Frugal Friday

It's the final few days before school starts, and the teens are very busy! I'm also busy with work, and leave next week for my relay, so plenty going on at our house. 

Saving on things we buy

• Nick would like to learn to golf (he also plays tennis, soccer, mountain bikes, surfs & skis - so.... there are a LOT of sports involved). I recommended that he sign up for a very discounted teen course fee ($5 at many local courses) & he found a set of used clubs at Goodwill. This way, he can try it out without a big cost investment. 
• I used a $2 Rite Aid reward to pick up a replacement travel deodorant
• I bought Nick a six pack of his favorite socks for $10 (50% off). With all of the sports, he's very hard on socks, and we are constantly tossing those with holes.
• Reduced our internet bill by $15/month, by calling when our promo period expired. 

Earning money

• I sold an old remote on eBay

Avoiding spending

• Nick had planned to take a tennis class the last week of summer, but it was cancelled due to low enrollment. They offered me a more intense version, that was quite a bit more money. Instead, I rolled over the summer camp fee into his fall lessons, saving a lot of money towards those. He's also attending a few tennis clinics during the week when he was supposed to have camp, so there will still be plenty of tennis!
• Used a gift card to pick up lunch at Panera while we were between soccer games for a tournament. I also earned $2 back with Fetch, as they were having a Panera promo of some sort. 

Eating what we have

• We continue to eat a lot of garden goodies: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, & basil.
• The boys were both going to be out with friends on Friday, so I planned an easy dinner for myself & M. (Wings, Trader Joes samosas, salad & a bowl of sliced tomatoes & sliced strawberries). Nick decided to leave a little later, so he also ate with us. He's not a big wing fan, so I made a quick chicken patty sandwich for him, and he wrapped up the last of the carrots, cucumber & a huge bowl of cherry tomatoes, with hummus. 
• I've made the boys protein smoothies a few times, using up berries from the freezer (so many berries!) & almond milk. I've discovered that almond milk bothers my stomach, so I swapped it out for oat milk in my coffee. I don't want to waste it, so happy to find another use for it. The smoothies also include the free protein powder that I picked up on Buy Nothing. 

For others

• Helped my parents with rebooking flights for their trip to Hawaii (now shifted to Oahu vs Maui). There were a few complications with their reservations, and my father is quite hard of hearing, so it's easiest if I sort it out with the airline directly. Two phone calls & one chat later, it's now fixed!
• M spent Sunday helping our neighbor with a repair project.
• We donated money to the Maui wildfires, and filled out a form via work, who will match our donation. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Menu Plan Monday

 It should be a pretty normal week this week. That said, the teens are rarely at home at the same time for dinner, given it's their last week of summer. Conflicting sports practices, dinners out with friends, etc. Here's what we're eating this week!

• Friday - it was supposed to be just myself and M, so we had wings & chicken samosas + salad. Nick ended up going out later than planned, so I made him a chicken patty sandwich (freezer options for the win), as he joined us. We also had sliced tomatoes & berries, both from the garden, as a side. 
• Saturday - M grilled burgers, & we had those with more sliced tomatoes. I had mine over a salad, and we served that with cheater TJs potato salad. I call it cheater, because potato salad is, in my mind, an effort to make, and buying it is much easier. ;-) 
• Sunday - I prepped M's grilled chicken recipe while he helped a neighbor, and he grilled & made rice. 
• Monday - we're having ground beef tacos 
• Tuesday - leftover burgers & potato salad
• Wednesday - leftover chicken & rice
• Thursday - leftover smorgasbord
• Friday - it sounds like Nick is going to have friends over to swim, so likely pizza & watermelon

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

Sunday Things

 The weekend has whizzed by. I haven't been drinking much/if at all this summer, as it isn't a great mix for me with the running. But, in celebration of finishing my last long run of the training cycle, I'm having a glass of delicious chardonnay today. 

I managed to get *almost* everything done on my to do list. I'll need to vacuum after work tomorrow, and deal with USPS & our car insurance.

I spent a chunk of unexpected time today helping my parents with some flight changes (due to the Maui fires), and got them all sorted out. I also took over prepping M's special chicken recipe, as he spent most of today helping our neighbor install a new garage door opener. She is in her 80s, and appreciates the help so much. I had no idea how much work M's chicken recipe is, and now I have a new appreciation for the time he spends on it!

I also had to go back to a mall (drat) to exchange a pair of shoes for Sam, and pick up a few other back to school items. My two teens could not be more different. Nick loves everything about shoes, clothes, cologne, style... He spends a lot of his own money on those things. Sam wears 8 year old shorts from Costco, and despite my best effort, will not upgrade! He recently allowed us (me + Nick) to choose a few "cooler" clothing items for him, and when he ripped his only pair of shoes, he also allowed us to pick a few slightly nicer pairs. They make me laugh, with their very distinct approaches to dressing. 

What is everyone else up to today? Hope your weekend was a lovely mix of productive & relaxing!

Saturday Happenings

I can't get Maui off of my mind. I feel terrible for everyone there, and I'm just so sad about the devastation, & loss of life. Maybe because I'm very familiar with the area, it feels so real. 

