Frugal Friday

It's been such a very busy week (work combined with lots of family stuff), but here are our wins.  

Saving on things we buy

• We all went out to dinner for my birthday, and typically would share a bottle of wine. Instead, M & I had a glass of champagne at home, as we had to wait for the boys to finish soccer practice. I ended up having one glass of wine at the restaurant, but M was the driver & had nothing, so it was much less expensive than a bottle of wine. 
• Scanned a receipt I picked up off of the ground at the grocery store, so I was then $.50 away from another Fetch offer! Found some discounted Ben & Jerry's non-dairy ice cream on clearance, so picked that up for $3, earning a $5 reward, so a $2 money maker, plus free ice cream. :-) 
• Bought Home Depot gift cards at the grocery store, which generated rewards. 

Earning money

• I sold a jacket on eBay. 
• I earned $56 on Rakuten (from the last payout period), which was transferred to my account. 
• Received a $40 class action settlement 

Avoiding spending

• Picked up oat milk, which was $3.49 & had a $2 grocery store digital coupon, and an iBotta $1.50 offer, making it free.

Eating what we have:

• I made spinach dip for the Super Bowl, and used up a bunch of pantry ingredients. Yum!
• I also had a lunch of soup in a can, from a Friday Freebie (grocery store). It wasn't the best I've had, but it was passable.
• I've been using chocolate almond milk to make delicious smoothies, as a breakfast or lunch fill in.
• M burned the wings for the Super Bowl, and we thought of ordering pizza, but I remembered we had a few other appetizers that we could sub in. 

For others

• Gave one of the boys team mates a ride to soccer, and gave another teen a ride home from school after an impromptu scrimmage
• Kept in touch with my mentees, & volunteered at my non-profit
• Shared birthday cupcakes with my neighbor

That's it from my side. What about you? Any wins to share? 

Menu Plan Monday

 It's another busy week, so having at least a sample menu plan gives me something to work with. Otherwise, the week is a mad scramble.

Here's what we're planning to eat this week:

• Friday - chicken tacos
• Saturday - spaghetti with meatballs
• Sunday - Superbowl food. Wings, spinach dip, hummus & veggies.
• Monday - Steak & salad
• Tuesday - Superbowl leftovers
• Wednesday - out to dinner
• Thursday - spaghetti with meatballs
• Friday - baked chicken & gyozas

What about you? What's on your menu this week?

Weekend Happenings - the busy season

It is an incredibly busy season in our lives right now, with double birthdays, a trip to the DMV, four soccer games, the beginning of the tennis season, and plenty of work to juggle. It's also really fun to see the boys blossom, as they grow & get a bit older. But, it's not for the faint of heart! So much driving, schedule planning, & so many events to attend.

We had a fabulous dinner out for Sam & a few friends, to celebrate joint birthdays (found a place with outdoor seating), & then yesterday he had his "friends" party at a local park. I feel very lucky he's such a low key kid. He asked for us to drop off pizza, and the boys did a Magic the Gathering draft. I sent money for boba tea, and they walked to the local shop & had boba. Cost was: money for the boba, pizza & a few snacks, & the cost of the Magic cards. I'm so happy his 16 birthday party was fantastic. 

Later this week, I'm picking up 3 dozen cupcakes at his favorite cupcake place, and dropping them off with his coach for their last soccer game, and then we're having dinner out as a family. He's chosen a Mongolian grill for his dinner. No one else is particularly excited about the location, but the birthday person always gets to choose!

Next week is the official birthday, as well as a trip to the DMV for (hopefully) a permit, and the team dinner for soccer, and the first tennis match of the season. 

Here's what's on the schedule for today:

• Work out
• Nick's tennis lesson
• "Encourage" lazy teens to complete their chores (Sam - study, homework, grades, & prep for DMV test. Nick - study, homework, grades check). Everyone - laundry
• Produce stand
• Grocery store (I'm less than a $1 from a $5 Fetch reward, so need to complete that)
• Superbowl food prep
• Packing list for ski trip
• Finalize menu & shopping list for ski trip
• Lift tickets for trip
• Tax document upload
• Laundry (hahaha, it's everywhere)
• Wash all sheets
• Book drivers training for Sam 
• Work stuff
• Organize schedule for the week (work, personal, fitness)

That's it. What about you? What are you up to this weekend? 

