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Twin Cities Frugal Mom

Living well while spending less in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area

Manly Man Co. Edible Beef Jerky Flower Bouquet Review & Giveaway

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Manly Man Beef Jerky Flower Bouquet

If you have a man in your life who loves all things meat, then you need to keep reading!

There’s a very unique gift you can give him – an all-edible BEEF JERKY “Flower” Bouquet!

And you can WIN one for him – or anyone (even yourself!)

Review of Manly Man Co. Beef Jerky Flower Bouquet

I have the most wonderful man…he has gotten me flowers so many times, which I mostly enjoy while I’m at work (definitely makes my desk more cheerful!).

flower bouquets

Well, I just learned of Manly Man Co. gifts for men – and found a unique gift that made me think of him right away. A flower bouquet – made of beef jerky!

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Twin Cities Drive-Thru Halloween Lights & Events 2021

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Twin Cities Drive Thru Halloween Events

October means Halloween events all month long…but if you’re not yet comfortable with in-person events due to COVID, or you have someone who can’t walk but enjoys rides in the car, here is a list of events in the Twin Cities 2021 that you CAN do and enjoy!

Events are FREE (according to my knowledge) unless otherwise specified.

DRIVE THRU LIGHTS – ALL MONTH LONG

Halloween lights! Drive by and check these out:

Sever's Fall Lights

Sever’s Drive-Thru Fall Lights. October 1 – 30th. Fridays to Sundays, plus Thursday of MEA weekend (Oct 21). 7:00 – 10:00pm. Shakopee, MN. Dynamic light displays synchronized to festive fall music. $25 per car if 8 people or under. $40 if more than 8.

Schultz Halloween Lights

Schultz Family Lights – 1526 York Ave, St Paul, MN. They are known for their holiday lights, and lighting up the whole block, but their Halloween lights are awesome too!

Johnson Holiday Lights – 2065 California Ave E, St. Paul, MN. Note: It’s free to enjoy but they are collecting donations for JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.

Art of Adam Turman – Brookside Neighborhood, St. Louis Park, MN.

The Haunted Oaks – Royal Oaks Neighborhood, Woodbury, MN. (Lamplight Dr & Courtly Rd intersection (Near WHS)

DRIVE-THRU EVENTS – SPECIFIC DATES

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26

Halloween DRIVE THRU. 6:00 – 7:30pm. Hazel Park, St. Paul. Families will drive up in their vehicles and stop at every table to receive treat bag or other special items that will be handed to them. Note: The vehicle line starts on Case Ave on the south side and wraps around the east side of Van Dyke street. The line will cut off at 8pm sharp. Participants must remain in their vehicle. No registration required.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29

Halloween Trunk or Treat DRIVE THRU. Heritage Park, St. Paul Park. Come on out to see the decorated trunks and get some Treats.

DRIVE THRU Halloween Party. 6:00 – 8:00p. Battle Creek Rec Center, St. Paul. Join us for a Halloween themed spooky event! This will be a drive thru event, participants will get treat bags and other special things for local community partners! The line starts on Winthrop street just outside the parking lot entrance. The line will cut off at 8pm sharp. Participants must remain in their vehicle. No registration.

House Decorating Contest-Public Viewing from Your Car! 7:00 – 9:00pm. October 29 – 30. Anoka. This contest was open to addresses within a 5-mile radius of Anoka City Hall, 2015 1st Avenue, Anoka.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30

Haunted Halloween Drive-Thru Event. 11:00am. 11100 Excelsior Blvd, Hopkins. Put on your costume, pile in the car and head over to the Hopkins Public Works building for a drive -thru haunted house! Sponsored by the Hopkins Police in partnership with Hopkins Public Works, Hopkins Fire Department and City Staff. Don’t miss all the fun on Mainstreet as well – this event is part of the annual “Halloween in Hopkins” celebration hosted by Hopkins JCI and Hopkins Business and Civic Association (HBCA).

Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat. 2:00 – 4:00pm. Richfield United Methodist Church, Minneapolis. Trunk-Or-Treat returns in “drive-thru style” fun! All are invited to a safe trick-or-treating experience. Tap “Going,” invite your friends, and share today!

DRIVE THRU Trunk or Treat. 2:00 – 5:00pm. The Grove United Methodist Church, 7465 Steepleview Rd, Woodbury. Put on your favorite costume and enjoy an afternoon trunk-or-treating with friends and neighbors at this not-so-scary Halloween event. Cars will be lined up at the church for safe, socially distant trick-or-treating. Because this is a drive-thru event, each child will receive a goody-bag at the end of the event.

House Decorating Contest-Public Viewing from Your Car! 7:00 – 9:00pm. October 29 – 30. Anoka. This contest was open to addresses within a 5-mile radius of Anoka City Hall, 2015 1st Avenue, Anoka.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31

Halloween Drive Thru. 4:00 – 6:00pm. Access Church, 4359 392nd St, North Branch. You’re invited to join us for our Halloween Drive Thru. Before you hit the town to go door-to-door, make sure to swing by our building. Our staff and volunteers will be in costume and ready to greet you with a FREE bag of candy for every child, 5th grade and younger! Stay comfy inside your car – we’ll bring the candy to you. All you have to do is drive up to the front door of the building, and we’ll take it from there!

What other events should I add to this list? Let me know! twincitiesfrugalmom@gmail.com

More Halloween Fun!

Twin Cities Halloween & Fall Family Events 2021

Twin Cities Halloween Events 2021

Free Printable Halloween Bucket List

TCFM Halloween Bucket Lists

Make some homemade hot chocolate and bring it with before you go!

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs

Easy Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe

Minneapolis Holiday Boutique Discount Tickets – 50% Off

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Minneapolis Holiday Boutique 2021

The Minneapolis Holiday Boutique is returning in 2021! It’s on December 10 – 12 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and you can save 50% on tickets right now!

It’s a little early to be thinking Christmas right now it seems, but this is actually the BEST time because you can save money!

What is the Minneapolis Holiday Boutique?

It is a 3-day marketplace where you can shop for holiday gifts for others (and yourself)! There are many local businesses, boutiques and artisans here so you can shop local, find unique items and support your own community.

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Nickelodeon Boo-niverse and Halloween Festivities at Mall of America

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Nickelodeon Booniverse 2021

Yay! Nickelodeon Boo-niverse is back with Halloween festivities for the whole family at Mall of America.

Nickelodeon Universe is being transformed into Nickelodeon Boo-niverse® in October and there are many free events!

Halloween festivities include:

Fright Lights Halloween Spectacular

How cool is this? The nightly light show at the South Entrance of Nickelodeon Universe has been taken over by a funky witch who commands the lights and music to groove and the people to move – all in the name of Spooky Halloween fun! Note: There are strobe lights and fog effects.

When?

Sunday – Thursday: Park Close
Fridays & Saturdays: 8 & 9 p.m.

Where?

South Entrance of Nickelodeon Universe (near LEGO)

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SeaQuest Roseville Family 4-Pack for Only $49

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SeaQuest Groupon

We love SeaQuest Roseville, and there is a great deal right now on Groupon!

Get a family admission 4-pack plus 8 activity tokens, valid ANY day, for only $49.00! (Use code SAVE for an extra 20% off by 10/12)

Regular price is $75.50!

OR you can get a single-day admission ticket with a sloth encounter for one, valid any day with advance reservation, for only $25! (Use code SAVE for an extra 20% off by 10/12)

Regular price is $37.90!

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Great Wolf Lodge Bloomington as Low as $99 a Night (Limited Dates through December)

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Great Wolf Lodge Bloomington

Plan a fall getaway to the Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington! And Groupon is offering a great deal on stays right now! But there are limited nights left!

Get a Deluxe Bunk Bed Suite (like the one my family stayed in before!) for as low as $99 a night, or a Family Suite for as low as $109 a night from Groupon! (Plus fees, as with any booking.)  Of course the rate varies depending on the date but these are great prices no matter when you go.