Work has been very, very busy & my anxiety has been higher than usual. I really need to make time to meditate, which is always helpful, but somehow falls to the bottom of my list. I also have a huge meeting coming up on Monday, so I'll be happy when that's wrapped up.

On the family side, this is a super busy time of year. The boys are getting ready to go back to school, and getting all of the school stuff sorted out & ASB cards ordered, schedules managed, booking a last minute business trip to Japan (more on that another time) & I've been feeling overwhelmed. I'm also in the final stages of relay prep (it's at the end of the month) & staying trained & preparing for that is also top of mind. 

My to do list was so long yesterday that I ended up making a second list half way through the day, to keep me focused on the remaining items I could accomplish. I did make a lot of progress, although never as much as I'd hoped! 

Here's what's on the agenda for today, with some slipping to tomorrow:

• It's my running break day, so I'm going to a workout class. The class involves about 2 miles of running, but that's a break compared to my other training days. And, there will be rowing & strength training, so it will be a nice mix. 
• Sam has two tournament games today, so attend at least one, hopefully both.
• M is grilling burgers, & hitting up Costco. We need everything, as the boys cleaned us out of basically all fresh food. We were getting desperate last night, so I was grateful for all of the garden tomatoes & strawberries! 
• Work on packing list for relay. There's not much space in the van, and you need a bunch of odd stuff. The weather is also super unpredictable, and you are running at all possible times of night/day, so you need things like head lamps, warm clothes, clothes for hot weather, etc. 
• Order all of boys stuff for orientation: parking permits, ASB cards, picture order forms. The website wasn't working yesterday, so fingers crossed that I can check this off today.
• I'm going to go to Trader Joes, to pick up other grocery items. 
• Clean bathrooms
• Package/mail eBay
• File USPS claim for lost eBay item
• File all receipts, run budget numbers
• Look into car insurance
• Clean kitchen
• Vacuum
• Duolingo
• Stretch 
• Meditate

What about you? What are you up to today?

Two weeks of Frugal Friday

 I was out of town last Friday, so catching up with a double edition.

Saving on things we buy

• We ran out of packing tape, and I picked up a roll at Rite Aid, and used $4 of Rite Aid rewards. I'll buy a larger pack at Costco, but this will hold us over in the interim. 
• I used $40 of grocery store rewards to do a mid-week shop. We didn't do our typical grocery shop the week the boys were gone, and had nothing in the house when we got home. I picked up fruit, veggies & some milk, as well as Gatorade for myself, for the 36 hours of fasting I had to do for my medical procedure. 

Earning money

• In the opposite of "earning money", the post office lost one of my eBay packages, and I need to return the buyer's money. The post office has determined the item was stolen, so hopefully I'll be getting a check at some point. But, there are some hoops to jump through to get my money back for sure. 

Avoiding spending (apparently, these are travel themed for the week)

• The boys & I were able to get dinner at the airport at no cost, using our lounge passes (these come with our credit card).
• We used Southwest free drink coupons to get a free drink on our flight back last weekend.
• We received two free bottles of wine on our trip, and checked a bag (for free) & brought them home.
• I was upgraded to business class on a work trip to London in November. I used "plus points" earned from status, and while I would never pay to upgrade myself on a work trip, it will be a huge benefit to return home with less jetlag, thanks to a lie flat seat. 

Eating what we have

• I ate a freebie yogurt container, with fresh strawberries from the garden. I wanted a little "crunch" & figured I'd use some stale cereal (teen snack). Let's just say, whoa! The sugar level in that cereal. I think it was Trix? I ended up eating around it. Haven't had Trix in years, and it's definitely more of a dessert than an actual breakfast food. ;-) 
• With the boys out of town, I've been trying to creatively eat through smaller portion fridge/freezer items. I made a breakfast burrito for a lunch, using up tomatoes from the garden + tortillas & cheese leftover from taco night. 
• M & I also had a few leftover kebabs, served with 1/2 of a remaining pack of gyozos.
• On Monday, with minimal options in the fridge, I made a breakfast burrito (similar to the above) & then we had freezer leftovers for dinner.  
• I fasted for a few days, and M ate other single serving leftovers from the freezer, which saved us from needing to shop for a bit longer. 

For others

• M has been helping our neighbor with a variety of projects, I've stocked up on toiletries for a neighbor who is doing a run to a shelter in need, and continue to offer up items to our neighbors on Buy Nothing. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Menu Plan Monday

 M & I were on vacation, and arrived home last night. Good times were had all around, but it's always nice to be home. The teens are arriving back home tomorrow (woohoo), so we will be back to our more regular menu planning. We eat a large green salad with every dinner.

