Frugal Friday

Another super busy week, and the boys & I head to Portland this weekend for my nephew's birthday party. From there, they will stay with my parents for a week or so, and I'll fly back on Sunday. Here's what we've been up to! 

Saving on things we buy

• Used a $2 Safeway reward and a gift card to pick up some groceries we needed
• Similarly, I used $6 in CVS rewards, and picked up two packages of flavored sparkling water, which is a fun treat to have on hand in the summer.
• I also called in an order to the local Greek restaurant last weekend (Nick picked up, saving the exorbitant fees on a delivery service) & used a 10% off coupon code. 

Earning money

• I have status on the airline I fly from work, and they sent premier luggage tags (to help your bags get through baggage claim faster, I presume). I don't ever check bags, so I sold them on eBay for $75.
• I also sold a skirt on eBay

Avoiding spending

• Picked up an almost full container of protein powder on Buy Nothing. Nick drinks a lot of protein smoothies, after working out. 

Eating what we have

• I ate a huge bowl of strawberries from the garden. Oh my, the taste of homegrown strawberries is so, so much different than those from the store.
• We've continued to eat lots of basil, peppers & tomatoes from the garden.
• We are largely having an "eat from the freezer" week, where I defrost leftovers, and pair those with fresh side dishes. 
• M polished off Greek salad leftovers, when he got home from a trip on Saturday.
• I managed to serve the last of the cauliflower rice & salmon, and nothing went to waste. Wasting salmon is always painful, given the cost, so I try to be really on top of it. 
• We finished off the last of the hoagie rolls, purchased for Philly cheesesteaks. I froze them, and have pulled out a few at a time as needed, as they are good fill in hot dog buns. 
• The boys finished off the last of a loaf of sandwich bread that they described as having an "odd" taste. 
• I used garden tomatoes & basil (plus some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used) to make a caprese salad
• We finished a bag of grilled chicken & leftover hot dogs (4th of July) for a few dinners. M made rice to pair with the chicken. Sometimes, adding the fresh side really "sells" the leftovers. 

For others

• We are doing a work offsite, and planning a social event for team bonding (many of the folks were hired during COVID, and have never met in person). I suggested a volunteer activity, vs the standard drinks & appetizers, and people are thrilled with the idea. We're volunteering at a food bank.
• M has spent hours helping our neighbor with a house project, and I've ordered her a few options to repair the garage door. Unfortunately, none of that worked, so it looks like she'll need a new unit. But, we tried!
  
  

That's it on our side. What about you? Any wins to share?

Menu Plan Monday

 It's going to be another very busy week, with a lot of work activities on my side, evening work commitments, as well as the boys last week of work. On Friday, we're flying to my parents house, where I'll stay the weekend, and the boys will stay for a week or so with my parents. 

• Friday - leftovers (PF Changs imitation lettuce wraps + fried rice)
• Saturday - hot dogs + caprese salad
• Sunday - grilled chicken + rice
• Monday - mystery shredded chicken dish (freezer - why didn't I label this?) + whatever side is appropriate with said mystery
• Tuesday - leftover hot dogs
• Wednesday - leftover grilled chicken + rice
• Thursday - finish off all leftovers. If they are gone, either pizza from the freezer, or gyozas
• Friday - the boys & I will eat in the lounge at the airport, and M will have leftovers. 

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

Saturday Happenings

 At the end of a long work week yesterday, I wasn't very excited to have a social event. I was invited to meet up with a couple of friends for work, and have a glass of wine at my friend's gorgeous home. I ended up going, and it was lovely. Sometimes, putting in the effort is really worth it. We caught up on summer travel plans, work gossip, & her rapid approach at being an empty nester. 

I'm also meeting another friend for a hike this morning, and planning to go for a run after that. I'm at the point in my relay training where I need lots of miles!