Frugal Friday

Another week, with a few savings here & there.  

Saving on things we buy

• I used a gift card to treat the boys to dinner, after a wild Friday night soccer game last week. The drive thru person was new & didn't know how to use gift cards. The teens were "embarrassed" & wanted me to pay with credit, but one minute later, all was sorted. One less gift card in my purse, & we saved some money on dinner. Win/win.
• Followed up with an iBotta offer that didn't work. From a time/money tradeoff, it's definitely not worth the effort, but I'm always frustrated by their process, and figure the more time/money they have to spend troubleshooting customer complaints, the more likely they are to fix the issue in their system. 
• I used a grocery store reward, a coupon & a Friday freebie offer to save $23 off of my bill. I also bought the kids ice cream via Fetch, earning another $5 P&G offer. My local grocery store is quite expensive if you aren't shopping the sales or doing rewards, but if you pay attention to some of the rewards, they can be quite good. 
• On a tip from The Frugal Girl, I installed the Safeway app & found a $5 off/$5 purchase reward, as well as a $5/$5 purchase birthday reward. I remembered that I was close to earning another P&G offer via Fetch, so stocked up on some ice cream treats for Sam's birthday. Unfortunately, on my 1st purchase, the items I bought rang up incorrectly (self checkout) & a sweet guy came over to help. He rounded up the discount, which put me $.04 short of the P&G offer. I went back in & made a second transaction, so now we have even more ice cream. ;-) All told, it was a $.55 money maker, & I bought three containers of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough, a large box of popsicles, and the mini caramel ice cream bars. I'll take it! I'll have to keep my eye on Safeway's app in the future. It's not the cheapest or closest option, but may be good for infrequent deal stop ins. 

Earning money

• Work was intense, so I definitely earned my standard salary
• I also sold an old book on eBay
• Redeemed $25 of Fetch rewards

Avoiding spending

• I skipped Costco (where we buy the majority of our groceries) & filled in at the grocery store, as we didn't need much. I'm sure I saved money, as I  *know* I would have bought more than what was on the list. - Well this was originally accurate, but M then went & picked up a few things when he got back to town. 
• I charged my car for free on a day when I needed to stop by the office. 

Eating what we have

• I made muffins from lemon curd (freezer) last weekend, and had a bit of lemon curd left over. I'm now eating the muffins with the rest of the lemon curd spread on it. What a delightful treat!
• I made waffles ahead of Nick's tennis tryouts, using up almost the last of the mix. We eat waffles/pancakes so rarely, I had no idea it was running low, but won't replace it when it's out. It was a common breakfast when the kids were young, but they rarely take the time to make (or eat) a big breakfast.
• I made a bag of edamame (freezer) to go with dinner one night. Sam ate most of the bag - he's an edamame lover.
• I also used up a can of green beans to stretch out a dinner for Sam. Green beans are his favorite vegetable, and the only one we really eat canned. He ate an entire can in one go. 
• I made the Red Baron pizza (iBotta offer) for lunch on a weekend day for the teens.
• I continued to have creative lunches (leftover takeout salad, eggs & homemade hashbrowns, fruit & muffins, waffles with hummus, chili from the freezer). 
• Used stale cereal to make granola bars
• Free lunch at work one day

For others

• Went through the boys closets & fulfilled an ask on Buy Nothing (volleyball kneepads for a kid who wanted to try out). Nick doesn't play anymore, so two pair out of the house & in the hands of someone who wants them
• I also gave away a very expensive almost new (one season) soccer kit to a mom on Buy Nothing. Her kid plays in the club the boys used to play for. The uniforms are crazy expensive, and I had nine items (practice jerseys, extra shorts, etc), some of which were brand new. So happy they are going to someone who will use them!
• Continued to help with my non-profit role, and mentoring
• Took a bonus kid to dinner. His parents haven't attended any of the soccer games, and when I was planning a dinner with my boys & a friend, he was standing around. He was so excited to be included.

