Frugal Friday

 Combining a few weeks, as we were at the beach last Friday. 

Travel planning/savings

• I'll post more about this trip in the recap, but my sister, parents & I are planning a trip to Palm Springs in the fall. I'm trying to keep costs very low all around. Neither of my parents had enough Alaska miles to cover the flights, so I creatively booked two one ways out of one account, and one out of another. Alaska doesn't allow for free miles transfers, or a cash + miles option that would have made this entire process easier! Nonetheless, it saved a bunch of money. I also booked the hotels using Hyatt points, so it should end up being a reasonably budget trip. 

Saving on things we buy

• Went to the dermatologist for a yearly skin check (good for everyone, but extra important as I'm both pale, and the medicine I take makes me even more sensitive to the sun). This is making the list of frugal wins, as I've already hit my deductible for the year, which means I may as well squeeze in as much as possible. 
• Uploaded receipts to Fetch & iBotta ($.05 cash back offer that they run semi regularly). 
• Picked up a prescription at CVS & rewards to offset the cost of sunblock (one for me, one for Nick, who burns & is working outside a lot this summer). The "retail" value was $15/each, and I paid $10.75 for both, after the rewards & coupons. I wouldn't have paid $15 for sure, but the actual retail (according to a quick search is around $12-15).So, a good deal on something we needed. I try not to be enticed by the frequent CVS offers they send out, but if I'm already there to pick up a prescription, and we need things, I can usually do much better than a sale price. 
• The reasonably priced wine I like to keep on hand was on sale at Costco. If I buy at case at the grocery store, and it's on sale I can get it for around $14. It was $6.99 at Costco. I bought two cases, as it doesn't go bad!
• I filled out some mileage updates for our car insurance, and our policy dropped by $550. Note that Nick also dropped out of the under 18 category for most of the year, which also helped a bit. Insuring the boys is very pricey!
• I bought a large canvas print of my BFF's daughter's engagement photos with her fiance, as an engagement present. I used a 50% off Shutterfly coupon, clicked through Rakuten & also used a free shipping coupon, bringing the price down quite a bit. 

Earning money

• Just my regular check, plus the boys working their standard summer jobs. 

Avoiding spending

• Met a former coworker for lunch, and she invited me to the office cafe, which is free. It was a real flashback to be back at my former office!
• Bought iced tea for myself + my sister on our way from the Oregon coast to my parents house. I used expiring Starbucks stars & a gift card for the rest, so no out of pocket spending. 

Eating what we have

• Made chicken curry for dinner, using up a bag of rotisserie chicken from the freezer. That's not what the recipe called for, but it turned out great & made the recipe even easier. Yay! Included the last of a bag of snap peas that were leftover from a veggie tray during the World Cup finals. 
• Made lunches for the boys when they were around, in use it up mode. 
• While we were at the beach, we went through quite a bit of food, but my sister & mom were able to take home all of the leftovers, which is awesome. No waste!
• Had the curry (above) for dinner the following week. It was in the freezer, so still good! M made rice.
• M picked up the Costco street tacos for dinner on Sunday, when we got home from our trip. Next time we will just buy the prepped chipotle chicken meat, vs the taco meal, as the sides aren't worth the value. However, still cheaper than takeout for sure. Sam & I had the leftovers for a second lunch. 
• Turned the leftover sides from the street tacos (plus some rotisserie chicken meat that M also bought on Sunday - we knew it would be a lazy cooking week) into this easy Southwest Chicken skillet. Bonus points that it used up chicken broth (freezer), diced tomatoes & black beans (pantry) & green onions (garden). 

For others

• Had a call with one of Nick's friends who is going through a breakup, and doesn't have a lot of other family support. Nick also brought her flowers & made her brownies to cheer her up. 
• Referred a couple of folks for roles at my company, connected with two other people on LinkedIn (through coworkers), who are job searching. It's a tough market, so I try to help out where I can. 

What about you? Any wins to share?