Frugal Friday

 Another busy week,but a few wins to share here & there. 

Saving on things we buy

• Remembered to use the last of a grocery store gift card (all $.52 of it) to buy cilantro. This dropped the price to $1.47, which is almost reasonable for something that grows well here, except for us. We can keep a lot alive, but cilantro is not our friend & dies easily at our house. 
• Saved 23,200 United miles by rebooking our flights for family weekend. I now have a United credit card, and there is a sizable discount for credit card holders when booking award travel. Given the United valuation of about $.012/mile, that's a $278.40 savings.
• We are potentially going to Lake Tahoe for a few days, and months ago I downloaded a credit card offer for a hotel there. I find that I forget about these offers, but if I think there's even a 1% chance I can use it, I save it. No harm, no foul. Received a $32.38 credit through my card. 

Earning money

• We've gotten a few misdirected items from Amazon (addressed to us, Amazon won't accept back), so I sell them on eBay. Sold another container of vitamins, as far as I can tell. Made $16. 
• Sold a white elephants gift I won at a work event, but was never going to use (a fancy pen), also made $16.
• Received a payout from Rakuten for $12. 
• I get $150 in StubHub ticket credits 2x a year through my credit card. I offered the credit to the boys to use for concerts or events, but no one had anything in mind. Instead, I bought tickets to the Giants game & listed them. They were actually just over the credit value at $159, but I must have chosen a poor event resale value, because they sold for $70. After the $9 overage, I made $60 for no effort. I track that money towards offsetting the cost of my credit card, which has a fee. 

Avoiding spending

• I gave up Kindle Unlimited a month or so back, and am continuing to use my library card. As someone who reads a lot, I need a lot of books, so I've also started checking out Amazon's free list to try & find new authors. I downloaded four free books this week.
• I had to go to the office on Wednesday, and need to leave at 6 to make it to my 7 am call. They have breakfast for purchase in the cafe, but I opted for the free yogurt + banana. 
• I had to go to the hospital & do lab work (lots of blood draws) & afterward I was craving a sandwich. I'm strangely attached to Subway, despite definitely not thinking they are the best. Regardless, used a $6.99 foot long sub coupon, plus $2 of rewards, and paid the rest + tip on a gift card. This makes two lunches for me, so not a terrible cost. 

Eating what we have

• Picked a green onion from the garden for M's salad, and then replanted the stem.
• Looked for a recipe to use up a few items we had on hand, including a red pepper. I chose Picadillo, which also used canned tomatoes, olives & a few other staples we had on hand. I added a jalapeno instead of the adobe & made my own spice mix. 
• Nick hosted multiple friend events. When he had a pool party earlier in the week, I took the opportunity to look at freezer items that all had a similar bake time & were purchased with teens in mind. We didn't have a ton of any one item, but I put together an appetizer platter that used up: the last of a box of mini Trader Joes pizzas, the end of a bag of chicken nuggets & about 1/2 of a bag of veggie spring rolls. I paired that with chips leftover from another teen event, and then in a nod to health, cut up 1/2 a melon, some apples & grapes & made a fruit tray. I'm hoping I eventually use up the pizza rolls & mozzarella sticks, also leftover from some sort of teen hosting. 
• Similarly, the boys were home when we were not expecting them for dinner, so I baked up chicken patties (finished off a bag) & pulled buns out of the freezer to make chicken patty sandwiches. A favorite of the boys. 

For others

• One of Nick's friends recently graduated from college & is looking for a place to stay. We've offered him a few nights in our spare bedroom while he looks for an inexpensive apartment. In the bay area, that will be quite a challenge! Happy to help him out as he transitions. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Thursday Happenings

 Oh, work has been... let's just go with cementing my decision to be done soon. I really like my manager, which is why I will offer a reasonable notice period, but the organization is so dysfunctional. It makes me quite disappointed, as I took this job with 20+ years of experience in a niche field, so I could have added a lot of value. Unfortunately, the organization is unable to move & adapt and there are just a lot of blockers to progress. 

This is not a political post, please do not comment about politics. This is about our family. 

