Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020956 times)

Brother Esau

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10500 on: January 13, 2018, 04:54:44 PM »
It was raining here yesterday and when I pulled out the umbrella from the back of my car I had a flashback from when I first obtained the umbrella....a golf tournament in 1986. Didn't save money TODAY but I may NEVER buy another umbrella ever again.

RetiredAt63

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10501 on: January 13, 2018, 05:30:23 PM »
We got a warm spell here, so I walked the long scenic bird-filled route to the supermarket and stocked up on sale-price bacon and a pork shoulder roast. Tempted by some marked down bowls but realized I don't need them.

Working my way through the cheap grocery items I brought back from Toronto after Christmas (what, doesn't everyone transport lard across provincial boundaries?).


You got better weather than we did - it was 10, but pouring.  Now we have many cm of snow and it is super cold.

Around here it is not lard, it is booze - we bring stuff back from the SAQ, and the Quebeckers hit up the LCBO.  ;-)  What kind of lard?  All I ever see in the stores is Tenderflake, and it is ubiquitous.

Teachstache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10502 on: January 13, 2018, 06:13:06 PM »
Buy oven roaster chickens like 6-8lbs or more and have the butcher butterfly them. Place on a rack on a flat baking pan sprinkle spices and bake in oven. Put onion and celery under rack.  Look up Spatchcock chicken on internet for instructions. Comes out perfect every time and delicious. If you can and the chickens are on sale, hoard up on them. Freeze them flat in plastic and foil. Hub and I have made them a ton of times and they are AWESOME!

OH, and tell the butcher you want the backbone, neck and innards like heart, liver and gizzards. You can make broth with the bones and if you don't want to eat the innards, feed them to your cat or dog. If you don't ask the butcher for this stuff, they will keep it. No idea if they sell it or chuck it but you are paying for it!

88 cents a lb is a GREAT price!

Chicken soup sounds amazing right now. Unfortunately I came down with what I believe is influenza. But I guess I'm saving money by having contracted it over the long weekend, so hopefully no lost work.

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10503 on: January 13, 2018, 07:44:17 PM »
Wanted to meet up with friends, went for a walk with the doggies instead of going out.

Lunch and dinner from the fridge and pantry.

Craving a cozy night in, so we're renting Goonies on Google Play for $3.99. (I suppose pirating would be cheaper, but I feel strongly about paying for the entertainment we consume. Still way cheaper than going out to the movies! Also, the no people is a huge bonus. :D)

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10504 on: January 13, 2018, 08:29:05 PM »
Buy oven roaster chickens like 6-8lbs or more and have the butcher butterfly them. Place on a rack on a flat baking pan sprinkle spices and bake in oven. Put onion and celery under rack.  Look up Spatchcock chicken on internet for instructions. Comes out perfect every time and delicious. If you can and the chickens are on sale, hoard up on them. Freeze them flat in plastic and foil. Hub and I have made them a ton of times and they are AWESOME!

OH, and tell the butcher you want the backbone, neck and innards like heart, liver and gizzards. You can make broth with the bones and if you don't want to eat the innards, feed them to your cat or dog. If you don't ask the butcher for this stuff, they will keep it. No idea if they sell it or chuck it but you are paying for it!

88 cents a lb is a GREAT price!

Chicken was delish, but the veggies I had under got over cooked/started to burn. I'll have to tweak the cooking time. I did 425 for 90 minutes. I may go back for a couple of other chickens - I have room & would like to roast the other two over the weekend while I have some extra time.

SimpleCycle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10505 on: January 13, 2018, 09:43:04 PM »
Took a friend up on her offer to babysit and went out to dinner with a friend.  Restaurant owners are clients of hers so dinner was free, we just took care of tip.

Took public transportation to the restaurant, saving $5-$10 compared to an Uber.

11ducks

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10506 on: January 13, 2018, 10:08:24 PM »

My goal this year is to bring in money each month through a side hustle. For January, I took pics and posted a few things I had to sell on Gumtree/local sales sites. Have been putting it off as I hate the hassle. Sold something straightaway for $15, cash in hand!

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10507 on: January 14, 2018, 05:48:33 AM »
Buy oven roaster chickens like 6-8lbs or more and have the butcher butterfly them. Place on a rack on a flat baking pan sprinkle spices and bake in oven. Put onion and celery under rack.  Look up Spatchcock chicken on internet for instructions. Comes out perfect every time and delicious. If you can and the chickens are on sale, hoard up on them. Freeze them flat in plastic and foil. Hub and I have made them a ton of times and they are AWESOME!

