Frugal Friday

 Another busy week, which included M's mini birthday getaway, an office day & a ton of prep for a big work event next week. I'll be happy when next week is done. 

Saving on things we buy

• We had a fantastic time at M's mini birthday getaway, and saved a lot by using Hyatt points, and combining with my hotel status (earned through credit card spend), which was really lovely. 
• Used my monthly CVS reward + a $3 off a $10 purchase + a Hallmark coupon to save a bit on a purchase of: cards, travel sunblock, & a toothbrush. 

Earning money

• Sold a set of workout shirts that are too big for M, and made $15.
• Nick collected the money from the soccer tournament he worked at ($160 for all day, so not bad at all) & started training for his summer job. Sam continues to work quite a few hours at his restaurant job & was approached while at work for someone looking for daytime help at a bakery. They said his customer service skills were great, so he's looking into whether he can make that work. 
• I sold a new in package electronic item on eBay (from the woman I know who is cleaning her parents house & just wants everything gone). Made $12 and kept it out of the landfill. 

Avoiding spending

• Last year I successfully took advantage of a 100% cash back offer of a meditation app, through my credit card. I did the same this year, but was never credited the cash. I called once a few days after it was expected to clear, told to be patient. Called 8 weeks later, they were investigating. Called today & got it resolved. They ended up refunding me, but I didn't get the app, as the offer terms didn't work in my particular case. I'm sad not to have the app, but meditate rarely, so not worth $80 out of pocket. 
• Charged my car for free at work, and skipped buying breakfast & lunch by taking advantage of the snack/free options they provide. Breakfast was a yogurt with a sprinkle of granola & a banana. Lunch with string cheese, nuts & apple & a few chocolate covered almonds. 

Eating what we have

• We hosted a big pool party on Sunday for Nick's friends, so we had a lot of leftovers & have been eating through all of that. 
• A neighbor asked if we could use bananas and peaches, as they were going out of town. The peaches were fabulous! 
• Nick has been packing lunches for his summer camp job. He has really changed his eating to be healthy (awesome), and is packing lots of fruit, veggies & protein. 
• I made an easy dinner from Trader Joes ingredients (we've been watching some YouTube videos on this topic that are quite fun). It was a spicy rice bowl using: veggie fried rice, pineapple meatballs, soyaki sauce & a cabbage slaw. It was delicious & of course super easy to pull together, which this week required. I don't know that I would call it super frugal, but it was definitely cheaper than takeout, and provided 3 lunches from leftovers. 

For others:

• Did a couple of mock interviews for college students looking for internships or full time jobs. Getting practice at this is hard, and interviewing is a real skill. I've done hundreds of interviews in my time, so happy to share my knowledge. 

That's it for me. Any wins to share on your side?