Happy Fourth, friends! I apologize for the quiet times around here this week – a holiday week always brings out the summertime frenzy in me! But I did want to pop in and share some of my frugal wins – and tragic fails – that have taken place this week. Ready? Here we go.
1. I completely ruined my home laptop (but blessedly had a spare waiting in the wings).
Let’s cut right to the chase here – this is by far the biggest news of the week, so no sense burying it down at No. 5. Yes, it’s true – I have destroyed my beloved home MacBook, a faithful friend of mine since 2017. In short: Last Friday near the end of the workday, I was working from my living-room sofa in order to enjoy a little sunlight (my office is in the basement and it sometimes gets a bit dreary!), and had both my work and home laptops out because I had some personal work to do right after the workday was over. I decided to treat myself to a fizzy water, poured it in my favorite glass, got up to put the can in the recycling bin outside and somehow managed to completely forget about said water upon my return. I swung my arm around and in slow motion it all happened at once – the glass tumbled to the floor, the water spilled out across the coffee table, and both my laptops were in the way. I snatched both up, but the home one, closest to the spill, was soaked before I could even get to it. I did everything “they say” to do – powered it off, dried it out with a fan, etc. – but it will barely turn on. A (free) visit to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store confirmed its fate.
Blessedly, I DO have a backup laptop, which I am typing to you on right now. My old work computer got decommissioned, so I am using the one our IT folks sent back to me as my home laptop for the moment until I can decide what to do. Do I buy a new-new MacBook Air this summer, while there are some back-to-school sales? Or do I try to hang in there with this new-to-me 2019 machine? We’ll weigh the options and proceed accordingly.
I’m especially angry at myself because I take SUCH good care of my things, but as the techie at the Apple store said, we’re all due one mishap like this in our life. Sigh. The best laid plans.
2. I sold my running shoes on eBay!
Those shoes I listed just last week sold right away, for a good price that’s fair to both parties, and are already winging their way across the country to start a new life! Now I’m waiting on my cycling shoes to sell – all in due time!
3. Our Leftovers game is strong at the moment.
I’m very proud to say that our Leftover Revolution is still in full force! Our fridge has never been so clean and tidy – leftover meals that grace the shelves are gobbled up in days. Just today at lunch, we enjoyed the remainder of last night’s pizza (enhanced with a “pizza bagel” to fill the plate out), and I am confident that tonight’s July Fourth festivities will also bring about some leftovers. I can’t wait!
4. I redeemed some Marriott points to reserve a hotel room for an upcoming trip.
I keep meaning to write a post about how to explore NYC on the cheap – don’t worry, it’s still coming! – but in the meantime, I’ll just say that LeeLee and I have our eye on a trip up to the Big Apple in a few months and I’ve gone ahead and redeemed some of our hotel points to pay for it. Having free lodging is a major money-saver on any trip, but especially to a high-cost area!
5. I’m continuing to scan every single receipt into Fetch.
This is definitely not a high-yield activity, but it only takes seconds, so who cares? I’ll soon have a $25 Safeway gift card, which isn’t chump change in this economy!
Have a great holiday! Hit me up with your frugal wins (or failures – can you top mine?) in the comments.
:)