Another week of applying frugality where we can. In big frugal news, we signed on our refi this week, which will save us some money in interest. It's still our goal to pay off the loan as quickly as possible, but the lower rate is better (fixed term vs ARM), to give us the flexibility should we need it.
Saving on things we buy
- I used a Rite Aid reward to cover the out of pocket amount of a prescription
- I used the rest of the reward to pick up two pizzas & two bag of chips for the Superbowl. I paid $4 out of pocket, & earned another $3. The pizza also had a $1.25 iBotta offer, & a $.10 off any purchase.
- Used a Target gift card to pick up a few items. Applied a Target reward to the balance, and earned $8.34 back via iBotta.
- Used the last of my Rite Aid rewards to pick up a couple of items for the kids - cereal for snacking is quite popular right now, and Valentine's treats. Those purchases pushed me over for a $10 iBotta reward, which was nice to get.
Earning money
- Uploaded receipts to Fetch
- Sold & listed items on eBay. What sold this week:
- A cookbook from a freebie pile
- A fleece I found on the ground in a rainstorm. I brought it in & washed it, and posted it on our neighborhood alias a few times, but couldn't find the owner.
- A champagne bottle zippered cover
- A knitting set
- A pair of jeans Sam grew out of before he wore more than once
Avoiding spending
- Organized our under bathroom sink toiletry stash. Cleaned up both under bathroom sink areas, and arranged everything by type, so we can now easily see what we have. Organization can be a powerful frugal tool, as I saw many things tucked away that I didn't know we had. Knowing we have some at home means I won't spend money on it.
- Picked up a birthday freebie sandwich at Starbucks, which Sam had for lunch
- M offered takeout on my actual birthday (we celebrated over the weekend, as we had a lot going on the actual day of), but I passed. Plenty of good food in the fridge.
Food savings/eating what we have
- Ate leftovers from a turkey Tex Mex bowl for lunch, ensuring we had no food waste after a larger than normal Hello Fresh meal.
- Leftover Greek nachos made up my lunch on Wednesday. Still delicious!
- Ate leftover beef bulgogi bowl (yum) for dinner on Wednesday, before I had to get on a long Zoom call to register Nick for high school
For others
- Uploaded couple of bucks for Box Tops receipts for the local school. It takes less than a minute to take a photo of a receipt, which I already do for Fetch
- Continue my volunteer role
- Looming a hat for the homeless
That's it from our side. What about you? Any frugal wins, or things to share for others?
That's great you were able to sign your refi and save on interest.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Boxtops for schools has taken a hit since they've went digital. We used to buy and sell them on eBay, which they probably frowned on, but it was good way to get them when we needed them
I hope you have a great weekend.
The app is pretty easy to use, and since I already scan for Fetch, I'm already in that mindset. I probably therefore "redeem" more for our school, vs cutting them out & sending them in.
DeleteI'll have to ask my niece who teaches about the Boxtop uploads. I used to save for her. I don't know about Fetch other than my daughter does her receipts, so on Sunday she did mine as well. I'll have her do the ones from my grocery and Target stop. Shame about the lost fleece and Sam outgrowing so quickly, but glad someone else got a bargain.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty fast. They have an app you can download, and you just take a picture of your receipt. I only bother if I see an item I've purchased has the visible "boxtops" marking.
DeleteIt's so strange to me that I couldn't find the fleece owner - I know all of my neighbors. I'm guessing it was from someone just walking in the area, who is not on our local alias.
What are you able to redeem on ibotta from Target and other stores? We mostly shop Trader Joe's and Costco and I rarely have any offers that match up to our list, it seems to be pretty brand specific. Is that also your experience?
ReplyDeleteAlso is Fetch a similar set up?
For Target, I find that it's things like yogurt, some snack food & they have freebies I've gotten in the past (two of my favorite protein bars). They are very brand specific. I find that I can often get tea as well (I drink a lot & am not brand loyal). They also have bread, juice, frozen items & then sometimes generic ".10 off any grocery item, any frozen item, any cereal" type offers. I can sometimes match an item on my grocery list with a store markdown & then the iBotta offer. For example, if I need juice for Nick's smoothie, he's pretty neutral to different flavors. I'd first go by price, then see if iBotta has something. If they go together (store markdown + iBotta), it's usually 50% or more off.
DeleteI haven't found a match at Costco or TJ's yet, so haven't used it. I'd say, if you have more brand names on your list that aren't sold at Costco or TJs, that's when it's useful. I have had Target gift cards & Rite Aid rewards to use up, so it's been useful from that perspective.
Fetch is pretty different, IMO. You just scan your receipt, and it credits you back 25 points. If you bought a "brand" item that has an incentive, you get 50 points, or whatever. I don't create a shopping list around Fetch. I just scan, and sometimes happen to have a match, on top of the 25 points you get for every grocery receipt.
And, the reason I decided to try iBotta was a Blue Apron offer. $50 off (in cash), plus Blue Apron was offering $100 off of 5 boxes. You could combine, which made the Blue Apron super cheap for a delivery service.
Fetch sounds much more up my alley, then. Do you happen to have a referral you'd want to share?
DeleteThanks for asking. Sign up for Fetch with my code "K25F2" and get 3,000 points when you snap your first receipt #ShareFetchRewards https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referraltext?code=K25F2
DeleteJust my usual things, but I did not have to buy groceries this week!
ReplyDeleteThat's always a win!
DeleteYou did great saving & earning this week.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I always hated leftovers. Now I look forward to all those leftover food, because it saves me from having to fix myself lunch every day...lol
I've previously always done "cook once, eat twice", but during COVID, my crew was getting pretty tired of all the leftovers. I need to change my plan slightly, to reduce leftovers, while still incorporating a few.
Delete