Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8029261 times)

choppingwood

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6050 on: April 14, 2016, 09:38:40 AM »
I roast a 3 lb chicken about once a month. This gives me meals and broth. Their regular price is $8.50 to $9.00 Cdn. I usually buy them on sale for $7.50. This week they were on sale for $6.00 each. I have never seen this price before. I just have the freezer in my fridge, but I bought four of them.

Also bought seeds for several herbs for a planter I keep near the kitchen door. Last year I filled the planter with store-bought plants. I'll use soil containers I have on hand to get them started. This will save $10 on getting the planters filled this year and leave me many seeds for future years. May also plant some in the vegetable patch for drying for winter.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6051 on: April 14, 2016, 09:53:03 AM »
Yesterday I spent 55 minutes on the phone trying to get cheaper telephone and internet.  Only results in $17 dollars savings per month for 24 months.  There must be another option that won`t impact my freelance network I have been building for 11 years yet won`t require me to have tv service and a bunch of hardware that I don`t even want to take out of the box.

luciep

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6052 on: April 14, 2016, 06:32:19 PM »
I became car free.

My car died. It was going to cost too much money to fix it. The dealer offered to buy it for $500. I agreed.

WhoDey

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6053 on: April 14, 2016, 06:41:34 PM »
I bought a Wahl electric razer and my wife cut my hair... saving $20 every month now and it is so easy!

a1smith

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6054 on: April 14, 2016, 10:30:14 PM »
Fixed my washer - got new direct drive coupler for $0 (lifetime warranty on repair part).

TabbyCat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6055 on: April 14, 2016, 10:54:42 PM »
Signed up for the smallest trash bin size - planning to call insurance company to ask about increasing our deductible tomorrow.

misshathaway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6056 on: April 15, 2016, 06:08:52 AM »
Re: cable negotiating

It didn't work for me with Verizon. I have just internet and I was paying $89. Verizon wanted to sell me one of the packages to get a cheaper deal. Ended up having to quit them and sign up with RCN. One year for $35 all fees included. So far it really has been $35 a month. When it goes up I'll see what's out there. Looks like google and a startup that used to be Aereo may be providing cheap wireless internet to the home in Boston by then.

plainjane

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6057 on: April 15, 2016, 07:50:39 AM »
Yesterday I spent 55 minutes on the phone trying to get cheaper telephone and internet.  Only results in $17 dollars savings per month for 24 months.  There must be another option that won`t impact my freelance network I have been building for 11 years yet won`t require me to have tv service and a bunch of hardware that I don`t even want to take out of the box.

It wasn't a complete loss - you spent 1 hour for $200 per year. 

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6058 on: April 15, 2016, 08:15:47 AM »
Re: cable negotiating

It didn't work for me with Verizon. I have just internet and I was paying $89. Verizon wanted to sell me one of the packages to get a cheaper deal. Ended up having to quit them and sign up with RCN. One year for $35 all fees included. So far it really has been $35 a month. When it goes up I'll see what's out there. Looks like google and a startup that used to be Aereo may be providing cheap wireless internet to the home in Boston by then.
I have RCN. After the first year it started creeping up about a dollar every month. But RCN has a special contract or something with my building (which includes free basic cable TV for everyone), so maybe that's affecting it? When I called and asked they pretty much just said, "That's how it is."  The only alternative would be going back to AT&T, which was an even worse deal.

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6059 on: April 15, 2016, 01:13:16 PM »
I sold my registration spot for a half marathon I'm not in shape to run, to another mom at the gym childcare co-op. I got back the $80 registration fee, DH can still run it with his friends (who won't slow him down like I would), and we don't have to worry about finding someone to watch the little man while we race.

I bought my hair products during the beauty sale at the military exchange. I'm not quite out, but they were an extra 15% off now and won't be when I run out sometime next month.

I saved the extra wax from a candle that didn't burn efficiently but smelled really nice. Once I get a wick I plan to melt and re-pour it in a smaller container.

