Frugal Mishmash Post!

Sorry I didn't post this week, but my Internet was down for 5 days! I finally got it fixed, though and then when I had the chance to sit down and blog...I got writers block! As an antidote to the dreaded block, I've decided to write a "Frugal mishmash post" about a few frugal things I like to do that aren't really enough individually for an entire blog article. Here goes!
Rolling change
Today I rolled up all of the change I'd been saving for the last 6 months. It amounted to $112! I'm taking it to the bank on Monday to exchange it for paper money. A lot of people don't bother saving change, but I've found it to be a great way to painlessly save money. I keep my silver change in a big, pink piggy bank. I keep pennies separate from the silver change in a big mason jar.
Brewing my own beer!
About a year ago, I bought a home beer brewing kit and it has been a great purchase! Home brewed beer costs about half of what you'd pay at the store and it's really fun to make! The only downside is that it takes about a month to finish fermenting and conditioning, so if you're a serious drinker, home brewing might not be the way you want to go. My favorite part of the process is cooking the wort. (Yes I did say, "Wort.") Before it ferments in the keg, immature beer is called wort! I like to say it as often as possible.:P
I'm willing to eat an odd dinner
Today my kids and I ate cereal with bananas, dates and soymilk for dinner. I REALLY didn't feel like cooking, in case you couldn't tell!:P The temptation to order pizza, or Chinese food was enormous, but then I looked on top of my fridge and I saw all of that raisin bran and all of those kix I bought on sale. Then I looked on the counter and saw a bunch of bananas that were edging into the "overripe" category. Luckily, my kids really like cereal! I'm so glad I didn't get takeout!
I took my kids on a walk
This afternoon my kids were, "Sooo bored!" My older two were starting to REALLY get on my nerves, so I finally just loaded the baby into her stroller (yard sale find, only $8!) and said we were going on a walk to get some exercise. We walked all over the neighborhood and what started out as a way to just get the kids to stop fighting for 5 minutes, really turned into a fun outing! We stopped and said hello to friends, we looked at what trees were changing color, we met a stray dog, and best of all...It didn't cost any money! I plan to do this a lot, while the weather is nice.