Frugal Friday

 It's been another week, and we are looking forward to Easter this weekend. Nick is having a few friends over for dinner, where M will be making Persian kebabs & rice. I'm in charge of dessert, although I haven't figured out what I'm making yet. 

Saving on things we buy

• Picked up a few things we needed at the store (a family sized bag of Caesar salad, two containers of oat milk & the largest sized of unsweetened iced tea), and redeemed a $10 reward. I paid $7.67 out of pocket, and uploaded my receipt to Fetch. I also earned $.05 back on iBotta for the oat milk & found $.10 in the change return at the self check out. Making me rich! ;-) 
• Picked up plants for our garden boxes, and used a Home Depot gift card. I bought the Home Depot gift cards at our grocery store, as every $50 generated a $10 reward. 
• This doesn't really fit into any other category, but I filled out both boys taxes, & they are getting a small amount back ($80 & $140). I used two different tax software programs, as one didn't work for Nick. But, I paid $14.99 for Sam's state return, and figured out a way to do it differently next year & get it for free. Lesson learned. Nick's entire return was free. 
• Used a CVS Extra Care reward & a couple of coupons to pick up: two gift cards for the boys for their Easter baskets, some candy, and Advil. I also earned $2 back on iBotta, as well as 4% back on the full purchase from iBotta. I tried to choose candy that I won't eat before Easter, so wish me luck. 

Earning money

• Cashed out additional survey money ($15)
• Received a Costco executive rebate of $354. I minus out the cost of the membership, leaving us with $224 that I'll count towards our side hustle. 

Avoiding spending

• Nick went to Pinnacles National Park for a day trip on his spring break. He requested a park pass for his 18th birthday from my parents, so he was able to use his pass at the park, saving the admission fee.
• I also treated Nick for lunch on his spring break, and he requested Subway. Had enough on a gift card to get us both lunch (and, used a coupon for the second sandwich) for no out of pocket spending.  

Eating what we have

• Made an easy spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread dinner, which we always have ingredients on hand for. I like this menu item, because we can customize the amount easily, and it doesn't require anything beyond what we keep in the pantry & freezer. (We use cheater frozen meatballs from Costco, which are really great.) 
• We splurged & allowed Nick to select takeout for dinner one night of spring break. He opted for Greek food. We had enough leftovers for 3 additional lunches. 
• Used the leftover mini containers of tzatziki sauce (from the Greek takeout meal) with grilled chicken.
• Finished off the leftover broccoli & beef one night, and the rest of the burgers as well. We are doing a good job of staying on top of our leftovers & keeping food waste to an absolute minimum. 
• Used garden lettuce, peppers & lemons in our salads.
• Had leftover burgers for another dinner. 

For others

• Found a lost phone at the grocery store. Went around to everyone nearby, and no one was missing it. Stood in line at the customer service desk to turn it in to the lost & found. 

What about you? Any wins to share?