I’ve come to really appreciate writing these Friday posts because it helps me to be mindful of what we have gotten done every week. Most of my goals are bigger ones, so there isn’t a ton to update week to week, but there is always something to celebrate and talk about. The items I list here on Fridays are then generally small ones, but they really do add up week to week.

1. I received a check in the mail for $12.39 from Ebates that comes from just doing our regular shopping. Gotta love free money that can go straight into savings. While it’s a small amount, I will never complain about receiving a check, and I actually consider the small number a good thing because that means we don’t spend a lot of money online (and most of what we do falls under “necessities” like more pill pockets for the 5 different medications our dog takes twice daily).

2. As noted above, our dog takes a ton of medication to manage her heart condition, and most of it isn’t cheap. We had a follow up visit at the vet this week though, and her bloodwork came back completely normal! Her kidney levels had been pretty elevated even a month after her ER visit. The next visit in another three months will be the moment of truth to really gauge where she’s at in terms of heart health, but I’m very happy with how she’s doing for now. Dogs (especially as they get older) can be quite pricey, but she is completely worth it. Our old girl is only 7, so cross your fingers for us that we get to have her around for quite a bit longer.

Our vet complimented us on how well she is doing considering all the medications we have to give her, so I said something to him about how dang expensive her medications are every month. He hopped up and left the room to grab his phone and then introduced me to to the GoodRx app that looks for coupons for all different kinds of medications (human ones too, I believe). We’ll find out for sure when we get our next refill, but it looks like we’ll save an extra $10-$20 every month by using the app, which will be a 30-50% savings on that one pill. Since this is a recurring expense, every bit I can knock off will really add up over time.

3. It’s been abnormally cold and dry this week  (highs in the 30s and low 40s) but I still picked up my son from preschool via bus instead of car. I have to say that I’m glad we started this routine during the summer because it’s already habit now that the weather isn’t ideal. Now that it’s our weekly routine, my son expects to take the bus and makes sure that we do. I love that I’m raising him to appreciate public transportation like I do. I’d like to figure out how to up my non car commute to two days a week, but I may have to get a new bike to make that happen. Any recommendations? Since I’d only be riding it 1-2 days a week, I haven’t justified the cost to myself yet.

4. Lots of work meetings this week meant two free lunches. Not only do these give me a couple days off from having to think about packing a lunch, but I also get my restaurant fix without having to pay for it myself. And really, any conversation tends to be better over food anyway.

5. I signed up for the Frugalwoods Uber Frugal Month group challenge again in January. While I’ve signed up for this challenge in the past, I really was just a bystander. I read and enjoyed the emails she put out, but I wasn’t ready to plunge headfirst into that kind of dedication when I had “too much” going on in my life. Not great reasoning, but I wasn’t ready to drill down and look at our spending at the micro level that the month really requires. However, now that I’ve completed my first “no spend” month and am committed to seeing it through December as well, I feel much better equipped to take on the Frugalwoods challenge properly. We saved 52% of our income in November, so it feels like there’s not a ton of extra room to improve, but I’m ready and hoping to be surprised.

What are some of your frugal wins for the week? I’d love to hear all about your little successes.