Here is a great list of free stuff, discounts and everything I could find for Veteran’s Day! Unless otherwise stated, these deals are good on Veteran’s Day ONLY!! Active Military ID is usually required, but each location has it’s own rules 🙂 Please call ahead to verify your location is participating and ask what they accept as proof of service!
Restaurants
54th Street Grill ~ Veterans and Active Duty will receive $10 off any entrèe. Can’t be used in combination with a reward or other discount, including 54 funds. Dine-in Only. Discount Code: Veterans Day.
Ahi Poke Bowl – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off Poke Bowls. Dine-in only.
Another Broken Egg Cafe – On Veterans Day, we’re inviting all veterans and active or retired military service members to enjoy a FREE Patriot French Toast Combo and coffee. Available for dine-in only. Limit one per person.
Applebee’s – Veterans and Active Duty Military members will receive a free entree from a special menu (listed on website).
Army & Air Force Exchange Service – There are a lot of deals listed on this site!
Au Bon Pain – Retired and Active Military receive Free Breakfast Sandwich and a small drip coffee.
Bar Louie – Active-duty military and veterans get a free Craft Burger. Dine-in only.
Benihana ~ Veterans receive a Free Appetizer. Dine-in Only.
Big Daddy’s Burger Bar – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free American burger and side of chips from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Biggby Coffee – Veterans and active-duty service members receive a free 16 oz beverage of choice.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – Current and former military can enjoy a free meal from a selection of BJ’s favorites and a FREE Dr Pepper beverage. Dine-in only.
Bob Evans – Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a select menu (10 items to choose from) Dine-in only.
Bonefish Grill – Free order of Bang Bang shrimp with soft beverage.
Brick House Tavern + Tap – Veterans get 20% off on NOV 13th! Valid for parties up to 4 with a valid ID, alcoholic beverages excluded from discount. Dine-in only.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company – Veterans and Active Military receive 20% off on Nov 13th. Dine-in Only, Max 4 guests.
Buca di Beppo – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Lunch. Dine-in Only.
Buffalo’s Cafe – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Entrée from their regular menu.
Buffalo Wild Wings – Veterans and Active-Duty Military receive 10 Free Wings and Fries. Dine-in Only.
Calhoun’s – Veterans and active-duty military enjoy a free lunch from 10:45am to 4pm.
California Pizza Kitchen – Veterans and active-duty military receive a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage and choice of one entrée from a special menu.
Carolina Ale House – Veterans and military members get a Free Rib Platter with Coleslaw and Fries.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Appetizer or Dessert and a Free Coca-Cola Beverage .
Cattlemens – This one is a little tricky. Sign up on or before Nov 11th and you will receive an email on Nov 12th with a Free Steak Certificate. That certificate is valid Nov 12th thru Nov 22nd. For all Active, non-active, and retired military personal. Valid for outdoor dining or dine-in, at California Locations only. The offer is not valid on takeout orders.
CentraArchy Restaurants – Veterans and active-duty military members get 50% off an entrée from the full menu.
Charleys Philly Steaks – Veterans and active-duty military get free Gourmet Fries in-store with no purchase necessary. U.S. military base locations require the purchase of a cheesesteak and drink to qualify.
Chelo’s Hometown Bar & Grille – Veterans with a valid military ID receive a free meal from a select menu.
Chicken Guy – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Chicken Sandwich. Dine-in Only
Chicken Salad Chick – Veterans and active-duty military will receive a Chick Special and regular size drink. Dine-in only.
Chili’s – Veterans and active-duty service members get a free meal from a select menu, listed on website. Dine-in only.
Chop House – Veterans and active-duty service members get 50% off entrees.
Cicis Pizza – Active and retired military personnel get a free adult buffet. No beverage included. Dine-in only
Claim Jumper – Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a special menu. Dine-in only.
Colton’s Steak House & Grill – Veterans and active-duty service members get a free entrée from 11am until 4 pm from a select menu. Dine-in only. Offer not available at Kentucky locations.
Cotton Patch Cafe – Veterans and active-duty military get a free Chicken Fried Steak or Chicken Fried Chicken Entrée.
Country Kitchen – Active and retired military get a free Country Scramble. Dine-in only.
Cracker Barrel – Veterans and active-duty military receive a free slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake, in-store and online, with any purchase using promo code VETSDAY22 at checkout.
Crooked Pint Ale House – Veterans and active-duty military get any single item from their menu. Dine-in only.
D’angelo Grilled Sandwiches – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off entire order. Dine-in or carryout only.
Davanni’s Pizza and Hot Hoagies – Active-duty military and veterans get a Free Solo 1-item Pizza and Regular Pop. Proof of service required, just mention it when you order for dine-in, takeout, or curbside.
