gas and other stuff

*Our neighbor has a peach tree which we've taken advantage of. We made homemade peach jam last week. While I was floored at how much sugar it required, I DID like that I could keep the skins on the peaches before pureeing and at least there wasn't any other foreign ingredients (like in store bought). :)

*A friend recently asked me if I calculate gas in our cheap outings. I'll admit, while I feel like I'm super frugal with groceries, eating out, and activities with the kids (museums, etc.), I don't budget or keep track of gas. Chris and I talked about it last night and I think we both came to the conclusion that A) Living where we do requires a bit more driving in general to do fun things and B) We would rather find free/cheap activities to do, even if they are a drive, as opposed to doing things more local (which are hard to find where we are) and having more money to spend on activities (using the gas money we would save). I guess I'm not willing to budget that area of our lives yet. Smart? Not sure. But that's where we are at. :)

*Costco trip today:
-Toilet paper
-Frozen veggies
-Eggs
-Laundry soap (coupon)
-Bath soap (coupon)

*In realizing I've done a lousy job of talking to my kids about saving vs. spending (and tithing for that matter), I borrowed an AWESOME set of Dave Ramsey books from a friend. My kids are glued to me as I read these books and I can tell (mainly with Cam) that the lessons are totally sinking in.

*Made this Mac N' Cheese again last night and love how simple/healthy it is, especially using whole wheat pasta. :)

*Excited for Suits to start back up next week!

*Honestly, my least favorite on The Bachelorette is Brooks, which from the looks of the previews, seems to be Desiree's favorite. I like Zak and Drew. :)