Here's what I'm up to today & tomorrow:

• Meet a friend for a hike
• Run a few miles
• Have a call with friends to plan France trip
• Clean the house
• Laundry
• Clean the fridge
• Wash the bedding
• Work in the garden
• Practice French on Duolingo
• Drop off an eBay sale at the post office box
• Drop off a return at UPS
• Trader Joes
• Make a menu plan
• Safeway
• Read by the pool, if it doesn't get too hot
• Long run (definitely tomorrow)

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

Frugal Friday

 It was a packed week, with long work days all around. The boys also fit in some tennis & soccer. 

Saving on things we buy

• I was hoping to buy some sneakers that would be light weight & good for a few upcoming trips. I loved them in the white color, and wanted to get a pair in black as well. I went to the outlet, and found them in black for 1/2 price (unfortunately, the white was not available). When I bought the white sneakers, I combined Rakuten with a site sale, so did save 40% off the purchase price. 
• I picked up a bunch of things we needed at Safeway (cheese for $1.97/package!) I picked up 8 packages (we go through a lot of cheese here, as a snack & for sandwiches for work lunches for the boys). I also picked up two packages of Gatorade (our agreement is that if it's 90 or close to it and you are playing sports, you can have Gatorade.) Otherwise, it's too expensive & I'm not a fan of the plastic. I also got bread, two packages of deodorant, and three boxes of cereal (teen snack). The total was $51, and I earned $2 of Safeway rewards, $8.10 in iBotta rewards, and $2.72 on Fetch. 
• Used grocery store rewards to pick up some lunch items, plus added in the Friday Freebie (some sort of sports drink). 
• Picked up some random toiletries that got added to the shopping list (lots of sunblock, for the boys camp & ever more deodorant + cereal, which was again on sale) at Rite Aid. I used $7 of rewards, and saved $2.35 on Fetch, and $6.60 via iBotta. Total purchase price of $37, so this brought it down to a reasonable amount. 

Earning money

• I cashed out $25 of Fetch rewards for a Safeway gift card. 
• Similarly, I cashed out $31.70 in iBotta, but straight to cash.

Avoiding spending

• Nick works out at the gym right next to a CVS, so had him use my $4 CVS reward to buy drinks for himself & a friend. I wasn't going to make it CVS, but didn't want the reward to go to waste. Teens can always find a way to spend $4. ;-) 

Eating what we have

• We continue to eat things here & there from the garden (strawberries, basil, peppers, tomatoes) 
• The boys have been packing lunches for work
• I made protein smoothies out of some overripe bananas, and freezer fruit
• I used up a couple of bags of frozen fried rice (one with cauliflower rice), to round out another meal
• As always, we've been eating lots of leftovers

For others

• We often share leftovers with our older neighbor, and did that again this week. 
• M helped our neighbor with a home repair project

What about you? Any wins to share?

Menu Plan Monday

 It's supposed to be a beautiful (& warm) weekend, so we'll plan to keep things pretty easy. I also have a jam packed week next week (lots of folks in town for work, so multiple evening activities). 

• Friday - Pizza (from the freezer, because we have a ton of it)
• Saturday - M is grilling burgers
• Sunday - chicken lettuce wraps 
• Monday - chicken gyros
• Tuesday - I have a work dinner, so the boys will have leftover burgers
• Wednesday - leftover lettuce wraps
• Thursday - leftover gyros
• Friday - remaining leftovers, or orange chicken (Trader Joes, from the freezer)

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

Saturday Happenings

 I'm heading out shortly to a workout class, and trying to enjoy coffee before our leave. Our espresso machine was purchased when Sam was born (there's a reason we started drinking coffee, and it's related to our first sweet baby, who never, ever slept ;-)), & is giving me trouble today. We'll see if M can fix it. On the financial side, what an incredible investment that's been. M makes 3-4 espressos per day (I had 2 for quite a while, and am down to 1). Either way, over 17 years, the amortization of that purchase makes it incredibly reasonable. We've had it serviced once (it didn't enjoy the moving process), but otherwise, M maintains it.

