Frugal Friday

 We're getting into the swing of January, and trying to keep things in check as we make our second property tax payment. We will pull from savings (as planned) for most of it, but would also like to cash flow what we can. 

Saving on things we buy

• Drove Sam to Sacramento (2ish hours each way) to meet up with his roommate for a ride back to college. This saves: his return flight back (now a Southwest credit), his shuttle from the PDX airport (now a future credit), and sending his skis via the mail, as the shuttle won't accept skis. Getting up at 4:30 wasn't that fun, but we made it work. His roommate's mom drove the boys & their gear back. Saved approximately $225. 

Earning money

• I sold a pair of M's shoes that he didn't like for $35 on eBay & a pair of my shoes on eBay for $20.
• Cashed in some change I had lingering around & redeemed it for a Starbucks gift card, which I immediately applied to my account for a future coffee. I don't go to Starbucks often, but tend to go there in two scenarios: meeting a friend after a workout, or when traveling. It's nice to have the money on my account when I need it. 
• I sold a jacket on eBay for $25. 
• Cashed in money for the survey site I use & made $15. 

Avoiding spending

• I own two pair of ski base layers, and when we were skiing over the holidays, I could only find one. We had no laundry, so wearing them for three days required some creative sink washing/blow drying & I wish to avoid that in the future. When I got home, I ordered myself a two pack off of Costco for $15. And, while the price is absolutely right, when washing all of Nick's ski gear, I discovered that a pair of my base layer pants were in his bag. So, no additional purchase needed, and back these went to Costco. 
• Met a friend at my old office for a free lunch (she works there). 

Eating what we have

• Defrosted some naan bread to go with chicken shawarma one night. It was part of the December challenge to use it up, but better late than never!
• Made homemade hummus to use up some garbanzo beans. It's always delicious & I wonder why I don't make it more often. My preferred recipe here. 
• Had soup from the freezer for a lunch one day.

For others

• Helped a friend out with a networking project.