OH, and tell the butcher you want the backbone, neck and innards like heart, liver and gizzards. You can make broth with the bones and if you don't want to eat the innards, feed them to your cat or dog. If you don't ask the butcher for this stuff, they will keep it. No idea if they sell it or chuck it but you are paying for it!

88 cents a lb is a GREAT price!

Chicken was delish, but the veggies I had under got over cooked/started to burn. I'll have to tweak the cooking time. I did 425 for 90 minutes. I may go back for a couple of other chickens - I have room & would like to roast the other two over the weekend while I have some extra time.

As I recall, we cook our Spatchcock chicken 450 degrees for 80 minutes exactly and it comes out perfect every time. The only veggies we cook are celery and onion under the chicken which is really only for flavoring it during the cooking process. My Hub puts a coffee/herb rub on the exterior on the chicken too. He may put some olive oil on the skin to hold the herbs/rub on. Seems no matter what size oven roaster we cook, it comes out perfect every time. Sometimes he puts lemon pepper on the skin or Cajun spice. No rules here, even salt and pepper! If the chicken is very small, this temp and time might not work. We usually buy around 8 lb chickens. By the time you debone it you don't end up with tons of meat.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10508 on: January 14, 2018, 07:57:30 AM »
@Roadrunner53 - thanks for the tips! I followed the Ina Garten recipe, and it had more roasted veggies. I think my oven cooks a little hot, so I'll try for a slightly lower cooking time, and chop the veggies bigger to reduce the burn factor. (The ones that were almost burned were the smaller pieces.)

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10509 on: January 14, 2018, 01:12:22 PM »
I reviewed my bank accounts, and shifted money around to hit the minimums ($4000 and $2000) to waive the monthly bank fees ($15.95 and $3.95!)

(Good for now, though I will need to do some more digging because the only reason I had that much in a savings account was because I'm anticipating a big tax bill... normally I would have invested that cash. Not entirely sold on the emergency fund concept while I'm a DINK and have easy access to short term/no interest loans and my emergency fund could be making me money in non-taxable accounts.)

Rowellen

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10510 on: January 14, 2018, 01:35:02 PM »
Used vouchers gifted to me for a store I rarely shop at because it's stupidly expensive. End of year stocktake sales = 40% off sheets. So I replaced my sheets that had literally disintegrated in parts with fancy new ones for free and I still have vouchers left.

I needed to replace the kids school lunchboxes and drink bottles. Local supermarket had them on sale. Drink bottles were half price and lunch boxes 30% off. I had to buy them regardless as school goes back in a week so the discount makes me happy.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10511 on: January 14, 2018, 01:47:15 PM »
Did lots of cooking/baking today:

-Turned yesterday's roasted chicken bones into lots of broth for the freezer. Enough broth that I had to play freezer Jenga to get everything stored
-Made a loaf of homemade bread for sandwiches
-Used more cranberries in a loaf of cranberry orange bread. I juiced a few mandarins, and didn't have enough orange juice, and the recipe was too dry to properly mix. Subbed pomegranate juice, which we already had in the fridge. Bread is delish, and not very sweet, which my husband will love.
-Made everyone breakfast & lunch at home, and will be prepping dinner once I get home from soccer. Will use part of the roasted chicken in my favorite dishes - chicken fiesta rice skillet, or something like that. Will make homemade guac to go with it.

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10512 on: January 14, 2018, 02:00:47 PM »
- Made healthy breakfast muffins from oatmeal, peanut butter and banana. The banana I used was overripe, so if I hadn't used it today, tomorrow it would have gone to waste. I have 12 breakfast muffins, which is enough for the whole week.
- Made a large batch of pasta sauce from things I already had in the pantry. I ate a big portion at 5.30 and I'm still full at 10 pm.
- Sent s/o off to work an evening shift with sauerkraut & mashed potato leftovers from yesterday.
- He's working tomorrow night as well, I'll eat the leftover pasta and he will eat leftovers from the freezer.
- Worked on a scrap quilt tonight while watching documentaries on youtube.

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10513 on: January 14, 2018, 02:50:28 PM »
I need chicken breasts for tonight's dinner, but only had a whole chicken in the freezer. I decided to thaw that and try cutting it into parts rather than buying chicken breasts, which was easier than I expected! I put the breasts in the crockpot with the rest of dinner, cooked the leg quarters separately to shred and freeze, and used the carcass to make stock.