Other things that are happening here today/tomorrow:

• Pick up items for the menu this week. We have a few odd items that can't be purchased at our normal Costco shop, so I'll run around to grab those items.
• Clean the house
• Volunteer at a food pantry donation. Sam goes regularly, but they are desperate for people this week, so I'll join as well.
• Work out (fitness class today, 6 mile run tomorrow)
• Lots of laundry
• Watch Wimbledon. Nick & M are obsessed
• Try on a few things for upcoming trips. Make a packing list.
• Make a list for Sam's senior pictures
• Find 10 items to give away on BN
• List 2 items on eBay
• Work in the yard (hopefully, before it gets so hot)
• Come up with a training plan for the rest of the weeks before my relay (end of August)
• Work on France travel logistics

What about you? What are you up to this weekend?

Frugal Friday

It's been another busy week. Lots of work (all four of us), soccer practice is back, and plenty of running around.  

Saving on things we buy

• I took Nick to lunch on his way home from tennis camp (apparently, that 50 hours of tennis really took it out of him ;-)) & used a free drink coupon to go with his burrito.
• I've been buying sandwich fixings for the boys to make lunch each day. While it's not the cheapest lunch option, it's easy for them & fills them up for a day of work. There were a few Fetch offers for various sandwich items (cheese, deli meat), so I also scanned those receipts. 

Earning money

• The boys are both back at work this week, earning money. Our agreement is that they keep as much summer earnings as possible, and that should largely serve as their spending money for the year ahead. Sam still has summer money from last year (after a brief challenge with spending too quickly, we then worked together on a plan, where he transfers over $25 a week to checking). Having your own money & understanding how much things cost is super helpful. Both kids comment on the price of various things, now that they are spending their own money - which is an amazing life lesson! :-) 
• I listed an immediately sold a bike shirt on eBay. 

Avoiding spending

• Not having Amazon Prime made it much easier to resist the deals this year! 

Eating what we have

• Rather than ordering anything for myself at Chipotle, I came home & made a sandwich & had that with a bowl of berries & a few bites of potato salad. 
• We continue to use lots of garden goodies, and finally have some tomatoes! I've been making caprese salad with fresh garden tomatoes & basil. Yum!
• Ate lots of leftovers this week, including meat loaf & taco meat from the freezer. 

For others

• We are helping out a family member in a tight spot
• I coordinated travel arrangements for a celebratory trip for my nephew's 21st birthday, and covered flights for him + my dad. In other news, flights are absolutely insane right now. Crazy wild expensive. 
• My dad wanted to use his miles to cover my uncle's trip to Las Vegas, but the airline he has miles on was 2x as expensive as Southwest. Instead, I covered my uncle's trip (I had gift cards purchased at the grocery store, which is how I get my grocery store rewards) & used my dad's miles to cover a trip here in October when my parents watch the boys. I always cover their flights, as they are providing what used to be childcare, and can now more accurately be described as teen supervision. ;-) 
• Gave away a bunch of stuff on Buy Nothing

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

Menu Plan Monday

Everyone is back together again, although getting both teens together for dinner during the summer is quite a feat! :-) We have salad with every dinner. 

• Friday - M's cousin was in town, so we had steak, scalloped potatoes, caprese salad.
• Saturday - tacos (meat from the freezer)
• Sunday - grilled chicken & rice
• Monday - meatloaf (freezer) + leftover scalloped potatoes
• Tuesday - leftover tacos
• Wednesday - leftover grilled chicken & rice
• Thursday - any remaining leftovers, or orange chicken & fried rice
• Friday - pizza

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

Saturday Happenings

 It's a pretty quiet weekend (no soccer games & no travel will do that for you), & I plan to enjoy it. I'm also taking Monday off, as I have a dentist appointment & a doctor's appointment, and the logistics of that are plenty for a day. 