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6060 on: April 15, 2016, 01:25:59 PM »
Picked up the supplies I need to throw my kid a kickass second birthday party, including feeding everyone lunch. Food, decorations, and entertainment are coming up to 40$CAD, and that's for 15 people. Here's hoping we get a nice sunny day!

choppingwood

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6061 on: April 15, 2016, 04:08:48 PM »
Cleaned up a full garbage bag of paper and plastic litter from my yard from the winter. I didn't recognize anything but two paper cups, so it all blew in from other people. Behind some brush, I found a Christmas courier package that had been stolen and opened, which had a totally wrecked stuffed animal.

Also found a nice pair of pruning shears. Dirty and rusty, but nothing that a soak in water, an SOS pad and some oil won't put right. I think I made minimum wage for my time outdoors!

tomita

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6062 on: April 15, 2016, 07:32:32 PM »
Just in from a date. We walked around the city and had serious (and hilariously fun) discussion of architecture.  Then went into a little dive bar and listened to a band for free. Didn't buy anything. Then walked some more to admire the houses all lit up and glistening in a little mist of rain. It sounds cheesy but in real life it was lovely!

I really like this guy. 

We've gone out four or five times in the past two weeks (3 in the past 5 days!) and it's usually almost free.  Art shows. Or a pub or coffee shop where we spend all evening sipping one drink and talking. Lots of walking around town just to see what's around the next corner.

**sounds like my husband***is a keeper

Luckyvik

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6063 on: April 17, 2016, 07:26:01 AM »
I died my own hair today for the first time in years, I had decided to grow out my 6 month old salon highlights but they had gone yucky yellow so today I attempted to dye them to match my natural colour. I was mostly successful, some bits didn't take as well but they just look like natural highlights now so I'm happy.  $19 spent vs $100 in a salon so I'm very happy.


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QuirkyNurse

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6064 on: April 17, 2016, 09:24:45 AM »
I needed to fill up my car with gas, and recently, someone commented on how my hair is "two-tone!" (My roots are growing in terribly....) So, I biked a 10 mile round trip to pick up a box of dye rather than go to the salon, and got out off filling my car another day. It's GORGEOUS out for the first time in months - my sandal tan lines are now well underway, haha!

MVal

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6065 on: April 17, 2016, 04:09:24 PM »
I ate leftovers all day.

And I went into Home Goods when I was our running errands, picked up a candle from the clearance section, then put it back after walking around the store a bit. I love candles but I have a few that aren't used up yet.

That's my new form of "shopping." I no longer buy things I don't need, but I do sometimes like to go look at them or just hold them a minute and enjoy them and then put them back. I also don't buy things when I still have a similar item at home I've not used up yet.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6066 on: April 17, 2016, 04:32:43 PM »
Sunny day, so I put a couple loads of laundry on the drying rack instead of using the dryer.

Ate leftovers for lunch.

Weeded the garden. 90% fun, but 10% gardening can save money. Particularly since I've only bought seeds ($11) and a cast iron sprinkler head ($4).

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6067 on: April 17, 2016, 07:32:58 PM »
Today we went for a family hike. We packed a picnic, ate it by a stream, and took pictures of the spring flowers. On the way home we took a scenic route to let the little guy nap and marvel at some of the absolutely over-the-top houses.

I've got enough leftovers in the fridge for DH to take lunch for the whole week.

Fudge102

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6068 on: April 17, 2016, 09:35:39 PM »
Hung three loads of clothes outside to dry instead of using the dryer.  First for me.  Does nto feel as soft as a dryer with dryer sheets, that's for sure.  Nice not to heat up the home when it's 90 out though.

Ceridwen

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6069 on: April 18, 2016, 07:45:41 AM »
- Noticed that the bank was charging me a fee they shouldn't have been.  10 minutes on the phone to get $12 reimbursed and the problem solved for the future. 

- Served bottom-of-the-freezer/oops we still have that! chicken breasts to the family for dinner last night.  No complaints!

- Enjoyed a lovely afternoon at a local nature center thanks to family passes I won in a raffle ($40 value)

dougules

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6070 on: April 18, 2016, 08:14:39 AM »
I tilled my garden yesterday.  A little bit of money for tiller gas and seeds will save a lot on produce this summer. 

