Frugal Friday

 It's been a pretty quiet week on the frugal front, but here are a few small wins. 

Saving on things we buy

• We won a few gift cards during some of our family games over the holidays, so I uploaded those to the various apps, to ensure we don't lose/misplace them before we spend them. 
• Used a $4 CVS coupon that was expiring to purchase a package of on sale pistachios. I paid $.66 out of pocket.  

Earning money

• Nothing to report

Avoiding spending

• We used a lounge access credit at the airport in Portland at a small restaurant (they don't have an actual lounge). After we finished lunch, the waiter let us know we still had a large credit, so we got some protein bars for the road. 
• M & I were both upgraded to first class on the short flight home, so we pre-selected our free meal options & treated that as our dinner, which we enjoyed with a free cocktail. 
• Used the Amex gift card for a lunch out, while M & I were on our mini getaway ahead of the holidays. 
• Picked up a few things we were out of (flour, sriracha, & oat milk) & used the Amex card to cover the cost. 

Eating what we have

• Defrosted soup to have for lunch one day with a pear I found in the back of the fridge, ate a protein bar from the pantry for breakfast & added a bit of summer sausage (Xmas prize gift) to add some additional protein. This was before we made it to the grocery store, after our trip. 
• I officially have no bananas in my freezer, and am trying to keep it that way. Made a batch of banana muffins with the overly ripe bananas that weren't eaten before our trip. 

For others

• Made a last minute food bank donation, to round out our contributions for the year, as they were having a 4x match. 

What about you? Any wins to share?