From canceled concerts to canceled airlines, frugality knew no bounds this week! Here are some of the ways we’ve saved as the days have ticked by.
1. I asked for a raise!
I honestly can’t think of a time in my career when I have explicitly asked for a raise, which is probably to my detriment over time. But when I learned it was comp-review time again, I decided to throw my hat into the ring. Actually, I decided to submit to my manager a raise request I’d written over the summer when I had a few minutes and it was on my mind. I’ve kept it for a month or so waiting for the review period to open again! She was super-positive about it and while of course could make no promises, let me know she’d go to bat for me, which I really appreciate. Just asking for it feels like a win for someone who prefers to go along to get along! I’ll let you know what happens.
2. I got a refund for a canceled concert.
Sadly, my beloved Aerosmith announced their retirement last week, on the heels of months and months of problems with Steven Tyler’s voice. I feel horrible that they have to retire – I know how much they love being on the road and how much they wanted to finish this farewell tour in style! And I am just as sad that I was going to see them this fall in Washington, D.C., and now that has been canceled. I’m so lucky to have seen them several times in the past … but it would have been nice to bid them farewell in proper fashion. Still, those tickets, even in the 400 level, didn’t come cheap, so I’ll be getting several hundred dollars back to my credit card, which is a frugal win even if it’s a disappointment!
3. I returned (before the deadline!) an order that didn’t work out.
Last week I received a Crock-Pot lid that I’d ordered from Walmart.com, a replacement after my longtime lid broke a few weeks ago. Evidently, I didn’t order the correct size, as this lid is jussssst too big by a half-inch or so. Woe! I immediately started a return with the company and they sent me a Fedex QR code to pay for shipping. I managed to drop it off to Fedex during some recent errands and got it moving again well before the return deadline!
4. Delightfully, I found 95 euros in my wallet.
I recognize this is an odd thing to find in one’s wallet, but hear me out. First of all, my wallet isn’t even a wallet; it’s just some cards held together with a thick rubber band and put in my pocket. (Can I count that as a frugal thing too?) Second of all, it had gotten rather … thick. Too many random business cards and other things I’d tucked away had found their way into the pile, and I decided to pare it all down. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had 90 euros worth of cash in there! Then, inexplicably, I was looking for a cat toy in the sofa cushions and found another 5 euros. The funny thing is, LeeLee and I will actually be going to Europe fairly soon, so this will come in very handy and will prevent a stop at an ATM!
5. We got a good deal on an emergency hotel room for LeeLee.
Unfortunately, while visiting family in Florida this weekend, LeeLee got caught amid the remnants of Hurricane Debby. We made a gamble to keep his existing return date on Monday instead of moving him up to Sunday, thinking that the worst of the storm would be Sunday; alas, the storm stalled and carried on and on, causing the Monday flight to be canceled at the last minute. I quickly ran the numbers and we came to a swift decision: Instead of waiting until Wednesday to fly out of the smaller Sarasota airport (thereby racking up more car rental fees and hotel nights), LeeLee would return his rental car to the Tampa airport instead – for no additional fee, since he was caught in a natural disaster. Next, we booked him at the airport Marriott for a song; I originally wanted to use points, but it ended up being more economical to just pay cash and save the points for a more expensive stay. Finally, I bought him a refundable ticket from Delta in case his original carrier, American, couldn’t get him home on Tuesday, but American came through and I was able to procure a refund while he was in the air. As the cherry on top: When I went to pick him up at the airport, I timed it so that I didn’t even have to pay for parking! And at the end of the day, when this weekend fades in the memory a bit, he’ll remember the time he got to spend with his mother, who’s in poor health, rather than the hassle of getting home a day late. And that’s what matters most.
:)