Frugal Friday

It's been a very busy week, full of lots of sports for the kids, and late work meetings, so not a lot to report.  

Saving on things we buy

• I remembered to cancel one night of a hotel I had booked for a wedding. We will only be there for ~24 hours, due to the boys work schedules & the difficulty of getting from SFO to eastern Washington for a weekend. The flights were crazy expensive, but I did save $150 or so by cancelling one night of the hotel. I'm glad I remembered before it was too late!

Earning money

• Sold a luggage tag on eBay.
• Helped the kids with work applications, for their summer jobs.

Avoiding spending

• Thought about getting Starbucks on a very tired day, but avoided it! 

Eating what we have

• I gave up coffee six weeks or so back, and still have multiple non dairy milks in the fridge. Just used up one of the soy milks, making smoothies. Bonus: I used up fruit the boys didn't eat, and an overly ripe banana. 
• Eating up lots of leftovers for dinners, and when that's failed, cheese & crackers. It's been a busy week! :-) 

For others

• Weeded a bit of my neighbor's yard, while I was outside. They have mobility issues, so I like to help out while I'm working on my own yard.

What about you? Any wins to share?

Workout Wednesday

 

Workouts for the week:

• Monday - Orange Theory class
• Tuesday - 2 mile run + 45 minutes on the elliptical
• Wednesday - 60 minutes on the elliptical
• Thursday - 55 minutes on the elliptical + 15 minute walk
• Friday - Orange Theory class 
• Saturday - Orange Theory class
• Sunday - 1 mile walk + 35 minutes on the elliptical

Highlights: I'm getting back into running, & have a training plan set up. We do run at my fitness class, and I'm also trying to add in another day of running during the week.

Lowlights: I tweaked my back during my Saturday workout, and didn't get to do my "dry tri" workout on Sunday (5k, 2000m row, 300 body weight exercises.) I was looking forward to that, so I was pretty bummed. But, my back is feeling better, & is now more of a slight twinge. I can bend over again!

Focus for the week ahead: avoiding the Easter candy I purchased! And, staying on track with my calories. 

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness?

Menu Plan Monday

I feel like we're in a meal planning rut. I got an offer for a 75% off meal box (one week), that I may try out in the next few weeks. The meals come already prepped, & you just warm them up. With the discount, it's close to the cost of groceries. We'll see. 

We eat all of our dinners with salads, and the boys often have a bowl of fruit after dinner, as "dessert". :-) 

• Friday - gyozas & wings
• Saturday - egg roll in a bowl
• Sunday - grilled burgers
• Monday - leftover egg roll in a bowl
• Tuesday - spaghetti & meatballs (you see this often on the menu, but it's our "we always have it on hand, and our backup plan, if we don't have other options." We probably only really have it about once a month.)
• Wednesday - leftover burgers
• Thursday - leftover spaghetti

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

Sunday things

I pulled a muscle in my back yesterday at my workout class (I think the rower was the culprit), so I was unable to do the "dry" triathlon I'd been training for this morning. I'm pretty disappointed, but bending is really challenging (getting the clothes out of the dryer, emptying the dishwasher, etc). Fingers crossed things are better by tomorrow.

Here's what I'm up to today:

• Talk to the boys about homework, and ensure everyone is on top of all of their assignments
• Either walk or run (so far, this seems like it will work, as it doesn't involve any bending over. But, I'll do nothing, if it bothers my back.)
• Practice French, on Duolingo
• Take Nick to a soccer game
• Prep for the week ahead (it's a bunch of calendar consolidation, from various sources - my work calendar, boys soccer calendar, boys general activities, tennis schedule, etc). 
• Clean the kitchen
• Vacuum (I don't know that this is realistically in the cards, with my back. I may try.)
• Return a dish to a neighbor
• List 2 items on eBay

M is grilling burgers for dinner, which sound delicious. What about you? What are you up to today? 

Frugal Friday

 There were a few wins this week!

Saving on things we buy

• I used a $20 grocery reward to pick up items for Nick's birthday.
• I used a $15 grocery reward to pick up cupcakes for Nick's tennis team, as they had a match on his birthday
• Used a $3 CVS reward to pick up some Easter treats
• Discovered a $.50 Ibotta "any receipt" offer, and uploaded that. I've also been regularly doing the Fetch receipts, which slowly add up. I try & save my receipts, to unlock the once/day award that goes with the standard 25 points. 
• Used a gift card (purchased to earn grocery rewards, noted above - we always take advantage of the gift card deals, for things we know we will use up) to buy Nick tennis gear he needed. 
• Bought a 3 lb package of ground beef for $4. Made a triple batch of taco meat, keeping out a portion for dinners this week, and freezing the rest. 
• Followed up on a partial refund to a stay over ski week (there was no working bathroom for part of the time & the unit required numerous repairs while we were there) & got $225 back. 