Denny’s – Veterans, Active and Inactive Military Members receive a Free Original Grand Slam Breakfast. Between 5am and 12pm. Dine-in Only.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit – Veterans and active-duty military get a Free Pulled Pork Sandwich. Valid in-store, and online/app for carryout with code VETFREE.
Duffy’s Sports Grill – Veterans get a free meal from 11am to 4pm. Max value $15. Dine-in only.
Dunkin Donuts – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Doughnut. Dine-in only.
Earl of Sandwich – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Sandwich. Dine-in only.
Eat’n Park – All former and current military personnel receive 10% off for themselves and their entire party each time they dine in for the entire month of November. If you go in on Veteran’s Day, you will also receive a free Smiley Cookie. Dine-in only.
Einstein Bros. Bagels ~ Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members receive a Free Coffee.
Emmet’s Social Table – Veterans and active-duty military get a free meal. Max value $15. Dine-in only.
Famous Dave’s – Veterans, active-duty and inactive military get a free Georgia Chopped Pork Sandwich and choice of side. When ordering online, use code VETERAN to receive the discount. Must present valid proof of service at pickup. Not valid for Call-In Orders or Delivery.
Fazoli’s – Veterans and Active Military receive free regular spaghetti with meat or marinara sauce.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – Dine with a veteran or active-duty service member and their meal is free (equal to or less than your entrée purchase). Dine-in only.
Fox & Hound – Veterans and active-duty military get a free meal from a select menu.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers – Veterans and active military personnel who visit will receive a free Freddy’s Original Double with Cheese combo meal card that can be redeemed through Nov. 30.
Friendly’s – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Burger and Fountain Drink
Fuddruckers – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free 1/3 Pound Fudd Burger and Bottomless Fries. Dine-in only.
Glory Days Grill – Active-duty military and veterans receive 10% off their table.
Gold Star Chili – Veterans and active-duty military receive a free regular 3-Way and regular drink. Dine-in, carry out or drive-thru.
Golden Corral – Golden Corral hosts a Military Appreciation Night. This year it is on Nov. 14 from 5pm to close. This includes a free Thank You meal when dining in.
Grady’s BBQ – Veterans and active-duty military get a free one meat sandwich. Dine-in only.
Green Mill Restaurant and Bar – Veterans and active-duty military get any single menu item free. Dine-in only.
Greene Turtle – Veterans get a free meal. Max value $13 value. Dine-in only.
GuacAmigos – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free meal from a special menu.
Hamburger Stand – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free hamburger, regular fries and a small Pepsi.
Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Little Joe Pizza. Dine-in or Take Out Only.
Hooters – Active-duty military and Veterans get a free entrée from the Hooters Veterans Day Menu with purchase of a beverage. Dine-in only.
Hurricane Grill & Wings – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Entrée from a select menu.
IHOP – Veterans and Active-Duty military get free Red, White & Blueberry Pancakes. Dine-in only.
Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant – Veterans and Active-Duty service members receive a complimentary burger or sandwich along with a non-alcoholic beverage.
J. Christopher’s – Veterans get a free meal. Dine-in only.
Joe’s Crab Shack – Veterans get 20% off when they dine-in on Nov. 13. Valid for parties up to 4.
Johnny Rockets – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Burger.
Kings Family Restaurant – Veterans and Active-Duty military members get a free breakfast, lunch or dinner from a select menu. Dine-in only.
Kolache Factory – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Kolache and small Coffee.
Kona Grill – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off their meal Nov 11-13. Dine-in only.
Krispy Kreme – Veterans get a free doughnut and a small hot or iced coffee.
Lab Bakery & Coffee Bar – Active-Duty service members and Veterans get a free cup of coffee and a slice of vanilla pound cake.
LaMar’s Donuts – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free donut and 12 oz. coffee.
Little Caesars – Veterans and active-duty military get a free 4-Slice Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza and a 20oz Pepsi. At participating stores between 11am and 2pm. In-store only.
Logan’s Roadhouse – Veterans and active-duty military personnel can enjoy a free meal between 3 and 6 p.m. from a special menu.
Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ – Active-duty personnel and veterans get a complimentary personal sized entree from a select menu. Dine-in or take out only. Not valid for online orders or through any third party delivery service. Lucille’s is also giving veterans and active-duty military a $10 Thank You For Your Service Bonus Cards, redeemable 11/25/22-12/4/22.
Macaroni Grill – Veterans and Active-Duty military receive a free Mom’s Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti.
MacKenzie River – Show proof of military service and get 25% off for your entire table. Available for dine-in and carryout only. Not available through online ordering.
Max & Erma‘s – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free Cheeseburger, Endless Fries, fountain drink and a cookie.
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants – Veterans, National Guard, Gold Star parents and Gold Star Spouses can enjoy a select half-priced entrée on Nov. 13. Chose entrees from a special menu. Reservations are strongly recommended.
McGrath’s Fish House – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free meal from a select menu.
Menchie’s – Veterans and Active-Duty military get their first 6 oz of froyo free.