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Starbucks Copycat Skinny Mocha Recipe

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Starbucks Copycat Skinny Mocha Recipe

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE coffee. I especially love it with chocolate, but I don’t love the calories!

I also LOVE Starbucks, especially their mocha drinks. But I don’t love the cost!

Here is a Starbucks Copycat Skinny Mocha recipe that will both save you calories and money, and it tastes delicious!

You can also customize it however you want. If you want a regular mocha, you can use regular creamer and whipped cream instead of sugar-free and light versions.

I usually mix things up – I’ll have some real flavored syrup, like vanilla or hazelnut, but I’ll use stevia instead of sugar.

Try this and see what you think! And check out my other coffee recipes too!

Starbucks Copycat Skinny Mocha Recipe

Yields 20oz iced or 12oz hot
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of espresso, hot or chilled
• 1/2 cup of sugar free hazelnut creamer
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder  (I love Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, but you can use any kind you wish)
• 3 teaspoons of sweetener (sugar, or a substitute like stevia or monk fruit)

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Hot Deals to Help You Lose Weight

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I know as I get older it gets harder to keep the weight from creeping up no matter what I do…and now with cooler temps, pumpkin spice everything and warm coffees luring me every day, a little help with weight maintenance and even losing a few pounds can certainly help!!!!

Here are some GREAT deals happening right now that I recommend checking out, and my personal experience with some of them.

Get Healthy U – $3 for a FULL year

Get Healthy U Premium

Do you want a DIRT CHEAP way of working out anywhere?

Since last summer I have had a premium membership to Get Healthy U TV, which offers unlimited access to tons of fitness classes, recipes and more. Since then I’ve done the workouts regularly including yoga, cardio, meditations and so much else. I’ve also downloaded and used their free workout calendars planned by fitness experts to help me stay on track!

How much did I pay for this? $3 for a full year. And now so can you!

Sign up for a Get Healthy U TV premium membership for only $3 for a FULL YEAR right now!!!

It’s AMAZING and worth so much more!

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Free Printable Halloween Bucket List

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I am the list QUEEN. From to-do lists to shopping lists to fun lists – it’s how I get things done!

One FUN list I love to do with my kids is a BUCKET list. And when October comes, there are a TON of fun things our family loves to do, so we plan out our month!Here is a bucket list your family can do this month for tons of Halloween fun!

TCFM Halloween Bucket Lists

How to Create a Halloween Bucket List

1. Just create one together on a piece of paper.

2. Write your list on a white board or calendar in your house.

3. Use these FREE printable Halloween bucket lists I’ve included below!

How to Get Your Kids Involved

I suggest making some hot chocolate or hot cocoa bombs (check our my recipes here!), sitting down together and brainstorming ideas. Let each family member share what they want to do this month!

Making it happen!

Be sure to set aside time in your family’s calendar to get each item done! 

For example, there are 20 ideas on this list, so you could do one thing each day for 20 days or do 4-5 things each weekend in October!

20 Fun Ideas for Your Family’s Halloween Bucket List

  • Carve pumpkins.
  • Tell spooky stories.
  • Visit a pumpkin patch.
  • Drink apple cider.
  • Eat candy corn.
  • Dress up for Halloween.
  • Make Halloween masks.
  • Have a scavenger hunt
  • Watch Halloween movies

Free Printable Halloween Bucket Lists

  • Read a Halloween book
  • Put up Halloween decorations
  • Find funny-looking pumpkins
  • Bob for apples
  • “Boo” your neighbors
  • Roast pumpkin seeds
  • Have a bonfire
  • Make Halloween crafts
  • Bake Halloween cookies
  • Play flashlight tag
  • Go TRICK OR TREATING!

There are actually 2 versions of the free printable Halloween bucket list. One of them includes an area to add your own ideas!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT FREE HALLOWEEN BUCKET LISTS!

More Halloween fun!

Check out events happening in the Twin Cities area!

Twin Cities Halloween Events 2021

As it gets chillier out, enjoy making some hot cocoa bombs at home!

Easy Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe

Check out these Halloween family movies:


(Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)