Frugal Friday

I was with my mom for most of the week, and we were taking advantage of the free hotel I was able to book for four nights. 

Saving on things we buy

• I used a $2 Catalina coupon at the store, and downloaded a digital coupon for my purchase. I picked up 6 pounds of apples, a bagged salad & four packages of pasta for $17, which was a decent deal, I suppose. I also earned $2 in grocery store rewards from some sort of instant win promotion the store is running. 
• Went to the store to pick up two Friday freebies, one of which was a box of chamomile tea (I typically have this every evening in the fall/winter, so it will definitely be used) & the other was the Gatorade zero hydration tablets. Nick or I will use these. I also earned another $.75 in store rewards. 
• I picked up a few other things at the store, and earned $6 in Fetch points, and another $3.75 in grocery store rewards. 
• For meals on our trip, we've tried to keep things pretty reasonable. For lunches, one day we split a Chipotle burrito bowl, another day we picked up sandwiches at Safeway, and the last full day we ate some meat, cheese & crackers we brought with us. 
• My mom also brought two bottles of wine in her bag, which allowed us to relax on our patio ahead of dinners out, and save some money that way as well.
• M & I had overlapping flights, so he parked the car at the airport & I took the spare key when I left for my trip. I picked up the car shortly after he left, when my flight arrived. Altogether, a few minutes of planning saved us about $40 between a couple of ride shares, minus the parking. 

Earning money

• I received my severance offer (not payout, as I think that can take upwards of six weeks) from my employer, and it was much more generous than expected.

Avoiding spending

• Neither my mom or I eat breakfast, but we've been walking to a coffee shop each morning & getting coffee ahead of our hikes. 

Eating what we have

• Ate lots & lots of leftovers ahead of my trip. Sam ate everything I didn't eat, so the fridge was basically empty before M's trip to the store. 
• Because of the lack of leftovers, I really scrounged for a lunch one day, and used two heels of bread, the last can of tuna from the pantry & made a tuna melt. It was great. 
• Sam mentioned he'd be home for dinner one night on the weekend, so I thought it would be a good time to try & use up some of those lingering fish sticks no one seems to want. I made those + spring rolls (also from the freezer) & then of course, his plans changed. Leaving just me with the fish sticks. Karma, I suppose. ;-) 

For others

• Helped hikers avoid a snafu we had, which was a looped trail that finished in one parking lot, but not the other two. As a result, our hike was *MUCH* longer than expected, but we finished & were just about out of water when we got to the car. I always pack twice as much as we need. 

What about you? Any wins to share?