My Frugal List: Week of March 18, 2018

 

It has been a weird week. We had snow midweek. School let out early Wednesday and was closed on Thursday. However my job was not closed (I work at a movie theater part time). Super Storm Sandy is the only time I remember my job being closed. They will close and hour or 2 early but that is it. Luckily Hubby has a 4 wheel drive truck and loves me enough to drive/pick me up from work. Both days were quiet at work so I did get to catch up on paperwork.

 

The snow was beautiful but now it is almost all gone. Temps were in the 40's Friday and Saturday so things seem to be warming up. I'm hoping to get some peas planted this week but I'm not sure if Mother Nature is going to let that happen.

We had some of Hubby's cousins from out of state come for a visit. We invited my in-laws to come for the day so they could see everyone too. The pastries above are the leftover pastries that Hubby's cousins brought. They have the most amazing bakery by them. When ever we go visit or they come here we get stuff from the bakery. The chocolate mini cake is the best! It has chocolate mousse in it and I could live on it. Thankfully we don't live close otherwise I would be 600 lbs.

Speaking of weight, I am trying to lose those extra pounds that always seem to find me. So I am watching what I eat and am trying to exercise more. I am very happy to say that I lost 5.6 lbs. this week. I did manage to get 2 walks in before the snow and now that it is gone I am going to really try to go for at least one walk a day, preferably 2.  I do have a little friend that is happy to go for a long walk any time.

OK, so onto ways I saved money this week:

-Hubby bought 2 new tires for his truck. He did it thru Ibotta so will get $ for that. He also used delivery/pickup at the store so we didn't have to pay for shipping.
-My son had a group of friends over. I offered to cook extra pasta for them. One of his friend's really wanted pizza but as a group they decided that free food from me was better then spending money on pizza. I also made garlic bread and a salad. Everyone had plenty and we had leftovers for lunch the next day.
- I made more Greek dressing and put it in an old bottle. I added some extras to the salad from the night before and had a wonderful lunch.

-Cooked all of our breakfasts at home this week. Made a double batch of waffles so there were quick breakfasts available. Made steel cut oats, pancakes and omelets too.

 

-Lunches are leftovers, hard boiled eggs, tuna , PB&J, quesadillas, or salad. When I make soups I always freeze extras so we can pull them out for an easy lunch too.
-Dinners this week were chicken fajitas, pasta with sausage, mac n cheese with side salad, veggie and plain pizza, and pork chops with sweet potatoes and string beans. I cooked 2 chickens when cousins were here with maple glazed carrots and mashed potatoes.

-Cousins came with lots of pastries. They also brought a spaghetti pie that Hubby's aunt sent. It is his favorite. My in-laws brought a bottle of homemade vino and some chocolates.

-My deacon came in with his wife to see a movie. I gave them my 2 free passes for the week since I wasn't going to see a movie. They really enjoyed their movie and I felt good about helping them out.
-Went to the ENT. Got 2 new prescriptions ( I have a sinus infection). The pharmacy is right next door so I went there right after. Asked if I could pickup a refill on another prescription and was able to do all 3 before the snow started.
-I was asked to work late, so I asked my son to drive my daughter to the orthodontist for her appointment. She was told that the next appointment the braces can come off. We can't wait.
-Saved $8.50 on coupons for items I would buy anyway. I always shop sales. Then checked Ibotta after and got another $1.25
-Hubby's boss bought a new snow blower. He asked if anyone wanted his old one. When no one said yes my husband said he would. It is a much newer model then the one we have. It just needs a little TLC. We will sell or give away our old one when the newer one is working well. It is very helpful to have a Hubby that can fix most things.
-I sold 2 items on eBay and sent them in packing that I had received other items in. Handed them to my mailman saving myself a drive to the post office.
-Checked the marked down produce bin and scored a package of mushrooms and a package of banana peppers. Checked the mark down basket at the deli section and they had meat ends for $1.49 a pound. I bought a 2 pound bag and cubed them and we had some with cheese and crackers when Hubby's family was over.
-Only washed full loads and still hanging laundry inside on my racks. I can't wait until I can hang everything outside. It dries so much faster and smells so GOOD.
-Used a dog food bag as a kitchen garbage bag. Used an English muffin bag and a bread bag to clean up after our dog.
-Kept an empty olive jar for use in the future.
-Made dog food from potato peels, carrot peels, chicken fat, organs and skin. Enough for the week.

How was your week? What did you do to save money this week? Are you paying off debt or saving money for a specific goal? I would love to hear all about it.