Five Frugal Things | Cashing out
I got on a roll of cashing out all my credits and rewards. 😉
1. I ordered a Panera gift card on sale
You've seen me do this lots of times before! I have a Citi credit card that I use exclusively for groceries because it gives me 5% back.
Then I use my points to buy gift cards when they are marked down. This week, I got a $50 Panera eGift card and immediately added it to my Panera app so that I won't lose track of it.
So now when Zoe and I have a hankering for some sandwiches, they won't cost me anything out of pocket.
2. I cashed out my GetUpside money
I don't use this app very often, preferring to stick with my Royal Farms station. But when I'm not near a Royal Farms, I use the app to find less expensive gas near me.
They give you your savings as a credit in your account, and so I opted to just put that money right into my checking account.
I'm not sure I've ever cashed out my money there, and I had $50 waiting for me. But now it's in my bank account. 😉
If you download the app, you can type in my referral code (97N2J), and we both will get an extra $0.15 back per gallon on our next purchase. It's not a special blogger code; just the usual one any GetUpside member has. 🙂
3. I redeemed my YourTurn rewards
This is the safe driving app my insurance company offers, and I used my points for a $25 Starbucks eGift card, which I promptly loaded into the app.
4. I redeemed my Fetch points
I spent a little too long trying to figure out the best deal for these points, since the point value varies depending on what merchant you select.
I ended up opting for an Ulta gift card because I need a new tube of mascara. Once my gift card gets here, I'll hopefully also have an Ulta coupon to use, and that way I can maximize my savings. 😉
Fetch is like Ibotta; you scan your grocery receipts and earn points. Click here to download the app.
5. I used my CVS CarePass
For the CarePass, I pay $4/month (paid annually), and I get a $10 credit to spend each month. That's a pretty sweet deal if you use their sales and coupons in conjunction with the reward.
I did just that and got a Maui Moisture shampoo and conditioner, so now I have a pretty nice stash of backups in my linen closet.
Doing it this way means I never have to pay full price! When I finish a bottle, I just grab one from my stash. 🙂
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?
P.S. Reward apps are not going to singlehandedly enable you to retire early; they're kinda small beans. But as I know from my low-income days, small beans are actually big beans when your budget is super tight. Also, they're a nice way to get some little treats without actually spending money out of pocket.
1. A neighbor shared some summer squash with me. They are rather large so I am going to use them to make zucchini muffins.
2. My BOA Visa card offers extra rewards at both Giant and Shell these days. You have to add the offer and then use it within 4 hours. On Friday I use a 11% back offer at Giant and on Sunday DH used a $.38/gallon offer at Shell. He also chose the much cheaper Shell since he was right by it. For some reason the Shell near our house is always the most expensive in town. The cash back is not immediate but I'm in it for the long haul.
3. We had a neighbor over for a game night. We played Up Words. It is marked as having cost $1.91 and was purchased at a thrift store many, many years ago.
4. I only have time for four if you include this one. Time to go on a walk before it gets too hot.
-have been on a bit of a book buying bonanza lately but now put a stop to it by putting ton of holds on library books
- doing the "pan makeup" challenge which means using the makeup until there is zero left
-cancelled a tv subscription no one is using
-eating through my freezer
--I'm rehabbing our porch, bit by bit, and needed a hacksaw to tackle old screws that would NOT come out for anything. I intended to buy one, but the owner of our local hardware store/lumber yard just handed me a shop hacksaw as a loaner. I made a point of conquering the screws that same afternoon so I could return the saw promptly!
--Our library officially received the STEM kit grant we applied for this spring!!!! To celebrate, one of the librarians hosted a pizza party at her house for all the board members, myself included. Our board is small, but mighty!
--The village post office has a spot for people to leave/share their spare produce. I only take what I either didn't grow or failed to, which is how I came home with two perfect ears of sweet corn. My husband and I enjoyed them along with a giant salad made from our own garden.
--A friend brought over a DELICIOUS peach cobbler made from her own peach trees. I've been sharing basil and homemade pickles with her.
--Another friend brought over a bag of her Brandywine tomatoes, also in thanks for sharing cucumbers and homemade pickles. I love it here.
FFT, The Tale of the Traveling Tomato Plant Edition (updated/revised from yesterday's FFT at the NCA):
(1) As I've done for many years now, I've been tending a tomato plant in a pot (an old Shop-Vac tub on wheels, to be exact) behind the 8-foot chain link fence at NDN1's house. Imagine my distress when I discovered late last week that the estate sale guy NDN1's CF and I engaged to sell NDN1's more valuable possessions actually SOLD the tomato plant (!!!), having forgotten what I told him about the plant being NDN1's and my shared property. To his credit, he fell all over himself apologizing and arranged to have the plant returned--which it has been, although it's considerably the worse for wear. But (a) it's the principle of the thing, and (b) I'm very glad to have the Shop-Vac tub (which is a great planter) and the tomato supports (which came from Gardeners' Supply Co. some years ago and were not cheap) returned.
(2) After that saga, everything else is fairly small. But for starters, I went to the Regional Market on Saturday and indulged in locally grown and inexpensive summer veg. I mean, can you beat a zucchini for 75 cents and an eggplant for $1 (which will be going into another ratatouille shortly)?
(3) I stopped at my Price Chopper on the way home, batching errands as usual. In addition to the prices I chopped on groceries, I found two quarters and two NY State deposit containers in the parking lot.
(4) My excellent neighbor Bailey dog's dad helped me get 20+ bags and boxes of old financial documents out of NDN1's house and into my garage on Sunday. (The estate sale phase of the project is winding down, and the junk cleanout is coming next.) CF and I are having trouble finding a shredding service that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and I'm seriously considering a friend's suggestion that I throw these docs away in heavy-duty contractor bags, with some well-used cat litter mixed in (which Betty will be happy to contribute). Meow!
(5) And I've discovered that the garage sale at the local Catholic church (which actually benefits a consortium of churches doing excellent community work) is happening this month and not next. Not only am I ramping up my efforts on stuff to donate, but I'm delighted that I will be able to take JASNA BFF to the sale when she visits in 9 days for our Triple Birthday Celebration with our JASNA Panera friend. I've taught BFF to appreciate a really good garage sale!
I got a Panera gift card from Fetch last year, and it was very difficult to use. It wouldn’t go in my wallet, and even though I put it in my Panera app, using it involved making the cashier type a long number into the register. For that reason, I always get Amazon cards, even though I don’t like Amazon, but every once in a while DH needs a weird filter or gasket or whatever, and Amazon is the only logical way to get it.