I'm a red panda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6071 on: April 18, 2016, 08:40:15 AM »
I had mailed in cards to Victoria's Secret 4 times earlier this year for the "no purchase required" part of one of their promotions, figuring for the price of 8 stamps I could get 4 new pairs of underwear (because holy crap, their underwear is expensive, but I DO like it better than the stuff I normally get from Target).  Well, one of the cards I got back was a surprise $50, instead of the standard $10.

So for $8 I got 10 pairs of underwear for me (10 of the 5 for $27.50), which is about half the price I pay for packs at Target; and then I got 3 pairs that I'm sending to my sister for free (because they came out to $9.18 each, and the GC was for $10.)- I could have just had 13 pairs, but I don't need that many!

To do this I had to go into VS, make a purchase, leave, do a lap around the mall, come back and make another.

Yes, they were really enforcing the "1 per customer per visit" rule.  So I visited 4 times in the span of a half hour.  I didn't have the guts to walk out and turn around and come back in...


I also got 2 new t-shirts at JCP that I really needed to replace old ones for $2; a carefully used "Spend $10, get a $10 discount"- scoured the store for something closest to $10. T-shirt was $12, but had a buy one, get one for a penny sale :)

esq

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6072 on: April 18, 2016, 09:38:32 AM »
I died my own hair today for the first time in years, I had decided to grow out my 6 month old salon highlights but they had gone yucky yellow so today I attempted to dye them to match my natural colour. I was mostly successful, some bits didn't take as well but they just look like natural highlights now so I'm happy.  $19 spent vs $100 in a salon so I'm very happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do this every 6 weeks for my roots.  I even buy Nice N Easy with a coupon during a sale, so the box only costs me about $3.

Also, I fired my nail salon.  After some research, I invested in a $17 LED nail dryer and some gel polish.  Boom!  My nails now last almost as long as at the salon, and I save most of the $30 it costs each time.  Sorry, nice nail ladies, but there's more than enough non-mustachian men and women to keep your shop open for years to come.

LindseyC

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6073 on: April 18, 2016, 04:21:55 PM »
I was tempted this weekend to buy some new fancy shampoo, but I also recognized I am making a huge effort to use up all my toiletries to clean up my stockpile, so instead of buying anything I whipped out my free sample drawer and found some shampoo and conditioner samples. Urge to splurge met and instead of adding to the stockpile I cleaned it up a smudge.

Through some careful meal planning and deal shopping my balance of bonus gricery points is currently $30 for the month. Hoping to use that next month to save some money, not to mention I have been cleaning out my freezer. I only have a small apartment sized freezer but its jam packed and it's time for me to clean it out. Free bonus money and freezer eating should save me about $100 in May.

Working lots of overtime in the next few months to help pay down debt accrued while sick. It was getting me down thinking about the debt and the hours I will be working, so I spent a few hours planning some free social events for my friends. I'm now looking forward to the next few months, there are lots if great things coming up.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6074 on: April 18, 2016, 04:42:45 PM »
Got a bunch of free mason jars through my local Buy Nothing Group. (God I love that project). More jars = more bulk food storage = less cost. Also pretty. Also eco friendly.

Ate leftovers. My particular favorite was plain yogurt with chia seeds, peanut butter, jelly, and slivered almonds. Delicious, and used up the dregs of the old dry PB (not spreadable) and the chia seeds.

Wrapped a gift for a bridal shower next weekend: beautiful tea pot and cups I got through buy nothing, bag and tissue paper I saved from my own wedding, tea I had received as a gift (still fresh, obviously). Grateful I could do the gift for free, since I have to drive a couple hundred miles for the shower!

My parents are paying for me to fly down and visit, and I put the flight on my card and will have them pay me back, so that I can get meet my spending requirement for the signup bonus.

infromsea

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6075 on: April 18, 2016, 07:23:02 PM »
Time for new running shoes, I found a pair on amazon and saved an extra 10 bucks by switching the color to the most god awful one but I'm not one for fashion anyway.