On M's mom, it's so hard to imagine being in a situation where you are grieving & missing your spouse, and unable to see anyone. Most people are staying very close to home due to risk and challenging infrastructure. She has asked if she can visit us for an extended period of time, should the opportunity present itself. For those of you not following along at home, inflation is estimated between 50-70% in Iran, year on year and buying groceries or paying for basic expenses is incredibly challenging. My MIL gave all of her jewelry to her granddaughter to help her out. 

Switching topics, I'm going to plan out the weekend. We were originally going to go to a national park and do some hiking with Nick & friends, but they've asked to go to Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July instead. It will be much easier to visit the national park when it's not a US holiday anyway, so we made that change. I have plenty to do this weekend, so I will enjoy the time, get in a lot of workouts, go out to dinner with M, and hopefully catch up on the class I'm taking. 

We will likely also do some travel planning. We are really trying to take advantage of this time where we have more life flexibility & our health. We have roughly decided on Iceland next June, to celebrate M's milestone birthday (60). Although, we definitely still dream of our incredible trip to New Zealand, and want to go back. Can't stop thinking of NZ!

What are you up to on this holiday weekend, for those of you in the US? 

Wednesday happenings

Oooh, today has been a work day, and it's still the morning. ;-) 

But, in exciting news, M got to speak to his mom. She is physically fine. As you can imagine, the last few months have been incredibly difficult. She is also alone, as M's father passed away not too long ago, and she's been understandably adjusting to life as a widower. Not having access to her family during this time has been incredibly challenging. I'm so very grateful that they got a chance to talk!!

Anyway, no time for further updates, but wanted to share the good news. 

Fitness Monday

 The weeks are whizzing by, but it was a good week all around. I was able to get in plenty of steps & I generally ate well. 

I also wanted to share that I started a micro dose of a GLP-1 a few weeks ago, with approval from my rheumatologist. While the primary usage of a GLP-1 is weight loss of course, it can also be used to reduce inflammation, which is a challenge for people with an autoimmune disease. I'm happy to share my experience along the way. The biggest difference for me is that I find it much easier to maintain the lower calories required at my age to lose weight. As someone with a low RMR (resting metabolism rate), it's challenging to hit lower calories numbers especially with working out. The goal would be to drop the weight, and then eliminate the micro dose, after my appetite has shrunk. Again, happy to share how things go for me. And, it's also worth noting that this is not a frugal solution! 

Weight: 151.9, down 2.1 lbs

Calories: 1,292

Steps: 15,020

Workouts: 

• 2 strength/cardio combo classes
• 2 hour long elliptical workouts
• 45 minutes walking on the treadmill
• 12 mile hike (split into two)
• 7.75 mile hike

Goals for the week:

• Continue to work on strength training focus
• Work on my steps
• Focus on my nutrition

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals this week? 

Menu Plan Sunday

I don't have any in office days, which is always a treat! Prepping the menu helps me remember to use up pantry & freezer items, and also keeps me sane on busy days. Here's what's on our menu this week. 

• Friday - the last of the beef kebabs
• Saturday - picadillo
• Sunday - chicken & rice
• Monday - leftover picadillo
• Tuesday - leftover chicken & rice
• Wednesday - remaining leftovers
• Thursday - chicken sausage & white bean skillet
• Friday - leftover chicken sausage & white bean skillet

What about you? What are you making this week at your house? Have you pivoted to warmer weather dishes? 

Saturday Happenings

 I'm so happy it's Saturday! It's a gorgeous day, and M & I got up and went for a hike/walk at the nature preserve near our house. It was the perfect temperature & we walked 6 miles. We didn't do anything too strenuous, as I'm meeting a friend for a walk later this afternoon. I'll have to ask her to go slowly. ;-) 

I ran to the store to pick up cilantro for the Piccadillo I'm making tonight. I've made it once before, and I'm pretty sure I make enough substitutions to reduce any "authenticity" from the recipe. 

What else is on the agenda for today:

• Lots of laundry. Nick dropped in for a shower & clean clothes. He needed a shirt out of the wash, but was in such a hurry to drive to Davis & meet up with friends that he couldn't wait for one of his shirts to dry & wore it damp. 😐
• Hike with friend
• Ask M some questions about my Stanford homework. This assignment is way more in his wheelhouse than mine, and I need some advice on how to approach it.
• Homework
• Make dinner
• Read by the pool

Overall, it should be a pretty chill day, which is very nice considering the busy weeks ahead. What are you up to today? 

