Frugal Friday

It was another busy week, and Sam is now back at school four days/week. Hurrah! School soccer season is drawing to a close, and Nick is heading back to school four days/week starting in May (he's currently at two days/week). The schedule changes weekly, which is a bit of a logistical challenge, but I'm grateful for the increase of in person learning time. We were able to heavily leverage freezer meals this week, which was a big win in freeing up time & keeping us fed, while avoiding eating out.

Here are our frugal wins for the week:

Saving on things we buy

• Used our Costco executive member rebate to buy groceries for the week. We didn't spend it all, so ended up with $200+ in cash as well.
• Some of you may remember our cleat debacle a few weeks back, and how we had to splurge on the most expensive cleats due to sizing issues. Less than a month later, the shoes fell apart completely! What a disappointment. I followed up with Dick's Sporting Goods & sent photos of the damage, and they issued a full replacement. Normally, cleats last a minimum of one season, and sometimes we can get 1.5 seasons out of a pair. Lasting less than 30 days is definitely a no go. I guess this answers the question of whether paying a lot more adds any value. Not in this particular case.
• Earned a $5 reward on Raise, so used that to buy a Subway gift card. I earned a small rebate clicking through Rakuten first, then applied the $5 reward. I bought a $25 gift card for just under $20. Sam loves Subway, so it's a good emergency meal option during crazy days. 

Earning money

• I continued to list & sell things on eBay. I also had one FB sale. My sales for the week included:
• Makeup samples from a subscription box I was gifted
• A reusable sandwich bag gizmo. I want something similar, but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I got it for free, and sold it the same day I listed it
• A pair of jeans that are too big
• A tourist tshirt that was a gift and never worn
• A shirt of M's that's too big
• A candle making kit

Avoiding spending

• Returned a gift that ended up not working out

Eating what we have

• I ate a leftover sandwich I discovered in the fridge (from Wednesday's trip to Santa Cruz, I presume?) Those are the type of leftovers that get pushed to the back, & no one ever eats. 
• I picked a bunch of radishes from our raised beds, and used them in salads
• Defrosted steaks from the freezer, and M grilled those for dinner on Saturday
• I made more homemade protein balls, warming up the honey in two containers that were down to the very bottom. After warming, I was able to get another 1/4 cup out, and use them in the protein balls. Homemade protein balls are so much cheaper than anything you can buy. My dad was training for a big event while he was here, and biking 50 miles/day. He needed quick & easy options, so the protein balls were a big hit.
• My dad also used up some hydration tablets & energy blocks while he was here, which I'm glad we had on hand to save him from needing to buy additional items.
• Ate leftover enchiladas (and, made quesadillas using leftover cheese) for dinner one night.
• Defrosted the lasagna my dad made while he was here, and we had it for two additional dinners. 

For others

• I love our local Buy Nothing group, and gave away a coffee maker & pods, after my parents visited. They prefer regular brewed coffee, and we use an espresso maker, so we've kept the pod Keurig for their visits. I don't like the cost or waste of the pods, so we'll bring our coffee maker from our vacation house when we sell it, and keep that for their future visits. 
• I was able to fulfill an ask on a Buy Nothing group (which is a bit rare, as most asks are for small kid items that I don't have). A mom needed cold weather shirts for a trip, and I had some items on eBay. It was awesome to be able to donate them instead, and help someone else avoid spending money. 
• Gave away a bunch of other stuff on Buy Nothing
• Donated an item to a charity auction
• Continued volunteering for a non-profit, and logged my hours through my company, earning an in kind donation for the company

That's it from my side. What about you? Any frugal or for other wins this week?