Saving on things we buy
- This won't help immediately, but I realized that a hotel I'm going to for a retreat is part of the Hyatt. I added my points number, so I can accrue points. This will help offset a future stay.
- I found a Starbucks card that Nick won at a Christmas game. It must have been in a pocket & gone through the wash, so it looked beyond use. I was able to get the numbers & find the pin, so I've added it to my Starbucks account. (I'll give him the $5 in cash, which he prefers.) It almost went to the garbage, so I'm glad we were able to salvage it.
Earning money
- Sold an item I got for free at work (a prize for a game) on eBay. Made about $11
- Listed new items on eBay
Avoiding spending
- Used Amazon padded envelope to mail eBay sale
- Planned ahead for a night when I had to be out of the house for high school orientation. Made dinner in advance so the boys wouldn't be tempted to eat out.
- Returned a pair of winter boots I don't need.
- I was able to book flights for my parents to come over spring break. They'll watch the kids while we are working. I used miles & spend $7 out of pocket for taxes. Woohoo! I saved $368.60 by using miles.
That's it for us. What about you? Any frugal wins to report?
Like you, my wins will be the ongoing steady type of savings and hope to pad our savings more with not spending. Other than my pick up of a late breakfast lunch combo when bringing my daughter back, I packed lunch every day and used items that have been lingering or were close to prime. My husband no longer buys any food out of th house for lunch, so I am going to see if I can figure out what he used to pay, and see if what we save with him self packing, even though my grocery budget will go up.
ReplyDeleteThe day to day wins really add up! That's awesome that your husband is bringing a lunch now vs buying. It will definitely help save. Eating out is so much more expensive than packing. Perhaps it will also help reduce food waste.
DeleteYour taxes are way low - every time I book a free flight we have to pay $100-200 pp in taxes, even domestic flights. Bloody Canada and the taxes (*but we do get a lot more for them including free healthcare :))
ReplyDeleteI would definitely take your tradeoffs!
DeleteThe gift card to Starbucks is great. 5 dollars is 5 dollars that didn't go into the trash!
ReplyDeleteI think accruing points for the future is true savings, even if you don't realize them for a bit. It is like stocking up on bargain groceries. You don't feel the savings at the moment but later they are really nice.
You're right - I should look at the points that way. They really do add up in a meaningful way, but sometimes it takes so long to accrue anything that I forget by the time it comes around.
DeleteI just worked hard and tried not to spend any mney unless I had to.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to save!
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