We caught up with MK Mom Eva Magri from Blackwood, NJ, at the Old City Seaport Festival last month. Eva visited the MK Pirate’s Lair to root on her 11-year-old daughter, Angelina, who performed a lively jig with a company from On Pointe Dance Center, where she takes ballet, contemporary dance and drama, and little sis Samara, 6, attends hip-hop classes.
Favorite family outing:
A movie at the Regal Cross Keys Cinemas and a bite at Blackwood’s Meadows Diner.
Favorite fall activity:
We love to make leaf piles at home. You don’t always have to break the bank when you want to spend time as a family.
Their pay-it-forward lifestyle:
I own a store dedicated to helping military personnel enjoy items not readily available to where they are deployed. The girls participate in an annual drive for Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Wants versus needs:
Early on I taught my kids to save money and think carefully about the difference between wanting or needing an item. So we started an annual vacation jar where we place any found change or cash as well as money they would rather spend on a big vacation. At the end of the year, we choose where they’d most like to go.
So . . . where did they want to go?
We have been to Disney, the Gaylord Hotel, West Virginia and even used our spare change for concert tickets.
Eva’s budgeting tips:
I use coupon sites and web deals to purchase tickets and try to get the most bang for my buck. I’m a single mom and it’s very challenging, yet it’s helped me to help the girls grow to be stronger women.
Why she’s an MK Mom:
We utilize cost-effective thoughts and ideas from other MK moms and use the magazine to keep up with events that are within our community.
Brittany E. Hair is an MK co-op intern, a photographer and a communications student at Drexel University.
