It's been a quiet week, as we try to avoid spending money & work on other things. There was good "use it up" freezer progress, which is always nice.
Saving on things we buy
- I've really tried to avoid spending lately, and I've largely stayed out of the stores. I did upload another gas reward to my credit card, and received $2 back from a gas stop Nick made.
Earning money
- Stopped by the bank to shuffle around a couple of CDs that were in their renewal period. I opted for a slightly lower rate, but a much longer term (10 months vs 4), as who knows what type of interest rate will be available in 4 months. Lots of volatility in all of the financial markets right now.
- Cashed out some survey rewards & made a whopping $7
- Sold a pair of shoes on eBay & earned $10
- I reached out to the college about some fees on Sam's college bill that didn't make a lot of sense. I had to file an appeal, but we received the money back & saved $375.
Eating what we have
- We've eaten a lot of leftovers this week! Kebabs & rice, with M making additional rice to round out the second meal of the kebabs. We finished off the last of a container of yogurt in the tzatziki sauce as well.
- We got home late from Nick's senior night, so I found a bag of coconut shrimp & a few spring rolls in the freezer. I baked those up & served with a salad for a quick meal.
- I also defrosted a container of carnitas. When I made these the first time, they weren't very popular, so putting them in the freezer probably wasn't going to improve their taste. ;-) I doctored them up with some additional seasoning this time around, and they were fine. Still not my favorite, but they were good enough to enjoy for dinner. Sam had his in tacos, using up additional cheese & salsa, plus the tortillas that need to be used. I had mine over a salad.
- M is not a carnitas fan, so he had the last of a kebab, plus a few leftover chicken wings.
- We continue to use up lettuce & basil from the garden & lemons from our tree.
For others
- Had a call with the student I'm mentoring
- Gave away some kitchen stuff on Buy Nothing
That's it from our side. What about you? Any wins to share?
Is M still in the running for a transfer with the company? That's a lot to face and no wonder you're managing your spending tightly. Your meals always sound yummy.
ReplyDeleteHe applied for something like 30 jobs. He actually got an offer this week, but it was a strange one, and required his existing team to hold the head count for new team for six months (part of a leave cover), & that didn't work. So, nope. Today is his last day. - HP
DeleteI remember the end of senior year high school as being, what felt like, nonstop joy and celebration. Hopefully you are able to compartmentalize the job stress for just a bit in order to simply enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI've always been impressed with your commitment to savings in spite of, or because of, your dual tech industries salaries. These are the times that hammer home the wisdom of having done so. And I do understand as we likewise had periods of stress during unemployment between jobs. I actually follow the same philosophy in retirement - we never spend to our max, we strive to underspend in relation to our portfolio, for the peace of mind it provides. And that is certainly servings us well in the current financial upheaval.
You are correct about the end of senior year. So many amazing things, and also plenty to organize & worry about!
DeleteI am very financially conservative, and I have never appreciated it more than now. While both of us would like to get jobs, and health insurance is absolutely nuts, we have prepared well, and can absolutely weather this storm, and pay for college, etc. Because of all of the planning, and making sure we saved, and paid off the house, etc. I'm really grateful for all of the years where we stuck to our budget, despite all of the temptations. I love your retirement approach! - HP
I so hope that the two of you find jobs that suit you. Glad that you can manage to pay for college, and have saved enough so that you can weather this storm. Let us hope it isn't a bad storm.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
The macro economy, plus the general employment market right now is really challenging, that's for sure. It's a LOT of patience. - HP
DeleteThat was great to fix that much on Sam’s college bill! Definitely worth trying to fix. We’ve been working on cleaning out our freezer too as it is too full for my tastes. I don’t like it when I can’t find things.
ReplyDeleteI like having enough in the freezer to pull out easy options, but like you, I don't like when there's too much in there. It makes it feel disorganized, and things get pushed to the back & not used. - HP
DeleteGood for you getting a nice chunk back on appeal. It pays to ask! I love carnitas and cannot imagine that it wouldn't be better leftover, which is usually the case. I am working on eating down the things in my freezer, currently. One thing about not wanting to cook is that the freezer tends to stay full...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - it definitely pays to ask! I really like carnitas, but I tried a new recipe, and it was sort of a fail. We repurposed it enough that it worked out okay, but I will definitely go back to my original recipe next time - HP
DeleteThe college appeal was a huge win.
ReplyDeleteWe had a high spend week, but it was circumstantial. Next week will be better
It was a really nice (and somewhat unexpected win). Love that! Hope you have a great week next week. - HP
Delete