Everything is cheaper here

I know I keep saying this, but everything really is SO MUCH cheaper here.  It never ceases to amaze me that the regular price of a can of refried beans is under a dollar.  If we can't stick to our budget in the state of Washington, then it simply can't be done. 

This weekend we attended an event which seems to prove this point better than anything.  We get the local paper, The Columbian, which turns out to be an EXCELLENT newspaper.  It's not as big as the Mercury News (in San Jose), so I feel like I can read at least some of it every day.  Anyway, I came across this great feature where they list their picks for the week's activities.  Otherwise, we'd basically be driving around looking at real estate and have no clue where to go or what to do with the kids besides take them to the park.

So the city of La Center had a little festival called "Our Days" (follow this link if you want to see the best paint map ever drawn for a parade) and the newspaper listed that they would be offering Monster Truck rides from 3-6PM.  For free.  So of course, given the current household demographic, this was a MUST SEE event.  We headed out a little after noon and first hit the festival itself which consisted of a bunch of local booths (artisan, Realtors, beer and hot dogs, etc), a bunch of bitchin' hot rods and a bunch of giant bounce houses for the kids.  For free.  Also free?  Pony rides. 

(Did I mention they were FREE!?) (FREE!)

After spending all of a single dollar on a cold bottle of water, we headed over to the Monster Truck rides.  It took us a while to figure out where to go because it was basically held in a field in the middle of town.  The whole day was so laid back and casual that there were no signs pointing where anything was; we just randomly asked other parents and eventually found stuff.  The people here are so nice,

So we get to the monster truck and we start looking for the sign up table.   Because OBVIOUSLY we're going to have to sign some kind of triplicate release form.  I mean, if my kids can't jump at Pump it Up without my signing their lives away then there's no way in hell they're going to let us ride a 20-year-old rust machine without some kind of liability protection.

But no.  We just got in line and that was it.

I found the ride terrifying, to put it mildly.  I thought for sure the damn thing was going to roll over and we'd all be crushed.  Alex just thought it was great fun.

The strange thing is that a day like this in California easily would've set us back $75.  They would've charged $5 for each bounce house admission, $10 for a pony ride and $25 a piece for a ride on the monster truck.  But La Center doesn't play that way.  They are down with the family values and we loved the entire day.

Washington is awesome.

Comments

[Monica]

Just taking a moment to de-lurk.
I've been following your blog for a little while & have been rooting for you guys to relocate. Glad you're loving it. I've been living in the Bay Area for a total of 16 years, with a 4 year stint in Seattle. And I know from experience that it's cheaper and less stressful in the PNW. We were considering Vancouver/Portland, but the job situation there wasn't good for us. So now, at the end of August, we move back to Seattle. Yay! Can't wait to ride the ferries! Also, you are totally right that your fun outing in Cali would have cost about $75. It's true that things are more expensive in California. Thank goodness my husband has finally accepted that fact. Good luck and get some good rain gear (I'm talking Gore-tex) for the fall/winter/spring. The rain got to us after 4 years in Seattle, but this time we know what to expect. Just do like the locals, visit sunny places during your winter vacation.

[Shrinkingmom]

Did I ever welcome you to Washington? Well, welcome! (I'm a couple hours north of you, though.)

[KelliTX]

How fun is that! I want to ride the truck AND the pony...