Earning money

• Drove Nick around for his reffing jobs
• Sold a pair of workout pants on eBay
• Earned a bonus at work for a project I work on. I train all of the managers in our large team (500+ managers) on our performance management systems. It definitely has its ups & downs, but I do enjoy the people I collaborate with. 

Avoiding spending

• Picked up more free avocados from a neighbor who has two giant trees. She picks hundreds at a time. It's crazy!
• Returned a few items of clothing I didn't need, after I tried on all of my clothes for our upcoming trip & realized not everything went well together, I had extras, etc. 
• Picked up two unopened containers of toilet cleaner on BN. 
• I had to attend a conference in the city this week, and had a fixed cap for transportation reimbursement. I loathe driving & parking in the city, but I planned to Uber both ways, and cover the difference between the cost & my cap out of pocket. Instead, I drove to our closest office location that's not in the city, parked there for free, and Ubered back & forth between there & the city, coming in almost exactly at cap. Altogether, I saved about $80 vs Ubering from my house. 

Eating what we have

• We rarely have bread at our house, but Sam asked for "sandwich fixings" one day, so I picked up bread, cheese & deli meat. It's a nice treat, and both boys enjoy being able to pull together a quick lunch or snack. (They consider a giant sandwich a snack. They are, after all, teen boys.) ;-) 
• I regularly make protein balls for Sam, as a between sport/school snack. I picked up some flavored oatmeal packets on BN, & added those to the protein ball mix, as I didn't have quite enough oatmeal for the recipe. They turned out great. 
• I used up some really ancient carrots, and a head of cabbage I picked up on sale for St. Patrick's Day, to make coleslaw. I had leftover coleslaw dressing from another recipe, so it was great to get some things out of the fridge. 

For others

• Found a debit card, and tracked down the security of the complex, so it could get returned to its owner.
• Gave away six pair of teen shorts, and one pair of adult shorts on BN. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Workout Wednesday/Thursday

I'm late again, as I was in the city on Tuesday & Wednesday, and my schedule sort of fell apart this week.

Here's what I've been up to.

Workouts for the week:

• Monday - Orange Theory workout class + 30 minute walk
• Tuesday - one hour on the elliptical
• Wednesday - Orange Theory workout class
• Thursday - one hour on the elliptical + 2 mile walk
• Friday - Orange Theory workout class
• Saturday - 4 mile run
• Sunday - Orange Theory workout class

Highlights - I lost a pound & did really well with the calorie tracking!

Lowlights - overall, it was a good week!

Focus for the week ahead - I'm trying to weigh myself more often, which is helping me stay focused on my calories, tracking & snacking.

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness?

Menu Plan Monday

 We've made good progress on our freezer stash, so I'm now working on building it back up, with a few of our favorite meals. I'm making a triple batch of taco meat tonight, 1/3 for dinners this week, and the rest for the freezer.

• Friday - birthday dinner (takeout pizza)
• Saturday - chicken curry
• Sunday - steak & coleslaw
• Monday - tacos
• Tuesday - orange chicken & rice
• Wednesday - tacos
• Thursday - spaghetti & meatballs
• Friday - gyozos & wings?

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

Sunday Things

I was reasonably productive yesterday, and did a lot of driving around (for Nick). We are in the home stretch here, as Nick has his driving test in a few weeks. I typically spend Sundays preparing for the week ahead, and today will be filled with that, plus lots of soccer!

I also had the boys go through all of their shorts for Dubai. As expected, many are outgrown. The good news is that there was some sharing between the kids (Sam is taller than Nick). I'll pass on the outgrown shorts via Buy Nothing, and hopefully save another parent some money. I did place an order for a few additional pairs, and buy Nick tennis shorts. Shorts that fit the bill for his tennis matches are expensive & hard to find, so those are ordered.

To do list for today:

• Workout class
• First club soccer game of the season for Nick, so help him get ready to go. M is taking him to Monterey, which is not close at all.
• Watch two soccer games for Sam. At least he can drive himself to warmups!
• List shorts on Buy Nothing
• Call my parents
• Sort out plans for next week, particularly as I have to be in the city twice. Drat. My least favorite work activity.
• Coordinate logistics with our Colorado friend, for our upcoming visit
• Return two items that I bought for Dubai & don't need
• Shred cabbage for coleslaw
• Make a salad
• Clean the kitchen

That's it for us. What are you up to today? I'll be attempting to stay dry at soccer, as it's supposed to be another very wet day!

Saturday Happenings

 It's a non rainy Saturday, for the first time in a very long time! Nick won his (birthday) tennis match last night, we had takeout pizza, opened gifts, and had sparkler candles on ice cream cake. Everyone was so full from the pizza, I don't think anyone tried the ice cream cake. Maybe today. ;-) 

Here's what we're up to today:

• Take Nick to his reffing game. Run on the track during the game, and then drive him home. Two weeks until his driving test!
• Take Nick to/from school tennis open court, & tennis volunteering 
• Shred cabbage for coleslaw (tomorrow's dinner)
• Vacuum
• Laundry
• Clean kitchen
• Package & mail eBay sale
• Post a bunch of stuff on BN
• Menu plan & make a shopping list
• Costco/store (M + me)
• Make chicken curry for dinner
• Try on all Dubai clothes/potential outfits, finalize what I need, and make packing list
• Finalize Colorado itinerary

What about you? What are you up to today?

