Frugal Friday

  It's that time of the year, with lots of offers available everywhere. The goal, of course, is to only use the ones that actually save you money vs taking advantage of all of them. It can be a slippery slope for sure. Here are a few frugal wins for the week.

Saving on things we buy

• Bought toiletries we needed at Rite Aid, using $33 of bonus rewards & earning $21 in new bonus rewards. 
• Clicked through Rakuten to save a small amount, while making holiday purchases
• Noticed that my credit card was offering additional savings on Alaska Airlines, and opted to pay with that card to save $6 when buying a future flight. (Always dreaming of a post-COVID day when I can travel again!)
• I had a promotional credit on a grocery delivery service, so thought I'd give it a try. It was not a great experience (they delivered food at 11 pm, and the delivery window ended way before that). I asked to cancel when I saw that it was going to miss the window & I'd be in bed (perishables), but they delivered it anyway. Their customer service when I asked for a refund of the spoiled items was awesome & they gave me an additional credit to encourage me to try the service again, which I decided to use. I'm still not feeling great, so thought a batch of three free dinners (think a dinner kit) for Nick to make would be a good option. All together, we received three dinners (servings 3-4) for $3 out of pocket after all of the credits were applied. What a deal!
• Received a Shutterfly offer for a "free" calendar at the grocery store. I don't usually make calendars, but I decided 2020 was the year that needed one, commemorating all of the wild times, like quarantine self hair cuts & other fun. Spent $7 on shipping, but otherwise was free & will be a great Christmas gift for M's work space.
• Used a $15 off eBay coupon that I received from transitioning over to their other billing system. Sidenote: not a fan, & it's less convenient than the previous Paypal set up. But, used that to pick up my favorite type of lip balm with SPF, that's reasonably expensive. I was able to buy 4 tubes for $3, after the coupon. 
• Received another Rite Aid offer, and had to pick up a few items (curbside pickup) at Michael's, which is in the same parking lot. Bought $45 of items for $13, using rewards and a $10/off $40 purchase coupon. 
• A big win - we're financing our mortgage for both a lower rate & better terms. Win/win!

Earning money

• My eBay sales have picked up a bit. Here's what I sold this week:
• A pair of new motorcycle boots I discovered in the shed when we were cleaning out over the remodel
• A book, although in non-frugal news, I somehow checked "free shipping". So, all in all, I think I lost $.40 on this transaction. ;-) 
• A makeup sample
• Two sets of gift card holders I found from Papyrus, when I was cleaning out my stationery box
• I uploaded my Fetch receipts, as well as the one I found on the ground. The one on the ground had two bonus points offers, so I was able to rack up a few extra points. I don't buy many name brands, so this is always a win.

Avoiding spending

• I've been feeling pretty run down, and was craving soup on Saturday. I was all set to pick up Panera chicken soup for lunch, but remembered we had chicken & dumplings in the freezer. Lunch for free, and I cleared something out of the freezer. Double win. 
• One of M's "gifts" this year is my parents taking the kids a few days early for the holidays. They are thrilled, the kids are beyond thrilled, & M & I will finally have some alone time without the four of us all in the house. I adore my children beyond words, but miss adult time to catch up, talk about the future, & just laugh together. I've arranged the details with my parents, and wrapped up a card for M explaining the gift. (We open gifts between our own family before we head out of town, so timing will be perfect.)

For others

• I'm continuing to volunteer at my non-profit side job, and set the company up to now be eligible to get matched for my volunteer hours. My company does a $10/hour match for every hour I volunteer, up to a cap. I'll get some in before the EOY, and should easily be able to max out the hours in 2021. 
• Organized my stationery area while I was pulling out Christmas wrapping supplies. Found 25+ cards & envelopes, gift card holders, a package of treat bags, kids party invitations & thank yous, etc. Gave them away on the local buy nothing group.
• Worked on a scarf I'm crocheting for a homeless donation. 
• Bought more supplies so Nick can keep looming his hats he's making & donating. 

What about you? Any frugal wins to share?