Thrift and Such May 23, 2924

              

      Here's my journal for the week in thrifty actions. My tracking week goes Thursday to Wednesday as I like to get a post up on Thursdays. Summer unofficially starts Monday, or is it the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, and so does, after my weekend mini trip, does my renewed focus to be more fiscally intentional. It's been a rough week, both financially and mentally, but the good thing about a new week, is I can try a bit harder and focused. 

Saving on things we buy

• I went for a few top up groceries and grabbed some snacks and hit a 3 for $10 sale on diet Coke 6 pack bottles. It's a splurge I limit both for health and cost, so should last a few weeks.

Earning money

• Nothing to share this week other than the medical reimbursement came in the mail and will go right in checking towards the credit card bill. 

Avoiding spending

• When my daughter planned to save driving time and avoid traffic between her jobs, she offered to pick up lunch Monday. I resisted and told her we'd find plenty for lunch. She and I had wraps. 
• We took advantage of the expanded hot plus continental breakfast Sunday morning. It meant sharing just a two single serve for the four of us, brick oven pizzas from the food truck at the winery rather than needing to stop for lunch.  

Eating/Using what we have

• The pizza guy delivered loads of Parmesan and pepper packets to the hotel with the pizza. I saved them and used Parmesan in risotto, and chicken drippings for broth in the dish. 
• I brought the leftover Saturday and brick oven pizza home. My son quickly scarfed it down for a late lunch. 

For others

• I already shared that I used credit card points to pay for hotel and brewery tour tickets. My sister's covered several other costs for the weekend. 

Thrifty Bonus 

• I won one of the trivia questions from the brewery your, a bottle opener key chain. Funny, we had just been looking for one the Thursday night before. 
• Free four wine flight tasting at River Bend Winery. Well, I had a glass to enjoy too, plus two bottles, see below, to take home...but the tasting was complimentary. 

     I had a lot of alcohol splurges, but putting some towards entertainment budget since we'll be enjoying on other weekends. Here's the extras.

• I bought a few souvenirs of sorts; beer bottle cozies, sampling glasses at the brewery. We had sampled some "brew-ology concoctions mixing varieties of beer and I thought it would be fun to have for card nights or with my adult kids. 
• We sampled a Leinenkugel variety called Lakeside Cherry that reminded me of a delicious beer my daughter and I had in Belgium. I found the last two 6 packs apparently to take home last weekend. Like the mixer glasses, buying things to invoke good memories is worth the splurge. 
• I also took home two bottles of a really delicious, not too sweet, not too dry rose` (I can't do the right symbol) from a winery in the area. Definitely worth every penny!

   One new aspiration in my life, even if trying to be frugal in many things, is to grab those glimpses of joy. Buy the beer. Buy the wine. So I did.