Called cell phone provider and turned SO's data plan down, they usually hem and haw and say it has to stay at the old level due to plan options, they changed tunes when I told them we adjust down or shut it all down (we were paying for 5 gig, using 1 gig...). Savings of 10 bucks a month for now, will go deeper when I am done with my upcoming job transfer and turn my line off, can't wait for the freedom!

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6076 on: April 18, 2016, 09:15:42 PM »
Got home late (10PM) and feel like I might be coming down with another head cold. But instead of take-out or a frozen dinner I'm making soup with whatever I've got handy. Chicken stock (watered down a bit - it was really strong homemade stock but I didn't have that much), a tiny bit of leftover brown rice, maybe a cup of black beans, two zucchini that I had meant to saute for another dish but forgot to include, some pasta, and if it looks like I need more stuff to bulk up the soup I'll toss in some frozen veg.

Debating about whether I should rinse the beans or not before putting them in. Muddy vegetable soup? Do I care? Hmm.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6077 on: April 18, 2016, 09:17:01 PM »
The siren song of spring in Chicago has us out and about and spending money on $6 milkshakes (among other things).

Went to the store and bought 3 quarts of ice cream (on sale!), a bottle of chocolate syrup, heavy cream, and a package of Oreos for the price of 2 milkshakes at our usual place.

Luckyvik

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6078 on: April 18, 2016, 10:39:41 PM »
I died my own hair today for the first time in years, I had decided to grow out my 6 month old salon highlights but they had gone yucky yellow so today I attempted to dye them to match my natural colour. I was mostly successful, some bits didn't take as well but they just look like natural highlights now so I'm happy.  $19 spent vs $100 in a salon so I'm very happy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do this every 6 weeks for my roots.  I even buy Nice N Easy with a coupon during a sale, so the box only costs me about $3.

Also, I fired my nail salon.  After some research, I invested in a $17 LED nail dryer and some gel polish.  Boom!  My nails now last almost as long as at the salon, and I save most of the $30 it costs each time.  Sorry, nice nail ladies, but there's more than enough non-mustachian men and women to keep your shop open for years to come.
Nice one! I can get a Nice and easy root touch up pack for $10 and it lasts me 4 goes although I'm going to try and go au natural not sure how long I'll last though as greys really stand out on dark hair.

Re: Nails I don't even paint them at all now, I do like the Gel/shellac look but 1. it's pricey and 2. I've developed an allergy to formaldehyde so I've got to be careful otherwise I break out into a rash.

Giro

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6079 on: April 19, 2016, 07:20:40 AM »
Normally when temps rise above 80 degrees, it's time for the air conditioner.  This year, my husband actually said to wait a few days and open the windows on both sides of the house to allow for flowing air.  Last night, I put my daughters fan in front of the window to pull in some of the outside air.  She went to turn the fan to face her and knocked it off the stand and broke the little plastic thingies that hold the face of the fan in place.  (not describing this well at all) 

Anyway.....I used zip ties to fix the fan and it's sturdier than it was before.  That fan would come apart as soon as anyone touched it.   

DagobertDuck

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6080 on: April 19, 2016, 07:21:05 AM »
Had a free haircut at our local barber school.

.... and again :-D

RamonaQ

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6081 on: April 19, 2016, 08:29:54 AM »
The battery in my bike sensor died and I destroyed battery cover trying to get it open.  Instead of buying a new sensor for $48, I emailed the company with a picture of the damage asking if there was a way to just get a new battery cover.  They are sending me a whole new sensor for free!

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6082 on: April 19, 2016, 08:41:54 AM »
I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I sometimes buy some at work ($1.09 for 24 oz) for a little extra pick me up--but it takes a packet of hot chocolate mix to make it drinkable. So instead of buying marked up hot chocolate packets at work, I brought in some cheapo store-brand packets.

jenn_ifer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6083 on: April 19, 2016, 10:26:16 AM »
Biked to work, saving the $4.50 in public transit (I do this as often as I can weather-permitting).  Also brought a peanut butter sandwich and a salad for lunch.  Today is looking like a no-spend day!

