Inexpensive Spring Events – 2016

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Spring has sprung, and this post is for all of you who live in the Western Chicago suburbs. I spent a few hours this past weekend looking for free festivals and events coming up in the next three months. Now, obviously it’s up to you whether these events end up costing you anything since there are vendors selling food and other items. We are perfectly happy to bring our own food and just walk around the festivals window shopping.

April 30th & May 1st – Elmurst, IL
Art in the Park – Welcome spring at this free annual event that celebrates art and community. Browse fine art, craft & designer items at the 20th Annual Art in the Park. Featuring over 125 artists from across the Midwest, the event will also include music, food from local vendors and children’s activities.

Lilacs at Lilacia Park in Lombard, IL

April 30th – May 15th – Lombard, IL
Lilac Time – Lilacia Park comes alive with fragrant blooming lilacs, not to mention tons of beautiful tulips. It’s not to be missed! (Note: The photo above was taken by me last year; we love packing a picnic lunch and spending a couple of hours in the park).

May 7th – Wheaton, IL
Go Fly a Kite – Go Fly a Kite is a free event held in Wheaton’s Graf Park that encourages the community to come out and enjoy spring and fly kites!

May 19th-22nd – Glen Ellyn, IL
Taste of Glen Ellyn – The Taste of Glen Ellyn is a Family Event featuring LIVE Entertainment, Great FOOD, COLD Beverages, Carnival Rides, The CRAFT Festival, and a Business EXPO.

May 21st – Carol Stream, IL
JustPlay! is exactly what its name suggests – it’s just about playing. It’s about forgetting about work, bills and stress, and just having fun! JustPlay! offers dozens of free activities to thousands of participants. All designed to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to get active, have fun, try new activities and have a memorable weekend in the Chicago suburbs.

June 2nd-5th – Wheaton, IL
Taste of Wheaton – Free entertainment (music, performances), food booths, and an arts and crafts fair are the highlights of this festival.

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Get Your Kicks…On Shopkick

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Shopkick

Have you heard of  Shopkick? We love it! It’s a smartphone app that gives you Kickbacks just for walking into stores, and also for scanning specific items. Then you redeem those points – called Kicks – for gift cards to your favorite places like Starbucks, Target, Walmart, and more. 

250 Kicks is the equivalent of one dollar and can be redeemed as follows:

500 Kicks = $2
1250 Kicks = $5
2500 Kicks = $10
3750 Kicks = $15
6250 Kicks = $25

Try Shopkick, a super simple way to save some $$$. : )

After you click the above link, just enter your phone number and you’ll receive a one-time text with a direct link to download the app. After signing up you’ll be ready to start collecting Kicks! 

Joe-

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Why Rent…Own! Your Modem That is!

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Do you rent your modem from your cable provider? If you do and you have Comcast you’re likely paying between $8-$10/month just to rent that piece of equipment. Did you know you could buy your own? Not only that, but the cost will pay for itself in under a year! We bought ours in February of 2015 for $70. At the $8/month rental fee we were paying, we recouped our money in a matter of 9 months. The best part is that now we’re saving that amount each and every month. Since we purchased the modem, we paid for the modem and already have saved $24 with the savings adding up each and every month.

A couple of items to note. If you’re going to purchase one, be sure to get one that is compliant with your cable company. And second, put the money in now for a good one because that bad boy will last years and you want to make sure you don’t have to purchase another one until you absolutely have to.

Yeah, that may sound confusing, but it’s not. Pretty much every cable provider will be able to utilize a Docsis 3 compliant modem but check first. A typical D3 modem with 4 downstream/4 upstream channels can handle 150 meg service. Most of us don’t have anything near that speed tier. However, in thinking about the future, you may want to consider a modem that can handle more channels. Here in Chicago for example, Google Fiber and their Gigabit service is coming here! Talk about truly being able to cut the cord from Comcast!

Our modem feeds not only our internet services but also our home security system. Don’t be intimidated – a good modem can handle the load. Now if you have phone service from Comcast, they will likely install a gateway which serves as a modem, phone and router. Sure it’s a nice piece of equipment (if it’s the right model), but again, you’re paying for the rental. And cable company phone service? Pfft. I’ll write a review on our MagicJack service, a much, much cheaper alternative. I keep adding items to include in my Cutting The Cord article that is coming soon.

Oh, and wait until I talk about routers…another piece of equipment where you want to front some money for a really good one.

Joe-

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Unemployment Interview Pt 2

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Well, my phone interview was literally about a minute long. There wasn’t too many questions, the interviewer asked some things as confirmation. Then about what were the circumstances I was let go, if I did what I could do in my job, then he reminded me to ensure I’m keeping track of my certifications (job applications). He then said I would receive a written confirmation by early next week.   That was it.

I hope everything goes well.  Still crossing my fingers.
Joe-

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Unemployment Interview

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I’m a little nervous this morning. I have a phone interview later this morning with IDES (Illinois Department of Employment Security) for my unemployment benefits. Because of the way I was let go from my position, they have some questions. I was reading that this is all pretty standard but it still makes me nervous. The money would go a long way in helping to cover expenses so there’s quite a bit on the line here.

If I am able to receive unemployment I will have to go back to the Healthcare Marketplace and adjust my income which will likely qualify us for Marketplace insurance. For now, without unemployment we technically qualify for Medicaid which would be free. I’ll either be able to receive unemployment which will help with money, or free insurance which will also help. The unemployment will help more as it has a higher value than the free insurance. I’m crossing my fingers things go well and I can receive the unemployment benefits.

Joe-

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Everybody’s Working For The Weekend…Oh Wait, No

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Ending out week two of unemployment and some of the things I’ve learned so far:

– Illinois Department of Employment Security, not so bad to deal with. Online experience very good. Lots to complete, but simple enough process. *crossing my fingers benefits are approved*

– Sucks when this happens on the last day of the month. Our medical benefits literally stopped as of that day.

– Healthcare.Gov, similar experience as IDES, pretty good. Simple online process, quick and very user friendly IMO.

– Keeping to a routine is very important. It has made me feel pretty productive over the last two weeks.

– I can be awesome at meal planning when I want to be.

– Ebay, not so intimidating. Their app makes buying/selling straight forward. My Adventures In Ebay is going well with one sale already under my belt.

– It takes a while to get used to not being work-busy and the stress that goes along with it. I still find myself pacing the house with that caged animal feeling. I suspect this will go away as time goes on.

– You can regrow green onions over and over again by leaving the root in a glass with enough water to cover the roots. Doesn’t really pertain to unemployment, but still something I learned recently and I’m trying out. They’ve tripled in size since I started a couple on Monday!

– I don’t watch as much TV as I thought. I haven’t had the TV on once since I’ve been out of work. Not intentionally, no effort put into it, just haven’t had it on. Instead though…

– I have though been listening to music every day. I turn Pandora on in the morning and let it play all day. My top channels: Today’s Country, Rock Hits, 80’s, & Today’s Alternative.

– It’s good to take a hard look at your expenses and see where you can pull back. We have a few things we’re changing (Nicole or I will write about these soon). I wish we had done some of these earlier, wasting money is wasting money regardless of your situation.

Joe-

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