I have no idea why I didn't put the pieces together earlier, but I went on a new injection lupus medicine last week, and it's known to cause exhaustion, headaches, etc for the first 2-3 weeks. That explains why I've felt so exhausted this week. Fingers crossed things level out.
On to our frugal Friday recap. DH & I took Nick & 9 of his friends to Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July, so some wins related to that.
Saving on things we buy
- I originally used United credits for our trip to the Oregon coast in a few weeks. Because Nick can't come until Friday after work, Alaska had a better schedule than United. I cancelled one way for the United trip (kept the return) & sorted his outbound flight with miles (details below). That meant I received a United credit back. Nick is not driving his car to Colorado, so he & I are flying to Denver/Boulder, renting a car, moving him in & then I'll fly home alone. For the outbound flights, we both had United credits that I used to offset the flights, saving $331.
- Both boys are back at work, with Nick filling in for a water sport camp (he normally leads a mountain biking group), & Sam back at the restaurant & donut shop.
Avoiding spending
- Nick can't join for the Oregon coast portion of our family trip (work), but is joining for the weekend gathering at my parents house. I used his Alaska Air miles to book a one way flight to Seattle. He's meeting up with friends on Friday night, and then they are driving him to my parents house (north of Portland). Crazily, the business class seats were less miles than economy, so he will be flying business class & I'm sure will feel quite spoiled. ;-)
- For our Lake Tahoe trip, we optimized a bit, as we had quite a few teens joining us. Ended up with three free rooms, which saved a huge amount, given 4th of July weekend is peak season in Lake Tahoe. (We used hotel comps. I will do a post about where the comps come from at some point, & how we track & manage them).
- I also used a $10 coffee offer from the hotel app, and M used a $100 yearly dining offer from his rewards app for our Friday dinner.
Eating what we have
- Continue to make Nick lunch to take for work. I don't do it every day, but try to help out when I can, as it also has the extra benefit of me getting items I'm looking to use out of the fridge.
- I made myself lunch out of yogurt, granola & berries, plus cheese & crackers. It used up what we had & sounded good & light, so it worked.
- We've been eating fridge & freezer leftovers. I've used up the last of a Costco package of tortillas, which was enormous.
For others
- Did some additional work to manage the finances for my special needs aunt.
What about you? Any wins to share?
I hope that your energy loss is temporary and that was the reason for last week's drop. You really maximized the points for a great weekend for your son and friends. Have a great time with your family.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We had so much fun in Lake Tahoe, and the boys are already asking about next year, which is a great sign. The Oregon coast trip is the light at the end of the tunnel, with this work trip done, plus my work/jury duty the week after. - Hawaii Planner
DeleteI ate the LAST of the items I had to finish up in the freezer, then cleaned it out and bought $82 worth of food from Trader Joe's. Its all things I like, so that will help. Is it cheaper? Maybe not. But cheaper than eating out.
ReplyDeleteNice work! Our freezer is also super slim pickings. Our hungry house guest cleared us out. We are always happy to have our kids friends over. I need to get in a good TJs restock. And yes, it's definitely cheaper than eating out! - HP
DeleteI hope your energy level bounces back quickly! Yogurt and berries and cheese and crackers are some of my go to favorites too. I have fresh blackberries to add to my yogurt right now and they are so good.
ReplyDeleteOooh,I love fresh blackberries. They grow as a weed in Washington & Oregon, so we ate a lot of them growing up. I'm hoping they will be ripe when we are on the Oregon coast, but it's probably a bit too early. - HP
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