Frugal Friday Wrap Up 3/18-3/24 2017

 

Brand new Columbia brand fleece jacket for $3.97.  Yes, this is the second one I have bought within that last dew weeks.  I am definitely set on fleece jackets now.

   It's been a mixed bag for frugalness along with some splurging.  We did go away for the weekend and tried to keep it as frugal as possible, but we did spend money on eating out a few times.  The rest of the week, once we got home, we pretty frugal though in part because I was just too worn out to go anywhere or do anything for several days and my body was in crash mode.  Onto the savings...

I loved the pattern on this lightweight sheer top and it was only $1.50!

~Saturday we took a swim and used the hot tub at the hotel.  We also had some snacks in our room that I had brought along.
~We took a long walk and took pictures of the Spokane River and Falls.  It was roaring and so pretty!
~Our hotel provided a free latte each day and free coffee all the time to all the guests.

More thrift store finds.  I was tickled to find the matching baby shower themed napkins to the dessert plates I had bought last week at another thrift store.

~We did more thrift store shopping at several thrift stores. Many of the store had great deals and I found some clothing items for .25- .99 each.  I also found a new leather purse that is perfect for Spring at half price, a leather key case, napkins and cups for the baby shower that match the plates I had previously found at another thrift store last week, some jeans, a caftan, a dvd, another brand new Columbia fleece jacket, a few things that Jeff wanted (I can't remember what all he found), some books, a small leather wristlet purse and some prepared microscope slides for the little boys to use with their microscope.  At the Union Gospel Mission they had done away with their rewards cards but honored mine so I was able to get $10 off my purchase there. 
~Sunday we spent the afternoon with one of my closest friends from college and her beautiful family.  I got to meet her newest grandbaby, Evie and get caught up with her oldest daughter who I used to babysit when she was Evie's age, played with her almost 2 year old grandson Blake who I had not seen since he was an infant and get caught up with her middle daughter, the husbands of the girls, her son, who stopped by and her hubby.  We made plans to go camping over Memorial Day and to go to a few college football games in the Fall.

The purse  and the key case were both half off and the little wristlet was only .99 since all yellow tags were .99 at the store where I found it.

~Jeff and I stopped by the Grocery Outlet on our way back to our hotel and grabbed some things for dinner there and had that back in our hotel room.  We hit another Grocery Outlet the next day to pick up a few things there also and ran across some great deals including big cans of coffee for 2.99 each.  Jeff grabbed 4 of them.
~We enjoyed watching HGTV at the hotel since we do not have it here at home anymore.
~Trader Joe's had some good deals on produce so we grabbed a few things there.

Coffee for $2.99 a can from the Grocery Outlet store.

~Due to some problems at our hotel with our room and poor service from some of the staff, I talked to the Front Desk Manager and we were given a voucher for a free night at the hotel in a deluxe room at a future date.  The manager told us he would even try to upgrade us further and to contact him directly so he could make it happen.  Yes, the problems were that bad!
~Tuesday I stayed home from work because I was having trouble with my stomach and was just worn out.  The upside to that was that I did not spend money on gas or in another thrift store.
~Tuesday's dinner was something that I threw together trying to use up the kale I bought last week.  I sauteed up some thinly sliced chicken pieces with the kale in some butter, added some lemon juice, salt, pepper and a bit of water.  When that was all cooked, I added some diced frozen red peppers, turned the heat off and let that sit covered for a few minutes.  I also made some Cheesy Broccoli Rice and served it with some cherry tomatoes.
~The leftover coffee was put in the thermal container to keep it warm throughout the day.

Dinner on Tuesday night.

~I renewed a dvd that I borrowed from the library since we did not get a chance to watch it over the weekend.
~We got a coupon for a free protein bar in the mail.
~Wednesday I was still out of it and had done something to my neck so it was really stiff and sore.  I decided to go easy on myself and not worry about making bread.  There was still enough for sandwiches for Jeff for work.  I remembered that I had some homemade par baked pizza crusts in the freezer so I pulled them out, defrosted one and put a thin layer of mozzarella cheese on it and stuck it in the microwave to melt the cheese.  It was quick, easy and satisfied my carb cravings.
~I worked on my points programs.
~Jeff drained and cleaned the hot tub and then refilled it so we have fresh water in it again.
~Thursday I cooked up some pasta and added the leftovers from Tuesday to that along with some cherry tomatoes, garlic and some more kale to it all.  It was really good!

Leftovers from Tuesday's dinner were turned into a pasta dish with a few additions for dinner on Thursday night.

~A dear friend called me Thursday to check on me and see how I was doing.  It was just what I needed and so sweet of her.  It sure lifted my mood since I have been struggling this week.
~I made 2 more loaves of bread, much to my hubby's delight.
~I scored 2 more free magazine subscriptions for magazines that my son Chris and my grandsons love.
~Insomnia hit again several nights this week so I spent my time rehabbing handbags, looking up cruise information and putting all the things away in the early morning hours that Doofy cat was knocking off  things and then batting around.
~Friday night's dinner was another comfort food meal using items that needed to be used ASAP.  I threw some elk steaks in the crockpot along with a can of mushrooms, some Cream of Mushroom Soup, onion soup mix (I buy that in bulk), some dehydrated onions, and some leftover red wine.  I served this with brown rice.  I then cut up the leftover steaks, threw that back in with the leftover gravy and will serve this over baked potatoes sometime this weekend.
~There was an email from Petco for free cat treats.  I will be printing this off and picking some more up.  Doofy will be a happy camper.

   This next week looks to be a busy one for me with work Tuesday, helping to homeschool my grandboys on Wednesday and they volunteer work on Thursday.  Depending on how I am doing Thursday, I may or may not spend the full 6 hours doing volunteer work.  Be blessed!