Frugal Friday

 

Saving on things we buy:

• Bought three ice cream cakes, using a free Fetch offer with 3x redemptions. The kids were thrilled. The cakes were pretty small, and after the first purchase, the store printed out a $1.50 off coupon, making the cake a money earner on the second purchase. They enjoyed sharing with a friend we had over to swim this weekend.  It was also double points day at our grocery store, which made it a slightly better deal.
• Uploaded all of our receipts to Fetch & iBotta. I found a Rite Aid receipt on the ground, and snapped that one as well (and, put it in the trash after). It had some sort of bonus on it, so I earned 70 points there.
• Used the last of a grocery store gift card to pick up a few things Nick needed (he was in charge of dinner one night this week) 

Earning money:

• Sold a few things on eBay
• A race shirt
• A car sticker (from M's VHS bin that I emptied out. It's OLD, but apparently still in style)
• A pair of shoes
• A reusable wine bag
• Shoe dust cvovers
• Redeemed $20 in Fetch rewards (see above on ice cream cakes) for Amazon gift cards

Avoiding spending

• Used a gift card to a local soccer store (earned in a raffle several years back) to pick up extra socks, shin guards & a ball. Because I was also picking up a uniform (and, wouldn't you know, you can't use gift cards on uniforms), I also got 30% off of my other supplies. It was nice to spend zero out of pocket. I still have ~$60 or so left, and will use that to pick up reffing supplies for Nick, as he's going through the training to be a referee. 
• It turns out that Sam doesn't need braces. We were planning to get them pre-COVID, but his adult teeth have settled in & all looks good. That's a huge money (and time) saver!

Eating what we have

• Our garden is going nuts! We have so many cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, Greek basil, oregano, rosemary, mint, jalapenos, shishitos, serranos, & chives. It's really fun to go out & pick things for dinner. 
• On a related note, made ten jars of pickled peppers - a mixed variety with jalapenos, banana & fresno. 
• The kids are eating the blueberries before they make it into the house, but better them than the birds!
• We are all snacking on the abundance of fresh cucumbers. The boys eat them sliced, with a bit of salt. 

For others

• Picked a bunch of peppers & shared them on Buy Nothing. People love garden produce!
• Gave away other garden items to friends & neighbors
• So happy to finally find someone who was new to the boys soccer club (Nick's current, Sam's previous) & could use an outgrown practice jersey. Unfortunately, the rest of the gear went into the donation pile a while back, so I was thrilled to be able to help someone with a Buy Nothing ask. 
• In the produce giveaways (above), two people offered us items from their garden. Unnecessary, but so kind. We ended up with additional shishitos, and Persian basil. I love the community aspect of sharing your bounty with others. I'll definitely have a lot more to share, and it makes me happy to pass it on to others who can't/don't have a garden, and will enjoy. Food waste of all types makes me crazy, and sharing makes me happy. 
• Met a new neighbor while walking on Sunday, and after a chat up the hill, asked her if she liked zucchini & serrano peppers. She said yes to both, so it was great to meet someone else & share. She was lovely. 

What about you? Any frugal wins to report?