Frugal Friday

 It was a really busy week at work, so not much time to put my list together. 

Saving on things we buy

• I had to add another Dubai hotel room to our reservation (folks in Iran don't have access to international credit cards, which makes travel booking near impossible), and noticed that the rate had dropped slightly. Because we are paying for so many rooms, I rebooked everything & saved close to $400. 

Earning money

• Listed a few items on eBay
• Helped Nick sign up for reffing games

Avoiding spending

• Returned a few things I'd purchased for Dubai, but won't need.

Eating what we have

• Used up ripe bananas in smoothies
• I finished the last of the breakfast sandwiches from the freezer
• I made meatloaf on Sunday, and I was able to freeze half for another meal
• We had a bunch of lemons fall off of our tree in the big storm earlier in the week, so we've been using those in salads, as dressing

For others

• Signed up for a volunteer project
• Offered to take home some "lost & found" gym clothes that were being tossed. I washed them, and am giving them away on Buy Nothing
• Gave away a bag of clothing on BN

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

Workout Wednesday

 I'm late to the party, but trying to catch up after a week of having a cold, a huge storm (we lost our internet, and had a huge mess in our yard to clean up) & a bunch of work drama.

Workouts for the week:

• Monday - I had a really terrible night's sleep, so I slept in & didn't work out
• Tuesday - 2 mile walk on the treadmill
• Wednesday - spin class + 1.5 mile walk
• Thursday - no workout, wasn't feeling well
• Friday - Orange Theory class
• Saturday - Orange Theory class
• Sunday - Orange Theory class

Highlights: I tracked my calories every day, which was a nice change, after falling off the wagon for a few days. 

Lowlights: Not feeling great. I'm much better this week. 

Areas of focus for the week ahead: Pushing through hunger, when I know there's a meal around the corner. For whatever reason, I have some sort of scarcity signal that goes off in my head, and when I get hungry, even if dinner is around the corner, I feel compelled to have a snack, instead of just waiting. It interferes with dinner, isn't a great example for the kids (I'm always telling them to stay out of the pantry ahead of meals) & adds unnecessary calories. 

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness?

Menu Plan Monday

It's another rainy week of March (seriously, so much rain). I'm grateful we're not in the flooding zone, but so many people are struggling with extreme weather right now - blizzards in northern & southern California, and lots of flooding. 

We're also not barbecuing a lot, which is typically a staple for us. M doesn't enjoy being out at the barbecue in the rain. ;-) 

Here's what's on our menu this week:

• Friday - doctored up frozen pizzas
• Saturday - M & I went out, and the teens had taquitos
• Sunday - meatloaf, mashed potatoes & green beans
• Monday - chicken fajitas
• Tuesday - leftover meatloaf
• Wednesday - chicken curry
• Thursday - leftover fajitas
• Friday - leftover curry

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

Frugal Friday

 It's been another week! 

Saving on things we buy

• On a very busy day, I redeemed a free 1/2 sandwich offer for lunch at Panera
• Used a $20 grocery store reward to pick up: three cases of sparkling water, two package of fruit snacks (airport/road trip snacks - splurge), and three containers of juice for Nick's smoothies. I spent $6 out of pocket, and earned a little back via Fetch (Bubly offer). 
• Used a belated birthday offer from Chipotle to get a free chip & guac (for Sam), when I took him to dinner one night. I used a gift card to pay for our dinner. 

Earning money

• Sold an (empty) box for Airpods, which was Nick's Christmas gift last year. It still blows my mind that people will pay for the boxes, but I guess it increase the resale value of the item they are selling, to have the box. 
• M & I received the remainder of our 2022 bonus this week. I put mine in the boys college accounts, and savings. He is using his for taxes. Fun. ;-) 

Avoiding spending

• Picked up a box of oatmeal & an extra watch band/charger (for my fitness class) via Buy Nothing
• Another neighbor was giving away avocados (we have lots of citrus fruit & avocado trees here), so I picked up a bag

Eating what we have

• We don't keep bread on hand (typically) & I have a few jams/jellies open & in the fridge. We rarely use them, so I've been adding a bit of jelly to Nick's smoothies. I finished off the blueberry jelly this week, and will start working through the strawberry jelly next. 
• I also used a container of pureed pumpkin (from when I picked up a few free pumpkins at the store, after Halloween) & made pumpkin muffins. 
• Ate lots of leftovers during the week. 
• Sam & I both had leftover Chipotle for a second dinner, and I have just enough for a lunch. The person making our food was clearly new, and very generous with the toppings. ;-) 

For others

• Gave away a few items on Buy Nothing, volunteered for a citizenship project at work, and helped at the school

What about you? Any frugal wins to share?