Frugal Friday

While it didn't actually save me money, I did research whether there were cheaper alternatives to the medicine I take for lupus. I'd heard a lot of autoimmune diseases medicine can be found with rebates or for cheaper, but mine is not included. But, I took the time to research options, so if I get switched to something else in the future, I know where to start. 

Saving on things we buy

• Uploaded our Costco receipt to Fetch & iBotta ($.05 back on any receipt). 
• I was looking for a fun option for M's birthday, and we have a crazy June (work travel + I'm going to Greece with my sister + BFF for a belated girls 50th birthday trip. My BFF is a school principal, so her days off are very fixed.) We considered Memorial Day & going to a national park, but that didn't work with the boys schedule. Instead, I booked a free night at a local resort on another weekend, using Hyatt points. It's a gorgeous property with hiking nearby, so it should be very fun. I'm sure we will spend money on meals, but the room itself will be free, and on that night the room goes for $1200/night!! It's a big savings to use points & still get a splurge. 
• Saved $4 on gas ($2 from each kiddo filling up their cars). Gas is absolutely outrageous here. 

Earning money

• Listed some freebie items on eBay & sold a pair of kids ice skates for $58, which was a huge win.
• I also sold a dress that I'd had listed for quite a while for $30. Junk out, money in. 
• Not earning, & not me, but Nick finally got a birthday check forwarded to him from Boulder, who somehow missed delivering it way back in March. The palpable excitement when I told him I was depositing a $150 check from my parents was priceless! He was so happy. :-) 

Avoiding spending

• This doesn't really fall into any specific category, but M went to use Home Depot gift cards that I'd purchased at the local grocery store (you earn free groceries), but they were already used. The scratch off part had been removed entirely. We photographed everything & the cashier vouched for us, as the gift cards were still in the "protective" sleeves when M went to use them. It's taken time & effort to track it down, but we now have replacement gift cards, totaling $100. Scammers are the worst!
• My workout class was free on Mother's Day!
• Sam had to work a double shift on Mother's Day (9am - 2am), so M made him a breakfast & I packed him a lunch, to help him avoid eating out. He works in a restaurant that only offers a side salad for meals, which isn't going to help if you are really hungry. 
• Bought M two athleisure shirts he loves using a gift card, saving $72. This is part of his birthday/Father's Day gift. 

Eating what we have

• Used up the last of a pepper in fajitas.
• Made 1/2 a sandwich out of the last of a package of turkey that needed to go.
• Used lemons from the tree, as well as green onions, basil & mint from the garden. 
• M made a really delicious dinner for Mother's Day, which was much cheaper than eating out. We had leftovers from that + the fajitas for the week, which made meal prep a breeze. 

For others

• Did a coaching call with an old coworker, to give some help as he's exploring a new career.

What about you? Any wins to share?

Wednesday things

I can't believe it's Wednesday! I finally heard back from Nick, and he is back from his Yosemite backpacking trip. They had no cell service, so of course, I worried while he was out of contact. In case you wonder why I worry about the guy, here's the proof of life photo he sent earlier in the trip. I absolutely adore his adventurous spirit, but.... he definitely gives me anxiety! 

He is now on a road trip to LA & Santa Barbara, to see other friends. Living his best life, for sure. He needs to get home & start earning money, because gas is expensive & road trips are very pricey right now.

I had a very productive day yesterday & turned the corner on a few big projects I have coming up. That felt great. I'm still very slammed with work & scheduling. I think I ended up putting in about 14 hours yesterday - not good & not healthy. I did manage to work out by setting up my desk attachment for my treadmill, and using that while I walked & caught up on a class I'm taking. 

I need another very productive day, so I can get caught up on work, after my in person activities last week. They also included a bunch of mandatory "social events" + drive time, which killed my normal amount of productivity. 

Hope everyone is having a great day! 

Fitness Monday

It was a rough week for my fitness, with the addition of a commute, needing to be at the office by 6:30 or earlier most days, and having evening events. 0 stars, do not recommend. I was able to get in a couple of really good weekend workouts, so at least I have that to get this week started off on the right foot.  

