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It's Official

Greta called this morning at 5am and officially reserved Tenny Ranch for the Reunion next summer! Thank you Greta for getting up so early just to make sure we were the first ones to contact them when registration opened.

A quick reminder

1 month from today the first half of your family reunion payment is due to Cindy. I can't believe October is already upon us! I hope you've all been saving your pennies!

Say Cheese!

We are in need of a current individual photo of EACH person in the family. Please email your favorite individual photo to Heather no later than January 1st 2010 (if you are pregnant please send a photo of your bambino whenever they arrive!).

Speak Up

In order for this reunion to be as successful as everyone would like, we need to make sure that any and all kinks are worked out quickly and efficiently. Please be sure to give your opinion on items that are posted on this blog or email Heather so she can add a post if there is a concern. One of the hardest things about planning anything is communication, because of that this blog was created to ensure that everyone was on the same page.

Obviously there may be some items where "executive" or "quick" decisions must be made for the good of the group as a whole, but everyone's input is important, so speak up! Tell us what your thoughts are in regards to the reunion and what would make it more enjoyable for you.

Tentative Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday, July 20th : Out of state family starts arriving, Mesquite Grove Aquatic Center, session in the Mesa Temple at 4:00pm, Dinner for adults and teens after temple session.

Wednesday, July 21st: carpool to Heber mid-morning, lunch, dinner & other activities

Thursday, July 22nd: breakfast, lunch, dinner & other activities

Friday, July 23rd: breakfast, lunch, dinner & activities in Snowflake

Saturday, July 24th: breakfast, lunch, dinner & activities in Snowflake,fireworks show

Sunday, July 25th: breakfast, break camp / say goodbye, church in Heber starts at 9:00am for those who would like to attend.

Update & Tips

It has been asked if children were a lower price than adults for the reunion. Cindy called and talked to Tenny Ranch and determined that the price could be lowered a bit, but they informed her that they had to raise the price of the lodging $1.00 per person per day due to the abnormally high price for propane.

Here is the new pricing as of September 1st 2009. This may still change a little as we get closer to the February date depending on various factors that will be put in place by that time.

Price per person ages 4 and up $64.00 ($16.00 a day)
Price per person ages 3 and under $48.00 ($12.00 a day)

So the amount due by October per adult is $32.00 and the price due per child 3 and under is $24.00. This seems very manageable even in these tough economic times.

Here are some great ideas on little things that can be done to save a few bucks here and there to help you save for the first payment!

• Find a local thrift bakery to purchase bread, often times it can be as inexpensive as .50 cents a loaf.
• Drink less soda throughout the week, it adds up fast! Especially at a restaurant, they are upwards of $2.00... you can get a 2 liter for half that typically.
• Skip out on the newest CD, Podcast or movie download for your IPOD.
• Brown bag it a couple of times more a week.
• Instead of going to a sit down restaurant on date night where you have to pay a tip, head to a quick service restaurant instead. They often times bring the food to your table but no tip is required.
  
• Rent a movie from Redbox instead of purchasing pricey movie tickets.
• Have a girls night and paint each others toes instead of paying to go to a nail salon where it costs around $25.00 on the low side for a pedicure... my sisters, Mom & I did this last weekend, it was great... and FREE!
• Make your own ice cream bar at home, purchase ice cream, candy & toppings on sale and watch the pennies add up, I'm sure everyone's seen the new Walmart commercial advertising this very thing, they claim it will save over $200.00 a year verses going to a Cold Stone type establishment.
• Carpool... and it's environmentally friendly.
• Buy in bulk. If you don't have a membership to Costco or Sams club see about going with a friend or family member.
  
• Use coupons when eating out more- there are some coupon books that have buy one get one free coupons for meals, it's a great way to conserve, who doesn't like free food?!
• Do new creative activities with your kids at home instead of going out with them.
  
• Be creative with your exercise habits to save on paying for a gym membership. There are typically Mom's groups that have regular exercise outings, WII Fit offers some great training and even those old fashion work out videos you can check out at the Library.
• You can also check out DVD's from your local library. They are completly free!
• Use will power.
• Create your own 100 calorie packs for snacks by buying in bulk and dividing it up into baggies.
• If you like to shop, don't go into stores. I myself love to go to the craft store, but I know that any time I go I'll want to get a new inspiration to work with, so I just don't go. Or if I HAVE to get something, I take my husband so I won't get sucked into "looking"!
• Skip out on going to the scrapbook store for a crop night, just do one from home and have everyone bring their tools and ideas to share.

Hopefully these are a few things that help you and get you thinking about ways to be a little more frugal. We really would love to have the entire family together at our reunions and know that money is tight, for most of us so hopefully we can all support each other and work together to make our next reunion a success!

Tents & RV's

If anyone would like to stay in tents during the reunion, please leave a comment to this post so that a committee can be put together to arrange getting the right amount reserved for the reunion.

As stated in a previous post, there are 4 hook-ups for RV's/Campers. They will be assigned by first come first serve. Please leave a comment to this post if you would like a spot reserved for you.

Sleeping Arrangements

Here is what was sent about the sleeping arrangements:

At the site there are the main lodge with sleeping areas with mattresses, and 4 SMALL cabins that will sleep a total of 5 people. In them there is a double bed, a twin above it and enough area on the floor for one double air mattress. The cabin has a ceiling fan with a light and ONE double electric plug. These 4 small cabins will be reserved for the "OLD" couples in the family. (Grandpa and his kids and spouses). There are 4 or 5 electric outlets for camping trailers and or RV's for those who may want to bring them.

In the main lodge there are two different sleeping areas-one will fit about 15 people comfortably, we thought perhaps teenagers or young adults may want that space, it's open to the main floor of the lodge below, and the other space is upstairs and enclosed and will sleep probably around 25-30 people.

We did check out a couple of hotel type accommodations in the area but they were pretty pricey and have to be reserved NOW if anyone prefers that. Please feel free to contact Greta about alternative hotel/motel accommodations.