I started parking my car in the garage again to avoid needing to start it early to warm up on particularly cold days. It's very nice to be able to get directly into the car and not need gloves!

The whole family has started eating oats for breakfast most mornings as a low-cost breakfast option. My toddler son eats an alarming amount of food for his size, so even homemade yogurt and granola was starting to add up.

I started our tax return in TurboTax, and elected to reenter all our personal information rather than pay $30 for the privilege of saving less than 10 minutes by importing it from last year's return.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2018, 02:52:42 PM by frooglepoodle »

Spruit

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10514 on: January 14, 2018, 03:50:14 PM »
Sun at last, so hung two loads of laundry out. Will be raining the rest of the week, so needed to seize the moment.

Organized self-harvested seeds for next year's flowers and veggies.

Rescued a sad houseplant from freecycle from imminent demise. Let's see if I can conjure it back to its full glory.

Hula Hoop

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10515 on: January 14, 2018, 04:10:31 PM »
Made banana bread with the kids with some black bananas. 

Went to the food markets yesterday just as they were closing at 5 pm and bought fish, veggies and fruit for cheap.  Froze the fish.

Met a friend with kids the same ages as mine at the park so that the kids could play and we could chat rather than going for a drink or a meal.

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10516 on: January 14, 2018, 04:14:55 PM »
DH has a favorite flannel shirt which has developed a hole after many years.  Online today I saw that this same flannel shirt was on sale, and I almost bought him a replacement shirt.  At the last moment I decided to try to patch his old shirt instead.  I had to go out today anyway, so I stopped by the fabric store.  In their scrap bin I found a very close match for the shirt pattern.  It was a small scrap and cost me only $0.70. Score!  Now we'll see how the repair looks.  I'm not very good at sewing . . . But I figure it's worth a try.

Catbert

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10517 on: January 14, 2018, 05:32:13 PM »
Sold two unwanted Christmas gifts on Nextdoor.com:  a citrus juicer ($15) and a Echo Dot ($20). 

I was particularly happy with the Echo Dot sale.  A woman bought it for her autistic son.  She said he used one over the holidays at a relative's home.  It got him to speak and work on his diction/pronunciation so that it would play his favorite music.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10518 on: January 14, 2018, 06:04:34 PM »
I was particularly happy with the Echo Dot sale.  A woman bought it for her autistic son.  She said he used one over the holidays at a relative's home.  It got him to speak and work on his diction/pronunciation so that it would play his favorite music.

Oh, how great! I have a Google Home that I got as a freebie, I wonder if I can find someone who could use it therapeutically. I was just going to put it on eBay.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10519 on: January 14, 2018, 07:52:41 PM »
I was particularly happy with the Echo Dot sale.  A woman bought it for her autistic son.  She said he used one over the holidays at a relative's home.  It got him to speak and work on his diction/pronunciation so that it would play his favorite music.

Oh, how great! I have a Google Home that I got as a freebie, I wonder if I can find someone who could use it therapeutically. I was just going to put it on eBay.

I also have one, so will see if I can find some place to donate it!

SimpleCycle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10520 on: January 14, 2018, 08:11:45 PM »
Compared unit prices on shampoo at Costco, and ended up getting the fancier shampoo because it was less expensive

Decided not to buy frozen muffins made with vegetables and made my own pumpkin carrot zucchini muffins when I got home.  Zucchini was on sale at Aldi this week so I had some on hand.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10521 on: January 15, 2018, 01:02:16 AM »
Walked to work today. And will walk back home again. Saving diesel.

In the weekend I made an apple cake from leftover apples from the office.

LWYRUP

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10522 on: January 15, 2018, 07:19:44 AM »
Entertained at home. Kept heat low at night.  Replaced an incandescent bulb with an LED one.  Made super-on-sale pork chops and ate leftover rice and veggies.  Made breakfast at home.  Played on internet (finance blogs) for personal entertainment. 

StarBright

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10523 on: January 15, 2018, 08:19:11 AM »
Looked at the very detailed schedule of what is included with our "Y" membership and found that we have reciprocal membership at a JCC that has a huge, weekly indoor bouncy house event with several different bounce structures.

When the weather is too cold to spend time outside (basically once it gets in the negatives), we have been shelling out 12 bucks a kid for bounce time at Monkey Joes - now we can go someplace for "free" and get basically the same thing!