Weight: 154, down .3 lbs from last week

Calories: 1,329/day

Steps: 9,176/day

Workouts:

• 40 minute elliptical workout
• 1 of the super hard class templates (60 minutes, combo of cardio & strength)
• 1 of the hard (but not super hard) classes, 60 minute combo of cardio & strength)

Goals for the week:

• Get back into my step tracking, which has fallen by the wayside during the crazy weeks. Go out for mid-daywalks as I can, in addition to workouts.
• Get back to my strength training. I can tell that I've lost muscle tone & have had to drop down in weights at my class. It's best to just rip the bandaid off & get back to it, vs knowing that you are out of shape & avoiding it.
• Continue to focus on eating well & getting in the right nutrition, even with lower calories.

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 Happy to all of the mom's out there, or those in a mom role! I'm planning to go to a workout class this morning, get some chores done, and read my book by the pool. Always my favorite choice on a sunny day. 

• Friday - out with friends, I had the happy hour mini slider appetizer
• Saturday - oven baked chicken fajitas
• Sunday - M's choice, as he's making dinner for Mother's Day, but I suspect it's zereshk polo + beef kebabs, based on what I've seen from the grocery shopping
• Monday - leftover fajitas
• Tuesday - leftovers from Sunday
• Wednesday - lemon pepper chicken (using lemons from the garden)
• Thursday - any remaining leftovers
• Friday - leftover lemon pepper chicken

What about you? What's on your menu for the week ahead? If your a mom, what's your favorite Mother's Day meal? 

Saturday Happenings

 It feels like it's been awhile since I've had a Saturday to just get things done. I'm looking forward to it! Met up with friends for a quick bite to eat before the champagne sip & stroll. Great to see friends & enjoy the music, but I definitely didn't drink enough champagne to justify the price. Still nice to see everyone & I loved the vibe & energy down town. That was fun to experience.

One of my friends also talked me into a hard workout class today, so I will be doing that. My fitness has been in a massive decline since the trip to London. It's really hard to fit in workouts when my mornings are so crazy, I'm traveling, jet lagged, or have to commute. That's a lot of different excuses. ;-) 

I'm setting myself a moderately ambitious to do list for today, as I would like to combine productivity & relaxing:

• Workout class
• Prep & marinate chicken for fajitas
• List a few things on Buy Nothing & eBay
• Clean the kitchen
• Go through the fridge. A lot snuck in & out with our guests, so I need to make sure everything that is in there is good to eat.
• Work in the yard
• Plant lettuce. I didn't do a good job with the seeds the first time & put them directly in the ground & the forgot to water them. Time to try again.
• Update Kindle with new library books
• Decide if I'm keeping the dress I bought for Greece

What about you? What are you up to today?

Frugal Friday

 Very little to report this week, in terms of frugal wins. 

Saving on things we buy:

• Uploaded receipts to Fetch & iBotta. 90% of the time, I can only take advantage of iBotta's any grocery receipt offer, which this time was a whopping $.05. I'm stacking up the money over here! Definitely found more than that in loose change on the ground outside Nick's dorm during move out weekend. ;-) 

Earning money

• Sold a watch & a bra on eBay & made ~$55

Avoiding spending

• Drove my electric car to the office all four commuting days, saving on the cost of gas.
• While I did have to buy lunch at work once (the logistics would not have enabled a packed lunch, although I gave it more thought than it was worth, considering the $7 price tag), the other three lunches were "free"/included at an event. 

Eating what we have

• Eh, we made tacos on Sunday & M grilled burgers on Monday. Otherwise, we ate leftovers, so nothing terribly exciting to report. Food usage was low on my list of priorities this week. 

For others

• Volunteered to run a few work events.
• Hosted multiple college kid stayovers. A few on a road trip back home, another group before a camping trip to Yosemite. Did a lot of laundry & fed everyone! 

What about you? Any wins to report? 

April Goals Recap

The last few months have been pretty intense, and April is no different. Here's how I did with my goals last month.

