Friday, December 15, 2023

Frugal Friday

 I'm largely recovered from jet lag, and getting back into the groove. That said, I didn't do my normal weekend meal planning, prep & organization last week, so it was a wild week! Here are a few frugal wins. 

Saving on things we buy

  • Used a $10 off a $50 purchase at the grocery store, and paid for the purchase using the Amex gift card. 
  • I haven't replaced my underwear in 15+ years, and it was more than time. Ordered and tried one pair & really liked the cut/fit, so used a $25 off a $75 purchase coupon, as well as a buy 3 pair/get 5 free at Victoria's Secret. I was also able to get a few sports bras to round out the purchase. All told, I got 8 pair of underwear & three sports bras for $77, which was a great deal. 

Earning money

  • Sold a watch & a shirt on eBay, making about $65. 
  • Gave away the last of my travel upgrades to a coworker, and they gave me a gift card as a thank you. 

Avoiding spending

  • In a frugal fail, I had to be at the office by 7:30 3x this week. It was not great with my jet lag. As a treat for one of the days, I picked up Starbucks on the way. My "avoiding spending" win is that I was incredibly tempted to do the same another day, but managed to avoid it. 

Eating what we have

  • Ate my leftovers + part of Sam's leftovers for a weekend lunch
  • My neighbor ended up with the wrong Chipotle order, so she gave me her burrito. It wasn't what I normally order, but I removed the tortilla to make a "burrito bowl", added sour cream & salsa, & it was delicious. 
  • DS17 forgot his "to go" breakfast on a late morning, so rather than tossing it (not my preferred breakfast), I ate it instead. I saved 1/2 for lunch, because I don't need as much food as a teen boy!
  • Ate orzo from the freezer for dinner, x2 (served it as a side dish with chicken)
  • Made coconut shrimp (freezer) with samosas (freezer) & salad (not freezer ;-)
  • Had multiple configurations of leftovers for dinners

For others:

  • Bought four gift cards for teacher appreciation week (our PTSA has a raffle basket that you can donate to).
  • Gave away a few of the boys nicer jackets (now outgrown) on Buy Nothing, as well as a pair of ski pants. 
What about you? Any wins to share?

4 comments:

  1. Glad the jet lag is over for you.
    I generally eat lunches that I really do not want, but it is better than tossing perfectly edible food___most days.

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    1. I'm spoiled and get free lunches at work (Tues-Thursday), so my at home lunches tend to be cobbling together whatever I can find. I'm also the only one in my family who will eat random lunches, so I do all of the heavy lifting on that side. ;-)

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  2. I'm glad the jetlag has finally subsided. Good deal on getting a free Chipotle burrito and making it even better by turning it into a bowl.

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    1. Avoiding food waste is always motivating for me, but sometimes that leads to some pretty interesting combinations! This one was delicious.

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