This week’s Frugal Five was all about Halloween, so it’s fitting to talk about something truly scary: next week is election week. I honestly can’t even begin to guess at how things will go… but I’m glad to be in Washington, where even a shift won’t look like a shift compared to other parts of the country.
If you’re considering sitting this one out, don’t. Voting isn’t the answer, clearly, but it’s part of it. Vote, and then take action for a better world.
Friday’s Frugal Five
1. Last Friday was the kiddo’s “Fall Ball” Halloween party at school. I volunteered to help out, and I’m so glad I did. It was my first ever class party, and it was so fun watching all the kids have so much fun.
It also meant an extra day to wear our costumes, stretching out the use before they go to another kiddo. Growing up, my family always took us to the thrift store to put together our costumes, and I always longed after the store bought ones other friends wore. We had the money, but it was more about the waste of a costume from one day a year.
Logically, I agree with this concept 100% (hello, 5.5+ year clothes buying ban), but for whatever reason, that has stuck in my head all these years, so I become a sucker for store bought costumes for the kiddo. In previous years, he’s worn them over and over again for dress up (and then for subsequent Halloweens), so they get a lot more use than a single night, but I still know it’s not as good as secondhand costumes. We all have our weaknesses, yeah?
2. A neighboring house up on the hill goes all out for Halloween, and this year they built an entire pirate ship sticking out of the corner of their house. Seonwoo and Felicity had come over for the day, so I walked them over to show them the ship because it was so incredible.
It turned out that there was a full on block party going on, street closure and all, so we went back to the house, grabbed the kiddo and my husband, put on Halloween costumes, and headed back to the pirate ship. They’d also brought out the Pirates of Puget Sound, which upped the awesomeness another level. And, another day where the kiddo wore his costume.
3. After the pirate event, we walked back to the house where I made everyone fried rice from a bunch of garden produce as well as our chicken eggs. It makes for a big, tasty meal, made better by the kimchi that Seonwoo had bought earlier.
Felicity had also brought some tasty baked goods from a Filipino bakery as well as some Pan de Muerto to celebrate La Dia de los Muertos the following day. Maybe not a match for a fried rice dinner, but delicious nonetheless.
4. Monday was Halloween, and as usual, we met up with a bunch of neighbors to go trick or treating through the neighborhood. When we’d first moved into our house, there were very few kids around, but that’s changed dramatically over the last decade. The four street area that makes up our “neighborhood” goes all out, and almost every house is there and decorated for Halloween.
We have neighbors who set up fire pits in their front yards, and neighbors who hand out hot apple cider and hot chocolate every year – especially appreciated because it was cold on Monday night. Halloween is definitely one of those nights where we really appreciate living where we do.
5. We have a few new neighbors just since summer, and both families joined in with the trick or treating. We’re only starting to get to know them, but I love that we were able to welcome them to the neighborhood with a great evening (and neighborhood Oktoberfest, for the family that moved in before then).
As much as I sometimes long for a lot more space to have a bigger garden, more chickens, and perhaps some other livestock, we really do live in a special place.