• Friday - we ate at a French restaurant, and I had an amazing roast chicken dish. So good. 
• Saturday - out again, and & I had steak & scalloped potatoes. Plus, strawberry cheesecake. It was a very indulgent dinner.
• Sunday - we got home from the airport & were too tired to sort out dinner, so we just went to bed.
• Monday - PF Chang lettuce wraps from the freezer (dupe recipe)
• Tuesday - I need to fast for a medical procedure on Wednesday. M will have chicken shawarma (freezer)
• Wednesday - I have a medical procedure for part of the day, and need a ride to/from the hospital. So, it will be an easy dinner of orange chicken & rice (Trader Joes).
• Thursday - spaghetti & meatballs
• Friday - grilled burgers + goodies from the garden. I'll probably make a caprese salad, to use up lots of tomatoes & basil.

That's it for us. What about you? What's on your menu this week?

August Goals

 August will be a busy month. M & I are doing a long weekend in Las Vegas, while the boys are with my parents. Then the boys return, and it's a flurry of back to school activities (dentist appointments, sports physicals, packet pickup & the actual start of back to school). I'm also doing Hood to Coast (a relay that goes from Mt Hood to Seaside Oregon) at the end of the month, so I'll be training for that as well. We've got a lot to get done in August!

Financial:

• Stick to our budget
• Use 6 "hard to use" freezer or pantry items. 
• Make $100 in side hustle 

Family:

• One fun activity with the kids 
• Prep & get ready for back to school. Complete all registration & sports physical requirements.
• Work in the yard
• Two dates with M 
• Prep for September travel (I'm going to Tokyo unexpectedly for work, and heading to France at the end of the month)

Fitness/Health:

• Complete my running plan for the month & successfully finish my legs at Hood to Coast 
• Follow the No S diet 
• Meditate 3x 
• Have my colonscopy

Personal:

• Do something social with friends 
• Practice French on Duolingo -
• Finalize all France activities
• Give away 20 items on BN 
• Try new garden recipes 
• Get back into journaling 

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month? Share, so we can cheer you on!

July Goals Recap

 July absolutely whizzed by. Work was much busier than expected, but it was a good month just the same. Overall, I feel good about the progress for the month. 

Here's how we did with our goals this month:

Financial:

• Stick to our budget - mostly, yes. We have some yearly budget categories (vs monthly) that we are trending over for, so as we get closer to the end of the year, we'll have a better idea of how we fare. That said, I'm working  longer than I'd planned, so that income is more than offsetting the budget increases.
• Use 6 "hard to use" freezer or pantry items. - I used 4 total this month (pepperoni that had been lingering forever, a mystery chicken dish, a chicken basil single serve meal, & a lunch soup sized frozen meal). 
• Make $100 in side hustle -finally, a month where I had a few sales. I sold a ref kit, skirt, bike jersey & luggage tags. I made $130.

Family:

• One fun activity with the kids - we bought a corn hole set, and have played that, and watched a lot of Wimbledon together. 
• Plan something for the days off we have in July - we went to Half Moon Bay, and it was cool & gorgeous!
• Work in the yard - not as much as I'd like (we had a bunch of hot days), but we've been staying on top of it
• Two dates with M - yes, we went to HMB, and also sat by the pool several times & either had a cocktail, or just caught up & chatted. 

Fitness/Health:

• Complete my running plan for the month - done! I ran about 75 miles this month
• Follow the No S diet - yes, and I've lost 3.5 lbs this month
• Meditate 10x - nope, this didn't happen
• Set up overdue dentist appointment - yes, and they had a cancellation & squeezed me in
• And, colonoscopy - this is happening in early August. Yay ;-) 

Personal:

• Do something social with friends - I met a friend for a hike, another friend for a workout class/coffee & met up with two other friends for an after work glass of wine. 
• Practice French on Duolingo - yes, I've been practicing most days
• Land on timing for France trip + hotel & activities - timing is decided, hotels are booked & tours are largely decided on
• Give away 20 items on BN - done, and more like 30 items were given away
• Try new garden recipes - eh, not much here. I'd hoped to use zucchini for a new recipe, and the rabbits (I think) have eaten every single zucchini. We've since added a cage, and will see if we are able to successfully grow anything
• Get back into journaling - no progress. 

Did you set any goals for July? If so, how did you do?

Menu(ish) Plan Monday

 The boys & I left for Portland on Friday, and M stayed behind & got some chores done around the house. The teens will stay with my parents for a little over a week, & M & I are having an adult vacation this weekend. So, the menu plan isn't very formal, to say the least. It's pretty easy when it's just the two of us. I also found a container of rotisserie chicken & sauce in the freezer, which M ate over the weekend. 

• Friday - the boys & I ate at the lounge at the airport. M had the rotisserie chicken dish.
• Saturday - we ate at my nephew's party (burgers, salads, etc) & M again had the rotisserie chicken
• Sunday -  M grilled steak, & I made a Greek salad to go with it
• Monday - kebabs (freezer) + gyozos
• Tuesday - M will grill the remaining steak. We cut them into smaller chunks, so we could grill on two different nights. Leftover steak isn't quite the same as fresh off the grill
• Wednesday - chicken shawarma (freezer)
• Thursday - we will be out of town & have dinner reservations at an Italian place
• Friday - out of town, and we will be eating at a dinner show. Not entirely sure what the menu is like

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

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?