Champagne Living - Beer Budget

Collect moments not things.

These are words I'm trying to live by and a lifestyle I'm trying to model for my kids.

I hope to teach them that the things we acquire are not what adds true value to our lives. Instead we make quality time, adventure and new experiences a priority.

Though often times experiences are expensive.

But I've found a way to reach those champagne dreams even on a beer budget.

Hotwire.

Have you tried it?


I’m sure you’ve heard it advertised.
They promise great, last minute, deals on unsold rooms. Catch is they don’t tell you the name of the hotel.

They provide the area, ratings, amenities and will even let you know a few hotels that it might be.

Like, Hilton - Sheraton - Omni or DoubleTree - Hampton Inn - Holiday Inn or Best Western - Quality Inn - Motel 6 ... that's the gist, those are just a few but like with the like, for the money.

So you should have an idea and with some real sleuthing you can make a pretty educated guess about which it would be but if you like the ratings and are comfortable with the options just take the gamble and be surprised!

Now I’ll tell you why I’m sold on Hotwire and this is in no way sponsored -- I wouldn’t turn down kickback though if they’re feeling generous.

I've used Hotwire a handful of times now and have only been burned once.

Truth be told I was feeling extra cheap that day and we were in Nowhere, Oklahoma with very limited options. 

That night we paid about $43 for a no name hotel that included free breakfast at a built in Denny's. Sounded good, lobby was beautiful. As we walked to our room though we didn't dare to go under the balcony for fear it'd crumble on us!

We made it to the room, nothing looked structurally sound and then a huge roach greeted us!

My husband and I stuck it out though, no children were subjected to these conditions.

Breakfast included a show of the staff fighting and cussing about which tables they should have.

It was interesting.

You've been forewarned; it is a gamble.

There's the horror story now to the good stuff ...

We've made trips to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area the last couple weekends, once for date night and again with the boys.  Each weekend we stayed just one night, Saturday night, prime time for hotels to ask the most from you.

Well date night we ended up staying at the Sheraton and for family time we wanted near the Galleria Mall and ended up booking The Westin that is built into the Galleria!

Yeah, I was feeling pretty fancy-shmancy and now I'm blowing my social media facade and letting you know I'm not really a high roller.

There was a minibar with a tiny, tempting box of $12 jellybeans -- I told the boys were off limits!

I only dreamt of ordering midnight fries from the all-night room service; not for their asking price.

But enjoyed the clean, sturdy, beautiful buildings, roach-less rooms, rooftop pool, over-made beds and as all hotel stays, the fact that I didn't have to clean it.

Now let's talk money so you know the real deal. Pre-tax.

The Sheraton was $75 and on the drive I began to wonder just what hotel prices mean anymore. Since so many websites are offering 'deals' ... just how good was our deal?

So I searched the web as my chauffeur, errr husband, drove. 

I tried both Expedia and Travelocity because I remember booking with them in my pre-Hotwire days.

$156 a night. That was the 'deal' for the same room I had just booked.

The Westin - I booked it for $77 .... curious again, I checked other sites. $179! Their average price from their own site was $209.

And this is why my Expedia go-to was always a middle-of-the-road, $100 a night, Hampton Inn.

Now we're staying in four and five star hotels for even less. 

What's better, search Hotwire on RetailMeNot for additional savings. Each time I booked there was a $5 back for $25 purchase offer.

Ebates & Ibotta also offer a percentage of cashback for first using their site to go through Hotwire. Those two links will take you to them with my referral codes, we will each get a little something if you try them for any purchases. 

I hope this information takes your dollars further, literally.

Come back and share the deals you've scored if you try it.

Safe travels  ➼

Buckets of Summer Fun

In the small shade of my porch I've invested in a beautiful rocking bench.
I topped it with a thick seat cushion. I've planted a pretty mix of annuals and cross my fingers they'll survive.

I've done what I can to make it inviting.

Yesterday, after a summer rain the temperature was tolerable so I went out to watch the kids play.