Financial:

• Continue to pay for both boys colleges expenses - yes
• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry/freezer items - crushed this!
• 2x potato soup
• Unbaked panko crusted chicken that no one liked
• Two bags of cauliflower rice
• 1/2 bag of rotisserie chicken leftover from work potluck
• 2 ziplock bags of rotisserie chicken
• Chicken broth
• Leftover steak to make Philly cheese steak
• 2 rotisserie chicken bones
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026 - yes, although I'm negative after paying taxes. But, I do feel good every time I add to the savings & see progress. 
• Make $100 in side hustle - $437.94 (4 eBay sales + a $10 Fetch gift card cash out)
• Find one expense to optimize - adjust our car insurance. Saved $184 on remaining policy & will save about $600/year moving forward. 
• Build out work exit financial plan & lock on timing - largely done, but still some pieces to finish

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college, life, summer jobs - yes, and Nick now has a summer job lined up. Sam is continuing to work in the restaurant, but is looking for a second job until he begins his internship. 
• Monthly date with M - we went to a national park & spent a day hiking
• Finalize summer travel/flights - done
• Finalize family weekend flights - done
• Use M's United credit to book move out weekend travel - done, but he ended up not being able to go due to work
• Continue working on "next big trip" plans with M - didn't really make progress on this

Fitness:

• Continue with massage appointments - I stopped for a bit, because things are too crazy right now
• Lose 3 lbs - 2.1 lbs
• 10 positive days in a month (strength, No S, meditate) - 7, 15 & 2
• Build out a workout template - no, and I think this needs to wait until I'm done working
• Track nutrition - yes
• Average 12,000 steps/day - 10,860. Yikes

Personal:

• Declutter 50 items from the house - 38/50
• Get together with friends - I saw my BFF when I was in Colorado
• Try something new - went to a new national park!
• Say yes to adventures - hiking, enjoying Boulder & spending time with Nick
• Get to know our neighbors - no, but we have talked about getting together soon
• Try a new recipe - I made a new chicken & rice dish this month that we liked

What about you? How did you do with your April goals? 

May Goals

 April goals recap coming up soon, but I haven't finished crunching all of the numbers yet. 

May is similarly going to be an intense month, although minimal travel vs June & July.

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026
• Make $100 in side hustle
• Find one expense to optimize
• Finalize work exit plan

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life
• Monthly date with M
• Visit another national park over Memorial Day weekend
• Continue working on "next big trip" plans with M

Fitness:

• Lose 4 lbs
• 10 positive days in a month (strength train, No S, meditate)
• Build out a workout template (strength, cardio, Pilates/yoga)
• Track nutrition
• Average 12,000 steps/day

Personal:

• Declutter 50 items from the house
• Get together with friends
• Try something new
• Say yes to adventures
• Get to know our neighbors
• Try a new recipe

This should all look pretty familiar, as these are my standard goals, but with a few specific additions as I keep making progress. 

What about you? What would you like to accomplish in May?

College move out budget round up

*I have edited the numbers down ever so slightly, as I found my receipt for one of the meals*

I had an original budget of $600 set for this trip, but was honestly hoping to keep it to $400. I was younger & more ambitious then. ;-)

Lodging - $0

• Used a Hyatt free night award for the first night, so I could work from the hotel in the morning, and then meet Nick to start move out. My free night awards covers all fees & parking.
• Nick & I stayed with my BFF the second night.

Transportation - $234.24

• The car rental was $131.50, plus I put in about $30 of gas before we dropped the car back off.
• Nick borrowed my friend's car (more on that, below), so I asked him to fill up her car as a thank you, which was the rest of this category. 
• Used United credits for both my flights as well as Nick's return flight home.

Meals - $308.17

• Free meal at the lounge before my flight
• $9 glass of wine on the flight. 
• Free meal at the dining hall for myself & Nick (and by "free", I mean included in Nick's room & board I paid for) ;-) 
• $68.42 - took Nick & his roommate out for a belated linner after a pretty long day of packing. 
• $230.75 - treated my BFF, her daughter/BF & Nick to another linner before our flight. 
  

Bags/storage - free, barely

• I get two free checked bags thanks to my United status, so we checked two large bags
• Nick carried on two back packs & I carried on a back pack & a roller bag
• The rest of his stuff is stored with my friend
• We BARELY got everything in to our available bag space! It was quite tight. Not confident another pair of socks could have made the journey with us. 