Pays to read the boring details in the back of the membership book.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10524 on: January 15, 2018, 11:29:52 AM »
-- Its a federal holiday, so both of us are off of work today.  DH also does freelance work for several clients on the side, so he scheduled work with clients for today instead -- getting paid while getting paid ;)

-- It snowed an inch or so and our rural MO town can't clear it well, so DH took my car instead of his own for safety of driving.  I had plans to pick up groceries and painting supplies, but instead sent him with a very detailed list to pick up in between appointments.  I also sent him with a thermos of coffee and a lunch so he would be good no matter how long he was out.  No take out and gas used from only one vehicle instead of two.

-- Since I am stuck at home, I walked the dogs for 45 minutes (they love snow), cleaned the bathroom, and am doing laundry.  I had some potatoes that I bought half off that were going soft, so i fried up one to eat for lunch and I roasted to pans full of the rest.  They are divided into 3 sides for DH's lunches, one big container to be heated up as a side for dinner sometime this week, and 2 containers that are enough for a full lunch for me. 

-- Trying to cut down on electrical useage, so I keep turning off lights, opening drapes, turning off DH's computer screen when not in use, and trying to limit the drying to the bare minimum.  I also put on slippers rather than turning on the space heater in the living room.

-- Spent some down time getting a few swagbucks.

-- Making meatloaf at home tonight, and then probably painting (for me) and working on a drop shipping based business site (DH).

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10525 on: January 15, 2018, 12:26:03 PM »
Yesterday I made bread from starch with ingredients I had at home as well as cooked up some kale/rice/bean bowls for the week. I'll have the bread for breakfast (toast) and the kale bowls for lunch or dinner. Also made my daily latte at home. Another no spend day in the books.

Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10526 on: January 15, 2018, 12:55:29 PM »
Yesterday I made bread from starch with ingredients I had at home as well as cooked up some kale/rice/bean bowls for the week. I'll have the bread for breakfast (toast) and the kale bowls for lunch or dinner. Also made my daily latte at home. Another no spend day in the books.

Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

If you find a good recipe, please share!

Here's what we've done so far:
-Mailed two packages (eBay), making around $40 on the sales
-Drove our electric car on all errands
-Worked out outside (running), so no need for a gym
-Made frittatas for my older son to take as quick breakfasts in the morning
-Making homemade dinner rolls now for tonight, to go with our soup
-Froze the rest of the chicken bones/skin, for use in a second batch of broth
-All meals eaten at home today
-Sent a follow up email to someone who owes me $190

Oh, and cleaning our own house. This is a recent change, and I don't hate it. Although, I do sort of put it off, by dreaming up other things I can make in the kitchen, and then "run out of time".

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10527 on: January 15, 2018, 01:06:02 PM »
I was particularly happy with the Echo Dot sale.  A woman bought it for her autistic son.  She said he used one over the holidays at a relative's home.  It got him to speak and work on his diction/pronunciation so that it would play his favorite music.

Oh, how great! I have a Google Home that I got as a freebie, I wonder if I can find someone who could use it therapeutically. I was just going to put it on eBay.

I love this.

The only person I know with a Google Home just uses it for weather updates, so this anecdote makes me feel much more positive towards them.


brute

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10528 on: January 15, 2018, 04:11:23 PM »
Sent back a christmas present I didn't want. Net $468. Win.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10529 on: January 15, 2018, 04:53:43 PM »
Resumed our spending fast today, since we are back from our trip. The small things I managed to do:

* Did yoga at home then went for a walk to enjoy the rare sunshine.

* Caught up on homework while listening to free Spotify.

* Making scratch rolls and a potato-cauliflower soup from items in the fridge and pantry.

* Whipped up some chickpea salad for mine and DS1's school lunches.

* Noticed a weird $60 charge for the GPS thing on the final receipt from the rental car place. I specifically turned down the GPS because it is 2018 and I have a smartphone. Made a call and got the amount credited back.

* Cut DS1's hair. This saves him money, not me, but I'm counting it anyway!

* going to kick back with a library book for the rest of the afternoon/evening and avoid my family. I need alone time to recharge after our trip #introvertproblems!

SimpleCycle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10530 on: January 15, 2018, 05:47:03 PM »
Broke my phone’s screen and ordered a replacement kit instead of getting it repaired at the phone repair place.  I’m not really declaring victory until I’m successful though.

