We just got back from eating our FREE Chick-fil-A food! Apparently my little girl is trying to be both a cow and a duck in the pic. above. lol

My little boy is 3 and well... that's why you don't see any pictures of him. It took all the persuading in the world to get him to wear the cow stuff so he could get his food!

I want to say thank you to Chick-fil-A for doing this every year, I am always so impressed by them!

The employees are always so friendly, the managers always come out to greet guests, and they do little things that make a difference (like ours provides little ones with Cheerios to eat) 

So awesome!

This is your year to get outdoors and it’s finally time to put your money where your mouth is. The only hitch in your plan, however, could be getting the stuff you’re bound to need without breaking the bank.

Here are 5 of my strategies for getting gear on the cheap:

Plan Ahead

If you know you’ll be taking the family camping this summer or say you’ve resolved to take up surfing, you’ve got plenty of time to prepare. You just need to know what you’re looking for and be willing to do the legwork to find it.

This process can take a little extra time but the savings will totally be worth the effort.

Buy Used

There are plenty of great deals on used gear to be found on eBay and Craigslist. If you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you want, go ahead and set up an alert so you are immediately notified if relevant items are posted.

To set up a Google Alert for Craiglist click here, enter your search term (i.e. “ultralight tent”) followed by site:your local craigslist site (i.e. “site:portland.craigslist.org”), choose your delivery options then click “Create Alert”.

Swap meets can also yield great deals on used gear. Stay in the know about upcoming meets through your community listserv or by setting yet another Google Alert. If swap meets are a bust, give garage sales a shot.

Buy Online

A simple web search for gear like tents, backpacks and hiking shoes will produce endless results. Much of what you’ll find will be within the same price range. To get an edge on online pricing, hit up coupon sites for additional savings.

If you have a good idea about how much you want to spend, give BUYSTAND a try. This is the only site out there that lets you pay what you want for new gear.

The premise is simple: You just search for your gear, and once you find it, you plug in your offer price.

For example, you may offer $35 for a brand new double-wide hammock. BUYSTAND will inform you if a retailer carrying that exact hammock will sell it to you at that reduced price within just a few hours.

It’s a great way to get new gear and stay within your budget.

Buy Off Season

Regardless of where you’re shopping, its generally a safe bet you’ll find a better deal in the off season when demand is lower. Off season savings can range from 20-50% lower than the regular season.

If you’re looking for a kayak or another big ticket item, now might be the time to start your search. Remember: spend now to save later.

Shop Around

Ultimately the goal is to find the best gear at the best price. Don’t make that purchase until you’ve explored all of your options.

Happy adventuring!

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*Let us know what you do to keep your adventure budget low!

Source: Mint.com

Kids these days. They can do almost anything on a smartphone, but a 14 month old buying a car?

It happened, said Paul Stoute, an Oregon man whose daughter did an unusual – and costly – thing while playing on dad’s phone. 

While playing with the cellphone, baby Sorella Stoute hopped onto eBay and somehow made the winning bid.

“I downloaded a game so she could get some color recognition-type stuff. You know, it pops up blue and you tap on the screen on the blue button to make sure you know the colors and stuff like that,” Paul said. “And she must’ve got out of that to eBay.”

Paul got a surprise when an email arrived in his inbox confirming that he was the winning bidder of a 1962 Austin Healey Sprite for $202.50.

“I actually thought it was a phishing email. You know, the ones where they try to steal your information?” Paul said. “I actually looked it up on eBay just to make sure it was legit, and sure enough, the little one must’ve bought a car.”

Paul said he contacted the seller to see if he could get out of the purchase, and the seller said yes.

But in the end, the family decided to go through with the bid.

“After thinking about it, Krissy, my wife, and I decided to actually keep the car and restore it as just kind of a good story for the little one here,” he said.

So watch out: In 15 years, Sorella may be zipping around town in the vintage classic.

Source: komo News