Frugal Friday

It's been a hard week for everyone. Tracking frugality doesn't seem super useful, but trying to stay on my day to day plans.

Saving on things we buy

• Used an Amex gift card (it was quite sizable, so you'll see this one for a while) to buy groceries at our local store + Trader Joes. We were out of a lot!
• Used a $.50 coupon to save a bit on tortillas, which have gotten outrageously expensive
• Uploaded receipts to Fetch, and saved a bit extra
• Bought chicken for $7 off/package at Costco, and chose the smallest size available (it wasn't a per lb discount).
• Bought ground beef on sale at the grocery store, for $2.29/lb
• Uploaded a $.50 reward to my digital account for the local grocery store
• Flights around the holidays are most certainly not cheap. I priced out a bunch of options this weekend, and initially booked with Alaska, as we had a flight credit, companion fares & stored credit (discounted gift cards purchased at Costco). However, two days later, Southwest dropped their fares, so I cancelled & rebooked via Southwest, using exclusively gift cards/LUV vouchers & travel credits. Unfortunately, we now have an even larger Alaska balance, but it saved a total of $550, which was worth the hassle. I've now tracked all of the Alaska credit in our spreadsheet, to ensure we use it on time. 
• Reached out to the hotel where we'll be staying to see how expensive their workout classes are. Taking fitness classes when we travel is one of my favorite things to do. Their classes are $25/each, or you can buy a pass for $75 for unlimited classes. I definitely know which one I'll be doing! I'm setting a goal of doing six classes, both because the classes sound fun & will be great to try, and also because I'll definitely be getting my money's worth at that price. 
• Saved $57 by signing up for a credit card merchant reward (you basically browse them on the credit card portal, & "save" any that are of interest. Once you make the purchase, you are automatically credited back whatever percentage of savings was offered.) This was for an expense I knew was upcoming (paying for a hotel as part of our France trip). I knew it would be a large charge, so I researched to see if any cash back offers existed with my credit cards, then opted in & tracked to ensure I got the $57 credit. 

Earning money

• Nothing happening on this front, aside from our standard W2 jobs. 

Avoiding spending

• The boys had homecoming last weekend, and the suits they wore to a wedding no longer fit (the trials of having teens), so they were both able to wear clothes from Michael's closet. Luckily, everyone is roughly within the same size range. 
• We discussed takeout ahead of homecoming, but I whipped up a quick/early dinner at home, before everyone left. 
• Packed a lunch before leaving for a six hour trip for a soccer game (six hours included the drive time, & game itself). I made Nick an early lunch, and packed a variety of easy things for myself: peanuts, some jerky, a pear, a banana & a piece of banana bread. This saved us from buying lunch out, which most of the families did. 
• Similarly, I prepped dinner before we left for the game. I marinated chicken for chicken shawarma, and cut all the sides. M got home before I did, so he baked the chicken, and we were able to avoid takeout or a less healthy option. 

Eating what we have

• I found some orzo in the freezer, and paired that with some chicken & fruit for a quick lunch.
• Found ground beef on sale (above) & made five pounds of taco meat. One lb for dinner this week, and the rest for the freezer. 
• Made applesauce muffins (applesauce made from apples I received off of Buy Nothing) for the freezer. 

For others

• Uploaded my receipt to "Box Tops" and earned $.40 for the local school
• In fun news, I gave away the last of my Euros to a neighbor on Buy Nothing. A few hours after she picked them up (porch pickup), she messaged me to say that we were attending the same neighborhood potluck, & I got to meet her in person. What a fun treat. 

How about you? Any wins to share?