Friday, June 17, 2016

A few frugal things

Let me start off by saying that this hasn't been a very frugal few weeks. We have M's birthday, my mom's retirement party, Father's Day, and a vacation coming up. M & I will also be childless for a few days here & there, so you should expect to see more meals out as we take advantage of child care free date nights!

I have managed a few things here & there:


  1. Used another $15 off a $30 purchase offer from our local delivery service, through my Amex. I bought dishwasher tabs, soccer snacks for next season & a birthday gift for a party we're attending.
  2. Biking to/from work, 2.5 times this week. (we have out of the norm camp drop offs & pickups, so my schedule is definitely "off", and I can expect that to continue for the rest of the summer. No immediate savings, but minor long term savings on car wear & tear/gas + the double benefit of getting in a cardio workout & saving the environment a little pollution.
  3. Packing snacks for upcoming flights today, to avoid airport purchases.
  4. Made cupcakes for M's birthday vs buying something. 
  5. Went to Trader Joe's for a last minute basil purchase, and discovered the big plants vs the pre-cut packaging. The plants were $1 more than the packages, so obvious win. My basil plant has already grown about a foot in a week. Looking forward to lots of fresh basil until the first frost!
  6. Taking advantage of some comp time (if I don't take it, track it & think of it, it just disappears into the ether - it's not a part of my regular vacation) from weekend traveling & will take a half day tomorrow to pick up the kids. Their camp ends at noon, so by using the comp time, I get bonus time with the kiddos & won't need the nanny. Money saved = $88+.
  7. Made a menu & shopping list for the upcoming weeks, to ensure we don't overbuy groceries & will use what we already have, reduce meals out, etc.
  8. Arranged for carpools to & from camp this week, as it's not close to our house. We drove a few times, our nanny drove, and we also shared rides with a few parents. Saving on gas money.
  9. Sold a batch of Xbox games on eBay, making $20. I sold another game, but the buyer bailed after winning. I hate that. 
  10. Conned M into giving us a ride (at the heart of rush hour, both ways) to the airport, saving a minimum of $50 on an Uber. 
And, that's it! What about you? What frugal things have you done over the past few weeks? 
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6 comments:

  1. CheapchickJune 18, 2016 at 8:41 AM

    Any frugal moment is a win in my books as everything is so expensive these days. We figured out a way to save over $1000 in taxes per year on the condo my Mom lives in that we own by doing some Estate planning. Hubby is going away on a business trip to Toronto tomorrow - frugal in that the client pays 100% for every meal and for the 5 nights he is gone I will be cleaning out the fridge and having a low grocery spend week. A win win for both of us. Cupcakes, wish someone would make me some! My basil is actually growing well this year, not so much luck in years past.

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJune 22, 2016 at 9:54 AM

      Wow - that's great! Those are some huge wins. And, cupcakes were delish. :-)

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  2. PieliekamaisJune 18, 2016 at 12:50 PM

    I have a huge frugal win to report: major savings on insurance, after we took a good look at things and switched some stuff around.
    This is largely inspired by you! :)

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJune 22, 2016 at 9:54 AM

      That's amazing! Congrats - nice work with your insurance. SO happy to hear that my small tweaks are helping others.

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  3. Practical ParsimonyJune 20, 2016 at 12:20 AM

    Last week, I saw a pkg of six half gallon jars for $8.47. That's cheap. It turns out WM had half-gallons, quarts, pints, and half-pints all on the same end display for one price. They should have been $10.50. So, I saved $2.50 + tax. I saved in other purchases but that one will do for now.

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