Frugal At Home: Lancaster Tripby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 12 Jul 2008 11:53 AM
Last weekend, we headed to Lancaster County, which is just a short drive from our home. We had dinner at our favorite family style Amish all-you-can eat restaurant (expensive) and balanced that with bringing lunch with us. We also played some miniature golf, a favorite of my eldest son. Normally, it might have cost us $25, but we got away with only spending $5. That is because we picked up coupons, asked if our youngest could play for free and as adults decided to skip playing ourselves to help the kids. In the middle of the game, the sky opened up with a fierce rain that had us soaked and dripping in three minutes. The golf balls were heavy enough that they didn't float away, but Molly almost did! Tom bundled the kids in the car, while I went in to request a rain check. Next time we visit, we will have free games! That means if you count our interrupted game as time played (I do since we all had fun) we will have two games of miniature golf for all three kids for the bargain price of $5. Back to the rain. We had changes of clothes in the car for everyone, so we didn't have to choose between going home or buying dry clothes. We dried off and changed, and headed out. We passed out of the rain cloud and into sunshine five minutes down the road, so we aimed for the outlet stores. Once there, our first stop was the Disney store for items that we either can't or won't find used, such as underwear, socks, sneakers and pajamas for the kids and t-shirts for the adults. A huge filled Disney bag cost us only $21. The next stop was the "secret sneaker" store, where I was able to pick up a new pair of sneakers for 60 percent off and a bunch of badly needed socks. We don't often buy retail, but it was a big thrill. How do you save when shopping? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don't miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments Tashi (1013) 13 Jul 2008 06:24 AMI save by being persistent and picky. This means, taking the time I need to source what I need, and getting the best quality and prices I can afford. Time isn't always on my side, but I find, if I put as much effort and thought into what I'm shopping for as I can, I won't buy stuff I don't need. Lists help me, too. Yesterday was one of my quickest trips through Target ever, as I made -- and strictly stuck to -- my list. :-) I'm learning! Community Tags Amish, disney, frugal, Lancaster, thrifty Discuss this article
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