Mimi’s Cafe – Veterans and Active-Duty Military receive a free entrée. Max value $16. Dine-in Only
Mission BBQ – Veterans get a free sandwich.
MOD Pizza – Buy one MOD-size pizza or salad, get one MOD-size pizza or salad free. Valid in-store only.
Native Grill & Wings – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Entrée from a select menu.
Ninety Nine Restaurant and Pub – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free lunch from a select menu with the purchase of another entrée. From 11am to 5pm. Dine-in only.
O’Charley’s – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a free entrée. Dine-in only.
Old Chicago – Veterans and Active-Duty military receive Free Lunch.
Olga’s Kitchen – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Original Olga with any purchase.
On The Border – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Combo 2. Dine-in Only.
Orange Leaf – Veterans and Active Military receive $2 off their order.
Outback Steakhouse – Veterans, Active-Duty military and spouses get a free Bloomin’ Onion to share, and one beverage each.
Papa Gino’s Pizza – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off entire order. Dine-in or carryout only.
Parry’s Pizza – Veterans and active-duty military get a full-size entrée and fountain drink for free from a select menu (on their website)
Peet’s Coffee – Veterans, Active Military and Spouses receive a Free Small drip Coffee or Tea.
Perkins – Active and Retired Service Members receive a Free Magnificent Seven Breakfast.
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille – Active-duty military and veterans get one complimentary dinner chop when accompanied by a guest purchasing one dinner entrée on Nov. 10 from 4PM to closing or one complimentary Pork Chop Lunch when accompanied by a guest purchasing one lunch entrée on Nov. 11 from 10:30am-5pm. Dine-in only. Reservations required.
Pilot Flying J – Veterans get a free meal up to $12 through a special offer in the app.
PJ’s Coffee – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free 10oz Hot or Iced Coffee
Primanti Bros – Veterans and active-duty military get a free sandwich.
QDOBA – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off any entrée. Dine-in Only.
Red Lobster – Veterans, Active-Duty military and reservists get a free Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, Fries, and Coleslaw. Dine in and To-Go orders placed inside the restaurant between 11:00am and 4:00pm local time.
Red Mango – Veterans and Active Military receive $2 off their order.
Red Robin – Veterans and active-duty military get a free Red’s Tavern Double Burger. This classic burger also comes with free refills of Bottomless Steak Fries. Dine in only.
RibCrib – Veterans get a free meal from a select menu.
Rodizio Grill – Veterans who dine Nov. 7-11 eat free with purchase of one Full Rodizio adult dinner.
Rosa Mexicano – Veterans and Active-Duty service members receive a free meal.
Schlotsky’s ~ Veterans and Active-Duty Military receive Free Chips and Drink with purchase of an entrée.
Seven Doors Kitchen & Cocktails – Veterans and Active-Duty military get one free entrée and one non-alcoholic beverage from 11am-9pm. Dine in or take out only.
Shane’s Rib Shack – Active and Inactive military and Veterans get a free Pork or BBQ Chicken plate Nov. 9-11. Dine-In Only.
Shoney’s – Veterans and active-duty service members get a free All You Care To Eat, Freshly Prepared Breakfast Bar from Open until 11am. Dine-in only.
Smashburger – Get a free Burger or Sandwich. Dine-in Only.
Smokey Bones – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Entrée from a select menu. Dine-in Only.
Smoothie King – Active and Retired Military receive a Free 20oz Smoothie.
Sonny’s BBQ – Veterans and Active-Duty military get a Free Pork Big Deal. You need to go to their website and verify your eligibility and you will receive a coupon. For dine-in and takeout only.
Starbucks – Veterans, Military Service Members and Military Spouses receive a free tall (12-oz) hot or iced coffee
Steak ‘N Shake – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Milkshake. Dine-in Only
Sticky Fingers – Veterans and active-duty military get a free pulled pork sandwich and fries. Dine-in Only.
Taco John’s – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Small Beef Combo (Two crispy beef tacos)
TCBY – Veterans and active military personnel get their first 6 oz. of frozen yogurt for free.
Texas Roadhouse ~ Veterans can stop in on Friday, Nov 11,from 11am – 2pm to pick up a FREE meal voucher. Redeem your voucher for any of the listed menu items at your convenience. Menu Items listed on voucher.
TGIFriday’s – Veterans and Active-Duty Military receive a Free Meal.
Tijuana Flats – Veterans and Active Military receive 50% off their entrée. Dine-in, takeout and online orders (Code is VTRN2250)
TravelCenters of America – Active-duty military and veterans get a free breakfast, lunch or dinner. Up to $15 for Quick Serve Restaurants and $18 for Full Serve Restaurants
Tucanos Brazilian Grill – Veterans get a free Churrasco meal with the purchase of another Churrasco meal. Nov. 10-12.
