Frugal Friday

There was a lot of "using it up" this week, as we tried to get everything out of the fridge & make progress with our freezer, ahead of our trip. 

Saving on things we buy

• Uploaded receipts to Fetch, shopped on double points weekend, and searched for matching iBotta offers for things we needed, but didn't find any. I'd say this is pretty typical for us, for iBotta. 
• I'd planned to use a coupon off of some sparkling drinks (flavored carbonated water), as a festive holiday treat for the kids. Another brand was actually cheaper on regular sale, so went that direction instead of using the coupon. 

Earning money

• I finally sold the last piece of my "rearranged furniture" that we didn't need. It took longer than I wanted, but it was a huge piece & awkward/hard for other people to transport & move. I made $150, and I'm glad to get it out of our entryway :-) 
• Sam was selected for a youth rec soccer coach position, which he will start in January, to fill in the gap before club soccer starts back up. 
• Got back $25 from a class action lawsuit I was a part of

Avoiding spending

• Avoided any last minute "extra" purchases, despite being mightily tempted!
• We are using hotel points for two nights at a hotel, total cost is $4, for various taxes. 

Eating what we have

• Defrosted soup from the freezer for a couple of lunches, plus another soup to accompany a small piece of salmon for dinner. 
• Ate kid lunch leftovers, for a few "brunch" meals. Depending on what time I come back from my workout class, I have brunch vs lunch, as I don't like to eat before I work out. In one case, it was a leftover taquito, some chicken, and rice. In another, it was part of a sandwich, & more chicken. Flexibility is important, when reducing food waste!
• Finished off a package of buns, by planning to have burgers for dinner one night. The buns were originally purchased for a pulled pork recipe. 
• Made cranberry muffins, using lots of fridge items: the last of Thanksgiving fresh cranberries + homemade sauce, the end of a container of yogurt, orange juice in place of orange zest, and some oat milk I needed to use up. It was nice to clear a few items out of the fridge, and get the muffins into the freezer. No waste!
• Our meal plan consisted of two previously prepped freezer meals (enchiladas, and enchilada rice). The enchiladas were part of my "use it up in December" freezer challenge - a meal my parents left behind when they were visiting. 
• I used zucchini & bananas from the freezer to make other muffins. 

For others

• Gave away stuff on BN, so others could use them as holiday gifts (all new items). And, a bunch of other items we weren't using (not new). 
• Bought a bunch off of an Amazon wishlist, for a holiday family adoption event a friend is running
• Donated money & time to the school, for a fundraiser

What about you? Any wins to share?