M's cousin visited on his way back from LA last night, and flies out of SFO this morning. He hasn't been to see us since we moved to California, so it was great to catch up. I also picked up Nick from tennis camp, where he played 50 hours of tennis in just under a week. He was home for an hour before he left to meet up with a friend to... play tennis. ;-) 

Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish today:

• Attend a workout class
• Make a menu plan 
• And a shopping list
• Go to Trader Joes 
• Vacuum
• Laundry
• Clean bathrooms
• Clean the kitchen
• List 10 items on BN
• List 3 items on eBay
• Catch up on bill paying/budget tracking
• Stretch (my piriformis has been bothering me, so stretching has been critical)
• Drop off a couple of returns
• Find running shorts. It's too hot to run in pants, and I don't want to run in anything actually "short", both because I'm not 20, and also...chafing. I'm trying to find running shorts that are the bike short type, but getting the length and fit right has been an adventure. 

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

Frugal Friday

It was a really nice long weekend, an we got a lot done around the house, and did some travel planning. Any time there is travel planning, there is an opportunity to both spend & save! Here's how we did. 

Saving on things we buy

• I used a $20 grocery reward to pick up a few things (2 large boxes of cereal, two gallons of ice cream, two packages of sliced cheese, sandwich bread, deli meat, tortillas, & Keto friendly wraps. My after reward total was $17.68, and I also saved another $3.60 via iBotta & a bit more using Fetch. I also picked up a Gatorade protein bar, which was the Friday freebie. 
• M & I had planned on doing a dinner out on Sunday, but opted to come home, hang by the pool, make drinks & grill steaks. Sam & a friend unexpectedly dropped by for dinner, so we extended our meal to feed four. I warmed a loaf of bread, took some old peaches from the fruit drawer & made that into a mozzarella/peach/basil salad, used a bagged salad, and we cut the steak into smaller pieces. It worked great & was definitely cheaper than a meal out, despite splurging on steak. 
• We are planning a final all family ski week for next February (Sam will be unlikely to join the following year, as he'll be in college). Sam got to vote on his top location, so I've been pricing out Whistler. I was able to find the hotel we wanted, for $500 cheaper by using Costco travel, and it includes a car rental & a $40/day free parking option. I'm so happy I thought to price out the same hotel via Costco. All told, we will save close to $1000 by booking this way.
• When the boys opted to stay with my parents after the wedding, & had to cancel their return flight (the same airline didn't service Pasco & Portland), so we ended up with a hard to use credit with a bunch of limitations (due to using 1/2 of it, but not all of the ticket). I was able to rebook another one way flight for them, and cancel another reservation, saving about $300. 

Earning money

• Sold an outgrown reffing kit on FB, for $25
• Both boys got paid for their camp weeks

Avoiding spending

• Found a Subway gift card while I was cleaning my desk area, and used that to order lunch for Sam on a busy day. He picked it up while out running errands, and was able to have lunch for "free". 

Eating what we have

• I had leftover chicken & beans for a quick breakfast, after a workout. It was a nontraditional breakfast meal, but it was delicious, and good to clean it out of the fridge. 
• I've been eating less than usual, which has the side benefit of requiring less food. ;-) 
• Used up the last of the sliced provolone (leftover from a Philly cheesesteak dinner) on a couple of sandwiches.
• On a related note, used hoagie rolls as substitute hot dog buns for our 4th of July dinner
• Ate leftovers for dinner during the week

For others

• Washed up Sam's PE uniform, and gave that away on BN, saving a local parent $30 on the cost of the mandatory school PE uniform.
• Gave away a few other BN items

What about you? Any wins to share?

Menu Plan Monday

 Yay for long weekends! M & I have both today & Tuesday off, which makes it a 4 day weekend. Hurrah!

• Friday - chicken patty sandwiches for the teens, grilled chicken over salads for myself + M
• Saturday - beef kebabs, rice & a yogurt sauce
• Sunday - steak, mozzarella/basil/peach salad, & green salad
• Monday - tacos
• Tuesday - hot dogs, potato salad & coleslaw
• Wednesday - leftover kebabs & rice
• Thursday - leftover tacos
• Friday - leftover hot dogs, potato salad & coleslaw

What's on your menu this week?