Bettis

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6084 on: April 19, 2016, 10:32:07 AM »
For a few years now, I've kept instant coffee in my work drawer.  I alternate between what's on sale but it is usually NesCafe, Folgers, or Maxwell House.  It's really not bad tasting though all my coworkers seem to think it is.  Oh well, I won't be sharing then.  Why spend $1.30 each day on a cup for decent but not great coffee when i can spend... 10 cents?  I get a Coffeemate chocolate powder that lasts a few months and bulk sugar packets.

I also never buy lunch at work.  I either bring leftovers or make myself a PBJ.  My old boss told me I'd be rich someday and I jokingly told him "That's the plan".  It'd be all the nicer if I were near FI but I'm making progress.

MVal

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6085 on: April 19, 2016, 03:42:53 PM »
For a few years now, I've kept instant coffee in my work drawer.  I alternate between what's on sale but it is usually NesCafe, Folgers, or Maxwell House.  It's really not bad tasting though all my coworkers seem to think it is.  Oh well, I won't be sharing then.  Why spend $1.30 each day on a cup for decent but not great coffee when i can spend... 10 cents?  I get a Coffeemate chocolate powder that lasts a few months and bulk sugar packets.

I also never buy lunch at work.  I either bring leftovers or make myself a PBJ.  My old boss told me I'd be rich someday and I jokingly told him "That's the plan".  It'd be all the nicer if I were near FI but I'm making progress.

Our office supplies our coffee, so even though it's plain ol' Folgers, it's totally free for me. We also have quite a few catered lunches and breakfasts, so when there's leftovers, I make good use of them and can often go all week without buying lunch, especially during the holidays.

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6086 on: April 19, 2016, 11:09:56 PM »
* Got a free desk-size photocopier from a couple who were trying to clear out the rest of a home after an estate sale. The couple wanted everything gone so I took a kid’s fishing pole, three wooden hangers and a desk lamp while I was there.

* Made baking powder from scratch (2:1 cream of tartar-baking soda) to replace the supply used over the weekend by my kids in a “potion.”

* Took my reusable bags to Sprouts and got a $0.25 credit.

* Came home from a weekend trip to discover that Goblinchief’s excellent advice on starting seeds had worked. I bought 2015 tomato seeds at half-price (+20% off on a special day) and it looks like they almost all came up. Whee!

G-dog

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6087 on: April 20, 2016, 06:58:37 AM »
* Got a free desk-size photocopier from a couple who were trying to clear out the rest of a home after an estate sale. The couple wanted everything gone so I took a kid’s fishing pole, three wooden hangers and a desk lamp while I was there.

* Made baking powder from scratch (2:1 cream of tartar-baking soda) to replace the supply used over the weekend by my kids in a “potion.”

* Took my reusable bags to Sprouts and got a $0.25 credit.

* Came home from a weekend trip to discover that Goblinchief’s excellent advice on starting seeds had worked. I bought 2015 tomato seeds at half-price (+20% off on a special day) and it looks like they almost all came up. Whee!
I get last year's tomato seeds at about half price (at Seed Savers). I've had some for several years and germination is just fine so far. I do keep the seeds in the fridge. We don't have enough garden space (or stomach space or freezer space) for the yield from all the plants from a whole package of tomato seeds.

RamonaQ

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6088 on: April 20, 2016, 07:06:21 AM »
I had saved up $500 to get a mountain bike.  (I already have a fancy tri bike, but it's not something that's appropriate for running errands or riding downtown on trails.)  Instead of spending the $500 on a new bike, I asked around and found a friend who was selling her old mountain bike for $100.  So, saved money on the planned purchase, and will save gas money on small trips throughout the summer.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6089 on: April 20, 2016, 07:53:09 AM »
Inspired by the above post about instant coffee, I picked up a $2 jar of the stuff at Aldi. I have no palate for coffee other than "bitter" and "not bitter," so I don't care if it's bad quality--and it's getting mixed with a hot cocoa packet anyway so who cares. Drinking it right now and it's not bitter, so that's a success in my book.

