Frugal Friday - a few weeks combined

It was a crazy few weeks, as we adjusted to numerous changes of plans, I had to adjust flights to account for M not being with us, which resulted in unexpected baggage fees (had to get the kids skis to them, etc). We made it, and we had a few frugal wins (this is a combo list from the past few weeks.) 

Saving on things we buy

• Found 3 lb packages of ground beef for $3/each, & bought two.
• Used Rite Aid rewards to pick up a box of tea for free. I now have Rite Aid gold status, which saved $.80, and then earned a $.50 iBotta reward. 
• Picked up the Friday Freebie (yogurt) at the store
• Uploaded receipts to Fetch & iBotta
• I went through & inventoried all of our gift cards, so I know what we have. I always hope to use the gift cards before out of pocket spending, so being organized is the first step. 

Earning money

• I sold a few things, here & there:
• Outgrown ski boots
• A set of new candles (from the beach house - one of the final items left from the house)
• A new fleece
• A cheeseboard I received as a gift
• I helped Nick sell his old bike for $260. He owed me the money for his new bike, so I suppose I'm paying myself ;-) 
• Cashed out another $10 in Fetch rewards

Avoiding spending

• Charged our electric car for free, on the day I went to the office
• Cancelled our car rental for our holiday trip, as it didn't make sense without M joining, also dropped one night from our vacation rental, saving a bit there
• Also cancelled M's flights, but the "savings" was largely offset by additional baggage fees
• I was upgraded to first class on the flight home (I have carry over status from international work travel), & enjoyed a couple of (free) cocktails
• M was able to pick us up at the airport from the flight home, saving on an Uber or airport parking.
• Returned a few Christmas gifts that didn't work out
• Used Starbucks rewards for lunch one day, while I was out running errands
• M  & I try to have two dates/month. We're in a run of dinners or lunch out, but we used our bonus vacation day (Monday) to go for a two hour hike in the morning, after the kids left for school. We checked off our workout, got a chance to chat, and it was free. 
• A neighbor gave us cauliflower rice she didn't want. I've been looking all over it for it lately (it's a staple for M), so I was thrilled to have it. She included a few other random items in the box, so I've already made up the blueberry muffins, and have the chicken broth on the target list as well. My pantry has enough clutter on its own! :-) 
• I was able to cancel an order for ski mittens, as I discovered the lost mate in a pocket of Sam's ski bag. 

Eating what we have

• We had a bolognese sauce (freezer) for dinner one night (over noodles/soy noodles) & I added extra meatballs to stretch it a bit
• I defrosted chicken & dumplings to have for a quick lunch on a busy day (x2) 
• I also had barley & beef stew (freezer) for a quick lunch (x2)
• I didn't have all of the ingredients for the meatloaf recipe, but made a few substitutions, and it turned out great. I crushed up some crackers leftover from the holidays (in place of bread crumbs) & used a bunch of shredded parmesan in place of the shredded jack cheese. I used the last of some hoisin sauce with soy sauce, in place of worcestire sauce. I also subbed dry spices for fresh, but that's a typical substitute at our house. We do grow lots of fresh herbs, but we are out of fresh parsley for the moment. 
• Had a few other creative lunches, using leftover cheese from NYE, egg sandwiches, and just generally using what we have

For others

• The boys & I volunteered again at a soccer tournament (fundraiser for the school)
• I kept in touch with my mentee, who is relocating to her university soon. I'm very excited for her
• I gave a fancy gingerbread house-making set to my neighbors, as they have younger kids, & I knew they would appreciate it more than the teens ;-) 
• Gave away outgrown ski gear
• Loaned some kitchen tools to a neighbor
• I had such excellent service on my return flight from Portland that I dug around on United's website to find how to provide feedback & wrote a note about the service (with time, date, flight #, & cabin), so that the crew member can be recognized by her team. It took just a bit of time, but she deserved it! I'm sure the majority of feedback (particularly with COVID, holiday travel, cancelled flights), they receive is negative, so I thought I'd add a bit of balance. 
• I've been giving away a bunch via Buy Nothing, which always feels great. I have a huge stack of items to list this weekend. Kids clothing always goes fast, so looking forward to giving that away.

It goes without saying that I would have MUCH rather had M join than save a bit here & there on travel. It was a hard holiday & we did what we could to make the best of it.

What about you? Any wins to share?