Tightening the Belt

Everyone knows the economy is in bad shape, and almost everyone I know has had to make tough choices and changes to adjust to the times. Old Wahoo has struggled with this, though, and needs to re-examine the family budget, particularly discretionary spending.

Quite simply, I think I still spend too much money on needless things, from a cup of coffee or smoothie at Biggby's to the Netflix account. Something needs to change, and the Simple Dollar blog offers 100 ideas for a money-free weekend.

Here's an example:

32. Scan your old pictures. If you have a digital scanner laying around somewhere, bust it out and scan in the piles of old prints you have laying around. If you have a screensaver of pictures, scanning in old prints and adding them to the rotation will make your screensaver all the more amazing. Plus, it becomes easy to just attach them to emails and send them to friends and family.

Some are great ideas, some are simple and some I absolutely won't try. (I will never quilt. Sorry). But it's worth trying, I think, for two weekends a month. I'm curious how everyone else is finding creative ways to save. What are some things you do for a money-free and fun weekend?

Back in Michigan

Old Wahoo and the Mrs., along with the three boys, returned home from our vacation to D.C. and Virginia last night, and this morning we awoke to beautiful spring weather in Michigan - 40 degrees and rain. That's enough complaining, though, because we had a great time, and much love to the Old Wahoo family - Grandma Wahoo, Gramps Wahoo and Aunt Amy and Uncle Clark - for all that they did during our trip. We did a ton, too - the Mall and Metro in D.C., visiting old friends in NoVa, Easter egg hunts, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, amusement parks, golf, tennis, beach, and a night on the town. Rob loved the Smithsonian, and all the boys loved Busch Gardens, where Matt never wanted to get off the rides. Plus, a perfect day at the beach for Grandma's birthday to cap everything off. 

Plus, I gained a much greater appreciation of what my parents went through, especially after buying a $30 lunch of hot dogs at the Natural History Museum while the 1-year-old puts on the Barry Sanders moves en route to escaping his dad's clutches. In some ways, though, that may have been the highlight. 

Our Own Little Earth Hour

Inspired by Saturday's Earth Hour, our family observed our own Earth Hour at dinnertime on Sunday. We tuned off all the lights, and we ate dinner together by candlelight. The kids thought it was cool, so we did it again Monday. It was another big hit, and I think we'll try to do it each weekend. With the days longer, there's plenty of light, so there's no reason to have indoor lights on anyway. While the impact may be symbolic (we'll probably spend more on candles than we'll save on electricity), the kids really buy into it. I'm all for encouraging their good ideas, and environmentalism is something parents and chidren can get into together.