Tuscan Brands – Tuscan Kitchen, Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar, and Toscana Italian Chop House & Wine Bar will be serving a family style meal to veterans and one guest from 11am to 4pm. Veterans and their guest can RSVP by calling the restaurant located in the town they live in.
Twin Peaks – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Meal from a select Menu. Dine-in Only.
Uno Pizzeria & Grill – Veteran and active-duty military get a free meal.
Walk-On’s – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Scholarship Burger and fries. Dine-in Only.
Wendy’s – Veterans and Active Military Members receive a Free Breakfast Combo.
White Castle – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Breakfast Combo or Regular Combo meal. Dine-in Only.
Wienerschnitzel – Veterans and active-duty military receive a free Chili Dog, small fries and a small drink.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill – Active-duty, Reserve, and retired members of the military, and their families get a 20% discount during the month of November. Discount covers up to six immediate family members. Dine-in only.
World of Beer Bar & Kitchen – Veterans and Active Military receive Free Bone-in Chicken Wings.
Yard House – Veterans & active-duty military receive a free appetizer. Dine-in only.
Zaxby’s – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Boneless Wing Meal.
Ziggi’s Coffee – Active-duty military and veterans get one free 16 oz. drink.
Hair Cuts
Great Clips – Veterans and active-duty service members can go into any U.S. Great Clips salon and get a free haircut on or a free haircut card for a future visit on Nov. 11. Non-military customers who get a haircut on Veterans Day at Great Clips salons will also have the opportunity to pay it forward. They can receive a free haircut card to give to an active service member or veteran they know as a way of saying thank you. The cards can be redeemed for a free haircut from Nov. 12 through Dec. 9, 2022.
Sport Clips – Free haircuts to Veterans and Active-Duty military members.
Miscellaneous Businesses
7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes ~ Veterans get a free Quarter Pound Big Bite 100% all-beef hot dog. Available in-store and via delivery through the 7NOW app.
Casey’s – Service Members, past and present, receive Free Coffee.
Dollar General – Active-duty military, Veterans and their immediate families can take 20% off their purchase between Nov. 10-13. Must have Dollar General Account.
Food City – Veterans and active-duty military get a free hot bar meal from the Food City Deli.
Food Lion – All active-duty military members & veterans will save 10% on their in-store shopping purchase total before taxes. Excludes Beer, Wine, Tobacco, Gift Cards, Lottery, Pharmacy, Postage Stamps and Services.
Love’s Truck Stop – Veterans and Active Military offer – Buy 1, Get 1 FREE Roller Grill items and get a FREE Fountain Drink.
Office Depot or Office Max – Veterans & active-duty military members will save 20% off regular-priced items in-store only.
PetSmart – Veterans and Active Military earn 11x Treat Points. In-store and online. Must be a member of their Loyalty Program.
Publix – Veterans and their families can save 10% on groceries purchased in-store.
Rack Room Shoes – U.S. military personnel and their families can receive a 20% discount on in-store purchases.
Sheetz – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Half Ham or Meatball Sub and a regular Fountain Drink. They also offer a Free Car Wash.
Tractor Supply – Active and former military members and their dependents can get a 15% discount in stores.
The Vitamin Shoppe – Veterans and Active Military receive 25% off their total purchase.
Fun Stuff
Chuck E Cheese ~ Active-Duty, National Guard, Retired and Veterans receive a personal 1-topping pizza. Dine-In Only.
Main Event – Veterans and Active Military receive a Free Classic Double Cheeseburger and 30 minutes of Free Game Time.
National Parks – All national parks offer free admission for everyone on Nov. 11.
Six Flags – All veterans & active-duty military will receive free admissions, free parking, free commemorative gift, free drink bottle, free meal, and more! Friends & Family of veterans will receive discounted park admissions. All redemptions will take place at the Front Gate on Nov. 12-13. Most Parks are participating, but if you click on the link and chose your local park, you will find the information there 🙂
We hope that you thoroughly enjoy your day! We Appreciate You!
Posted in Deals, Free Stuff, Veterans and tagged Deals, Free Stuff, Veterans by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
So much to see After St Louis!
St Louis was a lot of fun, we saw so many cool things, but we had been in Missouri for a minute. Our usual “in one place” time frame is about a week, give or take depending on the situation. Plus, Zach had an EUC event coming up in Bentonville, Arkansas in the beginning of September, so we needed to move it along.
Our first little stop was at a cute, HUGE Rocking Chair, the World’s 2nd Largest to be exact. Check out the Chair Here! We even brought our littlest kitty, Heddy, for a quick photo in her backpack (I know, she seems terrified, that’s just her normal look 😆 )
Our next stop was Springfield, Missouri for a few days to rest and recover from travel days. We found lots of large things there. The World’s 2nd Largest Fork is there. Funny we keep finding all of the SECOND largest things. But, this fork was huge ! Randomly placed in front of an office building of sorts, and no real explanation. Strange. But cool. Check out the Fork Here!