Every stick was a sword and I answered, "can I ride the go kart?" no less than 10 times.

That all ended when they realized the outside toy bucket collected a notable amount of rainwater cascading from the roof.

Suddenly they were jumping in boots and all. Then stripping down to nothing or next to nothing.

Thank God for country living!

Honestly, when it started I wanted to stop it.
But I stopped myself from stopping it.
I don't want to be the mom that always says "no."

Shoes will dry. The clothes were going to need washing anyway.  Dirty water isn't the worst thing they've gotten into lately.


I want to be the mom that can roll with impromptu fun even if it's messy. They're smiles were so bright and contagious. With a clearance bucket from Target and a little freedom they had at least an hour of harmless summer fun.

There's more fun I want to fit into our summer break but I will remind myself to leave a little blank space for it too.

Local Summer Movie Specials

I can appreciate the nice park days and pool days of traditional summer fun. I'm a bit indoorsy though. And this heat! We all need a break from it from time to time.

Beat the summer heat with the help of your local movie theaters. There's a variety of family friendly movies showing June through August.

Personally, I jot down - the movies I'd be able to sit through - in my planner, on the weeks they're showing to remind myself of the affordable, air-conditioned, activity that can occupy my crew for a couple hours.

Check the calendar links to see what movies they're offering for each week.

Studio Movie Grill, Tyler

Tickets are just $1 - Showings are weekdays at 10am

SMG Calendar

Times Square Cinema, Tyler 

Tickets are just $1 and kids combos available for $3 - Showings Monday-Saturday at 9:30am

Times Square Calendar

AMC Classic, Tyler & Longview

Tickets are $4 and include a Kidspack - Showings are Wednesdays at 10am

AMC Calendar

Jackson Cinema, Jacksonville

Admission is free, seating on a first come first served basis - Showings are on Wednesdays at 10am; doors open at 9:30am

Jackson Cinema Calendar


If you know of any other area theaters offering summer movie specials please let me know and I will get them added to the list.

June - No Words Wednesday

Teacher Gifts

Keep it simple, Sister! 

I'll be quick. I want to get this out to inspire any fellow procrastinators still looking for ideas for an end of the year teacher gift...

Can you imagine the number of coffee mugs & tumblers a teacher might acquire throughout their career?

I'm guilty of giving the old standby. They're cute, easy; stick in a gift card, candy or a note and you're done.

I'm not great at math and pressed for time so I won't break down the coffee mug equation but it could be a lot. 

My newfound enlightenment toward minimalism steers me away from the mugs, even if I linger in the isle admiring the lovely floral monograms and sassy sayings.

I put together a simple offering this year. 

A trial size bag of mineral bath soak that claims to ease aches & pains. My boys teachers deserve to relax! Who knows if they'll like them. Maybe it's not the way they like to unwind. But it's worth a try for under a dollar.

That along with a handwritten note to hold a giftcard for a "treat." All done.

I decided on Strada Caffe for the giftcard. I only recently visited with fellow East Texas Moms Blog contributors and fell in love with the atmosphere and options. 

It's just a lovely spot, far from Target so it's somewhat out of the way... but lovely all the same. They have coffee, tea, craft beer, pastries, savory dishes and more - plenty of options. With so much variety it will be easy for four different women to find something they each enjoy at one place. 

And all I had to do to get the giftcard was make a trip through the drive thru ... Oh, me and drive thrus you guys, that's how we get stuff done!

Why I love it:

-Simple/Consumable 

-Supports Small/Local

If your kids had a great teacher this year, whether or not you do teacher gifts, remember to thank them in the midst of end-of-year chaos. I hear over and over from my teacher friends that handwritten notes of appreciation are their favorite gifts. Simple thanks means a lot.

Instagram - The Highlight Reel

"Comparison is the thief of joy." -Theodore Roosevelt

I believe it.
"Don't compare your behind the scenes to everyone else is highlight reel."
It's good advice.

I'm not sure where credit is due because I've read it on countless letter boards across Instagram and Pinterest now.

