Final Week of Summer break and a staycation week!

  I am going into this final week of break with the intention of making this last week fun and frugal. As he generally does GF has also taken this week of vacation from his job so we can enjoy together.
Today has been one of those gentle Sundays where we basically  just enjoy being together. We still have college age daughter and friend with us but they are doing their own thing (movie watching, bike riding etc.). GF and I got out of the house and took a nice little ride to a small picturesque community near us called Chagrin Falls.  Falls. My family has a little history in this town, my parents first home after they married was here, my dad's father and brother lived and worked here, as did one of my dad's cousins. It still  has an old fashioned small town Main street area and a beautiful walkway along the side of the Chagrin river falls.  My daughter K had told me about the local farmer's market that is here on Sundays so GF and I thought we'd give it a try. All the vendors were local and all the food/flowers etc. sold were grown right here in northeast Ohio. GF bought peaches, sweet corn, tomatoes and a cantaloupe. I purchased a pint of enormous blackberries.
Our next stop wasn't as homey but more frugal, BJ's wholesale club. GF needed some essentials, milk, eggs, smart balance, new red potatoes, a pork loin, bananas, and some chips and salsa. Our final stop was the local grocery store where GF got bread, a red bell pepper, Arizona ice teas, beer, bacon, lettuce, peanut butter,  Miracle Whip, a small watermelon, plums, grapes, & string cheese and I bought 5 lbs. of bread flour for his house.  Lunch when we reached home was BLTs and grapes.
The GF and I sat down and reviewed how he could save some money each month on his tv costs. He currently has Time Warner cable and can't even watch CBS due to their dispute. He is pretty fed up with how much money this has cost him each month anyway. I suggested he check out Direct TV which I have. He reviewed their special offers, chose one, used my account as a referral, went with direct debit billing and saved himself $20 off the introductory price each month for two years as well as saving me $10 off my bill each month for the next year!
He is currently doing some 'work' out in the garage which is going to yield some money tomorrow that will be our fun money for the rest of the vacation week.
Dinner tonight is going to be totally off the menu plans but incorporate several things we bought today. I cut up the pork loin ($18.67) into 10 chops and a small roast and put most of this in his tiny freezer. I kept out 6 thick cut pork chops and I will season these simply with some McCormack Smokehouse Maple rub and grill them. Alongside the chops I will use my grill pan (from the chicken last week) and grill the new potatoes that I will toss in oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary. The last side will be corn on the cob.
I spent a few quiet and peaceful minutes on the back patio in the shade in a cushioned rocker shucking the sweet corn we purchased this morning (while doing so I got see an enormous doe standing in the trees behind GF's yard). This corn was so fresh it was sticky from the juices as I shucked it. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good this is going to be with dinner.
Our evening plan is to load those girls into the car and take a leisurely country drive ending with some frozen yogurt at the brand new Menchies that just opened up near GF's house. A couple hours with the History channel (Mountain Men and IRT) will close our day.
Plans this week include GF doing a bit of business tomorrow that will pay off in money to spend the rest of the week while I wait at his house for Direct TV to come and get him all installed. I still cannot believe they had a slot open for tomorrow.
Tuesday weather permitting is our zoo day using my membership and packing a lunch.
Wednesday GF and I are having a 'just us' day taking a one tank trip down to Holmes county's Amish area and visiting the famous Lehman's Hardware.
Thursday going to the Water Park with kids as well as oldest son and DIL.
Friday we are joining youngest son's girlfriend and her mom on a campus tour of Cleveland State University. Youngest son H is wasting no time in looking at colleges since he will be a senior this year.
The vacation will wind down with the final festival of the year next Saturday (the big Feast of the Assumption Festival in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood) and a quiet Sunday spent at home preparing to go back to work.