So then we found some other strange things going on in Springfield, Missouri. First of all, Kraft has a factory there. With a HUGE Noodle (apparently this is not unique for Kraft factories, which just makes me want to go find them all).
And while this noodle is kind of strange, in the big things world, it’s not the strangest thing about this place.
Apparently there are underground CHEESE CAVES.
Wait, what? Ok, in reality, it’s a huge underground (about 100 feet) warehouse. And when I say huge, I mean 3.2 million square feet. 😯 It’s a cheese warehouse (I read 1.4 billion pounds of cheese 😮 but who knows), but it’s also home to 50 different companies, including Kraft, Pepsi and Vital Farms. I’d be freezing, since the average temp down there is 62°F. BRRRR!
Maybe that’s not strange, just a great way to utilize an old limestone quarry. This is the Springfield Underground website, but it’s pretty lacking. History section is nice 🙂 I read you can’t get in to the cheese warehouses, but that you can get into the Underground. I guess the strangest part of this whole place is the lack of information I could find on it. All outlets had the same few bits of info!
Next time, Springfield Underground, Next time!!
Back to places we actually went to (I should have talked to some locals about the underground place, drats!)
After the Fork, we found Springfield SculptureWalk! I’m such a huge fan of outside art. Things made out of other things, or themed art. Like a town with a bunch of bears, or butterflies, or bison, decorated how the artist envisioned it.
Just a few from the Walk 🙂 There’s more here!!
We decided one morning to go for a walk through the local Japanese Garden and then have an early lunch. Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden didn’t disappoint! It was quiet and serene. So unlike us, but so needed by us!
Our last stop in Springfield was an amazing cavern. Fantastic Caverns to be exact. While most of our excursions run on the frugal side, this one cost a bit more, but really was worth it. We got to ride through the cavern in a jeep-drawn tram. It is the only ride through cavern in America. Our tour guide was this quirky little lady who seemed to just love driving through those tiny little spaces talking about the cavern. There were a few places where we needed to duck, but even that was funny!
When the After St Louis tour ended, we continued heading to Arkansas! Did we make any pit stops along the way? World’s Largest something on the side of the road?
Until Next Time….
Posted in Bus Life, Travel and tagged Bus Life, Travel by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
On our journey in St Louis, MO, came about due to an incredible need to take a few days break from the drive. I practice slow rolling frequently, but Zach is a go-go-go kinda guy.
Our first stop was at Anheuser-Busch for a quick tour and tasting (we don’t drink, so we shared ours with others) It was a pretty entertaining tour, our tour guide was fun! We got bottles “off the line” to take home, but we just poured out the beer and kept the bottles to use as prop stations 🙂
Oh, and the pretzels were amazing! I’m a BIG fan of soft pretzels, so I’m super picky. I’d buy these again, even if it cost me $8 for those alone !! Check out more pics here (BEER)
Our next stop was The World’s Largest Chess Piece 😆 It was fairly close, so we stopped and took some quick pics! You can check them out here (CHESS)
And well from there we did one of my favorite things ~ we toured a CHOCOLATE FACTORY!!! We had the pleasure of touring Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! The tour was awesome, our guide really did know his stuff, and the tasting was my favorite part! Check out more pics here (CHOCOLATE)
Whew! We were sightseeing freaks for a while there! OH WAIT, we weren’t done !
Our Journey in St Louis MO Continues!!
We headed over to Herbaria for a tour of their factory too! This was a very small shop that started in someone’s kitchen, so it was really nice to see a hometown store tour! The place smelled heavenly too 🙂 See more of our pics here (SOAP)
We were exhausted but had one more stop in mind. A repurpose store. It’s a thing. We need to stop. We can’t help ourselves. Especially when they turn out to be a hidden gem. We’ve come across a few, but this one was pretty cool too!
Check it out here ~ Refab ~ there are some pics, plus a link to their site! It’s pretty amazing in there!!
We called it quits in St Louis after our few days of sightseeing! It was fun and we found some really unique places to shop as well! But it was time to say “See ya, St Louis!”
Posted in Bus Life, Travel and tagged Bus Life, Travel by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
Bus Life & Internet Issues 🚫💻🚫
Bus Life & Internet Issues ! For the past 3+ months we have been traveling around the Midwest. And for me, that meant having very sketchy service, if any at all! So I’m going to do a catch up to our almost current location all in one post.
Back in August, we left The Mitten of Michigan and headed to the Upper Peninsula (UP).
~Check out Our Michigan Page to see what we were up to in The Mitten!~
Bus Life & Pet Woes
Unfortunately, one of our three cats (Scabbers) escaped the bus while it was running (a BIG no-no as this usually scares them from coming back). We tried for hours to get him. HOURS. Fortunately we had been in that location for a few months and had made some friends.
