Frugal Friday

It was a week! It doesn't feel particularly frugal, as M drove to pick up Sam when he had COVID, & gas prices are $$$. The rest of the week was all about the garden, & using things up. 

Saving on things we buy

• Did another grocery store offer, buying a travel gift card, & earning a $60 grocery store gift card
• Bought a $1 bag of tomatoes from the produce stand. It weighed just over 5 lbs. We have quite a few tomatoes, but I wanted to make a triple batch of pico de gallo
• I booked M a night in Medford, so he could stop & sleep during the drive to pick up Sam. I was able to use some reward points to cut off about 1/2 of the stay. 
• Took advantage of a 1/2 off drink coupon at Starbucks, and indulged in an iced tea/lemonade combo. We had no power, & I was trying to avoid being in the fridge. This was a nice treat. 

Earning money

• Sold three of M's outgrown shirts on eBay, as well as a hat
• Listed a few new items on eBay

Avoiding spending

• Returned a few things we bought, that didn't work out
• Discovered I had everything on hand to make the watermelon, blueberry, feta salad for the 4th of July. 
• Picked up a few groceries from a neighbor who is moving, and can't bring the items with her
• Used a gift card to pick up Subway for Sam (his choice) when we had no power on Tuesday. He was thrilled. The foot long came with a free 6" sandwich, so that was also my lunch. 
• Picked up a free container of hummus through a Fetch offer
• Took advantage of a free spinning class through work

Eating what we have

• We were able to use up lots of garden items this week:
• Juiced lemons, which we will use in salad dressing
• Used parsley & oregano to make a chimichurri sauce
• Fresh tomatoes & basil for a caprese salad
• Lettuce, peppers & tomatoes for salads
• Made a giant batch of pico de gallo, using up cilanatro, tomatoes & jalapenos
• Strawberries on the 4th of July cake
• Mint in the watermelon salad
• Peppers in the macaroni salad
• Jalapeno, cilantro & basil into a coconut curry dish, which is one of my favorite easy dinners I've made in years! Highly recommend
• Used up some really old celery in my macaroni salad
• Turned the tomatoes (above) into a triple batch of pico de gallo, as well as two batches of tomato sauce
• Used leftover jams from the 4th of July cake in baked oatmeal, to have on hand for easy breakfasts. This baked oatmeal recipe was fantastic. 

For others

• Gave away a bunch of additional items on Buy Nothing. It always makes me happy to get stuff out of our house, and into the hands of people who want them! Bags & bags on my porch, for others to pick up & enjoy!
• Continuing to work on a leadership course, which will then enable me to serve in a non-profit advisory role for a university. 

What about you? Any wins to share?