Money Saving Duo

Discovering how to live a glorious life on less

Family on Mission

Budget Friendly Fall Fun For Families

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Now that fall is officially here, you may be looking for ways to keep your family entertained without spending a lot of money. We’ve got you covered! Here are some of our favorite family-friendly activities that will cost you very little, if anything at all.

  1. Head to your local library and pick up some new books that are fall-themed to read together.
  2. Go on a nature walk in your neighborhood or local park and take pictures of falling leaves, bugs, and anything else you find interesting along the way—then bring those pictures home and make a collage or photo book about your adventure!
  3. Visit a local apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Let your kids pick out their favorite pumpkin or enjoy a glass of apple cider.
  4. Carve pumpkins – the ones your kids picked up at the pumpkin patch! And don’t forget to roast the seeds too.
  5. Print out fall-themed activity sheets and have an ‘art night.’
  6. Check out your local bike trails.
  7. Attend community events hosted throughout your town.
  8. Visit a local farmers’ market and pick up some fresh produce. It’s a great way to support local farmers while getting some exercise at the same time.
  9. Have an adventure day! Set aside one day this fall where everyone goes off on their own to explore something new—a museum, an art gallery, or even just another part of town that hasn’t been explored before. It’ll be fun for everyone involved!

What are your favorite ways to enjoy the fall season? Share in the comments.

Visiting Orlando, FL? Creative Ways to Save $$ On Travel

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Our family just recently traveled to Orlando, FL and if you are looking to plan your next visit to the family-friendly Florida city, we have a few tips to help you do so more affordably.

Our family at Disney World during our trip to Orlando

Visit Universal Studios City Walk at night or Disney Springs for FREE!

Did you know that you can visit the Universal Studios City Walk for free in the evenings? Or Disney Springs at no cost? Even parking is free! This is a fun way to get a taste of either park. We enjoyed taking in all the sites and window shopping while there.

Use your reciprocal membership at the Sea Life Aquarium and get 50% off

If you’ve been reading our blog for awhile, you are probably already aware that we are big fans of reciprocal memberships. These truly are the best way to get the biggest bang for your buck no matter where you go. If you have a zoo membership, check to see if it gives you access to the Sea Life aquarium through a reciprocal membership. If so, you’ll get 50% off the admission price.

PLUS, we were even able to apply it to the already discounted two-attraction deal that was being offered. We got into both the Sea Life Aquarium and Madam Tussaud’s wax museum for under $25 a person.

Stay at a hotel or an Air BNB location with a kitchen and save on meals

Orlando has a wide variety of accommodations to choose from, but we highly recommend selecting a location that includes a kitchen or kitchenette. We chose to stay at a Air BNB rental that was big enough for our family and Aaron’s parents who traveled with us. We were so grateful that it included a full kitchen so that we could pick up groceries for breakfasts and lunches. This saved us a ton of money and our guts (at least for those of us 30 and up!) thanked us for it too.

Download restaurant apps to get exclusive app savings and coupons

When you do go out to eat, be sure to look for restaurant apps you can download to your phone. We saved half off at Uno’s Pizzeria and got exclusive savings at Popeye’s too. Mind you, we ate at plenty of local restaurants too, but mixed it up a little bit with a few most cost-effective options as well.

Use the Checkout 51 cash back app to save on gas

Although we flew to Orlando, we had to drive to the airport and utilized a rental car to get around to all our excursions. To save on gas, we used one of our favorite apps – Checkout 51. Its pretty common for us to get anywhere from $0.05 to $0.15 off per gallon through this app.

Pack reusable $1 water bottles to fill up at the parks

We traveled to Florida in June, so it was pretty hot when we visited the Magic Kingdom. Instead of relying on in-park purchases to stay hydrated, we packed reusable water bottles we picked up for a dollar at a nearby store. Yes, you CAN take water bottles into Disney World parks but they have to be empty at time of entry. Fill them up at water fountains throughout the park (usually located near the restrooms) to stay hydrated all day long.

Shop for souvenirs off-site

Another great tip – shop for souvenirs off-site. Our kids had fun identifying items they liked at the in-park stores; however, we found the prices to be quiet high. So instead, we took the kids to a few souvenir shops off-site and saved a ton! For example, we found autograph books for only $1.97 and Minnie purses for only $8.97. Way cheaper than what we saw in the parks!