In non-frugal news, Sam and his buddy are having birthdays within a week of each other. He got into the car after practice this week, and asked if they could all go to dinner together, after their schools play each other in soccer. It wasn't frugal, but was a really fun time, and Sam isn't the most social guy (nor is his friend),  so I was thrilled to make it happen for them. He kept talking about how much fun they all had. In embarrassing news, it was my idea, i offered to take everyone to dinner, I added on a bonus kid, plus I also had Nick, and when we got to the restaurant, I didn't have my wallet. This NEVER happens, but I'd switched cars with M, so I wouldn't have to take the kids bikes (from school) to the restaurant. I left my purse in the wrong car. My friend ended up paying. I paid her back via Paypal on the spot, but I was so embarrassed. Please, come out to dinner & celebrate with us. Oh, and I "forgot" my wallet. ;-) 

What about you? Any wins (or fails) to share?

February Goals

 I'm late to the party, and during a short month. But, better late than never!

Financial:

• Stick to our budget
• Talk to our accountant on DAF for charitable contributions
• Gather/hand off all tax paperwork for account & plan funding
• Progress towards $1500 side hustle
• Progress towards Fetch/iBotta goal of $200
• Stick to our budget on family ski trip

Family:

• Plan one fun activity with the kids
• Find Sam a tutor for study skills
• Have two dates with M
• Send pictures/videos to M's family

Fitness/Health:

• Lose 2 lbs
• Track calories, close rings daily
• Fast & meditate 10 times each
• Stretch 20 days

Personal/Creative:

• Do something social with friends at least once/month
• Invest time in my volunteer role
• Read an article on happiness & the relationship with helping others
• Complete one exploratory exercise on my next phase (post current career)
• Research coaching class
• Journal 10x 

What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish in February?

January goals recap - how did I do?

I'm a bit behind this month, but better late than never! It was a busy month with lots of commitments for work & with the kids, so I was clearly overly ambitious with my goals. 

Financial:

• Research work financial planning benefits - no, roll to next month 
• Review & revise categories & 2022 budget - yes, done
• Determine 2022 travel plans & budget - yes, done
• Research a Donor Advised Fund for charitable contributions - very light research, follow up with accountant
• Stick to the budget/experiment with new template & tweak as needed - yes, & I really like the new template. Someone left a comment asking which budget template we use. I've built my own in Excel, and use that. I'd previously had a monthly budget, and a separate yearly budget. It was meant to give us more visibility into how we were trending on monthly stuff, so we could make adjustments. In reality, we rarely used the  monthly info & simply checked in quarterly across all categories. Merging the budgets together has really streamlined the work for me. 

Family:

• Plan one fun activity with the kids - we went skiing on a long weekend
• Re-institute family electronic rules - yes
• Get into a good homework system with the kids - it was a struggle at the beginning of the month, but we're getting there
• Have two dates with M - we went to a wine tasting, & also had a margarita on a sunny afternoon when the boys were both out of the house. 
• Call or videos for M's family - M called weekly, but I fell off of my part of sending photos

Fitness:

• Stretch every day - I did great at the beginning of the month, & this sort of fell by the wayside. I stretched 20 days. 
• Lose 2 lbs - I lost 3 lbs (mostly carryover Christmas weight, so hopefully the rest of my losses are actually from the weight I'm trying to lose, vs yoyo'ing)
• Track calories - Yes, I tracked daily 
• Close my fitness rings every day - yes!
• Meditate & fast 20 times - I meditated 13 times, and fasted 9 times. I'm working out a lot, so finding the fasting harder. I'll keep experimenting to see what works best. 
• Make an appointment with the dermatologist - Yes

Personal/creative:

• Do something social with friends - met friends 2x for hikes
• Invest time in volunteer roles - yes, I've kept this up
• Read an article on happiness & the relationship between helping others - no, roll to next month
• Complete one exploratory exercise on my next phase (post current career) - I started a book, but really didn't enjoy it, and didn't finish it. 
• Research coaching class - I considered a class via work, but opted not to do it right now, as my schedule is really busy
• Journal 10x - I journaled 7 times. 

So there you have it! Progress, not perfection. Some good steps in January, but still plenty of room for improvement & progress in February. What about you? How did you do with your January goals? 