Aldi is an amazing place. I wish I had one nearby instead of an awful expensive downtown Jewel. I will say I went hungry and almost got a bag of cheese puffs, but I put it back after carrying it around for a while. Being limited to what you can carry home on the El definitely has its advantages sometimes.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6090 on: April 20, 2016, 08:36:32 AM »
I bought a whole chicken on sale yesterday and dumped it on the crockpot. When it was "falling off the bone," I removed the good meat and left all the bones and nastiness in the crockpot. Dumped in some veggie scraps and water, and this morning, I had homemade broth! This is a new trick for me!

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6091 on: April 20, 2016, 08:56:05 AM »
[...]Made baking powder from scratch (2:1 cream of tartar-baking soda) to replace the supply used over the weekend by my kids in a “potion.”
[...]

I'm more interested in the potion.

By the River

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6092 on: April 20, 2016, 09:13:07 AM »
Biked to work for the first time...7.2 miles.  Probably won't be an everyday thing until my schedule changes.   

Ceridwen

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6093 on: April 20, 2016, 09:47:42 AM »
- Stretched a cream blush that I normally would have thrown out weeks ago, but instead used daily up until this morning by scraping the sides of the container with a q-tip

- Successfully working my way through some long-forgotten frozen foods this week.  Lunch today is a white chicken chili - forgot how good it was!

Bettis

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6094 on: April 20, 2016, 10:19:09 AM »
Inspired by the above post about instant coffee, I picked up a $2 jar of the stuff at Aldi. I have no palate for coffee other than "bitter" and "not bitter," so I don't care if it's bad quality--and it's getting mixed with a hot cocoa packet anyway so who cares. Drinking it right now and it's not bitter, so that's a success in my book.


Thanks, I don't typically inspire people :)  But yes, instant coffee is not that bad and it keeps for quite a while so it's good in a pinch.  Mix in some powdered creamer or cocoa and you're good to go.  It helps that I have a hot water dispenser near my cube so this may not work as well for others in the workplace.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6095 on: April 20, 2016, 11:03:15 AM »
Inspired by the above post about instant coffee, I picked up a $2 jar of the stuff at Aldi. I have no palate for coffee other than "bitter" and "not bitter," so I don't care if it's bad quality--and it's getting mixed with a hot cocoa packet anyway so who cares. Drinking it right now and it's not bitter, so that's a success in my book.


Thanks, I don't typically inspire people :)  But yes, instant coffee is not that bad and it keeps for quite a while so it's good in a pinch.  Mix in some powdered creamer or cocoa and you're good to go.  It helps that I have a hot water dispenser near my cube so this may not work as well for others in the workplace.
I smuggled in my electric kettle. We're not supposed to have appliances in our cubicles, but for some reason our floor doesn't have a hot water dispenser.

ragesinggoddess

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6096 on: April 20, 2016, 11:49:03 AM »
I have gotten a ton of great cat stuff for free on Freecycle/Craigslist/Buy Nothing lately, including a water fountain, cat litter, an automatic laser toy thingy, and some cat trees. Not sure how to disinfect those properly, though.

Let's not talk about how much BigCat's vet bills totaled this month...

JetBlast

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6097 on: April 20, 2016, 04:42:47 PM »
Not really saving money as I'll net zero, but still worth it in my opinion. Got my home internet bill reduced after a five minute conversation with a Comcast rep, then immediately went to the website of the local food bank and set up a monthly donation for an equal amount. Based on the food bank's numbers, my less than ten minutes of work results in Comcast buying approximately 600 meals over the next year.

Primm

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6098 on: April 20, 2016, 06:24:49 PM »
[...]Made baking powder from scratch (2:1 cream of tartar-baking soda) to replace the supply used over the weekend by my kids in a “potion.”
[...]

I'm more interested in the potion.

My kids (and me before them) were forever making "potions". Mix together whatever you can find and see what happens, basically. If you can get away with something you know you probably shouldn't, the exotic ingredients make them so much better. Leaves and twigs out of the garden if you're desperate, makeup and kitchen supplies if mum isn't looking...

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #6099 on: April 20, 2016, 08:07:28 PM »
No spend day today.

Sewed a t-shirt during naptime (not necessarily a money saver as this particular fabric was on the pricier side, but still skill building), walked to the park for a playdate, ate leftovers, started next week's meal plan and grocery list, and did a workout in our garage gym.