Total spent = $542.41

Having my BFF close by to Boulder has been such an incredible gift to all of us this year. She has dropped off medicine when Nick was sick, taken him on a camping trip when he was having a tough week, we've stayed with her many times, she let him borrow his car, is allowing him + his roommate to store their stuff in her garage, and is letting the roommate store his car at her house. She is an absolute gem & I can't thank her enough. We are super lucky.

I enjoy doing roundups of my trip it's kind of fun to see how accurate I can get with my predictions, without sweating the details while traveling. 

Fitness Monday

 Well, my weight is down, but I also think I'm losing muscle & am definitely not working out enough. It's absolute chaos right now, and this week promises to be top tier chaos (work & family stuff). My goal is to get through the week with a best effort, but to also prioritize sleep. I can do it!

Weight: 154.3 (down 1.4 lbs since last week)

Calories: 1,250/day

Steps: 8,190/day average

Workouts (it was a sad workout week!)

• 2 elliptical workouts
• 2 walks
• Moving Nick out of his dorm

Goals for the week: 

• Look for small pockets of workout time, even if it's just 15-20 minutes
• Focus on keeping calories in check
• Get enough protein & fruit/veggies

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness goals?

Menu Plan Sunday

 Another wild week ahead! Nick has friends rotating in & out of our guest room, as people road trip home, one friend is staying with us before he flies home to the UK, and another set of friends is going to Yosemite. I also have a mandatory in office week, and M is swamped with work. It's going to be an adventure for sure!

• Sunday - tacos
• Monday - We will have 3 extra college students for dinner, so M is grilling burgers. I haven't sorted sides yet, but I will likely pick up potato salad at Trader Joes. And pick up some treats.
• Tuesday - I will be at a work event, & the rest of the diners can have leftover tacos
• Wednesday - We will have 3 extra (but different from Monday night) college students for dinner. I have a late work day & M has a huge work presentation, so we are planning on takeout and/or pizza. We might do Persian food, however.
• Thursday - I have another late work event, so we are eating leftovers, or spaghetti & meatballs
• Friday - something from the freezer or leftovers

What about you? What's on your menu for the week? 

Frugal Friday

 A quick one, as it's been an insane week with work, in office days, dinner with the boss, flying to Boulder & working a half day today before I help move out Nick & his buds. The energy is high in Boulder this weekend (and it's crowded!) as it's graduation tomorrow. 

Saving on things we buy

• Stopped by Trader Joes to pick up granola & peppers, and uploaded the receipt to Fetch & then iBotta. iBotta has a semi consistent cash back offer for any receipt, so I made a whopping $.05 there. I'm getting rich over here!
• Picked up another prescription at CVS, and used a bunch of coupons & rewards to get two containers of vitamins (my hair is falling out faster than ever, thanks to the double whammy of menopause + lupus) for $3.45. 

Earning money

• Cashed out Fetch rewards for a $10 Amazon gift card.

Avoiding spending

• We spent money on gas & $30 on park admissions for our trip to Pinnacles on Saturday, but brought our own water + electrolytes, and breakfast/lunch from home. It was a very frugal day & I got to mark off another national park! 
• Ate dinner at the lounge (included with my credit card) & filled my water bottle as well, when I was at the airport yesterday.
• Got a ride to the airport from Sam, saving on the cost of a ride share or parking.
• Staying at a hotel with free Hyatt night award, which also waives the cost of the $25/night parking. When you have status & are staying with a free night award, free parking is a huge perk.
• Got free coffee this morning. They also offer breakfast, so I will likely grab a yogurt as well.

Eating what we have

• Before we left for our Pinnacles hike, I defrosted a small portion of Philly cheese steak meat I'd found in the freezer. Not enough for more than 2, I knew Sam was working on Saturday night. When we got home from our hike, M added a pepper, onions & provolone & made us Philly cheese steaks, but with no bread/sauce. I had mine over a salad.
• Pulled two bags of rotisserie chicken bones out of the freezer & made a double batch of chicken broth. Bonus points for using up some elderly carrots as well. I now have 9 additional various sized containers of chicken broth added to the freezer. 

For others

• Helping some of Nick's friends move out of their dorms, and transport what they are leaving over the summer, since their parents can't make it. 

What about you? Share your wins!