. And I know I only make progress when I follow up on my goals. So while I wasn’t batting a thousand, I’m glad I made some progress on our debt, our consumption, and our simplified lifestyle. Did you have any successes this September?

Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

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