Frugal Friday

It's been a busy week, but I didn't have to drive to/from the office, which made all the difference in my schedule. I also had a weekend at home to meal prep and get things done, which was also wonderful. 

Saving on things we buy

• Received $1.34 back on our Lyft ride from the airport on Sunday (LV trip). Sam took us to the airport, but had to work on Sunday. I also stacked the cash back offer with a $10 credit, to save a bit more. Altogether, our out of pocket spending was ~$20 including tip, which wasn't too bad. We did price out parking, but it was more than one way of a ride share. 
• I won three free nights in Las Vegas + a $1500 credit (can be used for food, spa, etc) & it needed to be used by the end of January. I didn't want to waste such a big value, as it's at our favorite hotel, but also didn't want to pay for a flight for a "bonus" trip, and schedules are tight in that timing. Instead, Michael & I were already invited to a NYE event, so I was able to tack those days on & my parents will join us. We also purchased their flights, and it's their Christmas gift. They were super thrilled & have been wanting to go to Las Vegas for a few years now, but decided to instead spend their travel money visiting the grand kids. At 75 & 73, it always feels great to help treat them, because you never know how long they will be able to travel (and, enjoy travel) for. 

Earning money

• Sold a book & a hat on eBay & made $13.

Avoiding spending

• Picked 5 pomegranate from our tree. Now, last year we had 40+, but this year we had...squirrels. I'm frustrated (they also ate everything in our vegetable garden), but we will enjoy the 5 pomegranate. 
• I also picked green onions that we've planted & replanted continuously, and didn't need to buy any for a recipe. 

Eating what we have

• Made an orzo dish that didn't turn out that great, but did use up some freezer/pantry ingredients (orzo, rotisserie chicken, chicken broth). I'll need to spice it up when serving leftovers. 
• Roasted an enormous amount of veggies + the last of the chicken sausages, and used that as the base for my lunches this week. 
• Also made a Dijon chicken dish, and used up chicken broth from the freezer. Several of our dinners were big enough to eat 2x, and still have leftovers for the freezer, which is always nice. 

For others

• Can't think of anything this week, but this is a good reminder to look for opportunities next week. 

What about you? Any wins to share?