Thrifty Living Travel Freedom

25/07/2026

🌻Summer is too short for ordinary date nights!
✅Follow for more affordable Midwest travel inspiration.

🌻We recently spent an evening at Tom’s Farm Market’s Booze & Bouquets event, wandering through rows of beautiful blooms and creating our own bouquet to take home. It was the kind of relaxed summer evening that reminds you to slow down and enjoy the season.

🌻If bouquet building isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways to experience the sunflower fields. Families can stroll the field during regular sunflower hours, and adults can enjoy Sip ‘N Sunflower evenings with live music, a drink, and golden hour views.

🌻If you’re hoping to experience Booze & Bouquets this summer, there are still two dates remaining: July 29 and August 12.

💾Save this for your summer bucket list, and send it to your favorite date night partner as a hint.

23/07/2026

We’re on Volume One’s social media feed! 🤩 Is this summer all a dream!? We’re so excited that our little project on budget travel is making an impact! 💞

Under their online moniker 'Thrifty Living Travel Freedom,' locals Jeff and Angie Holzinger have traveled across the country and globe together. They’re able to do so by stretching their dollars and in turn, share just how they do it across social media and their blog.

As they continue to document and share these adventures online, the duo recently earned an award – the 2026 Rising Star award – from the Midwest Travel Network, an organization which connects growing travel writers with regional destinations and tourism partners.

“We do this because we love travel, encompassing a small escape in our beautiful home or Eau Claire or an international getaway,” Angie said. “We want to share with others that those experiences are obtainable on a budget if they’re interested.”

🔗 Read the full story: https://volumeone.org/articles/2026/07/15/394747-local-content-creators-earn-rising-star-award-from-midwest-travel-network

23/07/2026

Today we visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan in Bartlett, Illinois. This beautiful place of worship happily welcomes guests to experience the beauty of the space and learn about the religion of Hinduism. Our guide, Satish, was warm and welcoming and happy to answer all of our questions.

We are only sharing photos of the exterior of the Mandir, because no photos are allowed inside. Trust us when we say the inside is just as spectacular as the outside.

While we visited, we were invited to attend a brief, but very touching worship ceremony. We were all given blessings during Aarti, a ritual with a flame to invoke blessings. We were both quite moved by how welcomed we were and the beautiful message of peace and nonviolence from within yourself to your home to the world.

Don’t miss this unexpected experience right here in the Explore Elgin Area! It’s a true cultural experience without even leaving the Midwest.

22/07/2026

It’s !

We bet you can’t guess this one. 🧐

👇Tell us your guesses in the comments!

20/07/2026

Our story is live on WEAU online now! 😮🫣😅

We really enjoyed talking to Jhett Sherry for this story and are so thankful to the Midwest Travel Network for recognizing us with the Rising Star Award. 💞 We’re truly running out of ways to say how grateful we are for all of the support!

A local couple has been busy traveling the world and helping others save money to do the same. Angie and Jeff Holzinger are now recognized as “rising stars” for helping more people see the world through daily intentional spending.

20/07/2026

Have you discovered Tilly’s Coffee Shoppe in Fall Creek yet? ☕💜

Be sure to follow for more Wisconsin places worth adding to your list.

We stopped by Tilly’s recently and quickly realized this is so much more than a cute coffee shop.

They serve coffee, of course, but they also have a fun selection of dirty sodas, which was the perfect treat while catching up with a friend.

And the baked goods? Absolutely worth mentioning. Tilly’s features treats from Good Ass Food (GAF) in Eau Claire, and the scone I tried was seriously delicious.

But what makes Tilly’s special is the story behind the shoppe. Created as a way to honor the memory of the owner’s daughter, this space has become a place centered around love, community, connection, and sharing life’s moments with others.

Places like this are why we love exploring Wisconsin. The best stops are often the ones where the story behind the business is just as memorable as what they serve.

19/07/2026

Western Wisconsin Friends-
If you have local TV check out Fox News at 9 and WEAU News at 10 tonight as there’s a story about us scheduled.

We had a wonderful interview with Jhett Sherry, a local reporter and UWEC grad today about the Rising Star Award from the Midwest Travel Network. 💞

For those not local, we will share the link once it’s live on their website.

18/07/2026

Cruise tip of the day: “Port side” doesn’t always face the port. 🌊

Follow for practical cruise tips, and comment with a 🚢 if you learned something new!