We weren’t going far the first night, in fact we just went about 15 miles away. So we left for the night to get the bus parked and secured, and headed back in the morning. Again, failing to catch him. This had been an ongoing issue with him since he got a rocky start on the road (he was traveling temporarily with someone else who left him behind) It took Zach a very, very long time to convince me to leave without Scabbers.
But we did.
And headed to the Skoolie UP event. We left our carrier, one of my sweatshirts, food, and his bowl. And the people we met while there were going to be there until the end of the season and were going to catch him for us.
IT TOOK THREE WEEKS!!!! It was the longest three weeks of our lives. I have had that cat since birth, and I was really missing him.
This cat is a unique dude. He plays with our dogs, Louie and Jemma. And I don’t mean he bats their tails when they walk by, I mean he BITES them, and then roughhouse right back!! It’s hilarious. He’s our CatDog. Here’s a little video of the “three dogs” at play 😆
Success!!
But they finally got him in our carrier. So We left the event early to go get him and get moving southwest. Our plans were to be in Arkansas in September, and we just wanted to get going.
We were so happy to see him. Tears were shed. Our other pets were happy to see him. Well, maybe not Heddy, his sister. She hissed at him when she saw him. Maybe she was yelling at him about taking off like that.
But we got him, so we left on our journey. First stop after we had our full house back was Kalamazoo to see some friends. While there we did bus work. Just a bunch of random things we had been talking about for a while. Zach replaced some parts on my seat and I made the bus more travel ready.
We also visited a lovely Arboretum (Leila Arboretum)
From there we stopped for an overnight in Hudson, Illinois.
While we were there, I was poking around for something to do. We had some down time, and I didn’t want to spend it in the bus. Well, The World’s Largest Square Knot popped up as being a few miles away. We went to go check it out, but to our disappointment, we found no knot, just a plaque.
But an idea was born. The World’s Largest …whatever.
World’s Largest Bus Life ?
A few weeks before this, Zach had gotten me an electric scooter. One that I could go off road with. Well, I took a pic of me on it and sent it to my 15 year old daughter. Who said I looked “TINY”.
Well.. my response was “My size is just a figment of your imagination, and I am, in fact, quite tiny. Like an Oompa Loompa” She had also just given me a pair of huge round glasses, white, with rose tinted lenses. So, The World’s Largest Journey began! (you can check that out here!)
And from Hudson we set our sights on St Louis , MO where we had a TON of stuff planned!! Stay tuned for that journey next week!
And maybe we can find a solution to bus life & internet issues!
Posted in Bus Life, Travel and tagged Bus Life, Travel by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
At some point in time, I lost control of the propagation stations, or lack thereof. But propagation stations ~ tiny space = imagination! There were random things with water in them pretty much everywhere. They fell over during travel because they were forgotten in the mix, we’ve knocked them over, the cats knocked them over. It was a watery mess a LOT of the time.
So Zach and I came up with some fixed stations that house more than one propagation at a time. We still have a few that are in random bottles, but most are just about ready for dirt, so moving them to a permanent prop station seems silly.
My goal is to have all my prop stations in a place where they don’t have to relocate during travel days. So they need to be attached to something.
It’s all a work in progress, but we’ve had success so far with these stations traveling well with water in them. I leave space at the top anyway, and never had a drop spill out.
So first up, is my Ice Cream Station. This one is my favorite It is almost exclusively filled with Hoya cuttings (Zach has a Hoya problem). The one sole difference is my Wandering Dude cutting! It was a candle holder (I wish I took before pics)
But even though I did not take before pics, I DID manage to find the exact same one online, and that is what this pic is!
I used ceramic ice cream cones that I found in a unique shop in Alma, Arkansas (A To Z Gifts & More). I only found 5, so I had to improvise with the last one (I call it the sundae cup)!
Cut one leg off completely. Cut the foot off the other leg and drilled a hole into a piece of wood to set the leg into. Then attached the piece of wood to the wall.
I also have this one that Zach created for me. We found 3 of the 4 glasses at one thrift store and the fourth at another!
Empty And Full
We found these trays at a thrift store for 50¢ for both (no clue what they are/were, someone thought an insert for an instapot, but i really don’t know!) I didn’t know what exactly to do with them, so I started with just the bottom for about a minute. Added the cut foam in so the plants had a place to prop themselves on while they were rooting in water. Then I got the idea to cut one of my walking sticks in a few pieces, used one piece to attach these 2 trays together. I used the other two pieces to make hanging herb drying racks (post to come later)
And just some random prop stations. These are the ones I still need to move. In the end, it’s a lot less than I had going on before. And I’ve stopped propping outdoor plants, so my needs are far less at the moment. I have all of my glassware, prop stations and all that stuff put away in totes. I’m sure I will use all of them in rotation again 😀
As always in bus life, it’s a work in progress. But I do have to say that with each change we make, our ready to travel time decreases. It no longer takes me an hour to prep the front of the bus! I’m down to about 15 minutes! Next on the chopping block is the awful overfilled bathtub during travel! When we travel for multiple days, it drives me batty
Posted in Bus Life, Gardening and tagged Bus Life, Gardening, Houseplants by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
I have been a huge fan of free samples for as long as I can remember, but every site I found was difficult to find freebies that didn’t have multiple links to go thru. Or ones that you need to complete “tasks” to get! I decided to make a running list of easy to get to freebies!