Look for more affordable tourist stops – like Old Town Orlando

One of our favorite stops was at Old Town Orlando. Our kids were able to ride a few rides and we enjoyed walking through the old town shops. Parking was free and you only have to pay for the attractions you want. Our kids rode go-karts, a roller coaster and some smaller carnival rides. Compared to some of the amusement parks, this might be a fun, more cost-friendly alternative if you’re looking for something the family will enjoy.

Visit the Orlando Science Museum for FREE with, you guessed it, a reciprocal museum membership!

Although it may seem like EVERYTHING in Orlando costs money, we are happy to report that with another type of reciprocal membership, you can get into the Science Museum at no cost if you have a museum membership.

If you are traveling to Orlando, we hope you have a fantastic time no matter your budget! Hopefully, these tips will help you keep things a little more affordable as you travel.

Our Family on Mission: Serving at VBS

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This week the Mora family served at our church’s first Vacation Bible School (VBS) at our Alma location. Serving together is just one way you and your family can live a glorious life for less.

Although we want to help you build financial stability, we also want you to live life from a place of joy and service – otherwise, what’s the point? And doing so often starts with serving other people.

If you aren’t familiar with Vacation Bible School, it’s basically a week where churches host children’s programming to tell the story of Jesus. Our church has been hosting an incredible VBS program for years, but this was the first time bringing it to the Alma Campus where Aaron is the campus pastor.

This VBS was particularly special because it was the first time our boys could serve right along with us. Elijah served on the tech team and Ben worked with the 2nd graders. Our girls also attended and, as always, had a great time.

No matter how you decide to serve, we hope you’ll consider it as a way to not only give back, but to also remind you that building financial freedom isn’t just about the money, it’s about the experiences you and your family get to have together. And if you’ve been following our blog for a while, we hope you’ll notice that living a glorious life doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.

Related: Get to Know the Mora Family

In other words, you can live a very full life without a lot of money. Plus, serving in your community in a variety of ways also helps others live a more glorious life too.

Here are some ways to consider supporting your community and building relationships with others:

  • Food Pantries and Meal Programs – These programs usually have an easy place for volunteers to jump in and help those dealing with food insecurity.
  • Community Outreach Events – Stay connected to your city’s social pages or newsletters and watch for ways to participate in programs you are excited about.
  • United Way – Your local United Way may have lots of opportunities to partner with a variety of local initiatives.
  • Homeless shelters – There are lots of ways to serve those dealing with homelessness. Whether its staffing for overnights or helping support.
  • Donate items – It’s always great to bring extra items you don’t need to thrift stores. But there may be local outreach agencies that need them more. We like to donate nice items to the Foster Closet or Clothing Ministries.

No matter how you decide to serve, we hope it’s a great way for you and your family to give back, build relationships and help lift others up around you.

Do you have a favorite way to serve in your community? We’d love to hear all about it! Share in the comments or message us on Facebook.

Enter to Win $1000 for your Staycation!

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Please note: This post contains a referral link and we may receive an extra entry into the giveaway if you click through the links and enter yourself. We just thought you should know!

Want a little extra spending cash to make the most of your staycation? Enter to win $1000 from Vrbo to spend on family activities during these uncertain times.

Enter to Win a $1000 Staycation
credit: Vrbo.com

Five lucky winners will receive a $1000 prepaid VISA reward card to spend on family activities during these uncertain times.

Use yours to stock up on board games, a backyard tent, or maybe even a trampoline… that’s what we decided to spend our spring break money on this year since we had to cancel our original plans.

April 12th, 2020 is the last day to enter so act fast!

EXPIRED – $2500 Giveaway to Support Women Owned Small Businesses

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Please note: We receive an extra entry for every person who enters through the link shared in this post. We just thought you should know.

Women Owned Small Business Giveaway

So Young has partnered up with some of their favorite brands for an ultimate women owned small business giveaway! One lucky winner will receive $2500 in gift cards to 22 different small businesses.

Enter to win today. Giveaway open through 3/29/2020.

Enter to Win a $7500 Dream Vacation Courtesy of Home Run Inn Pizza

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Where would you go if you had $7500 to spend on a dream vacation?

Chicago's Home Run Inn Logo
credit: homerunpizza.com

Home Run Inn Pizza is giving one lucky person $7500 to spend on a dream vacation. You can enter to win online using our referral link (we’ll get 5 entries for every person who enters via this link).

Enter to win before April 30, 2020 and who knows – maybe that summer vacay will become a reality this year!

No purchase necessary.