It was my first week back in the office, so that means free lunches/snacks/drinks, & electric car charging. My team is very distributed (lots of offices & countries), so I don't love the current set up, & would prefer more dedicated but less frequent in person time. But, hey. Here we are, trying to adjust, after two years of working from home.
Saving on things we buy:
- Used grocery store rewards & coupons to save $13 on a small stop at the store, bringing my out of pocket to $1.03.
Earning money:
- More driving of teens to reffing games, where they earned money.
- Redeemed $5 of Fetch rewards
Avoiding spending:
- Hello Fresh & the delivery company had a misunderstanding about whether last week's box was delivered, so they sent us another one, for free.
- Used the gym for free workouts, & a spin class
- It goes without saying that we drive our electric car absolutely everywhere we can, including all of our soccer carpools. We save a ton on gas that way.
- I used a Friday freebie yogurt in a muffin recipe, and also used the last of a batch of cranberries, plus some orange juice that was lingering around in the fridge
- I also dug out a container of pumpkin puree from the freezer, and turned that into a double batch of pumpkin muffins
- Nick had a very long day on the tennis courts (after reffing a soccer game) on Sunday, so I dropped off snacks, making the most of what we had on hand: pumpkin muffins, a bun leftover from a Hello Fresh meal, fruit, & a protein bar, plus lots of water. It was nice to use stuff up, and keep him fed. He's typically a picky eater, but when you've played six hours of tennis, you'll eat almost anything. ;-)
For others:
- Paid for my parents flight & travel arrangements for another family member
- Helped a few parents with various rides, particularly one on a late night. I'm a real early bird, so this one was painful, but very appreciated by a friend.
- Provided high school advice to some parents
What about you? Any wins to share?
I'm curious, how many miles a month do you put on your e-car and how much did your e-bill rise charging it? I live fairly close to everything I need so I only tank up 6-7 times a year so an e-car wont' come to my garage until I have to switch since that check will be a major expense.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday :-)
We put about 700-800 miles/month on our car, as we do a lot of driving for kid activities. We don't have a charger at home, and have only ever charged (for free) at our office, which is a perk our company provides. We work for the same company.
DeleteOur energy provider does provide an incentive if you buy an electric car, which offsets the majority of the expense of installing a charger. May be an option to explore.
Thank you for your response. I've not yet put on 500 miles this year so I'll keep saving $ for the future purchase. (I'd have done it long ago if I drove a lot but even when I worked FT, I averaged 85miles/week.)
DeleteI was already thinking ahead to what I can do frugally for the week-mostly get a ham at a low cost for Easter. I need a large one or two smaller as it will feed 16, including five men and two hungry teen boys, Everyone will want leftovers too. No freebies for me this week-just trying to not waste food. Your snacks for Nick after tennis were hearty and better than chips and crackers.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't ham people, (Sam & I like it, but M will absolutely not eat it, and Nick is also not a fan), so we're doing a Persian dinner instead. M is making kebabs, rice & a yogurt/cucumber sauce. YUM. I also ordered cupcakes (my mom's request), which will be the only real splurge.
DeleteI think it is so nice that you pay for your parents, I hope someday my children are as accomodating.
ReplyDeleteWe are so lucky to get time with them - it's really a gift for all of us.
DeleteGreat frugal week. I love that you have an electric car. I would love to get a hybrid for our next vehicle.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
You had a great week and hooray for kids who earn their own money. I know the driving gets tiresome but it is such a small time in their lives and you will miss it someday.
ReplyDeleteIt's totally a tiny chunk of their lives. When I took Sam to the field at (gulp) 7:30 am this morning, there were kids driving themselves. It's definitely something that happens!
DeleteI think when people have busy schedules, they get creative and accomplish more like you do. I admire how much you do every day. Being back at the office must feel different I assume. People got used to working from home and proved that they can still be productive that, over here many tech companies are closing their offices for good. A couple of banks are making some positions permanently from home. Office rent is a major expense especially in Istanbul.
ReplyDeleteOur office is pretty set on in person collaboration. Most teams are not distributed, so I understand some of the logic. For those of us who work in really distributed teams, it's a lot less impactful. Mostly, you are just commuting to take your calls from an office, vs your home.
DeleteI love store rewards. We have a program that works out to about $30 earned per $100 spent. I can't believe how many people don't bother using the program. It's relatively easy to spend the necessary amount to get the rewards and it always gives me a thrill when I spend those points (translated directly to cash against your purchase).
ReplyDeleteToday I got 5 discounted zucchini for $3. I don't know if it's just where I live in Canada, but zucchini are SO expensive, so that was about 1/4 what I would have paid full price. I love getting reduced produce. They were a little dinged and battered, but I just chopped them up for a soup, so it wasn't any problem!
Great deal on the zucchini! I still have a bunch of shredded zucchini the freezer I need to use up, before we start growing more in our planter boxes.
DeleteOur grocery store reward is more about optimizing gift cards (we typically buy travel gift cards, which we know we will use for flights), and that generates awesome rewards. Your program also sounds great.