We also have a page dedicated to Free Samples and stuff like that! Check it out HERE!
Please comment below if you find any that are no longer available !
Babies
Beauty/MakeUp
Vatika ~ Free Dabur Vatika Hair Oil
Healthcare
Aware ~ Free Information Kit for those with Parkinson’s (or their family) *I did not request this as I do not know anyone with Parkinson’s ~ if you do, let me know if you receive it! Scroll down a little and find the section headed Order your free Hospital Safety Guide. In that section you can opt to download it or for them to mail it to you
Miscellaneous
ASPCA ~ Free Pet Safety Kit (must confirm email)
Brilliant Earth ~ Ring Sizer
Kira Michelle ~ It’s OooooooKaaaaaaay!!! Wristband
Le Blanc ~ Free Linen Wash Laundry Sample
Morton Salt ~ Free Hard Water Test Strips
Palo Alto ~ Free Wine Cork USB Flash Drive
Paradosiaka ~ Free Olive Tapenade
Rove Concepts ~ Free Leather Swatches ~ Up to 12
Smokin’ Dave’s ~ Free Spice Sample
Perfume Samples
Clinique ~ Free Sample of Happy Perfume
RELOVE Pheromone Essential Oil Sample
Stickers
Adventure Sticker Packs ~ sent out quarterly, so if there are none available, check back! SASE Required!
“Don’t Tread On Me” Bumper Sticker
“I Love New York” Sticker, Planner, Map, & Travel Guide
Moose Tracks Ice Scream Sticker Or Magnet
Pelican Coast Clothing Company
PETA ~ Free Beta Fish Deserve Better Sticker
“Pray For America” Bumper Sticker
Saucony “Run Your World” Sticker
“Spot The Tot” Car Window Decal – Scroll to bottom
Take Care Of Texas Stickers ~ Texas Residents Only
Watch For Motorcycles Sticker ~ Residents of WI, IL and IA only at this time
Posted in Free Stuff, Samples and tagged Free Stuff, Samples by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
This has been a rough gardening transition. I am usually great with houseplants, herbs, vegetables and everything. But Bus life has changed all that Not for the worse, just for the different. I need to learn new ways to acclimate my plants under various conditions.
When we left on this journey, I had 2 plants: a kalanchoe that a friend’s daughter had given me, and my beloved Hoya. The kalanchoe was a bit sad and my hoya was in dire straits. The hoya had holes in her leaves, and hadn’t done any kind of growing in a very long time. She was just sick.
Now we have an extensive garden, growing in size a few plants at a time. Some things have grown fantastically and some have grown into fantastic disasters. Cilantro and I are no longer speaking 😠
I KNOW we are asking a lot of our plants. When we are stationary, they are out in the sun (or shade, whichever they prefer) and have the wind blowing through them, and all is dandy. But then we travel, and they go into the back of the truck that is towed behind the bus. So life gets pretty dreary for them. We are switching out trucks in the near future, so upgrading the current one for our needs seems silly. But, when the switch happens, there will be a cap on the back of the truck that is hinged so the plants can get some sun, we will also have a grow light and mirrors available when the sun isn’t. It’s a truck, so I feel confident that soaking them down with a hose will do no harm.
We’ve learned what just doesn’t work, cilantro being #1 on that list! I cannot get that to NOT BOLT! So sad 
Here’s what is still surviving and thriving!
Geraniums
Begonias
Hoya Carnosa
This little girl has grown so much in the bus. She had horrible leaves on her, full of breaks and holes. And maybe there were 3 of them. They are currently sitting in water in propagation mode. Roots on it, just waiting for some new pretty leaves before I pluck the yucky ones off. I’m super excited that she is thriving now!!
Here’s what just doesn’t want to travel!!
Tomatoes
So here I got a vine of green cherry tomatoes that just refuse to turn red! I haven’t given up on them yet tho! And the little red guy is from my sad compact cherry tomato. The one with like 3 leaves left on it! And I pluck a snack from him every few days! And honestly, I have no idea what that tomato in the fourth picture is doing. Does it think it’s a Roma (We got it from a plant sale at a humane society and they had no idea what anything was!) Or does it think it’s a pepper because it was hanging out next to one in the truck?? No clue!
