Frugal Friday

 It's been a busy week, as Nick goes back to school on Monday! Here's what we've been up to. 

Saving on things we buy

• Nick is opting not to take the August SATs, as he's pleased with his June score. I cancelled, & received my money back, minus a cancellation fee. 
• Treated Sam to lunch at Subway, and used a BOGO free foot long sandwich coupon and a gift card. I can get two lunches at of a foot long. For Sam, that's just one meal. ;-) 
• Speaking of Subway, went through & combined all of our gift cards into one (it's a hassle in the app to have gift cards with not enough balance to cover a transaction) & got everything cleaned up, plus got a clear view of how much money we have on the gift cards. 
• Made a stop at the grocery store, and picked up sparkling water that had both an iBotta & Fetch offer. This rarely happens, and the grocery store was having a BOGO offer for the same brand, so it worked out well & saved ~$8. 
• I also bought Nick's two Christmas gifts at the local sporting goods store, as they were having 50% off camping gear, and that was his entire Christmas list. ;-) We got a really nice tent and sleeping bag. 

Earning money

• Signed up to volunteer with soccer club uniform distribution, which saves $100 off of club dues. We are "required" to do 3 hours of volunteering, and when we complete our volunteer hours, we get the credit off of our fees. 
• Sometimes it takes a while for Rakuten to feel like it pays off, but earned $71 in a payout, thanks to a few purchases that paid a high percentage (running shoes, if I recall one). 
• Sold two pair of Nick's tennis shorts on eBay for ~$20

Avoiding spending

• We finally figured out what we are doing with our United credits! We'd love to do a family trip to see M's family, but with Nick & Sam having highly varied spring breaks & overall schedules, that's not possible before the credits expire. Instead, M & I are going to Spain! This is best categorized as "how to not let a huge sum of United vouchers expire." I'll post more on this trip, as we will also be trying to use hotel points to offset a bunch of the remaining cost. 

Eating what we have

• I've been working through a few freezer items, and was able to use up all of the bag of small wontons & a bag of coconut shrimp for dinner last week. I also used 3 ciabatta buns.
• Continued to feed people leftovers, expand and contract meals to accommodate anywhere from 3-6 diners at any given night (with, almost no notice). Cut up fruit, caprese salad (tomatoes & basil from the garden) & garlic bread are my on hand additions I can always add, if I don't have as much of the main course. 

For others

• Donated books to the library sale
• Volunteered at Nick's high school orientation
• Volunteered with college assistance program

What about you? Any frugal wins to share?