Watched a Netflix movie instead of buying an Amazon movie

We’ve planned on getting a Nature Museum membership, and it was on sale today for 10% off so I got it.  Membership gets us unlimited entry plus entry into many reciprocal museums.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10531 on: January 16, 2018, 01:29:06 AM »
Walked to work again, to avoid the traffic chaos with all the snow. It was a small expedition, almost 1,5 hour one way.

Yesterday we ate pears as vegetables for dinner. Those were leftover fruits from work that I had cooked and stored in the freezer.

Stachetastic

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10532 on: January 16, 2018, 06:00:28 AM »
We had a 3 day weekend, and discussed taking the kids to see a movie at our local historic theatre, which is only $4 per ticket. Instead, we decided to take the kids sledding (all three days!) and wait for the movie to hit Netflix in a few months. All meals made at home, and the kids thought the homemade hot chocolate was a special treat. 9yo and I baked cupcakes from an old mix that was languishing in the cupboard, and everyone had fun decorating them. We shoveled five driveways, including doing ours and my mother's twice, which I'm counting as free entertainment and a workout. Plus good karma with our parents and the neighbors.

Also made a huge batch of chili and a take n bake baguette that was on markdown. Froze the leftover chili in individual portions for lunches.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2018, 06:02:48 AM by Stachetastic »

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10533 on: January 16, 2018, 07:50:39 AM »
- I'm going to eat at my grandma's tonight, so I'll have my dinner for free.
- S/o is going to make a huge batch of chili tonight and I expect there'll be enough leftovers for tomorrow.
- My bike was stolen, so it needs to be replaced, but I've found a way to get EUR 300 off.
- Didn't turn on the heating when I came home from work, instead used a blanket.

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10534 on: January 16, 2018, 02:29:22 PM »

Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

If you find a good recipe, please share!


Here's the recipe I came up with;

2 cups Dates
1 cup Cashews
1/3 cup Almonds
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Lemon Flavor

Put it all in the food processor and then into a small dish to try and press them into bars.

They came out delicious but didn't hold together like a bar. I will add more dates and less nuts next time. It literally took about 3 mins to make so I'll be trying again soon.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10535 on: January 16, 2018, 05:44:54 PM »

Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

If you find a good recipe, please share!


Here's the recipe I came up with;

2 cups Dates
1 cup Cashews
1/3 cup Almonds
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Lemon Flavor

Put it all in the food processor and then into a small dish to try and press them into bars.

They came out delicious but didn't hold together like a bar. I will add more dates and less nuts next time. It literally took about 3 mins to make so I'll be trying again soon.

What do you mean by lemon flavor? Like, vanilla flavor but lemon instead? I may play around with this, but with lemon zest or something instead. Thanks for sharing!

Gerard

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10536 on: January 16, 2018, 05:48:36 PM »
What kind of lard?  All I ever see in the stores is Tenderflake, and it is ubiquitous.

In Toronto, I buy pork trimmings for a dollar a sack, and fry them down for chicharon and very porky-tasting lard. It's worth the hassle to bring back.

But most of the food I fly with is stuff like shallots, garlic, ginger, peppers, dried mushrooms..

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10537 on: January 16, 2018, 05:57:34 PM »
I moved my bedroom to a different room in the house: this new room is warmer (it gets the sun in the afternoon) and has more light (big window). It allows me to save on heat and electricity.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10538 on: January 16, 2018, 05:57:46 PM »

Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

If you find a good recipe, please share!


Here's the recipe I came up with;

2 cups Dates
1 cup Cashews
1/3 cup Almonds
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Lemon Flavor

Put it all in the food processor and then into a small dish to try and press them into bars.

They came out delicious but didn't hold together like a bar. I will add more dates and less nuts next time. It literally took about 3 mins to make so I'll be trying again soon.

What do you mean by lemon flavor? Like, vanilla flavor but lemon instead? I may play around with this, but with lemon zest or something instead. Thanks for sharing!

Lemon essence?

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10539 on: January 16, 2018, 07:35:55 PM »
- Took the bus to school and back. I had to walk to the bus stop in freezing rain on very slippery sidewalks, but side benefit was I didn't have to drive on the slippery roads!

- Bad: Discovered carpenter ants in the mantle last night. Good: Mentioned it to my professor, who specializes in carpenter ants (controlling them, specifically). She offered to treat them for free for some research she is doing.

- Made paneer from scratch from milk that was near but not quite at the turning point. Then, used the paneer to make matar paneer for dinner. Delicious!

