Frugal Friday

 It's that time of the year, where there are plenty of "deals". I try & stay focused on buying the things we need for gifts, will use regularly, etc. 

Saving on things we buy

• I signed up for a Hyatt card, as I've been doing a lot of traveling. I noticed that the points weren't correctly applied to my account, so I spent an hour on the phone, while they discovered that my credit card wasn't tied to the correct account. All fixed now, and I now have two free nights, as well as all of the missing points. We will likely use the free nights when doing college tours. 
• Took Nick to Chick Fil A, after an evening school soccer game. I avoided getting anything for myself, and used points to get him a free milkshake, dropping the cost for his dinner to under $10. 
• I used our Amex gift card for a grocery store run. I picked up the Friday freebie (some sort of chip like snack), earned $1.50 through iBotta & various Fetch points. I also bought two Chipotle gift cards (Christmas gifts for the teens) & earned a $20 grocery store gift card. 
• Went to CVS to use up my $5 award. Nick came with me, as he had a few toiletry items he wanted to pick up. I noticed they had $50 Door Dash gift cards, generating a $10/each reward. I picked up two, as we sparingly use Door Dash, but maybe 2-3x/year, in a pinch after a travel day, etc. I also had a 20% off credit card offer that I saved (maximum $8 off), so all told, I spent $122 ($100 for Door Dash) & earned back $33 between the various rewards. 
• Bought two Christmas gifts, and used $50 of Nordstrom rewards. 

Earning money

• I have business class flight upgrades that are expiring, so I've been offering them up to coworkers. I've gotten a bunch of gift cards as thank yous (I don't ask, but people offer them if the upgrade clears, which is very cool). $640 in gift cards earned, and I only have 10 points left that may expire, which is much better than the original 280. 
• A neighbor needed help moving a bunch of stuff, so Sam went down & helped her & earned $60.
• I listed a bunch of stuff on eBay, that's been sitting in my eBay pile forever, & already sold an item for $150. 

Avoiding spending

• I used Starbucks credit (earned from that delayed flight to London) to pick up brunch after a workout class. I also opted into an offer that was available, and earned bonus points. I like the double dip of free money generating additional stars that I can redeem for a drink or something on another occasion.
• Used a free Hyatt night to cover the cost of a hotel for an upcoming college tour. 
• Used Hyatt points for two nights for a girls trip, after our half marathon in March. We typically do experiences for birthdays, Mother's Day, etc, so my sister, mom & I are running a half marathon together in Napa, and then will spend a few days relaxing afterward. 

Eating what we have

• Froze grapes & pineapple guava before they had to be tossed. We have been using them in smoothies.
• Made myself a quick meal of leftover chicken fajita rice, ahead of Nick's soccer game. I bought him dinner after soccer (9 pm), but saved money myself by eating at home ahead of time. 
• Used up some very old potatoes & carrots in a chicken stew
• Frugal fail: didn't check the date of pulled pork M bought at Costco, and it expired before we used it. Drat. We were in a time pinch ahead of a soccer game, so I was able to pull some Trader Joes orange chicken out of the freezer & made that plus cauliflower "fried rice". I added two eggs to the fried rice, to increase the flavor, and because Sam brought a friend over for dinner, and we needed a bit more food. Of course, I later found out that said friend doesn't eat eggs. Oops! 

For others

• Carpooled to soccer games

What about you? Any wins to share?