Friday, August 26, 2022

Frugal Friday

Work was once again.... intense in a really emotional way. I'm so grateful we're seeing the end of this week. I have just one day of "weekend" this week, as I fly to Tokyo & need to be out the door at 8 am on Sunday. But, it's awfully hard to spend personal money on a business trip, so there's that?  


Saving on things we buy

  • I helped assemble & disassemble soccer goals (at 7:30 am on a Saturday, for the assembly), as the field we play at doesn't have goals. Volunteer hours earn me $100 off of our soccer registration. I need three total hours, to get $200 across both kids. I'm 1/2 way there. 
  • I used a $15 grocery store reward to pick up a few things we needed, and picked up the Friday Freebie, which was a cranberry/watermelon juice. We will use the juice for smoothies, which is one of the only consistent item the kids eat on days with many activities. No one wants a full stomach before a soccer game, or tennis match.
  • Treated the boys to "Too Good to Go" boba. I've been waiting to try it for weeks, and finally got an offer from the boba shop before they sold out. 

Earning money

  • Made $16.70 through Rakuten, and my quarterly "earnings" were transferred to Paypal
  • Sold a few things on eBay:
    • Makeup sample
    • Wallet
    • Pair of shorts
  • I'm getting a significant chunk of money back from my employer, due to a pay discrepancy. This is all I can share, and I'm frustrated with the overall system that led us to this place, but very happy to be getting some of the money. 

Avoiding spending

  • Avoided takeout on two different nights when I *really* wanted to throw in the towel. 

Eating what we have

  • Nick doesn't like takeout Chinese (?!), so I used the last scraps of our taco dinner to make him a taco quesadilla, which he loves. I love that it got rid of the last of the meat, shredded cheese, & quesadillas. 
  • In garden updates:
    • Picked the last of the lettuce
    • Made a triple batch of pickled jalapenos
    • Roasted all of the squash, pureed it, and froze it
    • Shredded & froze the zucchini that was lingering in the fridge
  • Made cranberry muffins, using the last of a bag of cranberries from the freezer. The recipe also called for a little orange juice. I didn't have any, so used some juice from my Friday Freebie (above) instead. 
  • Had Chinese food leftovers for 3 lunches
  • Defrosted a lunch sized chicken curry for an unexpected Wednesday at home meal (I'm usually in the office)
  • Pulled a container of tomato basil chicken out of the freezer for another dinner

For others

  • Helped a friend with rides, & caught up with one of my mentees
What about you? Any wins to share?

3 comments:

  1. Nick lost me at not liking Chinese food. Oh well, he can't be perfect. I'm glad your work situation resolved financially but so sorry for the stress. You did a great job maximizing opportunities to not spend money

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  2. I earned a little over $15 from Rakuten this earnings period. I've been shopping through Rakuten for Wal-Mart and Tractor Supply and picking up curbside rather than going in. That little 1% adds up. I hope your work trip to Tokyo goes smoothly!

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  3. I so understand about work stress and the inability to fix things for others or relieve the stress for yourself bc everything is out of your control. I went back and handled a 70 plus case docket yesterday and have been in bed since then. It was too soon after Covid. I hope you work situation gets better over the coming month. Cindy in the South

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