Menu Plan Monday

 We have a busy week planned, so need a clear plan heading into the week. 

• Friday - we did takeout, after a wild & late soccer game
• Saturday - it was a bit of a grab bag. I had eggs & potatoes (I don't typically eat breakfast, so love breakfast for dinner). Sam had edamame, green beans & taquitos (all his choice), & Nick had a chicken sandwich. 
• Sunday - spring rolls, gyozas & chicken
• Monday - soccer game. Baked chicken & ravioli. 
• Tuesday - Pasta, a new sauce I got at Trader Joes, & meatballs
• Wednesday - soccer game. chicken tacos.
• Thursday - out for my birthday. It will be a mad scramble to get the kids from practice, get them out of their uniforms & to the restaurant on time. 
• Friday - soccer game. Meatball soup & bread. 

Apparently, we will be having a lot of chicken this week! What about you? What's on your menu for the week ahead? 

More sports in our future + Sunday activities

High school sports are nothing like I remember, either because I went to a small school, or a lot's changed since then. Or, perhaps some combination of that. At the boys high school, sports seasons overlap by multiple weeks & sometimes a month. If you play soccer (a winter sport), and want to try out for a spring sport, the spring sport coach is "required" to hold a spot for you until your season wraps up. What happens in reality is that the spring coach is attempting to finalize a roster, get back to a bunch of pushy parents & let kids know if they should be coming to practice for multiple weeks/a month, or if they are cut. It's odd & leads to a lot of frustration. Nick was originally told he by the athletic director that he (and all winter sports athletes) couldn't try out for tennis until his winter season ended. However, there was a change on Friday afternoon, and he reported on Saturday morning for tryouts. The tennis coach cautioned him that he would have to beat out all of the kids who had already made JV & had been trying out for a week, and he needed to be the top JV placer. There were 60+ kids trying out, so no pressure. 

I give Nick a ton of credit for walking into a situation like that, staying calm, and performing. Most of the kids trying out have been playing for a long time, play in tournaments, and have a ranking. He has none of that, & picked it up very casually during COVID. He made the team, so the day after the last soccer game...tennis begins. :-) We're very excited for him, especially given the odds. But, this means lots of practices & games, and driving to meets, and the works. I feel so lucky right now that I'm working from home & have some work flex. His good friend made the varsity team, which also means that my dreams of carpooling have been dashed, as JV & varsity play at different times. Hopefully we will be able to set up other carpools. 

Next week is a crazy week, with three soccer games (making up for a few delayed games from COVID, earlier in the season) & a wild work week for me. My goal is to get through it with as little stress as possible. I went through my calendar yesterday, & mapped most things out.

Here's what's on the agenda for today. Lots of paperwork, planning & organization:

• Meet a friend for a hike. It was a last minute invite last night, and a new trail, so looking forward to that.
• Gather paperwork for Sam's permit. He FINALLY finished his test, so he will be getting his permit in a few weeks (soonest available appointment).
• Call insurance to add Sam. Shivers. I've heard this is insanely pricey.
• Depending on length of hike, strength workout
• Wrap up January goals, set February goals. I'm late!
• Make a menu plan for the week, keeping in mind the wild schedule
• Laundry (of course)
• Thinking that Nick had tryouts in a few weeks, I'd signed him up for a few extra tennis classes, so he has those today. Oh well, it will give him some confidence going into the season, as he's missing a few weeks of playing with the team.
• Plan menu & shopping list for ski trip
• Packing list for ski trip
• Give away stuff on Buy Nothing
• Gather tax documents, make a list of what's outstanding
• Pick up Magic cards for Sam's outdoor birthday party
• Boys review homework & grades
• Call my parents

If I finish all of that, I'll be thrilled. What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this week? 

More soccer shenanigans, and weekend things

If your kids play/ed competitive sports, you know there is always plenty of crazy on the field. You somewhat get accustomed to it, and focus on making sure your kids are good sports, and being coached by people who are leading by example & so forth. But, there are always plenty of .... others out there on the field. 

The boys played a team yesterday (this is high school, not club), & the opponents stood out to me from last season. They were pretty terrible sports during the COVID season, and we tried to cancel (not enough players) & they told us to come out for a friendly scrimmage, and they'd play with as many kids as we brought. Well, that didn't play out as expected. They played with a full roster, ran up the score, and the parents and kids were making fun of our players. It was pretty terrible.

