Hello! We’re well into October, with leaves changing here in this part of the country and the weather starting to become fall-like, after a recent stretch of weather more like summer. These changes, plus fun traditions, make this a particularly enjoyable time of the year for many.
Last year, I wrote about Fun Fall Traditions and a trip to an apple orchard that was a really good time. Wholesome, seasonal family activities can be a great way to make memories, and this year was no different. Yes, we took another trip to the apple orchard for apple picking!
This year, we went apple picking at about the same weekend as last year. However, last year involved warm jackets, a cold wind, a lot of apple cider. It felt more like late November. This year, it was 80 degrees with sunny skies and it felt like August. So, maybe some of the experience was a bit different. But hey, who in the Chicago area will complain about 80 degrees when we’re going to be facing months of cold weather. I actually thought about the reality that the beautiful 80 degree weather over that weekend might be the warmest weather we have here for another 6 months, easily. So in that case, who needs the ‘typical’ crisp, fall apple picking day when you can have a lucky day like this?
Those of you in other parts of the country, particularly warm weather climates, might have totally different fall traditions.
Anyway, this year we cut back on expenses and shelled out $24 for the experience. In return, we got a great day of going out into the field, breaking away from our suburban routine to pick some fresh produce and have a fun yet bumpy hayride as a part of the experience. We got 25 apples, which puts the cost per apple at $0.96 each, slightly less than last year’s cost.
However, it’s the experience that counts, and it was a blast. Family fun and memories can’t really be quantified sometimes. I highly recommend such outings, they’re lots of fun – especially for kids, but for adults too!
Top Referrers
Last month was a particularly active month here on Squirrelers, so I thought it would be a good idea to take the time to acknowledge the top referring sites. The following are the “lucky dozen”, the 12 sites bringing the most visitors to Squirrelers during the past month, September.
- The Simple Dollar
- Free Money Finance
- Len Penzo
- Yakezie
- Lifehacker
- Festival of Frugality
- Wisebread
- Everyday Tips and Thoughts
- Budgeting In the Fun Stuff
- First Gen American
- Hope to Prosper
- Life and My Finances
Squirrelers in Blog Carnivals
Squirrelers has appeared in the following recent blog carnivals:
Carefully Watch Prices – They Can Vary Significantly from Store to Store! was included in the Festival of Frugality at My Personal Finance Journey
Refinancing a Home was included in the Totally Money Blog Carnival at Young Adult Finances
Your Will: Give to Kids Equally or Not? was included as an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Wealth Informatics
Are Actively Managed Funds a Fool’s Game Compared to Index Funds was included in the Carnival of Passive Investing at Free Money Finance
Financial Chemistry was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Hope to Prosper.
Squirreling Gone Wild #29 – Pet Expenses and the Bird Brain was included in the Festival of Frugality at Nerd Wallet.
My wife has gone apple picking with my son and the in-laws for the last couple of years. I didn’t attend either time because I had been planning some work around the house, but this year she insisted that I go. We went and the apples were terrible because of a lot of rain that had recently fallen. She insisted that they’d been better in years past. It was still fun going on the tractor ride, though!
MB – glad you got to take in the apple orchard this year, despite the so-so apples there. Fun times, good parent-child bonding and memories.
Fun!! It’s still 100 degrees here in Phoenix so I’d take apple picking on an 80 degree day any time! We went to a “fall festival” last weekend and did the corn maze and picked a pumpkin. It was a lot of fun. I do love this time of year. I wish we had a more typical fall… but that would mean we would also have a “typical” winter, and I’m not down with that!
Ashley – Glad you got to enjoy the season in some way…corn maze and pumpkins sure does qualify! I suppose over there you guys must pick from a selections of pumpkins trucked in from elsewhere. Hard to imagine desert pumpkins:) Still, that’s great that you guys had a lot of fun. May be blazing hot there now, but when it cools to 70 in January, people around here grumble about moving to warmer climates like where you are!
I love apple picking. I have such great memories of buying bushels of apples as a kid and making homemade applesauce. However, I have not done that with my own kids. Maybe I will next weekend!
Kris – apple picking is a lot of fun, I agree. The applesauce part sounds cool – that would be cool to do with the kids.
We always went to the pumpkin farm to pick out our future jack-o-lanterns. Included were a corn maze, petting zoo, climbing on stacked hay bales, jumping in the hay, lots of photo ops, and good cold cider. We’d buy some fresh grapes, gourds, and sometimes a candied apple. Lots of fun and great memories!
Maggie – that sounds a lot like pumpkin farms around here….minus the grapes:) But I know what you mean about such activities being fun and providing some great memories!
Glad you had fun apple picking. It’s warm here in Missouri too. Growing up in St. Louis, we did not do any pumpkin patches or apple picking – but we did have our own garden and I made corn husk dolls after we picked the ears. I don’t think there were very many urban farms with public access back in the fifties – it’s a more recent – and happy – development.
Marie – I too think it’s a good development. It’s a fun time!
Molly – yep, it’s fun to do with a kid, and you’re getting fresh, nutritious, tasty food in the process.
I haven’t gone to pick apples since I was a kid. I remember enjoying the apple cider that we would buy from such places. I’m going to have to take my kids to one of these.
Good times! Our family likes this time of year too, for many of the reasons you mention here. I use this time to work-out more so I can enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (the trificta of over-eating holidays) without starving myself.
Apple picking sounds fun! We’d have to drive an hour to do that here, and my wife just doesn’t like it that much!
Sounds like a blast. I hope there were true apple baskets to put them in. 🙂
Yeah to being a top referrer. I feel bad because I haven’t done a roundup in over a month, but glad I can still send traffic your way.
I love this time of year. I wish it lasted a little longer though. We have an apple tree gone wild in our yard and the kids love chucking apples at each other. Unfortunately they aren’t good eating but they are sure fun to throw.