My Highlight Reel

And disclaimer - this isn't to address blatant lies, photoshopping or fake accounts.
Just your average highlight reel - such as my Instagram account - And why I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's nothing fake about all the good moments.

The date nights, the delicious meals, the moment - just long enough to capture with a photo, the kids, both clean and well behaved. Post it.
The times you got out of yoga pants and put on a cute outfit or the times you wore yoga pants and actually went to yoga! Share.
That one night, you're winged eyeliner was on point should be commemorated; celebrated. It's not easy! The highlight reel is not a bad thing if we recognize it for what it is.
Comparing ourselves to others and what they want us to see and perceive is the problem. Instead when the real life or "behind the scenes moments" are getting you down look back at your own highlight reel. I often refer back to my posts. I'll scroll through months of good times to remind myself that it's not always so difficult and there are beautiful moments even in the day to day.

When my kids are on my last nerve I'll see the tiny weeds ... errr, flowers ... they give me by the handfuls.
When I don't want to go to Zumba because it's at such an inconvenient time, when I could be doing laundry or I could call it a "rest day" and stay home ... I'll scroll through and recognize all the times my unmotivated-self got up and went to the gym anyway and I'll remember how good I will feel afterward.
I'm reminded of some great, out-of-the-way place, where I had lunch one time and need to get back to.
I recognize it's been waaaay too long since I had a girls night and text my friend to set that up!
When my husband is working long hours and I'm feeling disconnected I see our date nights or the flowers he brought for no reason. I see the good times and know there will be more.

Instagram is a highlight reel but it is also real.

Real moments, the ones that make us happy.

The feel good moments easily forgotten when the tough ones come along.

Instead of letting someone else's gram bring you down let your own lift you up.

Bless The Village

And thank God for drive-thrus

I could have expected it. There was foreshadowing.

 "Does he feel warm to you? I think he's warm."

It was a rough morning. One of those that starts at 4am with a restless and feverish toddler joining you in bed. You're shuffling through the children's medicine before your eyes have a chance to adjust to the light. 

I couldn't find the syringe and he wanted no part of taking Tylenol from a spoon. So I fought with all I could muster at 4am to get something in him and salvage a couple more hours of rest.

Then the day began. 

I drove through the car line and dropped the older two off at school. A woman stood watch at the cross walk between the two lanes; directing traffic and making sure each student safely made it to the building.

Now my focus was back on the sick one and surviving. 

We drove a block away and swung through our favorite donut shop. As my tires crossed the cable I could hear the bell ding near the window. 

A familiar face greeted me, "good morning!" and soon passed a bag of donut holes into the car for the sickly boy.

This series of events landed me at Starbucks just in time to be part of the morning rush. 

I did wait an embarrassingly long time in the drive thru but I'm proud to say I was not one of the cars blocking lanes of traffic as I sat waiting for overpriced coffee and convenience. 

A cheery voice from the menu on the curb asked, "what can I get started for you today?"

"Just a tall coffee, with two pumps of sugar free vanilla and a little coconut milk." 

That's keto friendly, dairy free and under three dollars. You're welcome.

I'm overwhelmed in the midst of this chaos and inching my way towards the window for the fuel to carry on. 

Once I get there, cool and collected, the barista passes me my coffee with a big smile and a 'have a nice day.' I tell her to do the same and leave my change.

One more stop before I can head home with the kid.

  

The theme of the morning seems to be how much can I get done from the comfort of my car. 

Well, I need a syringe for future, more successful, doses of medicine assuming this fever continues. 

I'm sure they sell them and that's the proper way to go about gaining another syringe ... or maybe you're supposed to have your life in order and not lose the one that accompanies the medicine in the first place.

Anyway ... could I get one at a drive thru? It was worth a try.

I drove up to my usual CVS, humbled myself and when I was greeted, told the woman, "I'm not here for a prescription today." I pled my case and she quickly passed a 5ml syringe through the windows and wished him well with a smile.

I proceeded home, smiling and appreciating all the village had helped me accomplish and with such convenience.