As you may expect, Sam & I are not a fan of the team. We beat them earlier in the season, and that must have set them off a bit. We played them at home yesterday, and it was again tragic. Their coach walked over to our bench and talked about how he couldn't believe our team had beaten them, because our kids were so terrible, and multiple other negative things. To say nothing of the other kids and they way they talked on the field. It was really disappointing. I took the boys out to dinner last night, because really, what could I do after that? ;-) We used a gift card that was tucked in my purse for just such an occasion, and they shared stories of the on field shenanigans with the other players. Just gross stuff. Making fun of someone's weight, calling people names, trying to fight the kids. Sigh. All kids get into soccer on the field, but most kids are generally good sports. They may play hard and foul, but they are typically right there offering a player a hand up if they get knocked down, or shaking hands after the game. They may get frustrated and say "dang" when they lose the ball, but calling people names and trying to fight? Not to mention an actual "adult" doing something like that. Sam stepped in before a fight happened, and I'm grateful that Nick had such a terrible turf burn from the Wednesday game that he was unable to properly tackle, because my guess is he would have gotten a yellow card. He is unimpressed when people behave like that. People should really be ashamed of themselves. 

Anyway, on to this weekend! Here's what's on the to do list for today:

• Work out
• Go to Costco
• Take Nick to tennis tryouts
• Organize the hall closet
• Laundry
• Make granola bars or some sort of snack for the kids
• Organize the freezer
• Encourage lazy teens to complete homework/tasks/chores

That's it from my side. What about you? What's happening at your house this weekend?

Frugal Friday

It was a wild work week, but we made it to Friday! That's the best thing I can say about this week. ;-)  

Saving on things we buy

• It was a quiet week for deals, but we've been doing a good job of staying largely at our grocery budget, which is always a huge win for us. It's mostly because the freezer is well stocked, and we're eating from there & attempting to clear the pantry. 
• I used an Amazon Kindle offer to browse a few short stories (free), which generated a $5 off a Kindle book purchase. The short stories are nothing I'd pay for, but it was nice to get the $5 for a future book. Time spent was less than five minutes. 

Earning money

• I made two eBay sales this week, which is nice. It's been a while. 

Avoiding spending

• Returned something we didn't need. I discovered an alternative just before the return window, so I was glad to get it out of the house & mailed back.

Eating what we have

• I turned a large Costco sized pack of ground beef into spaghetti sauce & tacos. A couple of containers are in the fridge for meals this week, and the rest went into the freezer.
• Had the last banana in a protein smoothie, for a late lunch, x2
• Ate a leftover taquito & the last of a container of sour cream for another lunch one day
• I turned two containers of lemon curd from the freezer into delicious lemon muffins
• I used strawberries from the planter box (somehow still growing) for smoothies, and ripened tomatoes indoor for salads
• Shredded my own cabbage & carrots for coleslaw, which always makes 3x as much as a store bag would, for the same price as the ingredients. My homemade dressing always makes a large batch as well, and M & Sam love coleslaw, so it works well. All dressing has now been used, so I'll use the remainder of the shredded cabbage/carrot mix in M's salads

For others

• When someone pulled out in front of me, causing me to slam on my brakes, come to a complete stop, and the car was rocking back & forth .... I managed not to honk or use finger gestures. :-) The other driver pretended it didn't happen (no apology wave, etc), but I reminded myself that I also have made driving errors
• Helped a shopper track down a lost receipt at the grocery store
• Continued non-profit support & working with two people I'm mentoring
• Helped a neighbor with childcare
• Gave away a few items on Buy Nothing

That's it from my side. What about you? Any wins to share? 

Menu Plan Monday

Dealing with food allergies & picky eaters can be..time consuming, so I've opted for a menu this week that has two core meals Nick likes (tacos & spaghetti) & can easily be customized for M. While Sam & I enjoying trying out various cuisines, sometimes you just need a week where you can guarantee everyone will eat what you make. ;-)  

Here's what's on the menu:

• Friday - we went out, after an evening soccer game
• Saturday - tacos
• Sunday - chicken curry & rice
• Monday - spaghetti & meatballs
• Tuesday - tacos
• Wednesday - chicken curry
• Thursday - spaghetti & meatballs
• Friday - pizza

What are you making this week?