July Goals

July should be a good month. The boys are working, and we're not traveling, with the exception of the last weekend of the month, where we'll head to Portland for my nephew's party/to see family. The boys will stay with my parents for about ten days, while I'll fly back.

Here are my goals for the month.

Financial

• Stick to our budget
• Use 6 "hard to use" freezer or pantry items
• Make $100 in side hustle (list 5 items on eBay)
• Work on college funding plans
• Update financial plan based on my work timing (planning to stay longer)

Family

• One fun activity with the kids
• Plan something for the days we have off in July
• Work in the yard
• Have two dates with M

Fitness/Health

• Complete my running plan for the month
• Follow the No S diet
• Meditate 10x
• Set up overdue dentist appointment
• And, colonoscopy (dread)

Personal:

• Do something social with friends
• Practice French on Duolingo
• Land on timing for French trip + hotel & activities
• Give away 20 items on Buy Nothing
• Try new garden recipes
• Get back into journaling

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

Saturday Happenings

It's the first weekend in a few weeks that we've been home, and I'm enjoying the peace. My sister & her family are in Hawaii this week, celebrating my nephew's graduation, so I'm living vicariously through her pictures. As always, it looks amazing. 

Some random things that are top of mind:

• Today is our one free day, as tomorrow we drop Nick off at an overnight tennis camp. He'll be done on Friday. We will be spending some time getting him ready for that, and of course, it's finally hot. He spends 50 hours playing tennis, so we'll need to make sure he has plenty of hydration options. Not a referral, but we really like Nuun tablets, which you can easily transport, drop into water bottles, and generate minimal waste. They are also much healthier/have less sugar than some of the alternatives. Nick gets migraines when he's dehydrated, so while Nuun's are not cheap, they are a worthy investment. 
• We picked a bunch of cucumbers, and a handful of strawberries, in addition to the enormous amount of basil & peppers + lettuce we have. Something came & pulled out most of my squash plants, and ripped every last zucchini off the vines. Some of the zucchini were huge! What kind of a critter could accomplish this? I'm super irritated, and don't want to add netting to our planter boxes, but maybe we need to.
• I gave away two teen suits on Buy Nothing, and people are so thrilled. Finding suits for teens is a huge challenge (and, pricey) & they grow out of them quickly. I'm so happy to help people out. 
• On a related clothing note, a family friend is taking Sam's senior pictures when the boys are in Portland in August, and I need to go through his clothes & see what options he has. Sam took a weightlifting class at school, and goes to the gym pretty regularly. His chest is quite a bit broader than it was a year ago, so not everything fits. Growing boys!
• At Sam's request, I put together an appetizer tray last night - a few varieties of cheese, crackers, nuts & sliced peaches. Everyone was thrilled, it used up cheese leftover from my mom's visit, and it held us all off until dinner was ready. Win/win/win. 
• I've lost 3.5 lbs, which I'm feeling really happy with. It's also just much easier not to worry about everything I'm eating, which is my favorite benefit beyond the actual weight loss. 

What do I need to accomplish today? Well, it's a four day weekend, so consider this list aspirational for one day, and anything that doesn't get done today (minus prepping Nick for camp) can shift around to other days. Although, I want to be as productive as possible:

• Attend a workout class. I couldn't get in to the 8:15 class, so I'll be going to the 9:30. A little late for my taste, but it will be nice to have the workout done.
• Help Nick pack for camp
• Make a menu + a shopping list
• I need to do a little work
• I made a ton of progress on the three tiered tray where I keep incoming mail, things that need to be dealt with, and a bunch of other random items. As you can imagine, over time, things stack up & it needs to be cleaned out.
• Call United & figure out how much credit the boys have from their cancelled flights. It's always available online, but this one isn't. So irritating. 
• Yard work 
• Steam mop in front of the stove
• Find 10 more items to give away on Buy Nothing
• Sort out FB marketplace sale
• Practice Duolingo
• Meditate
• Figure out plan for Monday
• Laundry
• Read by the pool (maybe dip in the pool?) We shall see how warm it gets.

What about you? What's top of mind for you today?