Frugal Friday

 A quick one, as it's been an insane week with work, in office days, dinner with the boss, flying to Boulder & working a half day today before I help move out Nick & his buds. The energy is high in Boulder this weekend (and it's crowded!) as it's graduation tomorrow. 

Saving on things we buy

• Stopped by Trader Joes to pick up granola & peppers, and uploaded the receipt to Fetch & then iBotta. iBotta has a semi consistent cash back offer for any receipt, so I made a whopping $.05 there. I'm getting rich over here!
• Picked up another prescription at CVS, and used a bunch of coupons & rewards to get two containers of vitamins (my hair is falling out faster than ever, thanks to the double whammy of menopause + lupus) for $3.45. 

Earning money

• Cashed out Fetch rewards for a $10 Amazon gift card.

Avoiding spending

• We spent money on gas & $30 on park admissions for our trip to Pinnacles on Saturday, but brought our own water + electrolytes, and breakfast/lunch from home. It was a very frugal day & I got to mark off another national park! 
• Ate dinner at the lounge (included with my credit card) & filled my water bottle as well, when I was at the airport yesterday.
• Got a ride to the airport from Sam, saving on the cost of a ride share or parking.
• Staying at a hotel with free Hyatt night award, which also waives the cost of the $25/night parking. When you have status & are staying with a free night award, free parking is a huge perk.
• Got free coffee this morning. They also offer breakfast, so I will likely grab a yogurt as well.

Eating what we have

• Before we left for our Pinnacles hike, I defrosted a small portion of Philly cheese steak meat I'd found in the freezer. Not enough for more than 2, I knew Sam was working on Saturday night. When we got home from our hike, M added a pepper, onions & provolone & made us Philly cheese steaks, but with no bread/sauce. I had mine over a salad.
• Pulled two bags of rotisserie chicken bones out of the freezer & made a double batch of chicken broth. Bonus points for using up some elderly carrots as well. I now have 9 additional various sized containers of chicken broth added to the freezer. 

For others

• Helping some of Nick's friends move out of their dorms, and transport what they are leaving over the summer, since their parents can't make it. 

What about you? Share your wins!