Sunday things

The weekend is whizzing by, and I can't believe January is almost complete! Time to look ahead to February & new goals for the month.

I was obsessed with a book yesterday, so spent more time than usual reading, and it was lovely. I also got the majority of my chores done, so all wasn't lost! Nick got invited to join a bonus tennis lesson (he loves tennis) & was also offered a summer very part-time job helping his tennis instructor. He's thrilled. We are very happy for him, and that little bit of extra spending money will be a big win all around. 

Sam met up with friends at the park, and was able to bike back & forth on his own. He could be getting his license in a few weeks, but has so far shown zero motivation to do so. I want him to be comfortable ahead of getting his license (a nervous driver is no good), but could definitely use the help on the driving side, even if it's just driving to practice a few days/week. We shall see.

I also went on a 9 mile hike with a friend, chatting & catching up, which was absolutely lovely. It's rare that I meet friends for meals or coffee, but meeting for a workout is always a winner. Luckily, most of my friends feel the same.

Here's what's on the agenda today:

• Schedule for the week, adjust as needed. (Workouts, family, work)
• Go to the produce stand. And, Trader Joes, to fulfill a "want" from one of the teens. He branched out & tried a new variety of mac & cheese, and loves it. This may sound silly, but if you have a truly picky eater, you'll know that often they are not just picky on food types, but brands as well. 
• Meet a friend for a walk
• Make chicken curry
• Make lemon curd muffins
• Make coleslaw. Everything is largely prepped (dressing from the last batch), but I may need to shred more cabbage
• Laundry
• Ensure lazy teens get things done
• Nick has tennis lesson
• Call for a haircut

That's it from my side. What about you? What are you up to today?

Saturday Happenings, soccer fouls, and high school drama

M & I went to the boys soccer game last night, and it was an eventful game. One of their fellow players lost their mom to COVID & their dad is sending them away to a boarding school out of state. He is not a typical player, but got some playing time as a last hurrah. It breaks my heart, and I wish I would have known it was his last game - I would have brought treats as a goodbye. I can't imagine how difficult the past few months have been for him. 

We've played this school before in sports many times, and there are always some pretty egregious trash talkers on the field. One kid eventually got ejected from heckling the refs & other players. He got numerous warnings, but couldn't get it together. Nick was guarding him for part of the game, and after so much name calling & grabbing on Nick when the ref couldn't see, Nick took him to the ground. I have to admit, my sympathy was limited for the other player. The ref shook his head at Nick & looked away, because he knew what had happened. No foul called. Sam & Nick are very different people on the field, and Nick is a risk taker, but also plays with a lot of intensity, which coaches typically love. Sam is perhaps a better technical player, but less aggressive. Always an adventure with the boys.

We went out to eat afterward, as the boys wanted to try a new restaurant that was just a few blocks away. It was good, but the wait was quite long & we were all tired. At least we didn't have Monday's mishap. ;-) 

It's very much the time of life where Sam is feeling the pressure of being in 10th grade. He's being asked to decide on his future career at school, which seems nuts. I understand the goal (align your class selection to your college interests, which could theoretically need to align with your career goals.) He's 15, and finds it all very stressful. He's been moody & struggling. We've encouraged him to pursue classes that he finds interesting, and let the rest go, but we haven't been super successful. Throw in a bit of sibling drama, and ...ah, the teenage years. Our school emphasizes how important junior year is for kids, which is accurate, but schools in our area are also incredibly competitive. One of our only "cons" for living in this area was knowing the boys would go to high school in such a competitive atmosphere. And, here we are. Right in the middle of it.

Aside from the above, what else am I up to today?

• Help both boys with their class selections for next year
• Meet a friend for an early hike
• Make a shopping list
• Costco (M)
• Produce stand
• Laundry
• Mail a return
• Finish Sam's birthday gifts
• Make taco meat & spaghetti sauce - enough for several meals & the freezer
• Clean the fridge

That's it from me. What are you all up to?