Peppers
Now we have had minimal success with peppers, I’m putting it in the unsuccessful category because we have gotten 3 peppers, from about 6 plants, so that’s a fail to me 🙁
Lettuce
We may have done this one in ourselves by not clipping it properly. ooops
Broccoli
Clearly not enough sun, we tried but having this one in the back of the truck made it REALLY stretch!! 🙁
Cauliflower
Seriously, growing all crazy, no sign of actual vegetable growth. And I’ve never grown it before, so there’s that 😐
We haven’t given up! We know this is a learning process and it will take some time for us to figure out which varieties of vegetables work best in our crazy conditions! We eat a lot of vegetables and would love to be able to grow our own! So back to basics. Back to gardening 101 
We plan on pulling what isn’t working and starting over with new varieties of vegetables and different ones altogether. I’d love to have a 100% success rate, but for now I’m willing to continue the search for the perfect plants to adapt to our environment!
Up next …Propagation Station Overhaul! This is a MESS!! I have prop stations everywhere inside. In jars, glass milk jugs, butter containers.
Posted in Bus Life, Gardening, Travel and tagged Bus Life, Gardening by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.
The Journey Begins!! For most of my life, I felt like I was on a perpetual non-journey journey. Moving, but going nowhere. I have a fantastic Aunt that always says to step out on the way, and the way will appear.
Well…. Back in January, I met this really great guy at a mutual friends house.
He had come to stay in his Skoolie before an event .
We ended up going to the event together, and the way appeared 🛣
The Journey Begins … officially
We left on our Journey to Michigan on March 28th, 2022. Him in his bus, and me following in my SUV. I had to fit everything I was taking completely in that vehicle! That was a challenge, but in the end I donated a LOT, purged through boxes that had been boxed for years, and in the end it felt amazing to do!
⇓⇓ It all had to fit in THIS !! ⇓⇓
Our first stop was in Jessup, Georgia. We intended to stay a few days, but it turned into a week after we had to do a little cat rescue. We had to make the trek back to Florida (350+ miles 😕 ) to get my cat, who was left behind by another nomad.
Our next stop was Columbus, Georgia. During this time, we realized that me driving behind him wasn’t working. We were traveling together, yet apart, and it was costing us extra in gas at a time when gas prices suck!!! So Again, another “few day stop” that turned into a week+ to get a seat in the bus for me! But in Zach’s defense, he built me this amazing seat for the bus (along with the help of another member of the Skoolie community) .
Now earlier I joked about downsizing all I had into my SUV. Now I had to downsize into his already full bus! I challenged myself to one drawer in a medium sized dresser. And I absolutely succeeded. ALL of my clothes got packed in that drawer and the rest were donated. All of my kitchen items got donated since he has a fully equipped kitchen and a full size range. I have one under the bed storage tote for sentimental items.
Soooo much stuff!!
In the last 3 years I’ve gone from a 2800+ square foot house to sharing 200 square foot of living space. Was it easy? Heck no! I was sooooo attached to my junk at first. Storage unit after storage unit just to keep it. For no purpose. Because it’s all just stuff. So I packed my SUV and headed to the local Goodwill and brought in bins of stuff to them! It felt liberating! And to this day, there is not one thing that I said, “shoot, I wish I kept that!”
Okay, Maybe my lemon zester!! 😆
Finally headed out and made our way to Faulkville, Alabama. And yet again, a few days turned into a week. Bus upgrade to the rear end gearing took a little longer than anticipated, but in order to actually make it up the hills in Michigan, a change was definitely needed!
The next month sucked. Simply put, it sucked. Our stays were rough, our cats weren’t always safe outside the bus, noise levels were insane. We were bummed, because we made it to Michigan, but it was a complete letdown up until this point.
And it’s at that point that I realize “the journey begins” has taken on a whole new meaning! 😶 We were trying to morph two individual journeys into one tiny living environment!
It needed to be merged to become “Our Journey Begins”
We finally made it to what we thought was a safe haven, and it had been mostly good. Quiet, on the lake (kinda), and our animals were safe. We just stayed longer than we should have, got a little comfortable, and planned on heading out on the road after 3 months of being parked.
There were some amazing trails to hike and ride through, cute shops, and we met some great people! The Bear Store in Hale, Michigan was a favorite of ours!
Did we learn a lot during this stay? YES!!! … so in the end, worth the stop.
Gardening Journey Begins ?
We have an ENTIRE freaking garden, greenhouse included. So, now I’m going to have to work on keeping flowers, herbs and vegetables alive on the road. We stop for a while at most locations, but there are stretches of driving that take days.
We are heading to an event in the UP in Michigan. With about a month to get there, we plan on putting our adventure into high gear and hitting some trails. Either on foot, or on our electric toys.
With each new day, the journey begins again!! See where ours takes us. Including a Skoolie Event and an EUC (Electric Unicycle) Event! Should be interesting to see what we find to explore in the future!
Posted in Bus Life, Travel and tagged Bus Life, Travel by Nancy Lynn with no comments yet.