- Applied for two scholarships and made a list of things to gather to apply to three more.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10540 on: January 16, 2018, 09:08:07 PM »
-Ate free meals at work
-Charged our electric car for free
-Cut a $500 yearly service by negotiating for an on demand vs pay monthly model. Will save approximately $410 of $500 based on current usage.

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10541 on: January 16, 2018, 11:22:06 PM »
Came home from work exhausted, made pasta for dinner instead of ordering pizza. Met my dad for lunch, who always treats. :)

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10542 on: January 17, 2018, 07:10:47 AM »
What do you mean by lemon flavor? Like, vanilla flavor but lemon instead? I may play around with this, but with lemon zest or something instead. Thanks for sharing!

Yes pretty much, I got it at Wholefoods for like $4 and it's pretty powerful only used 1/4 tsp plus the lemon juice and the "bars" were very lemony. So the bottle should last a long time. Let me know how yours turn out. DH referred to them as granular but delicious.

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10543 on: January 17, 2018, 08:36:30 AM »
Cool! I'm going to try that as well. I have all those ingredients on hand!


Tonight I may try to make my own Lemon Larabars :)

If you find a good recipe, please share!


Here's the recipe I came up with;

2 cups Dates
1 cup Cashews
1/3 cup Almonds
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Lemon Flavor

Put it all in the food processor and then into a small dish to try and press them into bars.

They came out delicious but didn't hold together like a bar. I will add more dates and less nuts next time. It literally took about 3 mins to make so I'll be trying again soon.

BuildingmyFIRE

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10544 on: January 17, 2018, 10:03:21 AM »
Stopped following retailers on Facebook and replaced them with following Audubon and Bird Cam  (Bird Cam, incidentally, is a great FIRE motivator). 

Also opted out of multiple retailer email lists.  My phone has been so quiet I thought something was wrong with the push notifications...

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10545 on: January 17, 2018, 10:36:57 AM »
-Participated in a study (questionnaire based on a medical condition), and I'll get $10 when I do a follow up survey in 16 weeks.
-Filled out the necessary online form to get $25 visa gift card for switching ISPs.
-I've been a home body the last 2 days and not gone anywhere/spent anything. (Well, long walks both days, but zero gas and zero spending)

Roadrunner53

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10546 on: January 17, 2018, 11:28:45 AM »
Filled out a coupon to get a $15 rebate on prescription dog food.


alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10547 on: January 17, 2018, 03:26:23 PM »
-- spent the day in and spent nothing so far today.  I will drive down the road tonight for a Bible study, but its not far and I still won't spend anything but the gas.

-- Am really focusing my attention to painting and making an income off of my side hustle of painting.  Sales are sporadic and limited, but I'm putting a concentrated effort in to actually "uniform" myself for my paint days, as if it were a regular job, and to focus my attention and accomplish tasks more quickly so that I have pieces to more quickly list and sell.  Its not my primary income, but i am out of excess stuff to sell from the house (finally finished downsizing after 9 months) and I still need/want more income to throw at our goals and complete them faster than projected...so here goes!

-- Ate leftovers and bits out of the fridge today to clean it out.  DH did freelance work on his lunch break from "regular" work.  Leftovers for dinner tonight too.

-- Cleaned up the fraying cuff of DH's work pants.  I would fold and hem again if I hadn't already done so once before!  He's rough on work pants, so I will be watching goodwill for some new khakis for him.

-- Kept the space heater off today.  Let the regular furnace run at a low temp and wore layers and slippers, plus walked the dogs multiple times to keep the body temp up.


MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10548 on: January 17, 2018, 04:36:27 PM »
-Arranged a school carpool for tomorrow. (It's supposed to rain, 4 miles each way, no transportation for the kiddos. Normally they ride bikes).
-Leftovers for dinner. Turkey & potato sriracha chowder + homemade rolls. Yum.
-Zero spend day

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10549 on: January 17, 2018, 10:22:57 PM »
I was on the way to my car share to drive to work, when I realized I'd be walking by the bus stop. I've been avoiding the bus because during rush hour what should be a 20 minute commute can take over an hour since the buses are full and don't stop, but I'd read about upgrades to the service so decided to try... and a bus came within three minutes, and I was at work within 25! Considering I already had a transit card with some money on it, it was a free commute.

Took some teammates for lunch - but it was reasonable enough that I'll expense it - and then made a planned dinner with ingredients at home. Instant Pot Butter Chicken!

Zero spend day. :)